Article transport platform and article transport unit

Abstract

To smoothly move articles in the conveyance direction.SOLUTION: An article conveying table 1 includes multiple rollers 2 and a roller support part 5 that has multiple cover parts 3 and a base table 4. Multiple roller holes 31 are opened in the cover part 3. In the article conveying table 1, the cover part 3 includes a cover front end wall 33F that forms a front opening edge 31a of the roller hole 31 in the first row, and a cover rear end wall 33B that forms a rear opening edge 31b of the roller hole 31 in the last row. A front upper surface part 33Fa of the upper surface of the cover front end wall 33F is at a height position that is higher than the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B in the vertical direction and is lower than or equal to the top T of the roller 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article transport platform for transporting articles and an article transport unit comprising a plurality of article transport platforms. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an article mover (hereinafter referred to as an article transport platform) having a base member that rotatably houses multiple roller members and multiple cover members, and multiple cover members that are detachably arranged on the base member with parts of the peripheral surfaces of the multiple roller members protruding outside the cover portions. The article transport platform in Patent Document 1 is arranged in an inclined position relative to the horizontal, so that articles such as containerized beverages placed on the inclined article transport platform are transported (moved) to the front side of the article transport platform while sliding on the peripheral surfaces of the multiple roller members. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6588918 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the article transport platform disclosed in Patent Document 1, multiple cover members are arranged adjacent to each other in the transport direction on a base member. Therefore, due to warping or variations in precision of the cover members or base member, a step resembling an upward staircase may occur in the boundary area between two adjacent cover members when viewed from the upstream side in the article transport direction. When such a step occurs, there is a problem in that an article moving downstream in the transport direction on the article transport platform may collide with the vertical wall of the step, causing the article to fall over or become stuck.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an article transport platform that can smoothly move articles in the transport direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article transport platform including a plurality of rollers spaced apart in an article transport direction, a plurality of cover sections adjacent to each other in the transport direction, and a roller support section having a base supporting the plurality of cover sections from below and rotatably supporting the plurality of rollers, wherein each of the plurality of cover sections has a plurality of roller holes for allowing at least tops of a plurality of target rollers that are some of the plurality of rollers to protrude outside the cover section. In this article transport platform, each of the plurality of cover sections has a front cover end wall that forms a front opening edge of a front-row roller hole of the plurality of roller holes, and a rear cover end wall that forms a rear opening edge of a rear-row roller hole of the plurality of roller holes, and at least a front upper surface portion of the upper surface of the front cover end wall is located at a height higher than the top surface of the rear cover end wall in the vertical direction and lower than or equal to the tops of the tops. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an article transport platform that can smoothly move an article in a transport direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of an article transport platform according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view illustrating the structure of the article transport platform. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view including the front part of the base of the article transport platform. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a top view of an article transport unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection structure of the article transport platform. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a modified example of the article transport platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [Overview of the item transport platform] 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating an article conveying platform 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being an overall perspective view and FIG. 2 being an exploded perspective view. For ease of explanation, the front-to-rear, left-to-right, and up-to-down directions are appropriately indicated in the drawings. The front-to-rear direction is parallel to the direction in which articles P are conveyed by the article conveying platform 1. In the front-to-rear direction, the front side is the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the rear side is the upstream side in the conveying direction. The left-to-right direction is a lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (front-to-rear direction). Here, the left-to-right direction is defined as viewed from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0011] The article transport platform 1 according to this embodiment transports articles P, such as containerized beverages, in one direction. Although not particularly limited, the article transport platform 1 may be used, for example, to transport articles P from an article storage facility (not shown) to an article receiving station.

[0012] For example, referring to Figure 1, an article transport platform 1 is disposed in an inclined position relative to the horizontal between an exit X through which articles P stored in the article storage facility (not shown) are transported and a stopper Y provided in the article receiving station (not shown). Articles P placed on a plurality of rollers 2 (described below) of the inclined article transport platform 1 slide forward on the circumferential surfaces of the rollers 2 by their own weight or by being pushed by subsequent articles P, and are transported and pushed forward on the article transport platform 1. When an article P in the front row that has been pushed forward on the article transport platform 1 is removed from the article transport platform 1 by a worker or the like, the subsequent articles P are pushed forward.

[0013] The article transport platform 1 includes a plurality of rollers 2, and a roller support portion 5 having a plurality of cover portions 3 and a base 4. The article transport platform 1 is placed, for example, on a stand or the like (not shown). The article transport platform 1 is plate-shaped and formed into a roughly rectangular shape that is long in the transport direction (front-to-back direction) when viewed from above.

[0014] The rollers 2 are arranged side by side so as to be spaced apart from one another in the conveying direction (front-rear direction) of the article P. That is, each roller 2 extends in a horizontal direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction. Each roller 2 is made up of a cylindrical roller body 2a and a roller shaft 2b protruding from both end faces of the roller body 2a (the roller shaft 2b at the rear is hidden and not visible in the figure), and is, for example, a resin molded product made of an appropriate resin material.

[0015] In this embodiment, the rollers 2 are arranged horizontally in two rows, a right-side group of rollers and a left-side group of rollers. The number of rollers 2 is not particularly limited, but in the figure, the article transport platform 1 has 55 rollers 2 in one row, for a total of 110 rollers 2. The rollers 2 may be arranged in a single row, or in three or more rows.

[0016] The roller support portion 5 is a member that rotatably supports the plurality of rollers 2, and has a plurality of cover portions 3 and a base 4. The plurality of rollers 2 are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the plurality of cover portions 3 and the base 4 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 described below). In this example, the roller support portion 5 rotatably supports each roller 2 using the plurality of cover portions 3 and the base 4. Although not particularly limited, each cover portion 3 and the base 4 are, for example, resin molded products made of an appropriate resin material. The roller support structure of the roller support portion 5 will be described in detail later.

[0017] Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating the structure of the article transport platform 1, and Fig. 4 is a partial side view of the article transport platform 1. Fig. 3(a) shows the state before some of the cover parts 3 are fixed to the base 4, and Fig. 3(b) shows the state after some of the cover parts 3 have been fixed to the base 4. Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3.

[0018] 1 to 3, the multiple cover parts 3 are members fixed to the base 4 so as to cover the base 4 from above, with the rollers 2 sandwiched between the cover parts 3 and the base 4. The multiple cover parts 3 are adjacent to each other in the conveyance direction on the base 4 and are configured to be detachable from the base 4. The multiple cover parts 3 have the same dimensions and shape. Here, the roller support part 5 has five cover parts 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The cover parts 3 are plate-shaped and have a roughly rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. The detachable structure of the cover parts 3 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The base 4 is a member that supports the multiple cover parts 3 from below. The base 4 forms the bottom of the article transport platform 1 and is placed on a stand or the like (not shown). The base 4 is plate-shaped and formed into a roughly rectangular shape that is long in the transport direction (front-to-back direction). The total length of the base 4 in the transport direction (front-to-back direction, longitudinal direction) is roughly matched to the overall length of the multiple cover parts 3, and the length of the base in the lateral direction (left-to-right direction, short side direction) is roughly matched to the width of each cover part 3.

[0020] 4 and 5, in the roller support unit 5 (article transport platform 1), when the multiple cover units 3 are attached (fixed) to the base 4, at least a portion of each of the multiple rollers 2, including the apex T (i.e., the vertex on the outer circumferential surface of the roller 2), protrudes outside the cover unit and is exposed to the area outside the cover unit. In the figure, an imaginary plane L (see FIG. 5) connecting the apexes T of each roller 2 is located above the upper surface of each cover unit 3. As a result, the bottom surface of an article P to be transported comes into contact with the apexes of the rollers 2, the number of which corresponds to the dimensions of the bottom surface, and in this state, the article P slides on the multiple rollers 2 and moves from the rear end to the front end of the article transport platform 1. As the article P moves on the article transport platform 1, the article P passes through the boundary area S between two adjacent cover units 3.

[0021] Each of the plurality of cover parts 3 has a plurality of roller holes 31 for allowing at least the tops T of a plurality of target rollers 2, which are a portion of the plurality of rollers 2, to protrude outside the cover part. In other words, in an article transport platform 1 having 110 rollers 2 and five cover parts 3, there are 22 target rollers 2 per cover part 3, and each cover part 3 has a total of 22 roller holes 31, 11 in a row.

[0022] The cover part 3 has a plurality of vertical extension parts 32 that extend in the conveying direction and are spaced apart from one another in the horizontal direction, and a plurality of horizontal extension parts 33 that extend in the horizontal direction and are spaced apart from one another in the conveying direction, and the vertical extension parts 32 and the horizontal extension parts 33 form (configure) a plurality of roller holes 31. The vertical extension parts 32 and the horizontal extension parts 33 are perpendicular to each other, and the roller holes 31 are formed as rectangular holes in a top view. Here, one cover part 3 has three vertical extension parts 32 and twelve horizontal extension parts 33.

[0023] Of the multiple vertical extension portions 32, the leftmost vertical extension portion 32 in the horizontal direction constitutes the cover left wall 32L (left edge portion), and the rightmost vertical extension portion 32 constitutes the cover right wall 32R (right edge portion). Of the multiple horizontal extension portions 33, the frontmost horizontal extension portion 33 in the conveying direction (front-to-rear direction) constitutes the cover front end wall 33F (front end edge portion), and the rearmost horizontal extension portion 33 constitutes the cover rear end wall 33B (rear end edge portion). These four portions (32L, 32R, 33F, 33B) form the peripheral wall of the cover portion 3 in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from above.

[0024] The vertical extension portion 32 forms the left or right opening edge of the opening edge of the roller hole 31 (in other words, the portion of the hole wall of the roller hole 31 that extends in the front-to-rear direction). The horizontal extension portion 33 forms the front or rear opening edge of the opening edge of the roller hole 31 (in other words, the portion of the hole wall of the roller hole 31 that extends in the horizontal direction). Therefore, the cover front end wall 33F, which is the front-most horizontal extension portion 33, forms the front opening edge 31a of the front-most roller hole 31 of the multiple roller holes 31, and the cover rear end wall 33B, which is the rear-most horizontal extension portion 33, forms the rear opening edge 31b of the rear-most roller hole 31 of the multiple roller holes 31.

[0025] In other words, each of the multiple cover portions 3 has a cover front end wall 33F that forms the front opening edge 31a of the front-most roller hole 31, and a cover rear end wall 33B that forms the rear opening edge 31b of the rear-most roller hole 31.

[0026] 2, the base 4 has vertical and horizontal extension portions as a basic structure, similar to the cover portion 3. That is, a plurality of through holes 41 are opened in the base 4 at positions corresponding to below the plurality of roller holes 31 of the cover portion 3, and the base 4 has a plurality of vertical extension portions 42 located below the plurality of vertical extension portions 32 of the cover portion 3 and a plurality of horizontal extension portions 43 located below the plurality of horizontal extension portions 33 of the cover portion 3. The vertical extension portions 32 of the cover portion 3 are supported by abutting against the upper end surfaces of the vertical extension portions 42 of the base 4. Referring to FIG. 5, the horizontal extension portion 43 of the base 4 located below the boundary region S between two adjacent cover portions 3 is formed wider in the front-to-rear direction than the other horizontal extension portions 43 of the base 4, and the cover front end wall 33F and the cover rear end wall 33B of the horizontal extension portions 33 of the cover portion 3 are supported by abutting against the upper end surfaces of this wider horizontal extension portion 43.

[0027] In the base 4, of the multiple vertical extension portions 42, the leftmost vertical extension portion 42 in the horizontal direction forms the base left wall 42L (left edge), and the rightmost vertical extension portion 42 forms the base right wall 42R (right edge). Of the multiple horizontal extension portions 43, the horizontal extension portion 43 in the front row in the conveying direction (front-to-rear direction) forms the base front end wall 43F (front end edge), and the horizontal extension portion 43 in the rearmost row forms the base rear end wall 43B (rear end edge). These four portions (42L, 42R, 43F, 43B) form the peripheral wall of the base 4 in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from above.

[0028] Next, the roller support structure in the roller support portion 5 will be described.

[0029] Each roller shaft 2b of the roller 2 is placed on the upper end surface of the adjacent vertical extension 32 of the base 4. At this time, a part of the lower portion 2c (see FIG. 5) of the roller body 2a fits into a through-hole 41 of the base 4, thereby determining the general position of the roller 2 relative to the base 4 (see FIG. 5). Each vertical extension 32 of the cover 3 is formed with a shaft groove 34 (see FIG. 3) into which the roller shaft 2b fits. The shaft grooves 34 are formed as grooves that open downward at multiple locations equally spaced apart in the conveyance direction on the lower end surface of the vertical extension 32. The shaft groove 34 is also open to the right in the vertical extension 32 that forms the left cover wall 32L, is also open to the left in the vertical extension 32 that forms the right cover wall 32R, and is also open in the left and right directions in the other vertical extension 32 (here, the central one). Then, when the cover part 3 is attached to the base 4 with the roller shaft parts 2b placed on the upper end surfaces of the vertically extending parts 42 of the base 4 and roughly positioned, each roller shaft part 2b fits into the corresponding shaft groove 34. In this state, the roller shaft parts 2b are supported by the upper end surfaces of the vertically extending parts 42 and the inner walls of the shaft grooves 34, and the rollers 2 are thereby rotatably supported by the roller support part 5.

[0030] When the roller 2 is rotatably supported by the roller support portion 5, the apex T of the roller 2 protrudes outside the cover portion through the roller hole 31 as described above (see FIGS. 4 and 5). Specifically, the upper surface of the laterally extending portion 33 of the cover portion 3 constitutes a part of the upper surface of the cover portion 3, and in the figures, the apex T of the roller 2 protrudes above the upper surface of the laterally extending portion 33 of the cover portion 3. The multiple laterally extending portions 33 of the cover portion 3 close the gap between two adjacent rollers 2 from above. Furthermore, the portion of the laterally extending portion 33 facing the outer peripheral surface of the roller main body 2a is formed as a curved surface corresponding to the outer shape of the roller main body 2a and is slightly separated from the outer peripheral surface of the roller main body 2a. The remaining laterally extending portions 33 (hereinafter referred to as cover intermediate walls 33M) of the multiple laterally extending portions 33 other than the cover front end wall 33F and the cover rear end wall 33B have a generally inverted triangular cross section, as shown in FIG. 5. The detailed shapes of the cover front end wall 33F and the cover rear end wall 33B will be described later.

[0031] 4 and 5, in the article transport platform 1, the multiple cover parts 3 are arranged adjacent to each other in the transport direction on the base 4. Therefore, due to warping or variations in precision of the cover parts 3 or base 4, in the boundary regions S (see FIGS. 3 and 4) between the cover parts 3, when viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction of the article P, there is a risk that an upward staircase-like step will occur, which may hinder the transport (movement) of the article P.

[0032] [Detailed configuration of the goods transport platform] The article transport platform 1 according to this embodiment has a distinctive structure that includes a structure for preventing the occurrence of the above-mentioned undesirable upward staircase-like steps.

[0033] 3 to 5, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the cover portion 3 (i.e., the upper surfaces of the plurality of vertically extending portions 32 and the upper surfaces of the plurality of horizontally extending portions 33) is formed as a smooth, continuous surface. Specifically, the upper surface of each vertically extending portion 32 is formed as a flat surface parallel to the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B and the upper surface of each cover intermediate wall 33M of the plurality of horizontally extending portions 33 are also formed as flat surfaces parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0034] 5, the upper surfaces of the vertical extension portions 32, the upper surface of the cover front end wall 33F, and the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B are located below an imaginary plane L connecting the tops T of the rollers 2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, these surfaces (the upper surfaces of the vertical extension portions 32, and the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B) are located at the same (or approximately the same) height position.

[0035] In this embodiment, the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F is formed as a curved surface that bulges upward. In this embodiment, the rear upper surface portion 33Fb of the upper surface of the cover front end wall 33F is mostly flat, and in the drawing, is formed as a flat surface parallel to the horizontal direction, and is located at the same height as the upper surfaces of the cover rear end wall 33B and the cover intermediate wall 33M. In other words, in this embodiment, only the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F of the upper surface of the cover part 3 protrudes upward.

[0036] Specifically, the front end of the rear upper surface portion 33Fb of the cover front end wall 33F is smoothly continuous with the rear end of the front upper surface portion 33Fa. Both front and rear end portions of the upper surface of each of the lateral extension portions 33 (33F, 33M, 33B) are smoothly rounded.

[0037] In contrast, at least the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the upper surface of the cover front end wall 33F among the multiple laterally extending portions 33 is located at a height in the vertical direction that is higher than the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B and lower than or equal to the top T of the roller 2. In this embodiment, the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the upper surface of the cover front end wall 33F is located at a height position that is higher than the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B and lower than the top T of the roller 2. That is, in this embodiment, the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F is located between the imaginary plane L connecting the tops T of the roller 2 and the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B. Note that in this embodiment, the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B is located at the same height as the upper surface of the cover intermediate wall 33M, and therefore the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F is located at a height position higher than the upper surface of the cover intermediate wall 33M.

[0038] Next, the detachable structure of the cover part 3 will be described with reference to Figures 3, 4 and 6. Figure 6 is a partial perspective view including the front part of the base 4.

[0039] In this embodiment, the cover portion 3 has a connection portion 35a on the lateral side walls of the base 4 (base right side wall 42R, base left side wall 42L) of the cover portion 3, which connects to the lateral side walls of the base 4 (cover right side wall 32R, cover left side wall 32L).

[0040] Two connection portions 35a are formed on each of the right cover wall 32R and the left cover wall 32L of the cover unit 3, for example, so as to correspond to approximately four corners of the cover unit 3 in a top view. A plurality of (here, two) claw portions 44 that engage with the connection portions 35a of the cover unit 3 are formed on each of the right base wall 42R and the left base wall 42L in each arrangement region of the cover unit 3, protruding outward in the lateral direction. Each connection portion 35a protrudes outward from the outer surface of the corresponding side wall (right cover wall 32R or left cover wall 32L) in the lateral direction, then bends and extends downward below the lower end surface of the corresponding side wall, thus forming an inverted L-shaped cross section. Each connection portion 35a has an engagement hole 35a1 that engages with the claw portions 44. Two connection portions 35a spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction are connected to each other by an intermediate wall 35b. The two connecting portions 35a and the intermediate wall 35b are integrally formed, and the entire structure has an inverted L-shaped cross section extending in the front-rear direction. That is, each of the right cover wall 32R and the left cover wall 32L has a protruding piece 35 formed by the two connecting portions 35a and the intermediate wall 35b.

[0041] When the cover part 3 is attached (mounted) to the corresponding position on the base 4, the cover part 3 is lowered from above the base 4, and the connecting part 35a is pressed by the claw part 44, causing elastic deformation, and then the elastic deformation is released, and the claw part 44 is caught in the engagement hole 35a1 of the connecting part 35a, thereby locking the connecting part 35a. As a result, the connecting part 35a is connected to the side walls of the base 4 (the base right side wall 42R and the base left side wall 42L).

[0042] When the cover part 3 is connected to the base 4, the cover part 3 is configured to sandwich the base 4 from the lateral outer side by the two protruding pieces 35. This suppresses lateral rattle of the cover part 3 relative to the base 4. In this embodiment, this lateral rattle is also suppressed by the cover part 3 being sandwiched from the lateral outer side by positioning ribs 45 of the base 4, which will be described later.

[0043] The base 4 is provided with a plurality of positioning ribs 45 for positioning the cover part 3 relative to the base 4.

[0044] For example, a plurality of positioning ribs 45 (two in this example) are provided on each of the base right side wall 42R and the base left side wall 42L in each arrangement region of the cover unit 3. Here, the positioning ribs 45 are formed on the cover right side wall 32R and the cover left side wall 32L of the cover unit 3 so as to correspond to the four corners of the corresponding cover unit 3 in a top view in each arrangement region of the cover unit 3 on the base 4. On the side walls (base right side wall 42R and base left side wall 42L) of the base 4, the two claw portions 44 are located between two positioning ribs 45 spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the positioning ribs 45 at positions corresponding to the boundary region S between two adjacent cover units 3 are formed integrally with each other.

[0045] Specifically, the position of the cover unit 3 in the conveying direction (front-rear direction) is roughly determined by fitting the overhanging piece 35 of the cover unit 3 between two positioning ribs 45 spaced apart in the front-rear direction. The position of the cover unit 3 in the lateral direction is roughly determined by fitting the parts of the cover unit 3 other than the overhanging piece 35 between two positioning ribs 45 facing each other in the lateral direction. More specifically, in the arrangement area of ​​one cover unit 3, the rear surface of the front positioning rib 45 and the front surface of the rear positioning rib 45 are inclined so that the distance between these surfaces increases upward. The front and rear surfaces of the overhanging piece 35 of the cover unit 3 are inclined in a shape that matches this inclination.

[0046] Here, the cover unit 3 has a directionality in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, each of the multiple cover units 3 needs to be attached to the base 4 with the cover front end wall 33F facing downstream (front) in the conveying direction (front-to-rear direction). In other words, all of the cover units 3 need to be arranged with the cover front end wall 33F facing in the same direction in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, it is desirable that the article transport platform 1 (roller support unit 5) has a structure that prevents or inhibits (warns) the cover unit 3 from being attached in the wrong direction (misassembly).

[0047] In this regard, the article transport platform 1 has a cover direction limiting portion 6 that limits the mounting orientation of the cover portion 3 relative to the base 4 in the transport direction. The cover direction limiting portion 6 limits the mounting orientation of the cover portion 3 in the transport direction (front-rear direction), thereby preventing incorrect assembly of the cover portion 3. Specifically, the cover direction limiting portion 6 is applied to a target portion that is part of multiple (four locations in this example) mating components that constitute the fit between the cover portion 3 and the base 4 for each arrangement area of ​​the cover portion 3. The size and / or shape of the cover direction limiting portion 6, which is the target portion, is configured to be different from those of the other mating components. If the size and / or shape of the cover direction limiting portion 6 is different from those of the other mating components, the fit between the cover portion 3 and the base 4 is physically prevented, reliably preventing incorrect assembly. Furthermore, instead of size and shape, a difference in color may also be used.

[0048] Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the cover direction limiting portion 6 is applied to a positioning rib 45 and an overhanging piece 35 as an example of the cover direction limiting portion 6. Specifically, for each arrangement region of the cover portion 3, the size of one (any one) of the four positioning ribs 45 is formed to be different from the size of the other positioning ribs 45, and the size of the overhanging piece 35 that abuts against the positioning rib 45 as the cover direction limiting portion 6 is formed to be different from the size of the other overhanging pieces 35. More specifically, with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 6 as an example, of the positioning ribs 45 at the four corners that serve as the cover direction limiting portion 6, the positioning rib 45 at the front left corner is formed to be shorter in the front-to-rear direction than the other positioning ribs 45, and the position of the rear surface of the positioning rib 45 at the front left corner is shifted forward from the positioning rib 45 at the front right corner. The length of the left overhanging piece 35 in the front-to-rear direction is formed to be longer than the right overhanging piece 35, and the position of the front surface of the left overhanging piece 35 is shifted forward from the front surface of the right overhanging piece 35.

[0049] As described above, in the article transport platform 1 according to this embodiment, at least the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the upper surface of the cover front end wall 33F of one of the multiple laterally extending portions 33 is located at a height position that is higher in the up-down direction than the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B and lower than the top T of the roller 2. In other words, when focusing on the boundary region S between two adjacent cover parts 3, the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F of the cover part 3 on the upstream (rear) side in the conveying direction (front-to-back direction) is higher than the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B of the cover part 3 on the downstream (front) side in the conveying direction (front-to-back direction). Therefore, in the boundary region S, a downward staircase-like step is intentionally formed when viewed from the upstream side in the article conveying direction. For example, simply by presetting the step amount (difference in height) between the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F and the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B to a step amount that takes into account the maximum predicted warpage and dimensional variation, an upward staircase-like step will not occur in the boundary region S even if warpage or dimensional variation occurs. As a result, in the boundary region S, an item P moving downstream in the conveying direction will not collide with the vertical wall of the step, and the item P is prevented from tipping over or becoming stuck in the boundary region S. In this way, the item transport platform 1 can smoothly move the item P in the conveying direction, ensuring that the item P moves forward (automatically forward due to its own weight, etc.).

[0050] In this embodiment, the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F is formed in a curved shape, so that the article P moves through the boundary region S more smoothly.

[0051] In this embodiment, the cover unit 3 has connection portions 35a on its side walls (cover right wall 32R, cover left wall 32L) that connect to the side walls of the base 4 (base right wall 42R, base left wall 42L). In other words, the structure for connecting (coupling) the cover unit 3 to the base 4 is concentrated on the lateral sides of the roller support unit 5, and is not provided at the front or rear ends of the roller support unit 5. Therefore, in the boundary region S of the cover unit 3, the cover rear end wall 33B of the front cover unit 3 and the cover front end wall 33F of the rear cover unit 3 can be arranged close to each other. As a result, the distance between two rollers 2 that straddle the boundary region S is narrowed to a distance approximately the same as the distance between two adjacent rollers 2 on one cover unit 3 (normal roller pitch). This allows for smoother movement (conveyance) of the article P. Furthermore, by connecting (joining) the cover part 3 to the base 4 in the lateral direction, the cover part 3 is positioned relative to the base 4 in the lateral direction and rattle in the lateral direction is suppressed.

[0052] In this embodiment, the article transport platform 1 has a cover direction limiting section 6 that limits the mounting orientation of the cover section 3 relative to the base 4 in the transport direction, thereby preventing misassembly of the directional cover section 3, as described above.

[0053] [Goods transport unit] Next, an article transport unit 100 having multiple article transport platforms 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 7 is a top view of the article transport unit 100, and Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the connection structure of the article transport platforms 1. Fig. 8(a) shows the state before connection, and Fig. 8(b) shows the state after connection. Fig. 8(b) is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 7.

[0054] The article transport unit 100 is a unit in which the above-mentioned article transport tables 1 are arranged side by side in the transport direction. In other words, the article transport unit 100 has multiple (three in the figure) article transport tables 1 that are connected to each other. In a particularly limited example, three article transport tables 1 are connected to each other in the figure.

[0055] Each of the multiple article transport platforms 1 has a front connector 7 at the front end of the article transport platform 1, which is connectable to another article transport platform 1 in front of it, and a rear connector 8 at the rear end of the article transport platform 1, which is connectable to the front connector 7 of another article transport platform 1 in the rear. This allows for improved workability during maintenance of the article transport unit 100, for example. Even if thermal expansion or contraction occurs in the article transport platforms 1, the connection structure (front connector 7 and rear connector 8) between the article transport platforms 1 maintains the clearance at the connection points between the article transport platforms 1 within the intended range, ensuring smooth movement (transport) of articles P even in the boundary areas between the article transport platforms 1. As a result, the effects of thermal contraction on article transport are effectively suppressed.

[0056] Specifically, in this embodiment, the front connecting portion 7 is formed on the base front end wall 43F of the base 4, and the rear connecting portion 8 is formed on the base rear end wall 43B of the base 4, and the front connecting portion 7 and the rear connecting portion 8 are configured to be connectable to each other when the front surface of the base front end wall 43F and the rear surface of the base rear end wall 43B are close to each other.

[0057] In more detail, for example, the rear connecting portion 8 is composed of a connecting piece 81 protruding from the rear surface of the rear end wall 43B of the base and a connecting claw 82 protruding upward from the tip of the connecting piece 81, and the front connecting portion 7 is composed of a connecting groove portion 71 formed at the lower end of the front end wall 43F of the base and extending downward and in the front-to-back direction, into which the connecting piece 81 of the rear connecting portion 8 of another article transport table 1 facing the front end wall 43F fits.

[0058] As a result, for example, when focusing on the central article transport platform 1 of three article transport platforms 1, when that article transport platform 1 is connected to the other article transport platforms 1 in front and behind, the front surface of the base front end wall 43F of that article transport platform 1 and the rear surface of the base rear end wall 43B of the front article transport platform 1 are close to each other, and the rear surface of the base rear end wall 43B of that article transport platform 1 and the front surface of the base front end wall 43F of the rear article transport platform 1 are close to each other. As a result, the spacing between two rollers 2 (rollers 2 of different article transport platforms 1) that straddle the connecting portion (boundary area) between adjacent article transport platforms 1 is narrowed to approximately the same spacing as the spacing between two adjacent rollers 2 on one cover section 3 (normal roller pitch). This more reliably ensures smooth movement (transportation) of articles P in the boundary area between the article transport platforms 1. The front connecting portion 7 and the rear connecting portion 8 are not limited to this, and for example, the front connecting portion 7 may be configured with a connecting piece and a connecting claw, and the rear connecting portion 8 may be configured with a connecting groove portion.

[0059] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the cover front end wall 33F of the cover portion 3 of the article transport platform 1. Figure 9(a) shows a first modified example, and Figure 9(b) shows a second modified example.

[0060] In this embodiment, the front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F is formed as a curved surface that bulges upward, but this is not limited thereto. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the front upper surface portion 33Fb of the cover front end wall 33F may also be formed as a curved surface that bulges downward smoothly, continuing from the front upper surface portion 33Fa. Alternatively, although not shown, the entire or a part of the rear upper surface portion 33Fb may be formed as a flat surface. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the front upper surface portion 33Fa may be formed as a curved surface that bulges upward integrally with the rear upper surface portion 33Fb.

[0061] The front upper surface portion 33Fa of the cover front end wall 33F is not limited to being curved, but may be formed flat. In this case, the front upper surface portion 33Fa is formed flat and continuous with the rear upper surface portion 33Fb, and the entire upper surface of the cover front end wall 33F is located at a height higher than the upper surface of the cover rear end wall 33B. The front upper surface portion 33Fa is not limited to being below the apex T of the roller 2, but may be located at a height equal to the apex T. In this case, the front upper surface portion 33Fa is formed curved, and the apex of the front upper surface portion 33Fa is located on an imaginary plane L connecting the apexes T of the rollers 2.

[0062] Furthermore, upwardly protruding ridges may be provided on the upper surfaces of the laterally extending portions 33 (the cover front end wall 33F, the cover middle wall 33M, and the cover rear end wall 33B) of the cover portion 3 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. This reduces the frictional resistance between the article P and the cover portion 3, making it easier for the article P to slide.

[0063] Furthermore, although article transport platform 1 rotatably supports rollers 2 by roller support parts 5, this is not limited to this and may also have a drive part for rotating rollers 2. Furthermore, the materials of rollers 2, cover part 3 and base 4 are not limited to resin. At least a portion of rollers 2, cover part 3 and base 4 may be made of metal (e.g., aluminum) or a combination of resin and metal. Furthermore, article transport platform 1 is not limited to being used to transport articles P from the article storage cabinet, but may also be used to transport articles P arranged on shelves in a showcase, etc.

[0064] The above describes the embodiments and modifications of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and it goes without saying that further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1...article transport table, 2...roller, target roller, 3...cover portion, 31...roller hole, 32R...right side wall (side wall) of cover, 32L...left side wall (side wall) of cover, 33F...front end wall of cover, 33Fa...front upper surface portion, 33B...rear end wall of cover, 4...base, 42R...right side wall (side wall) of base, 42L...left side wall (side wall) of base, 43F...front end wall of base, 43B...rear end wall of base, 5...roller support portion, 6...cover direction limiting portion, 7...front connecting portion, 8...rear connecting portion, 100...article transport unit, T...top

Claims

1. An article transport platform including a plurality of rollers spaced apart from one another in an article transport direction, a plurality of cover sections adjacent to one another in the transport direction, and a roller support section having a base that supports the plurality of cover sections from below and rotatably supports the plurality of rollers, wherein each of the plurality of cover sections has a plurality of roller holes that allow at least tops of a plurality of target rollers that are a portion of the plurality of rollers to protrude outside the cover section, each of the plurality of cover portions has a front cover end wall that forms a front opening edge of a front-most roller hole among the plurality of roller holes, and a rear cover end wall that forms a rear opening edge of a rear-most roller hole among the plurality of roller holes, An article transport platform in which at least the front upper surface portion of the upper surface of the front end wall of the cover is higher in the vertical direction than the upper surface of the rear end wall of the cover and is located at a height position below the top or equal to the top.

2. The article transport platform according to claim 1 , wherein the front upper surface of the cover front end wall is formed into a curved surface that bulges upward or is recessed downward.

3. The article transport platform according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover portion has a connection portion that connects to a side wall of the base in a lateral direction perpendicular to the transport direction, on the lateral side wall of the cover portion.

4. 4. The article transport platform according to claim 1, further comprising a cover direction restricting portion that restricts the mounting orientation of said cover portion relative to said base in said transport direction.

5. An article transport unit in which the article transport tables according to any one of claims 1 to 4 are arranged in parallel in the transport direction, An item transport unit in which each of the multiple item transport platforms has a front connecting portion provided at the front end of the item transport platform and freely connectable to another item transport platform in front, and a rear connecting portion provided at the rear end of the item transport platform and freely connectable to the front connecting portion of another item transport platform in the rear.

6. The front connection portion is formed on the base front end wall of the base, the rear connection portion is formed on a rear end wall of the base, The article transport unit according to claim 5 , wherein the front connecting portion and the rear connecting portion are configured to be connectable to each other with the front surface of the front end wall of the base and the rear surface of the rear end wall of the base brought into close proximity to each other.

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