Conveyor mechanism

Abstract

To provide a conveyance mechanism capable of improving energy efficiency in conveyance of a conveyed object by effectively using motion energy of the conveyed object.SOLUTION: A conveyance mechanism 100 comprises: a contact member 3; a holding member 4; and a storage mechanism 5 including a conveyed object urging member 51 moved in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the contact member 3, according to the movement of the contact member 3 and an elastic member 50 for reducing the speed of a conveyed object W and storing motion energy of the conveyed object W, according to the movement of the conveyed object urging member 51. The storage mechanism is configured to, when the conveyed object W is stopped at a stop position, stop the conveyed object urging member 51 at a rear side position P2 of the conveyed object W and hold a stored state of the motion energy of the conveyed object W of the elastic member 50, and to, when the stopping of the conveyed object W at a stop position P0 is released, release the stored state of the motion energy of the conveyed object W of the elastic member 50 and urges forward the conveyed object W from the rear side position P2 by the conveyed object urging member 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying mechanism, and more particularly to a conveying mechanism for conveying an object including a pallet or a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A transfer conveyor for transferring pallets has been known in the past (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a transport conveyor equipped with a pallet stopper mechanism having a compression coil spring. The pallet stopper mechanism is configured to stop the pallet by bringing a stopper into contact with the front end surface of a pallet being transported by the transport conveyor. The pallet stopper mechanism is configured to elastically deform the compression coil spring using the driving force of the pallet, thereby stopping the pallet while absorbing the impact of contact with the pallet. The pallet stopper mechanism is also configured to resume transport by the transport conveyor by lowering the stopper while keeping the compression coil spring elastically deformed (deformed in the compression direction), thereby releasing the contact between the stopper and the pallet. As a result, the elastic deformation of the compression coil spring is released. In other words, the kinetic energy of the pallet accumulated in the compression coil spring when absorbing the impact of the pallet and stopping it is released to the outside by simply releasing (releasing) the compression coil spring. This allows the pallet to resume transport. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-271059 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Although not explicitly stated in Patent Document 1, there has long been a demand in the field of conveyance mechanisms for conveying pallets in a way that minimizes the loss of kinetic energy. In Patent Document 1, the kinetic energy of the pallet stored in the compression coil spring is simply released to the outside when the impact of the pallet is absorbed and the pallet is stopped, so improvements are desired from the perspective of energy efficiency in pallet conveyance.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a conveying mechanism that can effectively utilize the kinetic energy of the transported object and improve the energy efficiency in transporting the object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a conveying mechanism in one aspect of the present invention comprises a contact member that comes into contact with a conveyed object, including a pallet or workpiece, moving forward and moves by being pushed by the conveyed object; a holding member that holds the contact member and moves together with the contact member; a conveyed object pushing member that moves in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the contact member as the contact member moves; and a storage member attached to the holding member and the conveyed object pushing member, that decelerates the conveyed object via the contact member as the conveyed object pushing member moves, thereby storing the kinetic energy of the conveyed object; the storage mechanism is configured to stop the conveyed object pushing member at a position behind the conveyed object when the conveyed object is stopped at a stop position, thereby storing the kinetic energy of the conveyed object in the storage member; and to release the kinetic energy of the conveyed object from being stored in the storage member when the conveyed object is released from the stop position, so that the conveyed object is pushed forward from the rear position by the conveyed object pushing member.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, a conveying mechanism includes an accumulation mechanism including an article pushing-advancing member that moves in a direction opposite to the movement of the contact member as the contact member moves, and an accumulation member attached to the holding member and the article pushing-advancing member that decelerates the article via the contact member as the article pushing-advancing member moves, thereby accumulating kinetic energy of the article, and the accumulation mechanism is configured to stop the article pushing-advancing member at a position behind the article when the article is stopped at a stop position, thereby maintaining the kinetic energy of the article stored in the accumulation member, and to release the kinetic energy of the article when the article is released from the stop position, so that the article pushing-advancing member can push the article forward from the rear position. This allows the kinetic energy of the article to be stored in the accumulation member when the article is stopped, and to release the kinetic energy of the article when the stop of the article is released and conveyance resumes, so that the kinetic energy of the article can be pushed forward by the article pushing-advancing member. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the transported object accumulated when the object is stopped can be used to push the object forward, rather than simply being wasted by being released to the outside as in the past. This makes it possible to effectively utilize the kinetic energy of the transported object and improve energy efficiency in transporting the object.

[0009] In the conveying mechanism according to the above aspect, preferably, the accumulation member includes an elastic member, and the elastic member is configured so that the amount of elastic deformation increases as the conveyed article pushing-advance member moves from an initial position, which is the position of the conveyed article pushing-advance member before contact between the contact member and the conveyed article, to a rear position.

[0010] With this configuration, when stopping the movement of the transported object, the kinetic energy of the transported object can be easily stored as relatively large elastic energy simply by moving the transported object pushing member to a rear position and elastically deforming the elastic member so that the transported object can be pushed forward from the rear.

[0011] In this case, it is preferable that the device further includes a pivot axis that is arranged between the contact member and the transported object pushing member and that rotatably supports the holding member, and the storage mechanism and the transported object pushing member each include a cam and a cam follower, and the cam is configured to guide the movement of the cam follower from the initial position to the rear position, and the distance from the pivot axis increases as the cam approaches the rear position from the initial position, and the cam has a first guide portion that extends along the rotation direction of the pivot axis.

[0012] With this configuration, the cam follower of the transported object pushing member, to which the elastic member is attached, can be easily moved along the first guide portion of the cam, which makes it easy to elastically deform the elastic member and store the kinetic energy of the transported object.

[0013] In the above-mentioned configuration in which the cam has a first guide portion, the cam preferably has a linear second guide portion that guides the movement of the cam follower from the rear position to the front position so that the transported object is pushed forward from the rear position by the transported object pushing member when the transported object is released from the stopped position at the stopped position.

[0014] With this configuration, when the stopped state of the transported object is released and transport is resumed, the cam follower can be easily moved along the second guide portion of the cam, so that the transported object can be easily pushed forward from the rear position by the transported object pushing member.

[0015] In a configuration in which the above-mentioned cam has a second guide portion, the initial position is preferably located below the front position and the rear position, and the cam has an arc-shaped third guide portion that guides the movement of the cam follower due to its own weight from the front position to the initial position when contact between the transported object and the contact member is released.

[0016] With this configuration, the kinetic energy accumulated in the elastic member can be consumed to move the cam follower of the transported object pushing member, which is located at the forward position, to its initial position by its own weight along the third guide portion of the arc-shaped cam.This allows the cam follower to move smoothly toward its initial position, and the transported object pushing member can be moved to its initial position and returned to a state suitable for the next transported object.

[0017] In the conveying mechanism according to the above aspect, preferably, a rotation center shaft is further provided, which is arranged between the contact member and the conveyed object pushing member and rotatably supports the holding member, and the holding member is configured so that the contact member rotates when in contact with the front end surface of the conveyed object, and the rotation is restricted when the contact member contacts the bottom surface of the conveyed object.

[0018] By configuring it in this manner, the holding member can be switched between rotating (moving) and stopping its rotation depending on the contact position of the transported object, making it easy to switch between a state in which kinetic energy is stored in the elastic member and a state in which the kinetic energy stored in the elastic member is retained.

[0019] In the transport mechanism according to the above aspect, the following configuration is also possible.

[0020] That is, in the oil conveying mechanism, the elastic member includes a tension spring that stores elastic energy by extension.

[0021] With this configuration, the kinetic energy of the transported object can be easily stored as elastic energy simply by stretching the tension spring to cause elastic deformation.

[0022] In the oil transport mechanism, the contact member includes a roller that rotates in contact with the transported object as the transported object moves forward.

[0023] With this configuration, the frictional resistance when the rollers come into contact with the transported object can be reduced.

[0024] In addition, in a configuration in which the above-mentioned cam has a first guide portion, the first guide portion is formed in an approximately sinusoidal shape so that the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic member increases smoothly and continuously while the cam follower moves.

[0025] With this configuration, when the cam follower moves along the first guide portion, it is possible to prevent the cam follower from stopping midway due to the frictional force between the first guide portion and the cam follower.

[0026] In addition, in a configuration in which the cam has a first guide portion, the device further includes a regulating member that regulates movement of the cam follower from the initial position toward the forward position when the cam follower moves to the initial position along the third guide portion.

[0027] With this configuration, the cam follower can be reliably moved from the initial position to the rearward position by the restricting member without being moved from the initial position to the forward position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to the present invention, as described above, the kinetic energy of the transported object can be effectively utilized to improve the energy efficiency in transporting the object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a transport mechanism according to an embodiment is attached to a conveyor. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transport mechanism according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a side view showing a state in which an object is in contact with a contact member of the transport mechanism according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5]5 is a side view showing a state in which the cam follower of the transport mechanism according to the embodiment is in the middle of moving from the initial position to the rear position along the first guide part, and shows a state subsequent to the state in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a side view showing a state in which the cam follower of the transport mechanism according to the embodiment is located at a rear position, and is a view showing a state subsequent to the state in FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] This is a side view showing the state in which the cam follower of the conveying mechanism according to the embodiment has moved from the rear position to the front position along the second guide portion (the state in which the conveyed object is pushed forward), and is a view showing the state following the state in Figure 6. [Figure 8] 8 is a side view showing a state in which the contact between the contact member of the transport mechanism and the transported object is released according to the embodiment, and shows a state subsequent to the state shown in FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a side view showing a state in which the cam follower of the transport mechanism according to the embodiment collides with the latch plate, and shows a state subsequent to the state in FIG. 8. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0031] [Embodiment] (Configuration of the transport mechanism) The configuration of a transport mechanism 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0032] The transport mechanism 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is attached to a conveyor C that transports an object W including a workpiece such as a pallet or a product, and is configured to assist the conveyor C in transporting the object W.

[0033] Specifically, the conveying mechanism 100 is configured to contact the front end surface W2 of the forwardly moving conveyed object W to decelerate the conveyed object W. At this time, the conveying mechanism 100 is configured to accumulate the kinetic energy of the conveyed object W using an elastic member 50 of an accumulation mechanism 5, which will be described later. In a decelerated state, the conveyed object W comes into contact with a stopper S (see FIG. 6) of the conveyor C, and stops at a predetermined stopping position P0 (see FIG. 6). The elastic member 50 is an example of the "accumulation member" in the claims.

[0034] When the transported object W starts to move, the transport mechanism 100 releases the kinetic energy of the transported object W stored in the elastic member 50, and pushes (assists) the transported object W forward.

[0035] As an example, the conveyor C is configured as a roller conveyor with two parallel lanes spaced apart in the left-right direction (Y direction below). The article W is placed on the conveyor C so as to straddle the two lanes. Note that only the right lane of the conveyor C is shown in Figure 1.

[0036] In each drawing, the up-down direction is indicated by the Z direction. The upper side of the Z direction is indicated by the Z1 direction, and the lower side is indicated by the Z2 direction.

[0037] In each drawing, the direction in which the conveyor C extends is indicated as the X direction. The front of the X direction (front in the conveying direction) is indicated as the X1 direction, and the rear (rear in the conveying direction) is indicated as the X2 direction.

[0038] In each figure, the left-right direction (width direction) of the conveyor C is indicated as the Y direction. Within the Y direction, the right side relative to the front (X1 direction) of the conveyor C is indicated as the Y1 direction, and the left side relative to the front (X1 direction) of the conveyor C is indicated as the Y2 direction. The transport mechanism 100 is installed from the inside in the left-right direction (Y direction) relative to the right lane (Y1 direction side) of the conveyor C.

[0039] The Y direction is also the direction in which the central axis α1 of the rotation central shaft 2 of the first holding member 40 of the holding member 4 extends. The Y direction is also the direction in which the central axis α2 of the rotation central shaft 2a of the second holding member 41 of the holding member 4 extends. The Y direction is also the direction in which the central axis β of the rotation central shaft 6a of the latch plate 6 extends. The Y direction is also the direction in which the central axis γ of the contact member 3 formed by a roller extends.

[0040] In each drawing, the longitudinal direction of the holding member 4 (first holding member 40) is indicated by direction A. Within direction A, the direction from the front end to the rear end of the holding member 4 (first holding member 40) is indicated by direction A1, and the opposite direction is indicated by direction A2.

[0041] The transport mechanism 100 includes a mounting member 1, a rotation center shaft 2, a contact member 3, a holding member 4, an accumulation mechanism 5 that accumulates the kinetic energy of the transported object W, and a latch plate 6 (regulating member).

[0042] The transport mechanism 100 is formed so that its overall size (thickness) in the left-right direction (Y direction) is smaller than its sizes in the up-down direction (Z direction) and the front-back direction (X direction). As an example, the size in the left-right direction (Y direction) is smaller than half of the sizes in the up-down direction (Z direction) and the front-back direction (X direction). By reducing the size (thickness) of the entire transport mechanism 100 in the left-right direction (Y direction), space saving for the transport mechanism 100 is achieved within the limited storage space within the transport conveyor.

[0043] (Configuration of mounting components) The mounting member 1 is configured to mount the transport mechanism 100 to the conveyor C. Other components of the transport mechanism 100 (contact members 3, holding members 4, and accumulation mechanism 5) are mounted to the mounting member 1. The mounting member 1 is disposed to the right (Y1 direction) of the other components. The mounting member 1 has bolt holes (not shown) and is mounted to the conveyor C with bolts.

[0044] The mounting member 1 includes an upper mounting member 10 and a lower mounting member 11 connected to the upper mounting member 10 from below (the Z2 direction side).

[0045] The upper mounting member 10 has a shape that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction and has a thickness in the vertical direction (Z direction). A holding member 4 (first holding member 40) is rotatably attached to the upper mounting member 10 via a rotation center shaft 2.

[0046] The lower mounting member 11 is formed in a thin rectangular shape with its thickness extending in the left-right direction (Y direction).

[0047] A cam plate 52 (described later) of the accumulation mechanism 5 is fixed to the lower mounting member 11. A latch plate 6 is also attached to the lower mounting member 11 so as to be rotatable via a rotation center shaft 6a. The lower mounting member 11 is also provided with a rotation restricting portion 11a and a buffer portion 11b. The cam plate 52 is an example of the "cam" defined in the claims.

[0048] The rotation restricting portion 11a is configured to come into contact with the holding member 4 (first holding member 40) that rotates around the rotation center axis 2 along the third guide portion 52c of the cam plate 52, thereby restricting the rotation of the holding member 4. The rotation restricting portion 11a is configured to abut against the holding member 4 from the lower side (Z2 direction side).

[0049] The buffer portion 11b is made of a compression spring. The buffer portion 11b is configured to come into contact with the holding member 4 (first holding member 40) immediately before the holding member 4 abuts against the rotation restricting portion 11a, thereby absorbing the impact applied to the holding member 4. The buffer portion 11b is configured to abut against the holding member 4 from below.

[0050] (Configuration of the central axis of rotation) As described above, the pivot shaft 2 is an axis that rotatably supports the first holding member 40 of the holding member 4. The pivot shaft 2 is disposed in the direction A between the contact member 3 and a transported object pushing member 51 (described later) of the accumulation mechanism 5. The pivot shaft 2 is also disposed in the direction A between the contact member 3 and an elastic member 50 (described later) of the accumulation mechanism 5.

[0051] The rotation central shaft 2 is always disposed in front of the transported article pushing / advancing member 51 and the elastic member 50 (X1 direction side). The rotation central shaft 2 is always disposed below the contact member 3 (Z2 direction side). The rotation central shaft 2 is disposed above the transported article pushing / advancing member 51 and the elastic member 50 (Z1 direction side) when the holding member 4 (first holding member 40) is in contact with the rotation restricting portion 11a. The rotation central shaft 2 is disposed behind the contact member 3 (X2 direction side) when the contact member 3 is in contact with the bottom surface W1 of the transported article W.

[0052] (Configuration of contact members) The contact member 3 is configured as a roller that rotates in contact with the transported object W as the transported object W moves forward. The contact member 3 is provided at the end of the front and upper side of the holding member 4 (second holding member 41). The contact member 3 is configured to move by coming into contact with the transported object W moving forward and being pushed by the transported object W.

[0053] In detail, when the contact member 3 comes into contact with the front end surface W2 of the transported article W, the contact member 3 is configured to rotate together with the holding member 4 as the holding member 4 rotates about the rotation center axis 2. Note that in each drawing, the contact member 3 is configured to rotate in the counterclockwise direction (direction R1) when it comes into contact with the transported article W.

[0054] The contact position of the contact member 3 with respect to the front end surface W2 of the transported object W moves downward as the transported object W moves forward toward the stopping position P0 (see Figure 6), and contacts the bottom surface W1 of the transported object W when the transported object W stops at the stopping position P0.

[0055] (Configuration of holding member) The holding member 4 is configured to hold the contact member 3 and move (rotate) together with the contact member 3.

[0056] The holding member 4 is configured so that it rotates when the contact member 3 is in contact with the front end surface W2 of the transported article W, and its rotation is restricted when the contact member 3 is in contact with the bottom surface W1 of the transported article W. When the contact member 3 is in contact with the bottom surface W1 of the transported article W, the longitudinal direction of the holding member 4, direction A, is (substantially) aligned with the front-rear direction (direction X).

[0057] The holding member 4 includes a first holding member 40, a second holding member 41 attached to the front side of the first holding member 40, and a compression spring 42 provided between the first holding member 40 and the second holding member 41.

[0058] The first holding member 40 has an elongated shape. The front end of the first holding member 40 is disposed in front of and above the rotation central shaft 2 before the contact member 3 comes into contact with the transported article W. The rear end of the first holding member 40 is disposed behind and below the rotation central shaft 2 before the contact member 3 comes into contact with the transported article W.

[0059] 3, the first holding member 40 is provided with a guide rail 40a that engages with the engaging portion 51a of the conveyed article pushing / advancing member 51 to guide movement of the conveyed article pushing / advancing member 51 in the A direction. The guide rail 40a is provided on the side surface of the first holding member 40 on the Y1 direction side. The guide rail 40a is provided on the rear side of the rotation central shaft 2 and extends linearly in the longitudinal direction (direction A). The guide rail 40a extends in the radial direction of the rotation central shaft 2.

[0060] 1 and 2, the contact member 3 comes into contact with the front end surface W2 of the transported object W, and as the contact member 3 moves forward, the first holding member 40 rotates, transitioning from an inclined state to a horizontal state extending horizontally, and stops. When the transported object W is stopped at the stop position P0 (see FIG. 6), the first holding member 40 is held in a horizontal state. Then, when the stop state of the transported object W by the stopper S is released, the first holding member 40 again becomes inclined.

[0061] The first holding member 40 has a spring attachment portion 40b to which the front end portion of the elastic member 50 is attached. The spring attachment portion 40b is disposed behind the rotation central shaft 2.

[0062] The second holding member 41 has a triangular shape in a side view (viewed from the Y direction), and holds the contact member 3 at its upper corner. The second holding member 41 is attached to the front side of the first holding member 40 so as to be rotatable via the rotation center shaft 2a.

[0063] The second holding member 41 is attached to the first holding member 40 in a state where it is biased in a counterclockwise direction (R2 direction) by a compression spring 42 in a side view (viewed from the Y direction). Note that the second holding member 41 abuts against the first holding member 40, thereby restricting its rotation relative to the first holding member 40, and the second holding member 41 is held in a predetermined rotational position relative to the first holding member 40 as shown in FIG.

[0064] The second holding member 41 is always held at a predetermined rotational position relative to the first holding member 40 by the compression spring 42 when the transported article W is being moved forward. On the other hand, when the transport mode is switched and the transported article W is being moved backward, the contact member 3 is moved backward by the rearward driving force of the transported article W that resists the biasing force of the compression spring 42. In other words, the second holding member 41 is rotated clockwise (opposite to the direction R2) relative to the first holding member 40. In this way, the transport mechanism 100 allows the transported article W to move backward.

[0065] (Storage mechanism configuration) The storage mechanism 5 includes an elastic member 50, a conveyed object pushing member 51, and a cam plate 52.

[0066] The elastic member 50 is made up of a tension spring that stores elastic energy when stretched.

[0067] The elastic member 50 is attached to the holding member 4 and the transported object pushing / advancing member 51, and is configured to decelerate the transported object W via the contact member 3 as the transported object pushing / advancing member 51 moves, thereby storing the kinetic energy of the transported object W. The elastic member 50 is arranged parallel to the first holding member 40. In other words, the elastic member 50 is arranged so as to extend in the A direction.

[0068] The elastic member 50 is configured so that the amount of elastic deformation increases as the transported object pushing / advancing member 51 moves from an initial position P1, which is the position of the transported object pushing / advancing member 51 before contact between the contact member 3 and the transported object W, to a rear position P2, which is a position behind the transported object W.

[0069] The transported object pushing member 51 integrally includes the above-mentioned engagement portion 51a, a spring mounting portion 51b to which the rear end portion of the elastic member 50 is attached, a pushing portion 51c that abuts against the rear end face W3 of the transported object W to push the transported object W forward, and a cam follower 51d that abuts against the cam plate 52 and whose movement is guided by the cam plate 52.

[0070] As the contact member 3 moves (rotates about the rotation center axis 2), the transported article pushing-advancement member 51 is configured to move via the holding member 4 in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the contact member 3. That is, when the contact member 3 moves downward due to rotation, the transported article pushing-advancement member 51 moves upward due to rotation. Furthermore, when the contact member 3 moves forward due to rotation, the transported article pushing-advancement member 51 moves rearward due to rotation.

[0071] The pushing portion 51c is configured to come into contact with the rear end surface W3 of the transported object W when the transported object pushing / advancing member 51 moves to the rear side position P2. While the transported object W is stopped at the stop position P0 (see FIG. 6) by the stopper S (see FIG. 6), the pushing portion 51c is maintained in contact with the rear end surface W3 of the transported object W.

[0072] Cam plate 52 is formed in a thin triangular shape with its thickness extending in the left-right direction (Y direction). Cam plate 52 has first guide portion 52a, second guide portion 52b, and third guide portion 52c that guide the movement of cam follower 51d. First guide portion 52a is formed by the outer surface of cam plate 52. Second guide portion 52b is formed by the upper surface (a horizontal surface extending in the front-rear direction) of cam plate 52. Third guide portion 52c is formed by the inner surface of cam plate 52 that is located closer to rotation center axis 2 than the outer surface.

[0073] The first guide portion 52a is configured to guide the movement of the cam follower 51d from the initial position P1 to the rear position P2. The first guide portion 52a extends along the rotation direction (direction R1) of the rotation center shaft 2, and the distance D (see FIG. 5) from the rotation center shaft 2 increases as the first guide portion 52a approaches the rear position P2 from the initial position P1.

[0074] Therefore, when cam follower 51d moves along first guide portion 52a, the distance from rotation central shaft 2 to cam follower 51d gradually increases. Therefore, due to the mechanism of guide rail 40a and engagement portion 51a, while cam follower 51d moves along first guide portion 52a, conveyed object pushing member 51 moves in direction A1.

[0075] Moreover, the first guide portion 52a is formed in a substantially sinusoidal shape so that the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic member increases continuously and smoothly while the cam follower 51d moves along the first guide portion 52a.

[0076] When cam follower 51d starts to move from initial position P1, the distance from rotation central axis 2 to cam follower 51d increases little by little, and the rate at which the distance from rotation central axis 2 to cam follower 51d increases gradually increases. Then, near rear position P2, the rate at which the distance from rotation central axis 2 to cam follower 51d increases gradually decreases.

[0077] The second guide portion 52b extends linearly in the front-to-rear direction. The second guide portion 52b is configured to guide the movement of the cam follower 51d from the rear position P2 to the front position P3 so that the transported article pushing-advancing member 51 pushes the transported article W forward from the rear position P2 when the transported article W is released from the stop position P0 (see FIG. 6). Note that the first guide portion 52a moves the transported article pushing-advancing member 51 closer to the rotation center axis 2 while the cam follower 51d moves along the first guide portion 52a. In other words, the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic member 50 gradually decreases.

[0078] The third guide portion 52c is formed in an arc shape centered on the rotation central axis 2 (central axis line α1). The third guide portion 52c is configured to guide the movement of the cam follower 51d from the front position P3 to the initial position P1 due to its own weight when the contact between the transported object W and the contact member 3 is released. Note that the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic member 50 does not change when moving from the front position P3 to the initial position P1.

[0079] The storage mechanism 5 is configured to stop the transported object pushing member 51 at a rear position P2 of the transported object W when the transported object W is stopped at the stop position P0, thereby maintaining the accumulation state of the kinetic energy of the transported object W in the elastic member 50.

[0080] The storage mechanism 5 is configured to release the stored state of the kinetic energy of the transported item W in the elastic member 50 when the stopper S (see Figure 6) releases the transported item W from being stopped at the stop position P0, and to push the transported item W forward from the rear position P2 using the transported item pushing member 51.

[0081] (Latch plate configuration) The latch plate 6 is configured to restrict the movement (return) of the cam follower 51d from the initial position P1 toward the forward position P3 when the cam follower 51d moves from the forward position P3 to the initial position P1 along the third guide portion 52c.

[0082] More specifically, latch plate 6 is provided with a pivot shaft 6a and a tension spring 6b. Latch plate 6 is biased toward cam plate 52 by tension spring 6b and is held in contact with cam plate 52. As latch plate 6 moves from forward position P3 to initial position P1 due to its own weight, cam follower 51d collides with latch plate 6, causing it to temporarily separate from cam plate 52.

[0083] At this time, the cam follower 51d passes through the gap between the latch plate 6 and the cam plate 52 and moves to the initial position P1. The latch plate 6 is immediately returned to a state of contact with the cam plate 52 by the biasing force of the tension spring 6b. In other words, because the gap between the latch plate 6 and the cam plate 52 is immediately closed, the cam follower 51d can reliably move from the initial position P1 to the rear position P2 when the next conveyed object W comes into contact with the contact member 3.

[0084] (Stopping and unlocking of transported items) The operations of stopping and releasing the stop of the transported article W will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0085] First, as shown in Fig. 4, the transported object W comes into contact with the contact member 3, and the holding member 4 is rotated counterclockwise (in the direction of R1) together with the contact member 3 around the rotation central axis 2. That is, the cam follower 51d moves from the initial position P1 toward the rear position P2 along the first guide portion 52a. At this time, the transported object pushing member 51 (the engagement portion 51a (see Fig. 2)) moves in the direction of A1 along the guide rail 40a.

[0086] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, during movement from the initial position P1 toward the rear side position P2, the cam follower 51d moves smoothly along the first guide portion 52a having a substantially sinusoidal curve.

[0087] Next, as shown in Fig. 6, the transported article W is stopped at stop position P0 by stopper S. In this state, the transported article pushing member 51 (pushing portion 51c) is located at rear position P2 and is in contact with the rear end surface W3 of the transported article W. In this state, the elastic member 50 is maintained in a state in which the kinetic energy of the transported article W is accumulated.

[0088] 7, when the stop of the transported article W at stop position P0 by stopper S is released, elastic member 50 contracts, and transported article pushing member 51 (pushing portion 51c) is pulled forward by elastic member 50, pushing transported article W forward from rear position P2. Then, transported article pushing member 51 (cam follower 51d) moves from rear position P2 to front position P3 along second guide portion 52b. At this time, transported article pushing member 51 moves in direction A2 along guide rail 40a.

[0089] 8, the moment the contact between the transported object W and the contact member 3 is released, the holding member 4 is permitted to rotate about the rotation center axis 2. Therefore, the transported object pushing-advancement member 51 (cam follower 51d) moves from the front position P3 toward the initial position P1 along the third guide portion 52c due to its own weight. At this time, the transported object pushing-advancement member 51 does not move in the A direction along the guide rail 40a, and the position in the A direction is maintained.

[0090] Next, as shown in Figure 9, as the transported object pushing member 51 (cam follower 51d) moves from the forward position P3 toward the initial position P1 along the third guide portion 52c due to its own weight, it collides with the latch plate 6, causing the latch plate 6 to move forward and return to the initial position P1.

[0091] Incidentally, just before conveyed article pushing-advancing member 51 (cam follower 51d) returns to initial position P1, holding member 4 is buffered by buffer portion 11b. Furthermore, in a state in which conveyed article pushing-advancing member 51 (cam follower 51d) has returned to initial position P1, holding member 4 comes into contact with rotation restricting portion 11a, and its rotation is restricted.

[0092] When the conveyed object pushing member 51 (cam follower 51d) returns to the initial position P1, the latch plate 6 is returned to a state in which it contacts the cam plate 52 by the biasing member.

[0093] (Effects of this embodiment) In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0094] In this embodiment, as described above, an accumulation mechanism 5 is provided which includes a transported article pushing / advancing member 51 which moves in the opposite direction to the movement direction of the contact member 3 as the contact member 3 moves, and an elastic member 50 which is attached to the holding member 4 and the transported article pushing / advancing member 51 and which decelerates the transported article W via the contact member 3 as the transported article pushing / advancing member 51 moves, thereby accumulating the kinetic energy of the transported article W. The accumulation mechanism 5 is configured so that when the transported article W is stopped at the stop position P0, the transported article pushing / advancing member 51 is stopped at the rear side position P2 of the transported article W, thereby maintaining the accumulated state of the kinetic energy of the transported article W in the elastic member 50, and when the transported article W is released from being stopped at the stop position P0, the accumulated state of the kinetic energy of the transported article W in the elastic member 50 is released, and the transported article pushing / advancing member 51 pushes the transported article W forward from the rear side position P2. As a result, when the transported article W is stopped, the kinetic energy of the article W is stored in the elastic member 50, and when the stop of the article W is released and transport is resumed, the stored state of the kinetic energy of the article W in the elastic member 50 is released, and the article W can be pushed forward by the article pushing member 51. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the article W stored when the article W is stopped can be used to push forward the article W, rather than being wasted by simply releasing it to the outside as in the conventional case. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the article W can be effectively utilized, and energy efficiency in transporting the article W can be improved.

[0095] In this embodiment, as described above, the elastic member 50 includes the elastic member 50, and the elastic member 50 is configured so that the amount of elastic deformation increases as the transported article pushing-advancing member 51 moves from the initial position P1, which is the position of the transported article pushing-advancing member 51 before contact between the contact member 3 and the transported article W, to the rear position P2. As a result, when stopping the movement of the transported article W, the kinetic energy of the transported article W can be easily stored as a relatively large amount of elastic energy simply by elastically deforming the elastic member 50 while moving the transported article pushing-advancing member 51 to the rear position P2 so that the transported article W can be pushed forward from the rear.

[0096] As described above, this embodiment further includes a pivot shaft 2 that is disposed between the contact member 3 and the transported article pushing-advancing member 51 and pivotably supports the holding member 4. The accumulation mechanism 5 and the transported article pushing-advancing member 51 each include a cam plate 52 and a cam follower 51d. The cam plate 52 is configured to guide the movement of the cam follower 51d from the initial position P1 to the rear position P2. The cam plate 52 increases its distance D (see FIG. 5 ) from the pivot shaft 2 as it approaches the rear position P2 from the initial position P1. The cam plate 52 also has a first guide portion 52a that extends along the rotation direction of the pivot shaft 2. This allows the cam follower 51d of the transported article pushing-advancing member 51, to which the elastic member 50 is attached, to easily move along the first guide portion 52a of the cam plate 52. As a result, the elastic member 50 can be elastically deformed easily to store the kinetic energy of the transported article W.

[0097] In this embodiment, as described above, cam plate 52 has linear second guide portion 52b that guides movement of cam follower 51d from rear position P2 to front position P3 so that, when the article W is released from stop at stop position P0, the article pushing member 51 pushes the article W forward from rear position P2. This allows cam follower 51d to easily move along second guide portion 52b of cam plate 52 when the article W is released from stop and transportation is resumed. As a result, the article W can easily be pushed forward from rear position P2 by article pushing member 51.

[0098] In this embodiment, as described above, initial position P1 is located below front position P3 and rear position P2, and cam plate 52 has arc-shaped third guide portion 52c that guides movement of cam follower 51d from front position P3 to initial position P1 under its own weight when contact between the transported article W and contact member 3 is released. This allows kinetic energy accumulated in elastic member 50 to be consumed so that cam follower 51d of transported article pushing member 51 located at front position P3 can be moved under its own weight to initial position P1 along arc-shaped third guide portion 52c of cam plate 52. This allows cam follower 51d to move smoothly toward initial position P1 and transported article pushing member 51 to initial position P1 to return to a state corresponding to the next transported article W.

[0099] As described above, this embodiment further includes a rotation center shaft 2 that is disposed between the contact member 3 and the transported article pushing / advancing member 51 and rotatably supports the holding member 4, and the holding member 4 is configured so that it rotates when the contact member 3 is in contact with the front end surface W2 of the transported article W, and its rotation is restricted when the contact member 3 is in contact with the bottom surface W1 of the transported article W. This allows the holding member 4 to switch between rotating (moving) and stopping its rotation depending on the contact position of the transported article W, making it easy to switch between a state in which kinetic energy is stored in the elastic member 50 and a state in which the kinetic energy stored in the elastic member 50 is retained.

[0100] In this embodiment, as described above, the elastic member 50 includes a tension spring that stores elastic energy by stretching. This makes it possible to easily store the kinetic energy of the transported article W as elastic energy simply by stretching the tension spring to elastically deform it.

[0101] In this embodiment, as described above, the contact member 3 includes a roller that rotates in contact with the transported article W as the article W moves forward. This allows the roller to reduce frictional resistance when it comes into contact with the transported article W.

[0102] In this embodiment, as described above, first guide portion 52a is formed in a substantially sinusoidal shape so that the amount of elastic deformation of elastic member 50 increases smoothly and continuously while cam follower 51d moves. This makes it possible to prevent cam follower 51d from stopping midway when cam follower 51d moves along first guide portion 52a due to the frictional force between first guide portion 52a and cam follower 51d.

[0103] In this embodiment, as described above, the latch plate 6 is further provided to restrict movement of the cam follower 51d from the initial position P1 toward the front position P3 when the cam follower 51d moves to the initial position P1 along the third guide portion 52c. This allows the latch plate 6 to reliably move the cam follower 51d from the initial position P1 to the rear position P2 without causing the cam follower 51d to move from the initial position P1 to the front position P3.

[0104] [Variations] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0105] For example, in the above embodiment, the elastic member is configured by a tension spring, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the elastic member may be configured as a rubber tube or the like other than a tension spring.

[0106] In the above embodiment, the storage member of the present invention is an elastic member, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the storage member may be configured as an air cylinder or other member other than an elastic member.

[0107] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example in which one transport mechanism is attached to one conveyor is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, a plurality of transport mechanisms may be attached to one conveyor.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the transport mechanism is disposed on the right side of the conveyor in the left-right direction of the conveyor, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the transport mechanism may be disposed on the left side or near the center in the left-right direction of the conveyor.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the transport mechanism is attached to a roller conveyor, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the transport mechanism may be attached to a belt conveyor or the like.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the cam of the present invention is configured by a cam plate (a thin plate), but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the cam may be configured by a rail member or the like.

[0111] In the above embodiment, the first guide portion is formed in a substantially sinusoidal shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the first guide portion may be formed by combining multiple linear surfaces in a side view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 2 Rotational axis 3 Contact members 4 Retaining member 5 Accumulation mechanism 50 Elastic member (storage member) 51 Transported object pushing member 51d Cam follower 52 Cam plate (cam) 52a First guide section 52b Second guide part 52c Third guide section 100 Conveying mechanism P0 (Transported item) stopping position P1 (for the transported object pushing member, cam follower) initial position P2 (Transported object pushing member, cam follower) rear side position P3 (forward position of transported object pushing member, cam follower) W Conveyed object W1 bottom W2 Front end

Claims

1. a contact member that comes into contact with a transported object including a pallet or a workpiece moving forward and moves by being pushed by the transported object; a holding member that holds the contact member and moves together with the contact member; a storage mechanism including: an article pushing-advancing member that is moved in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the contact member as the contact member moves; and a storage member that is attached to the holding member and the article pushing-advancing member, and that decelerates the article via the contact member as the article pushing-advancing member moves, thereby storing kinetic energy of the article, The storage mechanism includes: When the transported object is stopped at a stop position, the transported object pushing member is stopped at a position behind the transported object, thereby maintaining the kinetic energy of the transported object stored in the storage member, A conveying mechanism configured to release the accumulated state of the kinetic energy of the transported object in the accumulation member when the transported object is released from the stopped state at the stopped position, and to push the transported object from the rear position to the front by the transported object pushing member.

2. the storage member includes an elastic member; 2. The transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is configured so that an amount of elastic deformation increases as the transported article pushing member moves from an initial position, which is a position of the transported article pushing member before contact between the contact member and the transported article, to the rear position.

3. a rotation center shaft disposed between the contact member and the transported object pushing member and rotatably supporting the holding member; the storage mechanism and the conveyed object pushing member each include a cam and a cam follower; 3. The transport mechanism of claim 2, wherein the cam is configured to guide the movement of the cam follower from the initial position to the rear position, and the cam has a first guide portion that increases its distance from the pivot axis as it approaches the rear position from the initial position, and that extends along the rotation direction of the pivot axis.

4. 4. The transport mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the cam has a linear second guide portion that guides the movement of the cam follower from the rear position to the front position so that the transported object is pushed forward from the rear position to the front by the transported object pushing member when the transported object is released from the stop position at the stop position.

5. the initial position is located below the front position and the rear position, The conveying mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the cam has an arc-shaped third guide portion that guides the movement of the cam follower due to its own weight from the forward position to the initial position when contact between the conveyed object and the contact member is released.

6. a rotation center shaft disposed between the contact member and the transported object pushing member and rotatably supporting the holding member; A conveying mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the holding member is configured to rotate with the contact member in contact with the front end surface of the transported object, and to restrict rotation with the contact member in contact with the bottom surface of the transported object.

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