carriage

Abstract

To provide a high load capacity carriage.SOLUTION: The carriage moves along a rail part that has a straight portion and a curved portion. The carriage has: a pedestal part; at least two first rotor parts including a pair of wheels which sandwiches the rail part in between and each of which rotates in contact with each side of the rail part at the pedestal part, and one or a pair of second rotor parts. The pair of wheels is attached to the pedestal part via support members. Further, when the carriage is moving along the straight portion, the support members of the first rotor part are on a predetermined reference line in the pedestal part, the reference line overlapping a center line in the straight portion of the rail part, and the support members of the first rotor part are connected to the pedestal part rotatably around a line located off a line connecting centers of rotation of each of the pair of wheels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a carriage. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conveyance system in which a carrier is guided along a guide rail. The guide rail in the conveyance system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a roller guide section along which rollers guided along the side of the road roll while movement in the width direction is restricted. The carrier in the conveyance system is fitted with a traveling support body having a bogie structure equipped with at least a pair of guide rollers on the left and right that abut from both sides to embrace the roller guide sections provided on both sides of the guide rail. The carrier in the conveyance system travels along the guide rail by applying a driving force from an externally installed driving device to the end of an arm protruding from the side of the carrier. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-208859 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Assume a carriage that moves along a rail section having straight and curved sections. The carriage has a base and a rotor. Here, the rotor section includes a pair of wheels rotatably arranged on the base section with the rail section sandwiched therebetween, each wheel rotating while contacting the side of the rail section. In this case, assume that the rotor section is connected to the base section so that the center of rotation is the midpoint of a line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the pair of wheels (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "rotation center of the rotor section").

[0005] In order to increase the load capacity of the carriage, it may be desirable to increase the number of rotors attached to the base to three or more. Therefore, we consider a configuration in which three rotors are attached to a carriage. In this case, two rotors (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "outer rotors") are arranged along the rail, sandwiching one rotor (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "inner rotor"). In this case, assuming that the carriage moves along a straight section, the three rotors must be arranged on a predetermined reference line, with their rotation centers overlapping the center line of the straight section of the rail.

[0006] On the other hand, when the carriage moves along the curved portion of the rail, the center line of the curved portion of the rail does not overlap with the predetermined reference line. Therefore, when the rotation centers of the two outer rotors (inner rotors) of the three rotors in the carriage are positioned on the predetermined reference line, the rotation centers of the inner rotors (the two outer rotors) must be positioned at positions that deviate from the predetermined reference line in accordance with the shape of the curved portion.

[0007] We will also consider a configuration in which four rotor units are attached to a carriage. In this case, two rotor units (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "outer rotor units") are arranged on the outside along the rail unit, and two other rotor units (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "inner rotor units") are arranged between the two outer rotor units. We will assume that a carriage with such a configuration moves along a straight portion of the rail unit. In this case, the rotation centers of the four rotor units must be arranged on a predetermined reference line that overlaps with the center line of the straight portion of the rail unit.

[0008] On the other hand, consider a case where the carriage moves along a curved portion of the rail. In this case, the center line of the curved portion of the rail does not overlap with the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the two outer rotors and the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the two inner rotors. Therefore, the offset amount of the outer rotor is defined as the maximum radial distance of the curved portion of the rail between the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the two outer rotors and the center line of the rail. Also, the offset amount of the inner rotor is defined as the maximum radial distance of the curved portion of the rail between the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the two inner rotors and the center line of the rail. In this case, because the two outer rotors are positioned outside the two inner rotors, the offset amount of the outer rotors is greater than the offset amount of the inner rotors.

[0009] In other words, when the carriage is moved along the curved portion of the rail, the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the two outer rotors does not overlap with the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the two inner rotors. Therefore, for example, if the rotation center of the outer rotor is located on a predetermined reference line, the rotation center of the inner rotor must be located at a position off the predetermined reference line. Also, for example, if the rotation center of the inner rotor is located on the predetermined reference line, the rotation center of the outer rotor must be located at a position off the predetermined reference line.

[0010] Thus, when a carriage has three or more rotors, the rotation centers of the three or more rotors must be positioned on a predetermined reference line in order to move the carriage along a straight portion. However, in order to move the carriage along a curved portion, the rotation center of either the inner rotor or the outer rotor must be positioned at a position that deviates from the predetermined reference line.

[0011] As described above, when the rail portion has both straight and curved portions, realizing a carriage with three or more rotors poses challenges regarding the arrangement of each rotor. Therefore, it has been difficult to increase the number of rotors in a carriage to improve the carriage's load capacity. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a carriage with a high load capacity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The carriage according to the present disclosure comprises: A carriage that moves along a rail portion having a straight portion and a curved portion, A base portion and At least two first rotor units are rotatably arranged on the base unit so as to sandwich the rail unit therebetween, and each first rotor unit includes a pair of first wheels that rotate while in contact with a side surface of the rail unit; one or a pair of second rotor units, each of which includes a pair of second wheels rotatably disposed on the base unit so as to sandwich the rail unit therebetween and which rotate while in contact with a side surface of the rail unit; and In the second rotor portion, the pair of second wheels are attached to the base portion via second support members, In the first rotor portion, the pair of first wheels are attached to the base portion via a first support member, and the first support member is connected to the base portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation center that is on a predetermined reference line that overlaps with the center line of the straight portion of the rail portion when the carriage is moving along the straight portion, and that is off the line segment connecting the rotation centers of each of the pair of first wheels. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The present invention makes it possible to provide a carriage with a high load capacity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the carriage and the rail base portion. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the rail base and the carriage. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the carriage and the rail portion in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the rotor section above the base section of the carriage in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the state of the two first rotor units and the two second rotor units when the carriage moves along the straight portion of the rail unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a first diagram showing the arrangement of the wheels in each second rotor section. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a second diagram showing the arrangement of the wheels in each second rotor section. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the state of each second rotor unit when the carriage moves along the straight portion of the rail unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the two first rotor units and the two second rotor units when the carriage in the first embodiment moves along the curved portion of the rail portion. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the arrangement of four rotor units that must be established when the carriage moves on the straight portion of the rail unit in the comparative example. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the arrangement of four rotor units that must be established when a carriage moves along a curved portion of a rail unit in a comparative example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an arrangement of four first rotor units and two second rotor units in a modified example. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an arrangement of two first rotor units and one second rotor unit in a modified example. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the arrangement of two first rotor units and two second rotor units in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the two first rotor units and the two second rotor units when the carriage moves along the curved portion of the rail portion in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the arrangement of two first rotor units and two second rotor units in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A carriage according to the present disclosure has at least two first rotor units and one or a pair of second rotor units. Here, the first rotor units are rotatably arranged on the base unit with the rail unit sandwiched therebetween and include a pair of first wheels that each rotate while contacting a side surface of the rail unit. Also, the second rotor unit is rotatably arranged on the base unit with the rail unit sandwiched therebetween and includes a pair of second wheels that each rotate while contacting a side surface of the rail unit.

[0016] In the second rotor unit, the pair of second wheels are attached to the base via second support members. The second rotor unit is positioned so that the pair of second wheels can contact the side surfaces of the rail portion 21, sandwiching the rail portion between them, both on straight and curved portions of the rail portion. In this case, the second support members of the second rotor unit may be configured to be fixed to the base. Alternatively, the second rotor unit may be configured to be rotatably connected to the base via the second support members at the midpoint of a line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the pair of second wheels.

[0017] In the first rotor unit, the pair of first wheels are attached to the base via a first support member. The first support member is connected to the base so as to be rotatable about a rotation center (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "first rotation center") that is on a predetermined reference line on the base and that is off the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of first wheels. Here, the predetermined reference line is a straight line on the base that overlaps with the center line of the straight portion of the rail when the carriage moves along the straight portion of the rail.

[0018] In this way, when the carriage moves along the straight portion of the rail section, the first center of rotation of each first rotor unit is located on the center line of the straight portion of the rail section. As a result, when the carriage moves along the straight portion of the rail section, the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of first wheels of the first rotor unit can be located on the center line of the rail section. This allows the pair of first wheels of each first rotor unit to maintain a state in contact with the side of the rail section while sandwiching the rail section between them. Furthermore, as described above, the first support member is connected to the base unit so as to be rotatable about the first center of rotation as an axis. The first center of rotation is located on a predetermined reference line and at a position deviated from the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of first wheels. As a result, by rotating the first rotor unit about the axis of rotation, even when the carriage moves along the curved portion of the rail section, the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of first wheels of the first rotor unit can be located on the center line of the rail section, just as when the carriage moves along the straight portion of the rail section. Therefore, even when the carriage moves along a curved portion, the pair of first wheels of each first rotor unit can maintain contact with the side surface of the rail unit with the rail unit sandwiched between them. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present disclosure, a carriage having three or more rotor units can be realized even when the rail unit has both straight and curved portions.

[0019] As described above, the carriage according to the present disclosure can be configured to have three or more rotors. Therefore, the carriage according to the present disclosure can increase the number of rotors and improve the load capacity of the carriage. In this way, it is possible to provide a carriage with a high load capacity.

[0020] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specified.

[0021] First Embodiment A conveying system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 10. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the conveying system 1. The conveying system 1 includes a plurality of carriages 10 and a rail base unit 20. A rail unit 21 is attached to the rail base unit 20. The rail unit 21 includes a straight portion and a curved portion. Here, the curvature of the curved portion is constant. Each carriage 10 moves along the rail unit 21.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the carriage 10 and the rail base portion 20. As shown in Fig. 2, two rail portions 21 are respectively installed on the upper and lower parts of the rail base portion 20. The carriage 10 is arranged so as to be movable along the two rail portions 21. Here, the rail base portion 20 is a base for attaching various components including the rail portions 21.

[0023] 3 is a schematic diagram of the rail base 20 and the carriage 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 10 includes a plurality of wheels 11, a motor magnet 12, and a base 14. 3, two rails 21 and a motor coil 22 are attached to the rail base 20.

[0024] The base 14 is a base for mounting various components of the carriage 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the base 14 has a U-shaped cross section. The carriage 10 is disposed relative to the rail base 20 such that the upper and lower portions 14a and 14b of the base 14 face rail portions 21 provided at the top and bottom of the rail base 20, respectively. A plurality of wheels 11 are provided on each of the upper and lower portions 14a and 14b of the base 14. On the upper portion 14a of the base 14, each wheel 11 is attached such that the opposing rail portions 21 are sandwiched between a pair of wheels 11. As a result, the carriage 10 is guided by the rail portions 21 provided above the base 14. The arrangement of the wheels on the upper portion 14a of the base 14 will be described in detail below. Furthermore, the wheel 11 provided on the lower portion 14b of the base 14 is attached so as to contact one side surface (the outer side surface of the rail portion 21) of the opposing rail portion 21. As a result, the carriage 10 is supported by the rail portion 21 provided below the base 14.

[0025] A motor coil 22 is also disposed on the rail base 20. The motor coil 22 is a coil that generates a magnetic field when a current flows through it. A motor magnet 12 is provided on a side portion 14c of the base 14, which is connected to the upper portion 14a and the lower portion 14b. The motor magnet 12 is disposed in a position facing the motor coil 22 on the rail base 20. The motor magnet 12 is a magnet in which north and south poles are arranged alternately. The magnetic fields generated by the motor magnet 12 and the motor coil 22 enable the carriage 10 to move along the rail 21.

[0026] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the carriage 10 and the rail portion 21 in this embodiment. Fig. 4 shows the arrangement of the upper portion 14a of the base portion 14 of the carriage 10 and the rail portion 21. Eight wheels 11 are attached to the upper portion 14a of the base portion 14 of the carriage 10.

[0027] As described above, the wheels 11 are attached to the upper portion 14a of the base 14 of the carriage 10 so that the rail portion 21 is sandwiched between the pair of wheels 11. Here, a configuration including the pair of wheels 11 sandwiching the rail portion 21 is referred to as a rotor portion. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the rotor portions on the upper portion 14a of the base 14 of the carriage 10 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, four rotor portions 15A, 15B, 16A, and 16B, each including a pair of wheels 11, are attached to the upper portion 14a of the base 14. Here, of the four rotor portions 15A, 15B, 16A, and 16B, the two rotor portions 15A and 15B arranged on the outer side of the base 14 are referred to as "first rotor portions." Note that when the two first rotor portions 15A and 15B are not distinguished from each other, they are referred to as the first rotor portion 15. Of the four rotor sections 15A, 15B, 16A, and 16B, the two rotor sections 16A and 16B arranged inside the base section 14 are referred to as "second rotor sections." When the two second rotor sections 16A and 16B are not to be distinguished from each other, they are referred to as second rotor sections 16.

[0028] The first rotor section 15A is configured to include the wheels 11A and 11E, the wheel rotating shaft members 111A and 111E, the first rotating shaft member 151A, and the first support member 152A. The first rotor section 15B is configured to include the wheels 11D and 11H, the wheel rotating shaft members 111D and 111E, the first rotating shaft member 151B, and the first support member 152B. In the first rotor section 15A, the wheels 11A and 11E are respectively configured to include the wheel rotating shaft members 111A and 111E. The wheels 11D and 11H are attached to the first support member 152A via the wheel rotation shaft member 111E. In the first rotor portion 15B, the wheels 11D and 11H are attached to the first support member 152B via the wheel rotation shaft member 111D and the wheel rotation shaft member 111H, respectively.

[0029] Furthermore, the pair of wheels 11A and 11E in the first rotor section 15A and the pair of wheels 11D and 11H in the first rotor section 15B are arranged so that the width between the pair of wheels 11 is the same as the width W of the rail section 21. Furthermore, in each first rotor section 15, the first support member 152 is rotatably connected to the base section 14 by the first rotating shaft member 151.

[0030] The second rotor section 16A includes wheels 11B and 11F, a wheel rotation shaft member 111B, and a wheel rotation shaft member 111F. The second rotor section 16B includes wheels 11C and 11G, and a wheel rotation shaft member 111C and a wheel rotation shaft member 111G. The second rotor section 16A and the second rotor section 16B include a common second support member 162. In the second rotor section 16A, the wheels 11B and 11F are attached to the second support member 162 via the wheel rotation shaft member 111B and the wheel rotation shaft member 111F, respectively. In the second rotor section 16B, the wheels 11C and 11G are attached to the second support member 162 via the wheel rotation shaft member 111C and the wheel rotation shaft member 111G. The second support member 162 is fixed to the base section 14.

[0031] 6 is a diagram showing the state of the two first rotor units 15 and the two second rotor units 16 when the carriage 10 is moving along the straight portion of the rail unit 21. As shown in FIG. 6, the center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151A in the first rotor unit 15A is located on a predetermined reference line (the dotted line shown in FIG. 6) that overlaps with the center line of the rail unit 21 when the carriage 10 is moving along the straight portion of the rail unit 21. In addition, the center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151A in the first rotor unit 15A is located at a position that is off the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the wheels 11A and 11E. This allows the midpoint of the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the wheels 11A and 11E to be located on the center line of the straight portion of the rail unit 21 when the carriage 10 is moving along the straight portion.

[0032] Furthermore, the center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151B in the first rotor unit 15B is also located on a predetermined reference line that overlaps with the center line of the rail unit 21 when the carriage 10 is moving on the straight portion of the rail unit 21. Furthermore, the center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151B in the first rotor unit 15B is also located at a position that is off the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the wheels 11D and 11H when the carriage 10 is moving on the straight portion of the rail unit 21. This makes it possible for the midpoint of the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the wheels 11D and 11H to be located on the center line of the straight portion of the rail unit 21 when the carriage 10 is moving on the straight portion.

[0033] Next, the arrangement of the wheels 11 in each second rotor section 16 shown in Fig. 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 9. Fig. 7 is a first diagram showing the arrangement of the wheels 11 in each second rotor section 16. In Fig. 7, W indicates the width of the rail section 21. D indicates the diameter of the wheel 11. R indicates the radius of the center line of the curved portion of the rail section 21.

[0034] Let us consider the case where the carriage 10 moves along the curved portion of the rail portion 21. In this case, the predetermined reference line does not overlap with the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21. Therefore, let us denote the intersections of the predetermined reference line and the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 as P1 and P2. The maximum distance in the radial direction of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 between the line segment connecting P1 and P2 and the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "offset amount of the second rotor portion 16") is defined as δ.

[0035] The four wheels 11 are arranged so that the distance between the line segment passing through P1 and P2 and the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11B and 11C is (W+D) / 2, and the distance between the line segment passing through P1 and P2 and the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11F and 11G is (W+D) / 2. In other words, the four wheels 11 are arranged so that the distance between the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11B and 11C and the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11F and 11G is W+D.

[0036] In this case, the distance from the center of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 to the center of rotation of the wheel 11B is R-(W+D) / 2. The distance from the center of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 to the line segment connecting the center of rotation of the wheel 11B and P3 is R-δ-(W+D) / 2. Here, P3 is the midpoint of the line segment connecting the center of rotation of the wheel 11B and the center of rotation of the wheel 11C. A right triangle (the shaded portion in FIG. 7) is formed by three sides: the line segment connecting the center of rotation of the wheel 11B and P3; the line segment connecting the center of rotation of the wheel 11B and P3; and the line segment connecting P3 and the center of the curved portion of the rail portion 21. The distance L1 between the center of rotation of the wheel 11B and the center of rotation of the wheel 11C is expressed by the following equation (1).

number

[0037] FIG. 8 is a second diagram showing the arrangement of the wheels 11 in each second rotor unit 16. In this case, the distance from the center of the curved portion of the rail unit 21 to the rotation center of the wheel 11F is R+(W+D) / 2. Also, the distance from the center of the curved portion of the rail unit 21 to P4 is The distance from the center of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 to P5 is R-δ. Here, P4 is the midpoint of the line segment connecting P1 and P2. Therefore, the distance from the center of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 to P5 is R-δ+(W+D) / 2. Here, P5 is the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation center of the wheel 11F and the rotation center of the wheel 11G. Therefore, a right triangle (the shaded portion shown in FIG. 8) is formed by three sides: the line segment connecting the center of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 to the rotation center of the wheel 11F, the line segment connecting the rotation center of the wheel 11F to P5, and the line segment connecting P5 to the center of the curved portion of the rail portion 21. Then, the distance L2 between the rotation center of the wheel 11F and the rotation center of the wheel 11G is expressed by the following (Equation 2).

number

[0038] Wheels 11B, 11C, 11F, and 11G are arranged so that the above formulas 1 and 2 are satisfied. Wheel F, wheel 11C, and wheel 11G can each come into contact with the side surface of rail portion 21 at the curved portion of rail portion 21, with rail portion 21 sandwiched therebetween.

[0039] FIG. 9 illustrates the state of each second rotor unit 16 when the carriage 10 moves along a straight portion of the rail portion 21. Here, the distance between a predetermined reference line and a line segment connecting the rotation centers of wheels 11B and 11C is (W+D) / 2. The distance between the predetermined reference line and a line segment connecting the rotation centers of wheels 11F and 11G is also (W+D) / 2. Therefore, the distance between the line segment connecting the tangent point of wheel 11B with rail portion 21 and the tangent point of wheel 11C with rail portion 21 and the line segment connecting the tangent point of wheel 11F with rail portion 21 and the tangent point of wheel 11G with rail portion 21 is W. Therefore, even on the straight portion of the rail portion 21, wheels 11B and 11F, and wheels 11C and 11G can maintain a state of contacting the sides of the rail portion 21 with the rail portion 21 sandwiched between them.

[0040] Next, each of the first rotor units 15 shown in Fig. 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the two first rotor units 15 and the two second rotor units 16 when the carriage 10 in this embodiment moves along the curved portion of the rail unit 21.

[0041] In Fig. 10, the first rotating shaft member 151A and the first rotating shaft member 151B of the first rotor portion 15A are indicated by black circles. As shown in Fig. 10, the center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151A of the first rotor portion 15A is disposed on a predetermined reference line and off the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the wheels 11A and 11E. Furthermore, the first rotating shaft member 151B of the first rotor portion 15B is disposed on the predetermined reference line and off the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of the wheels 11D and 11H.

[0042] Because the center of rotation of first rotating shaft member 151A of first rotor unit 15A is positioned in this manner, first rotor unit 15A rotates about first rotating shaft member 151A, and as the carriage 30 moves along the curved portion of the rail portion, the midpoint of the line segment connecting the center of rotation of wheel 11A and the center of rotation of wheel 11E can be positioned on the center line of rail portion 21. As a result, as the carriage 30 moves along the curved portion of rail portion 21, wheels 11A and 11E of first rotor unit 16A can maintain a state in which they are in contact with the side surfaces of rail portion 21, sandwiching rail portion 21 therebetween. Similarly, as the carriage 30 moves along the curved portion of rail portion 21, first rotor unit 15B can also maintain a state in which wheels 11D and 11H are in contact with the side surfaces of rail portion 21, sandwiching rail portion 21 therebetween.

[0043] (Comparative Example) A carriage 30 having a different configuration from the carriage 10 of this embodiment will be described as a comparative example with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. The carriage 30 in this comparative example is a carriage having four rotor units in its upper portion. Note that, similar to the lower portion 14b of the base portion 14 of the carriage 10, one or more wheels 11 are attached to the lower portion of the carriage 30 in this comparative example so as to contact one side of the opposing rail portion 21. Here, we will consider the case where the carriage 30 moves along a straight portion of the rail portion 21.

[0044] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the four rotors that must be established when the carriage 30 in this comparative example moves along the straight portion of the rail portion 21. As shown in Fig. 11, in the carriage 30, two rotors 36C and two rotors 36O are arranged on the base portion 34. The two rotors 36O are arranged so as to sandwich the two rotors 36C. When the rotor portion 36C and the rotor portion 36O are not to be distinguished from each other, they are referred to as the rotor portion 36.

[0045] Here, a pair of wheels 31C are attached to each rotor unit 36C so as to be rotatable with the rail unit 21 sandwiched therebetween, and each wheel 31C rotates while contacting the side surface of the rail unit 21. Also, a pair of wheels 31O are attached to each rotor unit 36O so as to be rotatable with the rail unit 21 sandwiched therebetween, and each wheel 31O rotates while contacting the side surface of the rail unit 21. Also, each rotor unit 36C is connected to the base unit 34 so as to be rotatable around the center of a rotor rotating shaft member 361C provided at the midpoint of a line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of wheels 31C. Also, each rotor unit 36O is connected to the base unit 34 so as to be rotatable around the center of a rotor rotating shaft member 361O provided at the midpoint of a line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of wheels 31O.

[0046] Assuming that the carriage 30 moves along the curved portion of the rail section 21, as shown in Figure 11, the center of the rotor rotating shaft material 361C in the two rotor sections 36C and the center of the rotor rotating shaft material 361O in the two rotor sections 36O must be configured to be positioned on a predetermined reference line shown by the dashed line in Figure 11.

[0047] On the other hand, let us consider the case where the carriage 30 moves along the curved portion of the rail portion 21. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the four rotor portions that must be established when the carriage 30 moves along the curved portion of the rail portion 21 in this comparative example.

[0048] 12, in order for the carriage 30 to move along the curved portion of the rail portion 21, the center of the rotor rotating shaft member 361C, which is provided at the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of a pair of wheels 31C in each rotor portion 36C, must be positioned on the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21. In this case, the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 and the line segment connecting the rotor rotating shaft members 361C of the two rotor portions 36C do not overlap. In this case, the maximum distance δ in the radial direction of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 between the line segment connecting the centers of the rotor rotating shaft members 361C of the two rotor portions 36C and the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 is defined as the offset amount of the rotor portion 36C.

[0049] 12, in order for the carriage 30 to move along the curved portion of the rail portion 21, the center of the rotor rotating shaft member 361O, which is provided at the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of a pair of wheels 31O in each rotor portion 36O, must be positioned on the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21. In this case, the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 and the line segment connecting the two rotor rotating shaft members 361O of the two rotor portions 36O do not overlap. In this case, the maximum distance Δ in the radial direction of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 between the line segment connecting the centers of the rotor rotating shaft members 361O of the two rotor portions 36O and the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion 21 is defined as the offset amount of the rotor portion 36O.

[0050] In this case, since the two rotor sections 36O are disposed outside the two rotor sections 36C, the offset amount Δ of the rotor section 36O is greater than the offset amount δ of the rotor section 36C. Therefore, the line segment connecting the centers of the rotor rotating shaft members 361C of the two rotor sections 36C and the line segment connecting the centers of the rotor rotating shaft members 361O of the two rotor sections 36O must be offset by Δ-δ. Therefore, when the carriage 30 is moved along the curved portion of the rail section 21, the line segment connecting the centers of the rotor rotating shaft members 361C of the two rotor sections 36C and the line segment connecting the centers of the rotor rotating shaft members 361O of the two rotor sections 36O do not overlap. Therefore, for example, if the center of the rotor rotating shaft member 361C of the rotor section 36C is disposed on a predetermined reference line, the center of the rotor rotating shaft member 361O of the rotor section 36O must be disposed at a position deviated from the predetermined reference line. Also, for example, When the center of the rotor rotating shaft material 361O of the rotor part 36O is positioned on a predetermined reference line, the center of the rotor rotating shaft material 361C of the rotor part 36C must be configured to be positioned at a position that is off the predetermined reference line.

[0051] Thus, to move the carriage 30 along a straight portion, the four rotor units 36 must be arranged on a predetermined reference line. However, to move the carriage 30 along a curved portion, the center of the rotor rotating shaft 361C of the rotor unit 36C or the center of the rotor rotating shaft 361O of the rotor unit 36O must be arranged at a position off the predetermined reference line. Therefore, with four rotor units arranged with the center of rotation at the midpoint of a line connecting the rotation centers of a pair of wheels, it is difficult to realize a carriage that can move along a rail portion having straight and curved portions. Therefore, as described above, this embodiment employs a configuration having two second rotor units 16 with their rotation centers 151 at a position off the line connecting the rotation centers of a pair of wheels 11.

[0052] As explained above, it is possible to employ a structure in which the carriage 10 has four rotor sections: the first rotor section 15A, the first rotor section 15B, the second rotor section 16A, and the second rotor section 16B. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of rotor sections to four in the upper section 14a of the base section 14 of the carriage 10, thereby improving the load capacity of the carriage. In this way, it is possible to provide a carriage 30 with a high load capacity.

[0053] (Variation 1) In this embodiment, the carriage 10 has two first rotor units 15 on the upper portion 14a. However, the carriage 10 may have more than two first rotor units 15 on the upper portion 14a of the carriage 10. For example, the carriage 10 may have four first rotor units 15 on the upper portion 14a. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the four first rotor units 15 and two second rotor units 16 in this modified example. As shown in FIG. 13, in addition to the first rotor unit 15A, the first rotor unit 15B, the second rotor unit 16A, and the second rotor unit 16B, the first rotor unit 15C and the first rotor unit 15D are also arranged. The first rotor unit 15C and the first rotor unit 15D are arranged along the rail unit 21, sandwiching the first rotor unit 15A, the first rotor unit 15B, and the second rotor unit 16 therebetween. The first rotor section 15C includes the wheel 11I, the wheel 11K, the wheel rotating shaft member 111C, and the first rotating shaft member 151C. The first rotor section 15D includes the wheel 11J, the wheel 11L, the wheel rotating shaft member 111D, and the first rotating shaft member 151D.

[0054] The center of the first rotating shaft member 151C in the first rotor unit 15C is located on a predetermined straight line and is offset from the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11I and 11K. This allows the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11I and 11K of the first rotor unit 15C to be located on the center line of the rail unit 21, at the curved and straight portions of the rail unit 21. The center of the first rotating shaft member 151D in the first rotor unit 15D is located on a predetermined straight line and is offset from the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11J and 11L. This allows the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11J and 11L of the first rotor unit 15D to be located on the center line of the rail unit 21, at the curved and straight portions of the rail unit 21. In this way, the wheels 11I and 11K of the first rotor unit 15C and the wheels 11J and 11L of the first rotor unit 15D can maintain a state of contact with the sides of the rail unit 21 at the curved and straight portions of the rail unit 21, sandwiching the rail unit 21 therebetween. This also makes it possible to provide a carriage with a high load capacity.

[0055] In this modified example, four first rotor units 15 are attached to the upper portion 14a of the base portion 14. However, four first rotor units 15 do not necessarily have to be attached to the base portion 14. For example, three rotor units, first rotor unit 15A, first rotor unit 15B, and first rotor unit 15C, may be attached to the upper portion 14a of the base portion 14. This also makes it possible to provide a carriage with a high load capacity.

[0056] (Variation 2) In this embodiment, the upper portion 14a of the base portion 14 is configured to include two second rotor portions 16, namely, second rotor portion 16A and second rotor portion 16B. However, the upper portion 14a of the base portion 14 may be configured to include one second rotor portion 16. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the arrangement of two first rotor portions 15 and one second rotor portion 16 in this modified example. As shown in FIG. 14, the second rotor portion 16 is configured to include a wheel 11B and a wheel 11F.

[0057] The rotation centers of the first rotating shaft members 151 of the two first rotor units 15 are positioned on a predetermined reference line when the carriage 10 is moving along a straight portion. At this time, when the carriage 10 is moving along a curved portion of the rail unit 21, the midpoint of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11B and 11F is always located on the center line of the rail unit 21. Furthermore, the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11B and 11F always intersects the center line of the rail unit 21 perpendicularly at the midpoint of the line segment. Therefore, the reference line in this modification coincides with the perpendicular bisector of the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11B and 11F. Also in this modification, the rotation center of the first rotating shaft member 151A of the first rotor unit 15A is positioned on the predetermined reference line and at a position deviated from the line segment connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11A and 11E. The rotation center of the first rotating shaft member 151B of the first rotor portion 15B is also located on a predetermined reference line and at a position off the line connecting the rotation centers of the wheels 11D and 11H.

[0058] The carriage 10 in this modified example has three rotor units, namely, first rotor unit 15A, first rotor unit 15B, and second rotor unit 16, on the upper part 14a of the base unit 14. Therefore, the carriage 10 in this modified example has a higher load capacity than a carriage having two rotor units on the upper part 14a of the base unit 14. In this way, it is possible to provide a carriage 10 with a high load capacity.

[0059] In this modified example, the second rotor unit 16 is fixed to the base unit 14. However, the second rotor unit 16 does not necessarily have to be fixed to the base unit 14. The second rotor unit 16 may be connected to the base unit 14 so as to be rotatable at the midpoint of a line segment connecting the rotation center of the wheel 11B and the rotation center of the wheel 11F.

[0060] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, two second rotor units 16 are fixed to the upper part 14a of the base part 14. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, two second rotor units 16 each having two wheels 11 are rotatably attached to the upper part 14a of the base part 14. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0061] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the arrangement of two first rotor units 15 and two second rotor units 16 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, first rotor unit 15A, first rotor unit 15B, second rotor unit 16A, and second rotor unit 16B are attached to upper unit 14a of base unit 14. Wheels 11B and 11F are attached to second support member 162A via wheel rotation shaft members 111B and 111F. Further, the second rotor portion 16B has a wheel 11C and a wheel 11G attached to a second support member 162B via a wheel rotation shaft member 111C and a wheel rotation shaft member 111G.

[0062] Further, a second rotating shaft member 161A is provided in the second rotor portion 16A so that the center of rotation is the midpoint of a line segment connecting the rotation centers of wheels 11B and 11F. Further, a second rotating shaft member 161B is provided in the second rotor portion 16B so that the center of rotation is the midpoint of a line segment connecting the rotation centers of wheels 11C and 11G. The second rotor portion 16A is connected to the base portion 14 so that it can rotate around the center of the second rotating shaft member 161A. The second rotor portion 16B is connected to the base portion 14 so that it can rotate around the center of the second rotating shaft member 161B. Note that wheels 11B, 11C, 11F, and 11G are attached to the second rotor portion 16A and the second rotor portion 16B so that the width between wheels 11B and 11F and the width between wheels 11C and 11G are both W.

[0063] 16 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the two first rotor units 15 and the two second rotor units 16 when the carriage 30 in this embodiment moves along the curved portion of the rail unit 21. Here, the center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151A in the first rotor unit 15A is located at a position that is off a predetermined reference line and off a line segment connecting the center of rotation of the wheel 11A and the center of rotation of the wheel 11E. This allows the wheels 11A and 11E in the first rotor unit 15A to maintain a state of contacting the sides of the rail unit 21 while sandwiching it between them at the straight and curved portions of the rail unit 21. Furthermore, the center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151B in the first rotor unit 15B is located at a position that is off a predetermined reference line and off a line segment connecting the wheels 11D and 11H. As a result, at the straight and curved portions of the rail portion 21, the wheels 11D and 11H of the first rotor portion 15B can maintain a state of contacting the side surfaces with the rail portion 21 sandwiched therebetween.

[0064] Furthermore, the rotation centers of the second rotating shaft members 161A and 161B are always located on the center line of the rail portion 21, whether the carriage 10 is moving on a straight portion or a curved portion. Therefore, the predetermined reference line coincides with the line connecting the rotation centers of the second rotating shaft members 161A and 161B. This also allows the wheels 11B and 11F of the second rotor portion 16A and the wheels 11C and 11G of the second rotor portion 16B to maintain a state of contact with the side surfaces while sandwiching the rail portion 21 between them.

[0065] As described above, it is possible to employ a structure including first rotor portion 15A, first rotor portion 15B, second rotor portion 16A, and second rotor portion 16B in carriage 10. This also makes it possible to provide a carriage with a high load capacity.

[0066] (Variation 1) In this embodiment, in the upper portion 14a of the base 14, the first rotor portion 15A and the first rotor portion 15B are arranged along the rail portion 21 so as to sandwich the second rotor portion 16A and the second rotor portion 16B therebetween. However, in the upper portion 14a of the base 14, the first rotor portion 15A and the first rotor portion 15B do not necessarily have to be arranged along the rail portion 21 so as to sandwich the second rotor portion 16A and the second rotor portion 16B therebetween. The second rotor portion 16A and the second rotor portion 16B may also be arranged along the rail portion 21 so as to sandwich the first rotor portion 15A and the first rotor portion 15B therebetween.

[0067] 17 is a diagram showing the arrangement of two first rotor sections 15 and two second rotor sections 16 in this modified example. As shown in FIG. 17, the second rotor sections 16A and 16B are arranged along the rail section 21. The first rotor portion 15A and the second rotor portion 16B are arranged to sandwich the first rotor portion 15A and the second rotor portion 15B therebetween. The center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151A in the first rotor portion 15A is located on a predetermined reference line and off the line segment connecting the center of rotation of the wheel 11A and the center of rotation of the wheel 11E. The center of rotation of the first rotating shaft member 151B in the first rotor portion 15B is located on the predetermined reference line and off the line segment connecting the center of rotation of the wheel 11D and the center of rotation of the wheel 11H. In this case as well, the reference line in this modification coincides with the straight line connecting the center of rotation of the second rotating shaft member 161A and the center of rotation of the second rotating shaft member 161B.

[0068] The center of rotation of first rotating shaft member 151A of first rotor unit 15A does not necessarily have to be located on the perpendicular bisector of the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11A and 11E, as long as it is located on a predetermined reference line and at the midpoint of the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11A and 11E. Also, the center of rotation of first rotating shaft member 151B of first rotor unit 15B does not necessarily have to be located on the perpendicular bisector of the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11D and 11H, as long as it is located on a predetermined reference line and at the midpoint of the line segment connecting the centers of rotation of wheels 11D and 11H. Even in this case, it is possible to provide a carriage with a high load capacity.

[0069] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 conveying system, 10 carriage, 11 wheel, 111 wheel rotating shaft material, 12 motor magnet, 14 base portion, 15 first rotor portion, 151 first rotating shaft material, 152 first support member, 16 second rotor portion, 161 second rotating shaft material, 162 second support member, 20 rail base portion, 21 rail portion, 22 motor coil, 30 carriage, 31 wheel, 34 base portion, 36 rotor portion, 361 rotor rotating shaft material

Claims

1. A carriage that moves along a rail portion having a straight portion and a curved portion, A base portion and at least two first rotor units, each including a pair of first wheels rotatably disposed on the base unit with the rail unit sandwiched therebetween, and each of the first wheels rotates while contacting a side surface of the rail unit; one or a pair of second rotor units, each of which includes a pair of second wheels rotatably disposed on the base unit so as to sandwich the rail unit therebetween and which rotate while in contact with a side surface of the rail unit; and In the second rotor portion, the pair of second wheels are attached to the base portion via second support members, In the first rotor portion, the pair of first wheels are attached to the base portion via first support members, and the first support members are connected to the base portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation center that is on a predetermined reference line that overlaps with a center line of the straight portion of the rail portion when the carriage moves along the straight portion, and that is off a line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of first wheels, a pair of second rotor portions; the second support member of the second rotor portion is fixed to the base portion, The radius of the center line of the curved portion of the rail portion is R, The width of the rail portion is W, The diameter of the second wheel is D, δ is the maximum distance in the radial direction of the curved portion of the rail portion between the predetermined reference line and the center line of the rail portion when the carriage is moving on the curved portion of the rail portion, L1 is a distance between rotation centers of two second wheels that are adjacent to each other along the rail portion and that are located inside the curved portion of the rail portion when the carriage moves along the curved portion of the rail portion, When the distance between the rotation centers of the two second wheels that are adjacent to each other along the rail portion and that are located on the outside of the curved portion of the rail portion when the carriage moves along the curved portion of the rail portion is defined as L2, The four second wheels of the pair of second rotor units are when the carriage moves along the curved portion of the rail portion, the distances between each of two line segments connecting the rotation centers of two adjacent second wheels on the inside and outside along the rail portion and the predetermined reference line are both (W+D) / 2, L1 and L2 are [Equation 1] are arranged so that carriage.

2. A carriage that moves along a rail portion having a straight portion and a curved portion, A base portion and at least two first rotor units, each including a pair of first wheels rotatably disposed on the base unit with the rail unit sandwiched therebetween, and each of the first wheels rotates while contacting a side surface of the rail unit; one or a pair of second rotor units, each of which includes a pair of second wheels rotatably disposed on the base unit so as to sandwich the rail unit therebetween and which rotate while in contact with a side surface of the rail unit; and In the second rotor portion, the pair of second wheels are attached to the base portion via second support members, In the first rotor portion, the pair of first wheels are attached to the base portion via first support members, and the first support members are connected to the base portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation center that is on a predetermined reference line that overlaps with a center line of the straight portion of the rail portion when the carriage moves along the straight portion, and that is off a line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of first wheels, a pair of second rotor portions; the second support member of each of the pair of second rotor units is rotatably connected to the base unit at a midpoint of a line segment connecting rotation centers of the pair of second wheels, a rotation center of the second support member of each of the pair of second rotor units is disposed on the predetermined reference line; carriage.

3. A carriage that moves along a rail portion having a straight portion and a curved portion, A base portion and at least two first rotor units, each including a pair of first wheels rotatably disposed on the base unit with the rail unit sandwiched therebetween, and each of the first wheels rotates while contacting a side surface of the rail unit; One or a pair of second wheels are rotatably arranged on the base so as to sandwich the rail portion therebetween, and each of the second wheels rotates while contacting a side surface of the rail portion. a second rotor portion; and In the second rotor portion, the pair of second wheels are attached to the base portion via second support members, In the first rotor portion, the pair of first wheels are attached to the base portion via first support members, and the first support members are connected to the base portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation center that is on a predetermined reference line that overlaps with a center line of the straight portion of the rail portion when the carriage moves along the straight portion, and that is off a line segment connecting the rotation centers of the pair of first wheels, a pair of second rotor portions; the pair of second rotor units are arranged along the rail portion so as to be sandwiched between the at least two first rotor units; carriage.

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