JP2011173549A - Screw drive conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a screw drive conveying device capable of traveling a carriage in an optional direction, changing an attitude of an object to be conveyed in a conveying direction by a simple constitution and efficiently conveying the object to be conveyed by making the object to be conveyed have an attitude corresponding to the shape of the object to be conveyed. <P>SOLUTION: The screw drive conveying device 100 is constituted of a plurality of screw shafts 110, the carriage 120 including an engaging means 123 and a traveling track on which the carriage 120 travels. The carriage 120 includes engaging means 122a and 122b provided at two front and rear positions and a plurality of traveling wheels 121 constituted to freely follow in a traveling direction. The traveling track includes a guide groove for guiding the engaging means 122a and 122b and a traveling surface on which the traveling wheel 121 travels. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a screw-driven transport device including a plurality of screw shafts that are rotationally driven, a transport cart driven by the screw shafts, and a travel track on which the transport cart travels.

  Conventionally, as a transport device that transports a transport carriage by moving it from the outside, a pair of rails, a screw shaft provided in parallel between the pair of rails, a wheel traveling on the rail, and a screw shaft 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a screw-driven transport device that includes a transport carriage provided with an engagement means that engages with a spiral feed member, and that is configured to rotate a screw shaft to move the transport carriage on a rail.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, these screw drive conveyance devices 500 include a pair of left and right traveling tracks 530, a screw shaft 510 provided in a cover body 503 between both traveling tracks 530, and traveling wheels 521. It has a transport carriage 520 that is supported and guided by both travel tracks 530 and can travel freely.

  The conveying cart 520 is provided with an engaging means 522 provided with an engaging roller 523 guided by a guide body 529 so as to be movable up and down. A screw plate 510 is provided with a spiral plate 511 spirally on a cylindrical surface. When the engagement roller 523 of the transport carriage 520 is engaged with the spiral plate 511 of the screw shaft 510 from above, the transport shaft 520 is supported on the traveling track 530 by the rotational drive of the screw shaft 510 by a driving device (not shown). The vehicle travels while being guided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-58463 (pages 3 to 4, FIGS. 1 and 3)

However, the conveyance carriage 520 of the conventional screw drive conveyance device 500 is configured such that the traveling direction of the traveling wheel 521 is defined by the traveling track 530 and guided in the conveying direction.
Accordingly, the posture of the transport carriage 520 is always in agreement with the transport direction defined by the traveling track 530, and the direction of the object to be transported on the transport carriage 520 depends on the transport direction and cannot be changed.

  For example, when transporting a long transport object in the long direction on an assembly line or the like, if the direction of the transport object cannot be changed, the distance between the transport carts cannot be reduced in the non-working part, and there is a margin in the width direction. Even in such a case, it is necessary to increase the length of the conveyance path, and there is a problem that efficient conveyance cannot be performed.

  In addition, it is well known to provide a posture changing mechanism such as rotating a transported object on the transport carriage so that the transport direction of the transport carriage and the direction of the transported object are variable. In addition, a control mechanism is required, and the structure of the transport carriage is complicated and the weight is increased, and the configuration and control of the entire screw-driven transport apparatus are also complicated.

  The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, that is, the object of the present invention is to enable the transport carriage to travel in an arbitrary direction and to convey the object to be transported in the transport direction with a simple configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide a screw-driven transfer device that can change the posture and can efficiently carry it by setting the posture according to the shape of the object to be transferred.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a screw-driven transfer device comprising a plurality of screw shafts that are rotationally driven, a transport carriage driven by the screw shafts, and a traveling track on which the transport carriage travels. The carriage has engagement means provided at two locations before and after the conveyance direction and engaged with the screw shaft, and a plurality of traveling wheels configured to freely follow the traveling direction of the conveyance carriage on the traveling path. The travel track has a guide groove for guiding the engaging means of the transport carriage and a travel surface on which the travel wheel travels, and the plurality of screw shafts are disposed below the guide groove, The above-mentioned problems are solved by sequentially engaging with the engaging means to drive and convey the conveyance carriage.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the screw drive conveyance device according to the first aspect, the guide groove has a branching portion, a double-tracked portion, and a merging portion. By providing the branching means that can freely switch the guiding direction, the above-mentioned problem is further solved.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the screw drive conveyance device according to the second aspect, the double-line portion extends on the same line as the guide groove upstream from the branch portion, and guides the engagement means on the rear side. The above-mentioned problem is further solved by comprising a rear guiding portion and a front guiding portion in which a front engaging means is provided in parallel by being separated from the rear guiding portion by the branch portion.

  In the invention according to claim 4, in addition to the configuration of the screw drive conveyance device according to claim 3, the plurality of screw shafts are provided below the guide groove, the front guide part, and the junction part upstream from the branch part. A connecting drive means is provided below the guide groove in a line in the transport direction and drives the engagement means at a position where the front and rear engagement means do not engage any of the screw shafts. Therefore, the above-described problem is further solved.

  The invention according to claim 5 includes a pusher configured to push the engagement means by fluid pressure, in addition to the configuration of the screw drive conveying device according to claim 4, By arranging the rear engaging means in the branching portion and the rear guiding portion and driving the rear engaging means in the joining portion, the above-mentioned problem is further solved.

  The invention according to claim 6 includes, in addition to the configuration of the screw drive conveyance device according to claim 4, the transfer drive means is a pusher configured to push the engagement means by fluid pressure, A pusher configured to push the engagement means by fluid pressure arranged to drive the rear engagement means at the junction and the rear engagement means at the junction; and a rear engagement at the rear guide section The problem is further solved by comprising a plurality of screw shafts arranged to drive the means.

  The screw-driven transfer device of the present invention comprises a plurality of screw shafts that are rotationally driven, a transfer carriage that is driven by the screw axes, and a traveling track on which the transfer carriage travels. The drive control can be performed using the drive source, and the following special effects can be achieved.

  In the screw-driven transfer device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the transfer carriage is provided in two places before and after the transfer direction and engages with the screw shaft. A traveling track having a guiding groove for guiding the engaging means of the transport carriage and a traveling surface on which the traveling wheel travels, and a plurality of screw shafts for guiding It is arranged below the groove, and sequentially engages with the engaging means to drive and convey the conveying carriage, thereby changing the engagement state between the guiding groove and the two engaging means to thereby change the conveying direction and the conveying carriage. The orientation relationship can be changed, and the traveling wheels can follow the conveying direction regardless of the direction of the conveying carriage. Therefore, the conveying carriage can be driven in any direction, and the conveying direction can be achieved with a simple configuration. Change the posture of the transferred object with respect to It is possible to become.

  In addition to the effect produced by the screw-driven conveyance device according to the first aspect, the screw-driven conveyance device according to the second aspect of the invention has a guide groove having a branching portion, a double-line portion, and a merging portion. By having a branching means that can freely switch the guiding direction of the combination means, it is possible to run the transport carriage in an arbitrary direction by setting the respective paths of the double-track part, and the two engaging means on the front and rear sides Can be changed by switching the branching section, and the posture of the conveyed object with respect to the conveying direction can be changed with a simple configuration.

  In addition to the effect produced by the screw drive conveyance device according to the second aspect, the screw drive conveyance device according to the third aspect of the invention has a double-wire portion extending on the same line as the guide groove upstream from the branch portion, and is engaged rearward The transport carriage is fixed in the transport direction by the rear guide section that guides the means and the front guide section in which the front engagement means is provided in parallel by being separated from the rear guide section by the branch section. It is possible to run in parallel with the angle being rotated, and even if a transported object that is long in the transporting direction is placed on the transporting carriage, the interval between the transporting carriages can be reduced by changing the angle of the transported object. It can be transported and can be transported efficiently.

  In addition to the effect produced by the screw drive transport device according to claim 3, the screw drive transport device of the invention according to claim 4 includes a plurality of screw shafts, a guide groove upstream of the branch portion, a front guide portion, and a merge portion. A connecting drive means that is arranged in a line in the conveying direction below the lower guide groove and that drives the engaging means at a position where the front and rear engaging means do not engage any of the screw shafts. Because it is provided, it is possible to use a combination of a plurality of short screw shafts as appropriate, making it easy to install and adjust the entire screw drive conveyance device, reducing the size of the entire device, and branching, merging, and curvilinear portions. Can be freely provided, and the degree of freedom in design of the transport path is increased, thereby enabling efficient transport.

  The screw drive conveyance device of the invention according to claim 5 is a pusher configured such that, in addition to the effect exerted by the screw drive conveyance device according to claim 4, the connection drive means pushes the engagement means by fluid pressure. Using the two engaging means on the front and rear sides, arranged so as to drive the rear engaging means in the branch part and the rear guiding part, and the rear engaging means in the junction part. Transfers associated with branching and merging can be performed smoothly.

  The screw drive conveyance device of the invention according to claim 6 is a pusher configured such that, in addition to the effect exerted by the screw drive conveyance device according to claim 4, the connection drive means pushes the engagement means by fluid pressure. A pusher configured to push the engagement means by fluid pressure arranged to drive the rear engagement means at the branch portion and the rear engagement means at the junction portion, and the rear at the rear guide portion And a plurality of screw shafts arranged so as to drive the engaging means. By using the engaging means at the front and rear two places, it is possible to smoothly carry out the transfer associated with branching or merging.

The top view of the screw drive conveyance apparatus which is one Example of this invention. The front view of the screw shaft of FIG. 1, a conveyance trolley, a running track, and a pusher. The top view of the screw shaft of FIG. 1 and a conveyance trolley | bogie. The side view of the screw shaft of FIG. 1, a conveyance trolley, and a running track. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the branch part of the screw drive conveyance apparatus of FIG. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the junction part of the screw drive conveyance apparatus of FIG. The top view of the screw drive conveyance apparatus which is another Example of this invention. The perspective view of the conventional screw drive conveyance apparatus. Sectional drawing of the conventional screw drive conveyance apparatus.

  The present invention relates to a screw-driven transfer device that includes a plurality of screw shafts that are rotationally driven, a transport carriage that is driven by the screw shafts, and a traveling track on which the transport carriage travels. And a plurality of traveling wheels configured to freely follow the traveling direction of the transport carriage on the traveling track, and the traveling track is transported. It has a guide groove for guiding the engagement means of the carriage and a running surface on which the traveling wheels travel, and a plurality of screw shafts are arranged below the guide groove and sequentially engage with the engagement means to drive and convey the carriage If the carriage can run in any direction, the posture of the object to be conveyed relative to the conveyance direction can be changed with a simple configuration, and it can be efficiently conveyed by adopting an attitude according to the shape of the object to be conveyed And its specific Embodiment, may any be any one.

  In other words, the screw shaft used in the screw driving and conveying apparatus of the present invention may be one in which a spiral groove is provided on the surface of a cylindrical shaft, and a plate is installed upright on the outer periphery of the cylindrical shaft. Or a cylindrical plate with slits spirally fixed to a columnar shaft directly or at intervals, as long as the engaging means engages with the spiral groove. It may be of a structure.

Below, the screw drive conveyance apparatus which is an Example of this invention is demonstrated based on drawing.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the screw drive conveyance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a conveyance carriage 120 on which a workpiece W is placed along a guide groove 132 provided on a traveling track 130. The screw shaft 110 disposed below the guide groove 132 is driven and conveyed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the transport carriage 120 is provided with engagement means 122 at two places in the front and rear of the transport direction, and has traveling wheels 121 at four places on both sides in the front and rear width direction.
The engagement means 122 includes an induction roller 124 that rolls along the guide groove 132 provided on the traveling track 130, and an engagement that engages with the helical groove of the screw shaft 110 disposed below the guide groove 132. The roller 123 is disposed coaxially.

  Each of the traveling wheels 121 is attached to the transport carriage via the wheel turning means 125, and has a so-called caster structure in which the traveling surface of the planar traveling track 130 is correctly oriented in the transport direction regardless of the posture of the transport carriage 120. It is configured.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the screw shaft 110 is disposed below the guide groove 132, and has a spiral groove 111 that engages with the engagement roller 123 of the transport carriage 120 that protrudes below the guide groove 132. And is configured to be driven and transported by the carriage 112 by being driven to rotate by the motor 112.
The length of the screw shaft 110 is appropriately set, and a plurality of screw shafts 110 are arranged in the transport direction.

  When transporting in the longitudinal direction of the transport carriage 120, the interval between the plurality of screw shafts 110 is set shorter than the distance between the engagement means 122a and 122b before and after the transport carriage 120, so that any of the engagement means 122a and 122b is always set. The engagement roller 123 engages with the spiral groove 111 of one of the screw shafts 110, and is sequentially transferred and continuously conveyed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the guide groove 132 of the traveling track 130 is branched in two directions at the branch part 133, and passes through a double-line part in which a front guide groove 134 and a rear guide groove 135 are provided in parallel at a predetermined distance, The merging portion 136 is configured to merge.
Appropriate switching means is provided at the branch portion 133 and operates so as to distribute the front engaging means 122a of the transport carriage 120 to the front guide groove 134 and the rear engaging means 122b to the rear guide groove 135.

  Thus, the transport cart 120 is transported and driven obliquely with respect to the transport direction, and the distance between the transport carts 120 can be reduced in the double-line portion regardless of the length of the transported object W in the transport direction. This improves the degree of freedom of the space on the transfer line.

  When the screw shaft 110 is disposed below the front guide groove 134 in the double line portion, only the engagement roller 123a of the front engagement means 122a is engaged with the screw shaft 110 at the branch portion 133, the double wire portion, and the merge portion 136, A section in which the engagement roller 123b of the rear engagement means 122b cannot engage with the screw shaft 110 occurs.

  Therefore, a pusher 115 is provided below the rear guide groove 135 at a position corresponding to the connecting point of the engaging roller 123a of the front engaging means 122a for connecting between the plurality of screw shafts 110.

The operation of the branching portion 133 in the screw drive conveying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
In the transport carriage 120 that has been transported along the guide groove 132a upstream of the branching portion 133, the front engaging means 122 is guided to the front guide groove 134 side, and the posture of the transport carriage 120 gradually moves with respect to the transport direction. Tilt.

  When the engaging means 122b1 on the rear side of the transport carriage 120 is disengaged from the screw shaft 110 below the upstream guide groove 132a, the front engaging means 122a1 has not yet reached the screw shaft 110 below the front guide groove 134. Therefore, the rear engagement means 122b1 is driven by the push lever 116a1 of the pusher 115 disposed below the rear guide groove 135.

  At this time, the rear engaging means 122b1 is guided to the rear guide groove 135 side by the switching means provided in the branch portion 133, and when the rear engaging means 122b2 is propelled to the position of the push lever 116a2, the front engaging means 122b1 is pushed. The joining means 122a2 engages with the screw shaft 110 below the front guide groove 134, and the transport carriage 120 is propelled by the screw shaft 110 in a state of being inclined with respect to the transport direction.

The posture of the conveyed object W is changed by the operation of the branching unit 133.
In addition, the connection of the screw shaft 110 below the front guide groove 134 of the front engaging means 122 in the double line portion is performed by the same operation as the operation of the push lever 116 of the pusher 115 described above.

Next, the operation | movement in the junction part 136 is demonstrated based on FIG.
When the engaging means 122a1 on the front side of the transport carriage 120 that has been transported in an inclined state is disengaged from the screw shaft 110 below the front guiding groove 134, the rear guiding means 122b2 has the rear guiding groove 135 directed toward the joining portion. Since it goes to the curved section, it becomes difficult to dispose the pusher 115 under the rear guide groove 135 and propel it.

  Therefore, the pusher 115 is disposed below the front guide groove 134, and the front engagement means 122a1 is engaged with the screw shaft 110 below the guide groove 132b downstream of the joining portion 136 by the push lever 116a1. Propulsion to position 122a2.

  Then, the forward engaging means 122a3 is further propelled by the screw shaft 110 below the downstream guide groove 132b, whereby the rear engaging means 122b3 is guided from the rear guide groove 135 toward the joining portion to be conveyed. The posture of the object W is changed again in the transport direction.

The pusher 115 may be disposed in the double line portion below the front guide groove 134 in the same manner as the above-mentioned merge portion. If necessary, the conveying screw shaft 110 is provided below the rear guide groove 135. Thus, a pusher for connection may be provided below the front guide groove 134 or below the rear guide groove 135 at a corresponding position.
In the above embodiment, the pusher 115 reciprocates the push lever 116 with a fluid pressure cylinder such as air pressure or hydraulic pressure, but another linear drive device may be used.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, a connecting screw shaft 110 may be provided below the rear guide groove 135 in the double line portion, instead of the pusher 115 described above.
In this case, the length of the connecting screw shaft 110 provided below the rear guide groove 135 may be as long as the connecting interval of the conveying screw shaft 110 below the front guide groove 134.
Further, the connecting screw shafts 110 may be alternately provided below the front guide groove 134 and the rear guide groove 135 of the double-line portion.

  As described above, according to the screw drive conveyance device of the present invention, the relationship between the conveyance direction and the direction of the conveyance carriage can be changed by changing the engagement state between the guide groove and the two engagement means, Since the traveling wheels can follow the transport direction regardless of the direction of the transport carriage, the transport carriage can be driven in any direction, and the posture of the object to be transported with respect to the transport direction can be changed with a simple configuration. The effect is enormous.

In addition, in the said Example, except a branch part and a junction part, it is a linear conveyance path | route, However, A conveyance path | route may also be a curve including a double track | line part.
Moreover, you may provide a branch part and a junction part not for the purpose of changing the attitude | position of a conveyance trolley but for the purpose of branching and merging of the conveyance path | route itself of a conveyance trolley.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 500 ... Screw drive conveyance apparatus 503 ... Cover body 110, 510 ... Screw shaft 111 ... Spiral groove 511 ... Spiral plate 112 ... Motor 115 ... Pusher 116 ... Push lever 117 ... reciprocating drive means 120, 520 ... transport carriage 121, 521 ... traveling wheel 125 ... wheel turning means 122, 522 ... engagement means 123, 523 ... engagement roller 124: guide rollers 130, 530 ... travel track 131 ... travel surface 132 ... guide groove 133 ... branching part 134 ... front guide groove 135 ... rear guide groove 136 ... Junction part W ... Conveyed object

Claims (6)

In a screw-driven transport apparatus comprising a plurality of screw shafts that are rotationally driven, a transport carriage driven by the screw shafts, and a traveling track on which the transport carriage travels,
Engagement means for engaging the screw shaft provided at two places before and after the conveying direction of the conveying carriage, and a plurality of traveling wheels configured to freely follow the traveling direction of the conveying carriage on the traveling path. Have
The traveling track has a guiding groove for guiding the engaging means of the transport carriage and a traveling surface on which the traveling wheels travel;
The screw drive transport device, wherein the plurality of screw shafts are disposed below the guide groove and sequentially engage with the engagement means to drive and transport the transport cart.   The screw drive conveyance according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove has a branching unit, a double line unit, and a joining unit, and has a branching unit capable of freely switching a guiding direction of the engaging unit in the branching unit. apparatus.   The double line portion extends on the same line as the guide groove upstream from the branch portion and guides the rear engagement means, and the front engagement means is separated from the rear guide portion by a predetermined distance in parallel with the branch portion. The screw drive conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein the screw drive conveyance device is provided with a front guide portion provided on the screw. The plurality of screw shafts are arranged in a line in the transport direction below the guide groove upstream from the branching portion, the front guide portion and the guide groove below the junction portion,
4. The screw drive according to claim 3, wherein a connecting drive means for driving the engaging means is provided at a position where the two engaging means on the front and rear sides do not engage with any of the screw shafts. Conveying device.   The connecting drive means is composed of a pusher configured to push the engaging means by fluid pressure, and drives the rear engaging means at the branching part and the rear guiding part, and drives the rear engaging means at the junction part. The screw drive conveyance device according to claim 4, wherein the screw drive conveyance device is disposed on the screw drive conveyance device. The connecting drive means comprises a pusher configured to push the engaging means by fluid pressure, and is arranged to drive the rear engaging means at the branching portion and the rear engaging means at the junction. A pusher configured to push the engagement means by fluid pressure;
The screw drive conveying device according to claim 4, comprising a plurality of screw shafts arranged to drive the rear engaging means in the rear guide portion.

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