JP2012171087A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a transport device having a dustproof cover that prevents foreign matter from entering a rail even in a wall-mounted position, has sufficient durability in a sputtering environment, and does not increase in size when dealing with high loads. To do.
A conveying device includes a rail and a slider that constitute a linear motion device, a slide unit, and a flexible sheet. The slide unit 30 accommodates the sheet 5 along the moving direction, and includes a slide base 31 and a direction changing portion 40. A side cover 36 that prevents foreign matter from entering the slide unit 30 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the rail 10 so as to cover at least one of the gaps between the slide unit 30 and the rail.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention is used in an industrial machine or the like, and is stretched along the rail or casing so as to cover a linear motion device having a rail or casing having a concave cross section and an opening formed in the rail or casing. The present invention relates to a conveyance device including a flexible sheet.

Conventionally, this type of transport device has a driving force transmission mechanism and at least a part of the opening projecting from an opening formed in a rail or casing having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is slid by the driving force transmission mechanism. It consists of a slide base provided as possible.
Examples of such a transport device include the transport devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a configuration in which a flat plate-shaped upper surface force bar is arranged above a rail opening portion so as not to hinder the movement of the slide base. In this patent document 1, in order to solve the problem that an opening portion is inevitably generated between the upper surface force bar and the rail, a configuration for preventing intrusion of foreign matters from the lateral direction is disclosed. Specifically, a configuration is adopted in which a plurality of strip-shaped seals are arranged along the edge of the open portion between the upper surface cover and the rail to close the open portion. In addition, the slide base is provided with a separate guide part for smoothly guiding the seal, and is also provided with a closing member for closing the opening part between the upper surface force bar and the rail.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a seal body made of foam rubber is used instead of the seal disclosed in Patent Document 1. In addition to a flat plate shape, the upper surface cover also has a U shape, and one end of the seal body is fixed to the upper surface force bar or rail. The seal body is provided with a spring member over the longitudinal direction of the rail in order to improve the adhesion. The slide base is provided with an inclined surface for smoothly guiding the seal body.
Patent Document 3 discloses a configuration in which a metal sheet is provided so as to cover an opening of a casing and pass through a slit provided in a slide base. The metal sheet slips around the slide base. This configuration is a dust-proof mechanism that is often used in a clean environment.

  Patent Document 4 discloses a configuration in which a sheet is provided so as to cover a casing opening and pass through a through hole provided in a slide base. The slide base is provided with four guide rolls each consisting of a shaft and a long cylindrical body. The sheet is wound from below by an outer guide roll, and wound from above by an inner guide roll. Detour with rolling guidance. Moreover, in order to improve the adhesiveness between the seat and the opening of the casing, the outer guide roll is pressed with a spring to press the seat against the casing opening portion.

JP 2000-230618 A JP 2002-206530 A No. 8-4995 JP-A-8-85090

However, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a disadvantageous shape for handling high loads. In order to increase the strength of the dustproof mechanism itself against the load, it is necessary to increase the strength of the slide base. However, since the guide portion of the seal must be provided, the strength of that portion inevitably decreases. In order to increase the strength of the guide portion, it is necessary to increase the thickness. In this case, not only the overall height dimension is increased, but also the width dimension is increased. When the slide base advances through the seal, the seal is bent outward. However, as the thickness of the guide portion increases, the amount that can be bent outward from the seal also increases, so a sbase is required in the width direction accordingly. Because. When used in a harsh environment where spatter flies, there is concern about the durability of the seal. Spatter is a hard metal powder having various shapes and sizes, and is mature. A rubber material is used as the sealing material. However, since the heat resistance of rubber is not high, it is damaged by the heat of flying spatter.
Moreover, the seal is always exposed to the outside. In addition, if repeated bending is repeatedly applied to the seal, it will eventually be damaged, but since the seal is exposed to the outside at that time, the influence of the damage is great.

  The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2 is also disadvantageous for high loads, as in Patent Document 1. Here, when the strength of the slide base is increased, the dimension in the width direction does not increase, but the height dimension becomes very large. As with the spring, the natural length and allowable shrinkage of the sealing body must be taken into account, and the overall height cannot be increased by simply increasing the thickness of the inclined surface. As the amount of shrinkage increases, the natural length increases proportionally, so the overall height increases significantly. In addition, since foam rubber is soft and does not have a high heat resistance, it is necessary to avoid as much as possible the convenience of use in a harsh environment in which spatter flies.

  Moreover, in patent document 3, it cannot use in the severe environment where a spatter flies, for example. When the metal powder falls on the metal sheet, the metal powder and the metal sheet are rubbed to cause work hardening on the metal sheet. As a result, the metal sheet is deformed and the open portion cannot be blocked. Moreover, in patent document 3, since the magnet is used in order to improve the adhesiveness of a metal sheet, naturally metal powder gathers in a magnet. And a metal sheet may be a sliding guide, As a result, it has the structure which makes it easier to exert work hardening of a metal sheet.

  Moreover, in patent document 4, the tracking with respect to the elongation by the aging deterioration of a sheet | seat is not made. Therefore, when elongation occurs in the sheet, the sheet floats from the open portion of the casing. As other problems, there are concerns about damage due to rotation of the shaft and problems due to the metal sheet as described above. In this configuration, nothing is mentioned about the fixing of the shaft. When the shaft rotates, wear occurs because the shaft and the portion fixing the shaft repeat sliding contact. Furthermore, as the wear progresses, the fixed angle of the shaft with respect to the traveling direction of the slide base is not a right angle, and an axial force is generated in the long cylindrical body. As a result, the long cylindrical body also repeats sliding contact with the slide base, resulting in wear.

  Moreover, although it is simply said that the shaft is fixed, screwing and press-fitting are conceivable, but there are problems of securing a screwing space and increasing the assembly process. Nothing is said about the sheet material as well, but the problem of work hardening and the problem of increased external dimensions arise in the metal sheet. Because it is a metal, fatigue fracture due to bending must be taken into account, and the bending R when turning back must be increased. This is more affected by the rolling guide than the seat sliding guide. In the configuration using the sheet as in Patent Documents 3 and 4, foreign matter does not accumulate on the sheet in the wall-hanging position (position rotated 90 ° around the ball screw axis with respect to the flat position). There is no damage due to the rubbing of the sheet due to the accumulation of foreign matter on the sheet, but foreign matter enters from the gap between the slide base and the rail, directly or via the direction change path of the sheet, There is a problem that foreign matter enters the rail. As a method for avoiding this problem, it is conceivable to attach a component such as a sheet metal that closes the gap between the slide base and the rail to the slide base. However, since the slide base moves, the part that closes the gap must not come into contact with the rail. That is, a gap is always generated. Although it will protect against foreign objects flying from the top of the part that closes the gap, if the part that closes the gap separates the foreign matter accumulated on the side of the rail, the part that closes the gap and the rail Foreign matter enters the gap between the two. If it does so, a foreign material will penetrate | invade into a rail after all from the clearance gap between a slide base and a rail, and it will lead to impairing the movement of a slide base.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to prevent foreign matter from entering the rail even in a wall-mounted position, and has sufficient durability in a sputtering environment, and has a high An object of the present invention is to provide a transport device having a dustproof cover that does not increase in size when responding to a load.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveying device including a driving force transmission mechanism and at least a part of the opening projecting from an opening formed in an upper portion of a rail or casing having a substantially U-shaped cross section. A slide base slidably provided by a force transmission mechanism; a flexible sheet stretched along the rail or casing so as to cover the opening;
A slide unit that is provided on the slide base and has a direction changing section that accommodates the sheet along a moving direction of the slide base and changes the direction in which the sheet is stretched to detour into the slide base; A conveying device comprising:
The slide unit includes the slide base and the direction changing portion, and the direction changing portion pushes the lower surface of the seat accommodated in the slide base upward to stretch the first direction changing member. And a second direction changing member that is installed outside the first direction changing member, presses the upper surface of the sheet, and guides the sheet so as to cover the opening,
The slide unit is formed with a first support portion that opens to face the lower surface of the sheet, and a second support portion that opens to face the upper surface of the sheet,
At least one of the first direction change member and the second direction change member can be attached to and detached from the first support portion and the second support portion so that movement in the sheet conveyance direction is restricted. And a cylindrical body provided rotatably with respect to the shaft part,
A side cover for preventing foreign matter from entering the rail in a wall-hanging posture is provided so as to cover at least one of the gaps between the slide unit and the rail along the longitudinal direction of the rail. It is said.

  According to the transport apparatus according to the present invention, since the side cover is provided, when the transport apparatus is used in a wall-hanging position, the side cover can prevent foreign matter from entering from the side surface of the rail. As a result, in order to prevent foreign matter from entering the rail, it is possible to provide a transport device that prevents damage that prevents movement of the slide base caused by foreign matter entering the rail.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the conveying device according to the first aspect, a guard plate that prevents foreign matter on the sheet from entering the slide unit is provided on the surface of the sheet. The slide unit is provided at an end portion in the traveling direction of the slide unit.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the conveying device according to the first or second aspect, the slide member is configured such that a cover member that prevents foreign matter from entering the slide unit covers the sheet. It is provided on the upper surface of the unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transport apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein an upper surface cover for preventing foreign matter from entering the rail is provided at a predetermined interval in the opening. It is characterized by being provided facing each other.
Moreover, the conveying apparatus which concerns on Claim 5 of this invention is a conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1-4. WHEREIN: The said 1st support part or 2nd support part is provided in the both ends of the said axial part. Further, one or more flat portions that are flat in the axial direction and fitted in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction are formed.

Moreover, the conveyance apparatus which concerns on Claim 6 of this invention is the conveyance apparatus in any one of Claims 1-5. WHEREIN: At least any one of the said 1st direction change member and the 2nd direction change member is said An urging means for pressing the sheet is provided on the first support portion or the second support portion.
Moreover, the conveying apparatus which concerns on Claim 7 of this invention is a conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1-6. At least any one of a said 1st direction change member and a 2nd direction change member is provided in it. Further, a washer for protecting the cylinder is provided so as to be positioned between the cylinder and the slide unit.

According to claim 8 of the present invention, in the transfer apparatus according to claim 1, the length of the side cover is longer than the length of the rail.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the conveyance device according to the first aspect, the width of the side cover is smaller than the height of the conveyance device.

  As described above, according to the transport device according to the present invention, when the transport device is used in a wall-hanging posture, the side cover prevents foreign matter from entering the rail, so that the rail can be moved into the rail even in the wall-hanging posture. It is possible to provide a transport device having a dustproof cover that prevents intrusion of foreign matter, has sufficient durability in a sputtering environment, and does not increase in size when dealing with high loads.

It is a figure which shows the structure of 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) is a perspective view which shows the structure of a linear motion guide apparatus, (b) was seen from the downward direction which shows the structure of a guide roll support block. It is a perspective view. It is a figure which shows the structure of the direction change part in 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of 3rd Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of 4th Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of 5th Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of 6th Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of 7th Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of 8th Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a transport device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
1A and 1B are diagrams showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a transport apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. 2A and 2B are views showing a first embodiment of the transport apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a configuration of a linear motion guide device, and FIG. 2B is a configuration of a guide roll support block. It is the perspective view seen from the lower part which shows. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the structure of the direction change part in 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) And (b) is an example of the flat part formed in a direction change part. It is shown.

Note that the transport device according to the present invention is assumed to be used in a wall-hanging posture. I will explain it.
As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C and FIG. 2A, the transport device 1 includes a rail 10, a slider 20, a slide unit 30, and a flexible sheet 5. Among these, the rail 10 and the slider 20 constitute a linear motion guide device.

<Linear guide device>
As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C and 2A, the linear motion guide device includes a rail 10 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and an opening (recessed portion) formed in the rail 10. ) 11 and a slider 20 provided so as to be slidable along the longitudinal direction of the rail 10.
[rail]
The rail 10 is configured by integrally forming a pair of rail sleeve portions 12 and 12 spaced apart in the same longitudinal direction and a rail base portion 13 connecting the pair of rail sleeve portions 12 and 12. An opening 11 is formed by the inner side surfaces of the rail sleeve portions 12, 12 that are separated from each other and the upper surface of the rail base portion 13.

[Slider]
The slider 20 is formed between the rolling element rolling grooves 20a, 20a provided on both side surfaces of the slider 20 and the rolling element rolling grooves 12a, 12a provided on the inner side surfaces of the pair of rail sleeve portions 12, 12. It is guided along the longitudinal direction of the rail 10 through rolling elements (not shown) arranged in the rail. A ball screw nut 51 is integrally provided in the slider 20 in the longitudinal direction. The slider 20 moves along the longitudinal direction of the rail 10 by screwing a ball screw nut 51 with a ball screw shaft 52 installed in the opening 11 via a rolling element (not shown). The ball screw nut 51 and the ball screw shaft 52 constitute the driving means 50.
With such a configuration, in the transport device 1, the slider 20 slides in the axial direction by rotating the ball screw shaft 52 by a motor (not shown) attached to the input end portion 52a of the ball screw shaft 52. It is like that.

<Slide unit>
The slide unit 30 includes a slide base 31, a guide roll support block 32 that is detachably fixed to both ends of the slide base 31 in the moving direction, and a direction changing portion 40. The slide base 31 and the guide roll support block 32 may be integrally formed.

[Slide base]
As shown in FIG. 2A, the slide base 31 has a spacer plate base portion 31a fixed to the upper surface of the slider 20, and spacer plate side wall portions 31b and 31b fixed to the side surfaces of the spacer plate base portion 31a. It becomes. The slide base 31 may be formed integrally with the slider 20. In the vicinity of both ends of the side walls 31b and 31b in the moving direction, a pair of first support portions 31c and 31c opened on the upper surfaces of the side walls 31b and 31b correspond to the width direction of the slide base 31. Formed one by one.
Here, the spacer plate base 31a does not have a guide portion as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Therefore, when dealing with a high load, the width dimension does not increase, and only the minimum height dimension can be increased. As a result, the conveyance device 1 can be made compact.

[Guide roll support block]
As shown in FIG. 2B, the guide roll support block 32 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a through hole 32 a that penetrates in the moving direction of the slide unit 30 is formed. In addition, holes 31d and 31d are formed at both ends in the moving direction of the slide base 31 corresponding to the positions where the through holes 32a and 32a are formed. The hole 31d is threaded. Screws S are screwed into the through holes 32 a and 32 a and the holes 31 d and 31 d, and the guide roll support block 32 is fixed to the slide base 31.

  Further, the guide roll support block 32 is formed with an opening 32b that penetrates the surface facing the slide base 31 and the lower surface. The sheet 5 is inserted into the opening 32b. Groove-shaped second support portions 32 c and 32 c that are notched at positions corresponding to the width direction of the guide roll support block 32 are formed on the inner surface in the vicinity of the lower surface side of the opening portion 32 b.

[Direction changer]
The direction changing unit 40 is a means for changing the direction in which the sheet 5 is stretched so as to detour into the slide base 31.
The direction changing unit 40 includes a first direction changing unit 41 and a second direction changing unit 42. The 1st direction change part 41 has the cylindrical-shaped shaft part 41a and the cylinder 41b supported rotatably with respect to this shaft part 41a. The second direction changing portion 42 also includes a cylindrical shaft portion 42a and a cylindrical body 42b that is rotatably supported with respect to the shaft portion 42a.
Here, at least one of both ends of the shaft portion 41a and the shaft portion 42a is restricted in movement in the conveyance direction of the sheet 5 (longitudinal direction of the slide base 31), and has the shape of the first support portions 31c and 31c. Processed to fit.

  For example, when the shape of the first support portions 31c and 31c is formed as a groove opening in a rectangular shape on the upper surface of the slide base 31, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the shaft At both ends of the portion 41a, the flat portion 41c is fitted so that the movement of the sheet 5 in the conveying direction (longitudinal direction of the slide base 31) is restricted and fits into the shape (rectangular shape) of the first support portions 31c and 31c. Is formed. Similarly, when the shape of the second support portions 32c and 32c is formed as a groove opening in a rectangular shape on the lower surface of the guide roll support block 32, as shown in FIG. Flat portions 42c are formed at both ends so that the movement of the sheet 5 in the conveying direction (longitudinal direction of the slide base 31) is restricted and the second supporting portions 32c and 32c are fitted in the shape (rectangular shape). The And these shaft parts 41a and 42a can be attached or detached in the direction which the 1st support part 31c and the 2nd support part 32c open.

That is, in these direction changing portions (guide rolls), the cylinders 41 b and 42 b rotate with respect to the shaft portions 41 a and 42 a fixed to the slide base 31. Thereby, since the shaft portions 41a and 42a do not rotate, it is possible to prevent wear on the support portions 31c and 32c caused by the rotation of the shaft portions 41a and 42a.
An annular washer 35 for protecting the cylinders 41b and 42b is provided between at least one of the cylinder 41b and the shaft part 42a and the slide unit 30 (the slide base 31 or the guide roll support block 32). It is provided to be located. Specifically, the washer 35 is loosely fitted to at least one of the shaft portion 41a and the shaft portion 42a so as to be disposed at both ends of the cylinders 41b and 42b (see FIG. 3A). . By installing the washer 35, the wear of the cylinders 41b and 42b can be reduced, and as a result, the life of the conveying device 1 can be prevented from being reduced due to the damage of the guide roll.

  Further, the second support portions 32c and 32c formed in the opening portion 32b are shaped to open downward similarly to the opening portion 32b, but when the guide roll support block 32 is fixed to the slide base 31, In addition, since the opening 32b is closed by the upper surface of the side wall portion 12, the second direction changing portion 42 does not fall off. Thus, the pair of first direction changing portions 41 installed on the slide base 31 functions as the inner guide roll 41, and the pair of second direction changing portions 42 installed on the guide roll support block 32. Functions as the outer guide roll 42. As a result, no screwing or press fitting is required when fixing the direction changing portion, so that the assembly can be simplified.

[Side cover]
Here, gaps between the side surface and the lower surface along the moving direction of the slide unit 30 and the side surface and the lower surface along the longitudinal direction of the rail 10 are formed on both sides with respect to the moving direction of the slide unit 30. In at least one of the gaps along the moving direction of the slide unit 30 (longitudinal direction of the rail 10), a plate-shaped side cover 36 that prevents foreign matter from entering the rail 10 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the rail 10. It is erected along. The side covers 36 are installed on the spacers 16 and 16 installed at both ends of the rail 10 in the longitudinal direction. The side cover 36 is provided so as to cover at least one of the gaps between the slide unit 30 and the rail 10. That is, the side cover 36 may be provided so as to cover one of the gaps between the slide unit 30 and the rail 10, or provided so as to cover both of the gaps between the slide unit 30 and the rail 10. May be. The configuration in which the side cover 36 is provided so as to cover both of the gaps between the slide unit 30 and the rail 10 prevents foreign matters from entering the rail 10 in an environment where the posture of the transport device 1 changes. it can. As such an environment, for example, a configuration in which the transfer device 1 is attached to a robot and is reversed instead of one specified posture may be mentioned.

  Here, the shape of the side force bar 36 is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape that covers at least one of the gaps between the slide unit 30 and the rail 10 (the side that is positioned upward when the wall-hanging posture is set). It is appropriately selected depending on. The shape of the side cover 36 may be, for example, a shape according to the situation in consideration of the positional relationship with the sensor provided between the side cover 36 and the rail 10 and the rigidity. Further, the length of the side cover 36 may be longer than the length of the rail 10.

[Guard plate]
A guard plate 37 may be provided on the outer end face of the guide roll support block 32 (the face opposite to the face facing the guide roll support block 32).
The guard plate 37 is provided to prevent foreign matter on the sheet 5 from entering the slide unit 30, and the surface of the sheet 5 and the end surface of the guard plate 37 facing the sheet 5 have a predetermined distance. To be provided.
Since the guard plate 37 is not in contact with the sheet 5, the sheet 5 is not damaged by rubbing. The foreign matter that passes through the guard plate 37 and enters the slide unit 30 is extremely small and can be overcome by the guide roll, so that this configuration is not hindered.

<Sheet>
The seat 5 is stretched in the slide unit 30 along the upper surface of the rail 10 so as to cover the opening 11 of the rail 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1C, the belt-like seat 5 attached so as to cover the opening 11 is wound around the second direction change portions 42 and 42 from below. It is done. On the other hand, the sheet 5 wound from the lower side with respect to the second direction changing portions 42, 42 is wound from the upper side with respect to the first direction changing portions 41, 41.
That is, the sheet 5 attached to the transport device 1 covers the opening on the upper surface of the substantially U-shaped rail 10, changes direction at the end of the slider 20, and is arranged around the slide unit 30. ing.

The flexible sheet 5 is stretched along the rail 10 so as to cover the opening 11 of the rail 10 (opening formed between the rail sleeves 12 and 12), and both ends of the sheet 5 are As shown in FIG. 1 (b), a metal fixture 15a having a rectangular plate shape is attached to each end of the rail 10 by rivets or the like, and this fixture 15a is held by an L-shaped fixture 15b. The sheet 5 is fixed by attaching. The rectangular plate-shaped fixture 15a and the L-shaped fixture 15b may be integrated. The spacer 16 is fixed above the L-shaped fixture 15b, but the spacer 16 and the L-type fixture 15b may be integrated.
Therefore, entry of foreign matter into the rail 10 can be prevented without hindering the movement of the slide unit 30.

  Here, the sheet 5 is not particularly limited as long as it is made of a material having stretchability and sufficient tensile strength, abrasion resistance, heat resistance, and fire resistance, and is appropriately selected according to the purpose. . Sheets include aramid fiber, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, polyarylate fiber, PBO fiber, carbon fiber, PPS fiber, polyimide fiber, fluorine fiber, glass fiber, rayon fiber, titanium fiber, and aluminum and resin coated on them. For example, “Kevlar (registered trademark)”, “Nomex (registered trademark)”, “Aluminized cloth (manufactured by Gentex)”, “Coated glass M (manufactured by Unitika Yum Glass)”, “HB sheet ( Sumitomo Electric Co., Ltd.) ”,“ SGS sheet (manufactured by Taiyo Co., Ltd.) ”and the like.

  By adopting a material having flexibility as the material of the sheet 5, the roll diameters of the inner and outer guide rolls can be reduced as compared with a conventional conveying device in which a steel sheet is used. Contributes to downsizing of the transfer device. Further, the sheet 5 can withstand the heat of sputtering without difficulty if a fireproof cloth used for a sputtering curing sheet or the like is used, and can be used in a harsh environment in which sputtering occurs.

[Energizing means]
In this embodiment, the 1st support parts 31c and 31c formed in the slide base 31 are opened by the upper surface of the side wall parts 31b and 31b. Therefore, the biasing means 43 may be installed so as to be sandwiched between the bottom surface 31e of the first support portion 31c formed on the slide base 31 and the shaft portion 41a of the first direction changing member 41 (FIG. 2). reference). The urging means 43 is not particularly limited as long as it is a member that urges the shaft portion 41a to the seat 5, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include an elastic member such as a coil spring. The shaft portion 41a is slidably installed in the direction of the opening of the first support portion 31c. Further, the opening direction of the first support portion 31c is not particularly limited as long as the shaft portion 41a is biased to the seat 5 by the biasing means 43 installed in the first support portion 31c. And can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.

  Since the urging means 43 is always urged to the shaft portion 41a by being disposed so as to be sandwiched between the bottom surface 31e of the first support portion 31c and the shaft portion 41a, the seat 5 is arbitrarily urged. It is possible to absorb the slack of the sheet. Since the urging means 43 has a function of absorbing the extension of the sheet 5 and maintaining the tension of the sheet 5, the first support portion 31c is applied by the urging force of the urging means 43 as the sheet 5 extends. , 31c increases in the moving direction of the slide base 31.

Thus, by providing the biasing means 43, it is possible to absorb assembly errors and processing errors of each part, follow the elongation due to aging of the sheet 5, and give tension to the sheet 5. The adhesiveness of the sheet 5 to the ten openings 11 can be enhanced.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the side cover prevents the foreign matter from entering the rail when the transfer device is used in the wall hanging posture. It is possible to provide a transfer device having a dustproof cover that prevents intrusion, has sufficient durability in a sputtering environment, and does not increase in size when dealing with high loads.

  In the present embodiment, as the direction changing portion 40, the first direction changing member 41 that pushes up and stretches the lower surface of the sheet 5 and the upper surface of the sheet 5 are pressed to cover the opening. The second direction changing member 42 for guiding the guide has been described with reference to the guide roll. However, the first direction changing member 41 and the second direction changing member 42 have the first support portion 31c and the second support portion. As long as it has the shaft portions 31a and 41a fixed to the portion 32c and the cylinders 41b and 42b installed to be rotatable with respect to the shaft portions 41a and 42a, it acts on the seat 5 as described above. If it does, the member which carries out sliding guidance may be employ | adopted.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the transport apparatus according to the present invention. Note that this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that the sensor is installed on the side surface opposite to the side on which the side cover 36 is installed. The description of the same configuration marked with is omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the conveying apparatus 1 is installed on the bed 60 in a wall-hanging posture. Specifically, a shoulder (step) 60b is formed on the bed 60 so as to protrude from the rail mounting surface 60a of the bed 60 and parallel to the rail mounting surface 60a. A reference plane is formed. Then, the rail mounting surface 60a and the bottom surface of the rail 10 are brought into contact with each other, the shoulder 60b and one side surface of the rail 10 are brought into contact with each other, and the conveying device 1 is engaged with the mounting reference surface, not shown. It is fixed by a fixture.
A side cover 36 is installed on the other side surface of the rail 10 so as to cover the gap between the slide unit 30 and the rail 10.
By setting it as such a structure, the sensor 70 can be installed in one side surface of the rail 10 which is contact | abutting to the shoulder part 60b.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of the third embodiment of the transfer apparatus according to the present invention. Since this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that the installation mode of the side cover 36 is changed, a description of the same configuration given the same reference numerals as the first embodiment will be given. Omitted. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the side force bar 36 is attached via the spacer 16 using only the attachment holes for the sensor rail provided in the support plate and the support unit.
As described above, since the mounting holes for the sensor rail are used, it is not necessary to newly provide the spacers 16 or the mounting holes, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a front view showing the configuration of the fourth embodiment of the transport apparatus according to the present invention. Since this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that the installation mode of the side cover 36 is changed, a description of the same configuration given the same reference numerals as the first embodiment will be given. Omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the side cover 36 is attached with the spacer 16 and the spacer 16 attached in the attachment hole for the sensor rail interposed therebetween. By adopting such a configuration, the strength of the side cover 36 is increased.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of the fifth embodiment of the transfer apparatus according to the present invention. Note that this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that a sensor is provided between the rail and the side cover, so that the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used. Will not be described. As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, a sensor 70 is provided between the rail 10 and the side cover 36. Since the sensor 70 does not have to be provided on one side surface of the rail 10, a space on one side surface of the rail 10 can be secured.

(Sixth embodiment)
FIGS. 8A to 8E are front views showing the configuration of the sixth embodiment of the transport apparatus according to the present invention. In addition, since this embodiment is the same as that of 1st Embodiment mentioned above except having changed the shape of the side cover, description is abbreviate | omitted about the same structure which attached | subjected the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment. . The shape of the side cover 36 shown in FIG. 8A is a shape in which the ribs 36a are formed to improve the strength. Further, the shape of the side cover 36 shown in FIG. 8B is a shape in which the bent portion 36b is formed in the side cover 36 to improve the strength. Here, the location where the rib 36a and the bent portion 36b are provided may be near the center of the side cover 36 as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b), but may be another location, depending on the purpose. It is selected appropriately.

On the other hand, the width of the side cover 36 may be smaller than the height of the conveying device 1. The shape of the side cover 36 shown in FIGS. 8C, 8 </ b> D, and 8 </ b> E is such that the width dimension is reduced according to the shape of the bed 60 that is a target on which the conveying device 1 is installed in a wall-mounted position. The side cover 36 shown in FIGS. 8C, 8 </ b> D, and 8 </ b> E covers at least the gap between the slide unit 30 and the rail 10. Specifically, the shape of the side cover 36 shown in FIG. 8C is such that a part of the bed 60 overhangs and covers a part of the rail 10, and thus the width dimension is small in accordance with the overhanging part. Has been. Further, the shape of the side cover 36 shown in FIG. 8D is such that the end of the side cover 36 is brought into contact with the rail mounting surface 60 a of the bed 60 without having a bent portion. Further, the shape of the side cover 36 shown in FIG. 8E is formed with an inclined portion 36 c that is inclined toward the flat surface of the bed 60. Since the foreign material can be dropped toward the bed 60 by the inclined portion 36c, it is possible to prevent the foreign material from entering the rail 10 as a result.
The shape of the side cover 36 shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E can also be applied to the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment described above.

(Seventh embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of the seventh embodiment of the transport apparatus according to the present invention. In addition, since this embodiment is the same as that of 1st Embodiment mentioned above except providing the cover member, description is abbreviate | omitted about the same structure which attached | subjected the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, a cover member 38 is attached to the upper surface of the slide unit 30. Thus, the dustproof property is enhanced by providing the cover member 38 that covers the upper surface of the slide unit 30. In addition, this structure exhibits an effect in the aspect in which the conveyed product is not installed in the slide unit 30. FIG.

(Eighth embodiment)
10A and 10B are diagrams showing the configuration of the eighth embodiment of the transport apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 10A is a plan view and FIG. 10B is a longitudinal sectional view. Since this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that an upper surface cover is provided, the description of the same configuration given the same reference numeral as that of the first embodiment is omitted. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, an upper surface cover 17 that covers the opening 11 with a predetermined interval is installed via spacers 16 that are installed at both ends of the rail 10. ing. The upper surface cover 17 covers the opening 11 without hindering the movement of the slider 20, thereby improving the dust resistance.

The spacer 16 is also provided as a member that adjusts the height of the top cover 17. Specifically, the dimension of the orientation of the upper surface of the spacer 16 is set so as to adjust the height of the upper surface cover 17 with respect to the upper surface portions of the spacer plate side wall portions 31b and 31b of the slide unit 30. In addition, when a conveyed product etc. are installed in spacer plate side wall part 31b, 31b, the upper surface part of spacer plate side wall part 31b, 31b is the upper surface part of the upper surface cover 17 so that the upper surface cover 17 may not be rubbed by the said conveyed material. Is preferably set to be higher than that. By arranging the upper surface cover 17 in this way, the slide unit 30 can be smoothly guided. Further, the height of the upper surface cover 17 may be adjusted so that the upper surface portions of the spacer plate side wall portions 31b and 31b and the upper surface portion of the upper surface cover 17 are substantially flush with each other.
In addition, the spacer 16 and the fixture 15 may be integrally molded. The shape of the spacer 16 is not limited to a square shape, but may be any shape as long as the upper surface force bar 17 can be attached.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to this, A various change and improvement can be performed. For example, in each of the embodiments described above, a pair of inner guide rolls and outer guide rolls are installed on the slide base and guide roll support block, respectively, but the number of guide rolls may be larger than this. At least a pair of inner guide rolls that stretch the sheet and urge upward are provided on the slide base, and a pair of outer guide rolls that urge downward are provided on both ends of both guide roll support blocks. For example, you may increase suitably according to the objective. Further, the inner and outer guide rolls may be installed on the guide roll support block, and the guide rolls may not be installed on the slide base. The slide base 31 includes two sliders 20 provided for the rail 10, and one spacer plate 31f (spacer plate base 31a, spacer plate side wall 31b) fixed to the upper surfaces of the two sliders 20a and 20b. ). Further, when the driving force transmission mechanism (driving means 50) is removed from each of the above embodiments, it also functions as a linear motion guide device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance apparatus 5 Sheet | seat 10 Rail 11 Opening part 12 Rail sleeve part 13 Rail base part 15 Fixing tool 16 Spacer 17 Top cover 18 Spacer 20 Slider 30 Slide unit 31 Slide base 32 Guide roll support block 35 Washer 36 Side cover 37 Guard plate 38 Cover Member 40 Direction change part 41 1st direction change part 42 2nd direction change part 43 Energizing means

Claims (9)

A drive force transmission mechanism and a slide that protrudes at least partially from the opening and is slidable by the drive force transmission mechanism in an opening formed in the upper part of a rail or casing having a substantially U-shaped cross section. A base, and a flexible sheet stretched along the rail or casing so as to cover the opening,
A slide unit that is provided on the slide base and has a direction changing section that accommodates the sheet along a moving direction of the slide base and changes the direction in which the sheet is stretched to detour into the slide base; A conveying device comprising:
The slide unit includes the slide base and the direction changing portion, and the direction changing portion pushes the lower surface of the seat accommodated in the slide base upward to stretch the first direction changing member. And a second direction changing member that is installed outside the first direction changing member, presses the upper surface of the sheet, and guides the sheet so as to cover the opening,
The slide unit is formed with a first support portion that opens to face the lower surface of the sheet, and a second support portion that opens to face the upper surface of the sheet,
At least one of the first direction change member and the second direction change member can be attached to and detached from the first support portion and the second support portion so that movement in the sheet conveyance direction is restricted. And a cylindrical body provided rotatably with respect to the shaft part,
A side cover for preventing foreign matter from entering the rail in a wall-hanging posture is provided so as to cover at least one of the gaps between the slide unit and the rail along the longitudinal direction of the rail. A transport device.   The guard plate for preventing foreign matter on the sheet from entering the slide unit is provided at an end portion in the moving direction of the slide unit with a predetermined distance from the surface of the sheet. Item 2. The transfer device according to Item 1.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cover member that prevents foreign matter from entering the slide unit is provided on an upper surface of the slide unit so as to cover the sheet.   The transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an upper surface cover for preventing foreign matter from entering the rail is provided facing the opening with a predetermined interval.   One or more flat portions that are flat in the axial direction are formed at both ends of the shaft portion so as to be fitted to the first support portion or the second support portion in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying apparatus is characterized in that   The urging means for pressing at least one of the first direction changing member and the second direction changing member against the sheet is provided on the first support portion or the second support portion. Item 6. The conveying device according to any one of Items 1 to 5.   At least one of the first direction changing member and the second direction changing member is provided with a washer for protecting the cylindrical body so as to be positioned between the cylindrical body and the slide unit. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of the side cover is longer than a length of the rail.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a width dimension of the side cover is smaller than a height dimension of the transport apparatus.

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