Roller chain conveyor system

Abstract

To provide a roller chain conveyor system that can move a pallet with increased speed without using a large diameter roller.SOLUTION: An acceleration roller chain system of a roller chain conveyor system consists of an acceleration mode conveyor and a pallet to be conveyed. The acceleration mode conveyor has: a pair of acceleration conveyor frames; a roller chain parallel to a conveyance direction; a chain roller rotatably fitted to a chain pin that passes through an inner link plate and an outer link plate of the roller chain; and a pair of acceleration mode chain rails that are fixed to the frame and can slide on the inner link plate. The pallet includes a pair of resin rails that protrude downward from the pallet and can contact the chain roller from above, the acceleration mode chain rail has a convex shape formed of a protruding part and a lower part lower than the protruding part, and the chain roller is configured to be lifted up to an upper surface of the protruding part such that a gap is formed between a bottom part and itself.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a roller chain conveyor system that conveys a workpiece at a speed higher than the speed at which a roller chain is pulled, and can stop and hold the workpiece by keeping the roller chain in a slipping state with respect to the chain rollers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a roller chain conveyor system called a "double-speed chain" or the like as a conveyor used in a production line for assembling parts and the like.

[0003] In this system, chain rollers with a small diameter and a large diameter are provided on the chain so as to be rotatable in a sliding manner with respect to the chain pins. At a location connecting between the steps of the assembly work, a pallet on which a workpiece is placed is placed on the large-diameter roller, and by friction, the large-diameter roller is rotated at the same speed as the small-diameter roller to drive the pallet at a high speed. Also, at the location where the assembly work is performed, while conveying the pallet at the speed at which the chain is pulled, a stopper mechanism is applied to the pallet to cause the small-diameter roller to coast with respect to the roller chain and hold the pallet, and the assembly work is performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the above-mentioned double-speed chains have several drawbacks: they require larger diameter rollers compared to conventional chains, making it difficult to miniaturize the equipment; and while motor-driven power chains are standardized and unified general-purpose products, double-speed chains must be manufactured by each chain manufacturer, resulting in higher costs.

[0006] This invention aims to solve the problems described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] BookThe invention comprises a roller chain conveyor and a pallet for transporting workpieces that is transported by the roller chain conveyor, wherein the roller chain conveyor is configured as a speed-increasing mode conveyor that transports the pallet at an increased speed relative to the roller chain drive speed, and as a free-flow mode conveyor that can transport at a constant speed, and the speed-increasing mode conveyor and the free-flow mode conveyor are connected in the transport direction, wherein the speed-increasing mode conveyor comprises a pair of left and right speed-increasing conveyor frames arranged parallel to the workpiece transport direction, a motor-driven roller chain arranged in the workpiece transport direction on each of the speed-increasing conveyor frames, a chain roller rotatably fitted to a chain pin that penetrates the inner link plate and outer link plate of the roller chain at a position between a pair of the inner link plates in the chain width direction, and a pair of left and right speed-increasing mode chain rails fixed to each of the left and right speed-increasing conveyor frames and supporting the inner link plates so as to be in sliding contact with them, and the free-flow mode conveyor comprises left and right frames arranged parallel to the workpiece transport direction The system comprises a pair of free-flow conveyor frames, each of which is provided with a motor-driven roller chain arranged in the workpiece transport direction, a chain roller rotatably fitted to a chain pin provided through the inner and outer link plates of the roller chain at a position between a pair of inner link plates in the chain width direction, and a pair of left and right free-flow mode chain rails fixed to each of the left and right free-flow conveyor frames and supporting the inner link plates so as to be in sliding contact with them, the pallet is provided projecting downward from the bottom surface of the pallet, and is capable of contacting the chain rollers of the speed-increasing mode conveyor or free-flow mode conveyor from above, and is detachably provided on the bottom surface of the pallet with a pair of left and right resin rails extending in the workpiece transport direction, the speed-increasing mode chain rail is provided between the pair of inner link plates at a height that contacts the lower side of the chain roller from below, and has a convex shape in a cross section perpendicular to the workpiece transport direction, consisting of a projection projecting upward at the center position in the width direction and lower parts formed on both sides lower than the projection.The above problem is solved by a roller chain conveyor system characterized in that the height of the projection is configured such that the chain roller is lifted by the upper surface of the projection, causing a gap to be created between it and the lower part; the free-flow mode chain rail is plate-shaped with a flat surface on which the inner link plate of the roller chain can slide; and the diameter of the chain roller is the same in both the speed-increasing mode conveyor and the free-flow mode conveyor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, without using large-diameter chain rollers, the chain rollers are lifted by the protrusions of the speed-increasing mode chain rail so that the inner and outer link plates of the normal chain rollers do not come into contact with the speed-increasing mode chain rail, and the resin rail on the work-transport pallet side is brought into contact with the chain rollers from above, thereby enabling the work-transport pallet to be transported at double speed, which has the effect of significantly reducing equipment costs and operating costs.

[0010] Furthermore, this invention allows for the free and rapid construction of a work line by replacing the speed-increasing roller chain conveyor system and the speed-increasing mode chain rail in this speed-increasing mode conveyor with a free-flow mode chain rail, or vice versa. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing the main parts of a roller chain conveyor system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view showing the speed-increasing roller chain conveyor system in the same embodiment. [Figure 3] A perspective view showing the roller chain and chain rail used in an embodiment of the roller chain conveyor system of the present invention, disassembled. [Figure 4] A perspective view from below of the workpiece transport pallet used in the same embodiment. [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view showing the free-flow roller chain conveyor system used in the above embodiment. [Figure 6] A side view showing a pallet stopper mechanism provided on the pallet discharge side of the free-flow mode conveyor in the above free-flow roller chain conveyor system. [Figure 7] This side view shows the process by which the pallet stopper mechanism stops, pools, and then releases the workpiece transport pallets being unloaded from the free-flow mode conveyor. [Figure 8] Side view showing a modified example in which a shock absorber is added to the pallet stopper mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] [Examples] Hereinafter, a roller chain conveyor system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the roller chain conveyor system 10 is configured by connecting a speed-increasing roller chain conveyor system (hereinafter referred to as the speed-increasing conveyor system) 20 to a free-flow roller chain conveyor system (hereinafter referred to as the free-flow conveyor system) 40.

[0014] Furthermore, the speed-increasing roller chain conveyor system 20 consists of a speed-increasing mode conveyor 22 and a pallet 12 for transporting workpieces.

[0015] Similarly, the free-flow roller chain conveyor system 40 consists of a free-flow mode conveyor 42 and a pallet 12 for transporting workpieces.

[0016] First, the speed-increasing conveyor system 20 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 to 4.

[0017] The speed-up conveyor system 20 includes a pair of left and right speed-up conveyor frames 24A and 24B (see FIG. 2) arranged parallel to the work conveyance direction, and a motor (not shown) driven roller chain 30 arranged in the work conveyance direction on each of these speed-up conveyor frames 24A and 24B. A chain roller 34 is rotatably fitted at a position between a pair of inner link plates 32A in the chain width direction through a chain pin 36 provided through an inner link plate 32A and an outer link plate 32B in the roller chain 30. And a pair of left and right speed-up mode chain rails 26 fixed to each of the pair of left and right speed-up conveyor frames 24A and 24B and supporting the inner link plate 32A in a slidable contact manner (see FIG. 3).

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the pallet 12 has a pair of left and right resin rails 14A and 14B protruding downward from the pallet bottom surface 13. These pair of left and right resin rails 14A and 14B can contact the chain rollers 34 on the pair of left and right speed-up conveyor frames 24A and 24B from above, extend in the work conveyance direction, and are detachably provided on the pallet bottom surface 13.

[0019] The speed-up mode chain rail 26 is provided at a height where it can contact the lower side of the chain roller 34 from below between the pair of inner link plates 32A, and in a vertical cross section orthogonal to the work conveyance direction, it has a convex shape consisting of a protrusion 27A protruding upward at the central position in the chain width direction and lower parts 27B formed lower than the protrusion 27A on both sides thereof.

[0020] Further, the protrusion 27A is configured such that the height is such that a gap S (see FIG. 2) is formed between the inner link plate 32A and the outer link plate 32B lifted by the upper surface of the protrusion 27A and the lower part 27B with the chain roller 34.

[0021] Here, the pallet 12 is made of metal such as aluminum alloy, and the resin rails 14A and 14B are made of hard resin and are detachably attached to the pallet 12 by resin rail attachment screws 16. Roll pins (spring pins) may be used instead of attachment screws 16.

[0022] On the other hand, the free-flow mode chain rail 46 is plate-shaped and has a flat surface 47 on which the inner link plate 32A of the roller chain 30 can slide against (see Figure 3).

[0023] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the chain roller 34 is the same for both the speed-increasing mode conveyor 22 and the free-flow mode conveyor 42.

[0024] Furthermore, although the speed-increasing mode chain rail 26 and the free-flow mode chain rail 46 have different cross-sectional shapes, this difference lies solely in the presence or absence of the protrusion 27A, as clearly shown in Figure 3. In practice, the speed-increasing mode chain rail 26 can be constructed by bonding or welding the protrusion 27A to the plate-shaped free-flow mode chain rail 46.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the free-flow roller chain conveyor system 40 differs from the speed-increasing roller chain conveyor system 20 only in that the speed-increasing mode chain rail 26 in the latter has a convex cross-sectional shape, whereas in the former, the free-flow mode chain rail 46 is a flat plate shape, at least on its upper surface.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the left and right pair of free-flow conveyor frames 44A and 44B in the free-flow conveyor system 40 are substantially identical to the speed-increasing conveyor frames 24A and 24B in the speed-increasing conveyor system 20 in Figure 2, but different reference numerals and names are used for explanatory purposes.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the speed-increasing mode conveyor 22 uses a speed-increasing mode chain rail 26, and its protrusion 27A lifts the chain roller 34 of the roller chain 30 so that the inner or outer link plates 32A and 32B do not come into contact with the lower part 27B of the speed-increasing mode chain rail 26. As a result, the resin rails 14A and 14B on the pallet 12 come into contact only with the chain roller 34, and in addition to the speed at which the roller chain 30 is pulled, the rotation of the chain roller 34 causes the conveyor to move in the chain tension direction at twice the chain tension speed.

[0028] Furthermore, in the free-flow mode conveyor 42, the inner link plate 32A of the roller chain 30 comes into contact with the flat surface 47 of the flat free-flow mode chain rail 46. Therefore, the roller chain 30 is driven only by the tensile force of the motor, and consequently, the pallet 12 is transported at the tensile speed of the roller chain.

[0029] In this embodiment, the speed-increasing mode chain rail 26 used in the speed-increasing mode conveyor 22 of the speed-increasing conveyor system 20 can be easily switched from speed-increasing mode to free-flow mode by replacing it with the free-flow mode chain rail 46 of the free-flow mode conveyor 42. Furthermore, there is no need to prepare large-diameter chain rollers as in the conventional method.

[0030] Next, with reference to Figure 6, a pallet stopper mechanism 50 provided at the workpiece exit end 43 of the free-flow conveyor system 40 will be described.

[0031] This pallet stopper mechanism 50 includes a stopper base 52 provided on the underside of the conveying surface of the pallet 12 at the exit end 43 of the pallet 12 in the free-flow mode conveyor 42, a kick-out stopper 53 provided on the vertical side surface of the stopper base 52, and a pallet-side stopper block 54 (see Figure 4) that protrudes downward from the back of the leading edge of the pallet 12 in the conveying direction, at the same height as or lower than the resin rails 14A and 14B.

[0032] The kick-out stopper 53 consists of a stopper arm 53A supported on the vertical side surface of the stopper base 52 so as to be able to swing around its lower end in a vertical plane parallel to the transport direction, an actuator 53B for swinging the stopper arm 53A, a kick-out block 53C supported so as to be able to swing at the upper end of the stopper arm 53A, and a stopper tip portion 53D formed as part of the upper end of the stopper arm 53A, at a position forward in the transport direction from the kick-out block 53C.

[0033] The kick-out block 53C is configured to be pushed down by the lower front end of the pallet-side stopper block 54 when the front end of the pallet 12 in the transport direction approaches the exit end 43 of the free-flow mode conveyor 42, and to be bounced upward when it has passed the pallet-side stopper block 54, returning to a position where it can contact the rear end of the pallet-side stopper block 54. In Figure 6, reference numeral 63A indicates an actuator arm that is swung by actuator 53B, 63B indicates a cam groove that guides the swing pin 63C attached to actuator arm 63A, and 63D indicates a compression coil spring for biasing the kick-out block 53C upward.

[0034] The stopper tip 53D is pivotable between a position in which the kick-out block 53C is sandwiched in the front-to-back direction between the stopper arm 53A and the kick-out block 53C when the kick-out block 53C comes into contact with the rear end of the pallet-side stopper block 54 as the stopper arm 53A swings by the actuator 53B, and a position in which the tip is positioned below the pallet-side stopper block 54, releasing the pallet-side stopper block 54.

[0035] The following describes the process from stopping the pallet 12 using the pallet stopper mechanism 50 to sending out the pallet 12 after the completion of work, etc., with reference to Figure 7.

[0036] Figure 7(1) shows the state immediately before the pallet enters the conveyor. As the pallet 12 approaches the exit end 43 of the free-flow mode conveyor 42, the pallet-side stopper block 54 on the pallet 12 presses against the kick-out block 53C and swings it clockwise, as shown in Figure 7(2). At this time, the stopper tip 53D is waiting in a predetermined position to stop the pallet 12.

[0037] In this state, as shown in Figure 7(3), when the pallet 12 moves forward, the pallet-side stopper block 54 goes over the tip of the kick-out block 53C and stops between the kick-out block 53C and the stopper tip 53D.

[0038] As the pallet-side stopper block 54 has overcome the kick-out block 53C, it becomes trapped between the kick-out block 53C and the stopper tip 53D, as shown in Figure 7(4), and is restrained so that it cannot move forward or backward.

[0039] When sending out the pallet 12 that has been temporarily suspended (accumulated), as shown in Figure 7(5), the stopper arm 53A is swung clockwise by the actuator 53B, causing the stopper tip 53D to move lower than the pallet-side stopper block 54. This causes the pallet-side stopper block 54 to move away from the kick-out block 53C and become able to move in the sending direction.

[0040] Since the kick-out block 53C is biased counterclockwise by a spring, when the stopper tip 53D swings clockwise and opens the pallet-side stopper block 54 in the feed direction in the figure, as shown in Figure 7(6), the kick-out block 53C pushes the pallet-side stopper block 54 in the feed direction when the stopper arm 53A swings clockwise by the actuator 53B. In other words, it kicks it out. As a result, the pallet 12 is quickly sent to the next process.

[0041] If the kick-out stopper 53 is not provided, the roller chain 30 is slowly fed out solely by the frictional force between the inner link plate 32A and the flat surface 47 of the free-flow mode chain rail 46.

[0042] As described above, the pallet stopper mechanism 50 restrains the pallet 12 being transported, and the kick-out stopper 53 allows it to be quickly released. However, if the transport speed of the free-flow mode conveyor 42 is high, the pallet-side stopper block 54 of the pallet 12 may collide forcefully with the kick-out block 53C.

[0043] As a countermeasure, it is advisable to provide a shock-absorbing lever 55, as shown in Figure 8.

[0044] More specifically, the shock-absorbing lever 55 is supported so as to be able to swing between a standby position in which it protrudes further than the stopper tip 53D on the stopper arm 53A to the side opposite to the workpiece transport direction, and a position in which it overlaps with the stopper tip 53D when viewed from the side, before it comes into contact with the pallet-side stopper block 54.

[0045] In Figure 8, reference numeral 56 indicates a shock absorber positioned on the workpiece transport direction side of the shock absorption lever 55, with its tip in contact with the back surface of the shock absorption lever 55.

[0046] Furthermore, the present invention also applies to cases where only the speed-increasing conveyor system 20 is used, without the free-flow conveyor system 40. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 10…Roller chain conveyor system 12...Palette 13...Bottom of the pallet 14A, 14B… Resin rails 16…Resin rail attachment screws 20… Speed-increasing roller chain conveyor system (speed-increasing conveyor system) 22... Speed-increasing mode conveyor 24A, 24B... Speed-increasing conveyor frame 26… Speed-increasing mode chain rail 27A…Protrusion 27B…lower part 30... Roller chain 32A...Internal link plate 32B... Outer link plate 34... Chain roller 36... Chain pin 38…Pin guide 40…Free-flow roller chain conveyor system (free-flow conveyor system) 42...Free-flow mode conveyor 43…Exit end 44A, 44B... Free-flow conveyor frame 46...Free flow mode chain rail 47...Plane 50... Pallet stopper mechanism 52... Stopper base 53... Kick-off stopper 53A... Stopper arm 53B... Actuator 53C...Kick-off block 53D... Stopper tip 54... Pallet-side stopper block 55... Shock absorption lever 56... Shock absorber 63A... Actuator arm 63B... Cam groove 63C...Sliding pin 63D... Compression coil spring S... Gap

Claims

1. The system comprises a roller chain conveyor and pallets for transporting workpieces that are transported by the roller chain conveyor, wherein the roller chain conveyor is configured as a speed-increasing mode conveyor that transports the pallets at an increased speed relative to the roller chain drive speed, and a free-flow mode conveyor that can transport at a constant speed, and these speed-increasing mode conveyor and free-flow mode conveyor are connected in the transport direction. The aforementioned speed-increasing mode conveyor is A pair of left and right speed-increasing conveyor frames arranged parallel to the workpiece transport direction, Each of these speed-increasing conveyor frames is equipped with a motor-driven roller chain positioned in the direction of workpiece transport, A chain pin is provided that penetrates the inner link plate and the outer link plate of the roller chain, and a chain roller is rotatably fitted to it at a position between a pair of inner link plates in the chain width direction. A pair of left and right speed-increasing mode chain rails are fixed to each of the left and right speed-increasing conveyor frames and support the inner link plate so as to be in sliding contact with it, It has, The free-flow mode conveyor is A pair of left and right free-flow conveyor frames arranged parallel to the workpiece transport direction, Each of these free-flow conveyor frames is equipped with a motor-driven roller chain positioned in the direction of workpiece transport, A chain pin is provided that penetrates the inner link plate and the outer link plate of the roller chain, and a chain roller is rotatably fitted to it at a position between a pair of inner link plates in the chain width direction. Fixed to each of the left and right free-flow conveyor frames, and the internal link plate A pair of left and right free-flow mode chain rails that support the chain in a sliding manner, It has, The pallet is provided with a pair of left and right resin rails that protrude downward from the bottom surface of the pallet, are capable of contacting the chain rollers in the speed-increasing mode conveyor or free-flow mode conveyor from above, and extend in the workpiece transport direction, and are detachably attached to the bottom surface of the pallet. The speed-increasing mode chain rail is provided between the pair of inner link plates, from below, at a height that contacts the lower side of the chain roller, and has a convex shape in a cross section perpendicular to the workpiece transport direction, consisting of a projection that protrudes upward at the center position in the width direction and lower parts formed on both sides of the projection that are lower than the projection, wherein the height of the projection is configured such that the chain roller lifts the inner link plate and the outer link plate by the upper surface of the projection, creating a gap between it and the lower parts. The free-flow mode chain rail is plate-shaped and has a flat surface on which the inner link plate of the roller chain can slide against it. A roller chain conveyor system characterized in that the diameter of the chain roller is the same in both the case of the speed-increasing mode conveyor and the case of the free-flow mode conveyor.

2. In claim 1, A roller chain conveyor system characterized in that the speed-increasing mode chain rail has a cross-sectional shape identical to that of the free-flow mode chain rail, excluding the protrusion, and the protrusion is attached to the upper surface of the free-flow mode chain rail.

3. In claim 1 or 2, A stopper base is provided on the lower side of the conveying surface of the pallet, at the exit end of the pallet in the free-flow mode conveyor, A kick stopper is provided on the vertical side surface of this stopper base, The pallet has a pallet-side stopper block that protrudes downward from the back of the leading edge in the transport direction, at the same height as the resin rail or lower. The kick-out stopper comprises a stopper arm supported on the vertical side surface of the stopper base so as to be pivotable around its lower end in a vertical plane parallel to the transport direction, an actuator for pivoting the stopper arm, a kick-out block supported so as to be pivotable at the upper end of the stopper arm, and a stopper tip portion formed as part of the upper end of the stopper arm, at a position forward in the transport direction from the kick-out block. The kick-out block is configured such that when the front end of the pallet in the transport direction approaches the exit end of the free-flow mode conveyor, it is pushed down by the lower front end of the pallet-side stopper block, and when it passes the pallet-side stopper block, it is bounced upward and returns to a position where it can contact the rear end of the pallet-side stopper block. A roller chain conveyor system characterized in that the tip of the stopper is pivotable between a position in which the tip of the stopper clamps the pallet-side stopper block in the front-rear direction between the stopper arm and the kicking block when the kicking block comes into contact with the rear end of the pallet-side stopper block as the stopper arm swings by the actuator, and a position in which the tip is positioned below the pallet-side stopper block to release the pallet-side stopper block.

4. In claim 3, A shock-absorbing lever is pivotably supported between a standby position, which protrudes from the stopper tip on the opposite side of the workpiece transport direction to the stopper tip when the stopper arm is in a state before contact with the pallet-side stopper block, and a position that overlaps with the stopper tip when viewed from the side. A shock absorber is positioned on the workpiece transport direction side of the shock absorbing lever, with its tip in contact with the back surface of the shock absorbing lever, A roller chain conveyor system comprising [a certain feature].

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