JP2020001841A - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

A conveyor device for conveying an object by movement of a chain, wherein the chain is less likely to be detached from a guide rail.
A frame (10), a drive sprocket (22) and a driven sprocket (32) rotatably mounted on the frame (10), an endless chain (40) bridged between the drive sprocket (22) and the driven sprocket (32), and fixed to the frame (10). A guide rail for supporting the endless chain 40; and an intermediate sprocket 70 rotatably mounted on the frame 10 at a position between the driving sprocket 22 and the driven sprocket 32. The conveyor device 1 is configured such that the teeth 71 enter a space between mutually facing links constituting the chain 40 and engage with the endless chain 40 to rotate.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor device, and more particularly, to a chain conveyor type conveyor device that conveys an object by movement of a chain.

  Various processing apparatuses are provided with a conveyor apparatus. For example, in Patent Literature 1, in a cutting platen for arranging a material to be cut inside a water tank and performing water plasma cutting, below a mounting portion for mounting a material to be cut provided inside the water tank, A configuration is disclosed in which an inclined surface is formed, a casing whose upper part is opened at the lowermost portion of the inclined surface is arranged along a mounting table, and an infinite transport member is provided inside the casing. Slag and scraps generated by the water plasma cutting and dropped into the water tank are constantly carried out by the infinite transport member. As a specific infinite transport device, a device in which a plurality of disk-shaped transport plates are attached to a single chain at a substantially constant pitch is used.

JP 2004-74195 A

  In a chain conveyor that conveys an object by the movement of the chain, a guide rail is provided so that the chain moves along a predetermined path without meandering. The guide rail supports the chain and guides the movement of the chain along a predetermined path. However, as the wear and elongation of the chain and the wear of the guide rail progress, the chain may come off from the guide rail and derailment may occur. Then, normal conveyance cannot be performed on the chain conveyor.

  In the embodiment disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a part of the chain conveyor is disposed underwater, and a path of a part that escapes from the water tank is set obliquely with respect to the direction of gravity. In such a case, the load applied to the chain increases, and derailment from the guide rail is likely to occur. Above all, when a chain conveyor is arranged in a water tank for performing water plasma cutting as in Patent Document 1, metal powder and metal pieces generated by the water plasma cutting are mixed in water. By operating the chain conveyor in clean water, derailment due to chain wear is particularly likely.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a conveyor device that conveys an object by the movement of a chain, in which the chain is hardly detached from a guide rail.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a conveyor device according to the present invention includes a frame, a driving sprocket and a driven sprocket that are rotatably mounted on the frame, and a bridge between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket. An endless chain, a guide rail fixed to the frame and supporting the endless chain, and an intermediate sprocket rotatably mounted on the frame at a position between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket. The intermediate sprocket has teeth interposed in a space between mutually facing links constituting the endless chain, and engages with the endless chain to rotate the shaft.

  Here, the intermediate sprocket may be engaged with the endless chain in one of a forward path and a return path in which the endless chain reciprocates between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket.

  The conveyor device may have a path in which the endless chain moves obliquely upward from the driven sprocket toward the drive sprocket.

  The frame is divided into a main frame and a driven frame on the driving sprocket side and the driven sprocket side, and the driven frame includes the driven sprocket and a driven shaft fixed to the driven sprocket. It is preferable that the main frame is housed and is detachably attached to the main frame integrally with each of the housed members including the driven sprocket and the driven shaft.

  At least a part of the path along which the endless chain moves may be arranged in a water tank capable of storing water. In this case, the driven sprocket is provided in the water tank, and the bearing for supporting the driven shaft fixed to the driven sprocket may be a dry bearing provided with an oil seal.

  It is preferable that a tension adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the tension of the endless chain is provided on both the driving sprocket side and the driven sprocket side.

  In the conveyor device according to the present invention, the guide rail supports the endless chain, and guides the endless chain such that the endless chain moves between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket without meandering. Then, an intermediate sprocket is provided, and the teeth enter the space between the links of the endless chain and engage with the endless chain. Even when abrasion occurs, the endless chain is less likely to come off the guide rail. Therefore, even when a large load is applied, the conveyance of the target object by the conveyor device can be stably advanced.

  Here, when the intermediate sprocket is engaged with the endless chain in one of the forward path and the return path where the endless chain reciprocates between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket, the same intermediate sprocket is connected to the forward path and the return path. Unlike the case where the endless chain is engaged with both, the intermediate sprocket is easily maintained in a state of being stably engaged with the endless chain even when the endless chain is worn or stretched.

  When the conveyor device has a path in which the endless chain moves obliquely upward from the driven sprocket toward the drive sprocket, a large load is applied to the endless chain and the guide rail in the path that moves diagonally upward. As a result, the endless chain is likely to be worn and stretched and the guide rail to be worn by the application of a load.However, by installing an intermediate sprocket on the conveyor device, the wear and elongation will cause the endless chain to derail from the guide rail. Can be suppressed.

  The frame is divided into a main frame and a driven frame on the driving sprocket side and the driven sprocket side, and the driven frame houses the driven sprocket and a driven shaft fixed to the driven sprocket. If the sprocket and the driven shaft can be attached to and detached from the main frame integrally with each of the contained members, the driven sprocket and the driven Maintenance of a driven member such as a shaft can be easily performed. In particular, when the driven members are provided in the water tank, frequent maintenance is required due to the influence of water.However, the members are moved from the water tank with limited space to the driven tank. Since the entire frame can be removed and taken out of the water tank, high convenience in maintenance can be obtained.

  When at least a part of the path along which the endless chain moves is disposed in a water tank capable of storing water, the endless chain moves in the water, so that the endless chain moves only in the atmosphere. Large loads are easily applied to chains and guide rails. Above all, when the water tank is used for water plasma cutting, the load is particularly large because metal pieces and metal powder are dispersed in water. However, by providing the intermediate sprocket in the conveyor device, even in such a situation where such a large load is applied, the endless chain can be prevented from derailing from the guide rail.

  In this case, if the driven sprocket is provided in a water tank and the bearing supporting the driven shaft fixed to the driven sprocket is made of an oil-sealed dry bearing, maintenance of the bearing and the driven shaft due to the influence of water is performed. Frequency can be suppressed.

  When the tension adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the tension of the endless chain is provided on both the driving sprocket side and the driven sprocket side, the endless chain is provided more than when the tension adjusting mechanism is provided only on the driving sprocket side. In the event that the chain is stretched, it is easy to adjust the tension of the endless chain. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the extension of the endless chain from leading to derailment from the guide rail, in addition to the effect of engaging the intermediate sprocket.

It is a perspective view showing a conveyor device concerning one embodiment of the present invention with a water plasma cutting device. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the said conveyor apparatus. It is a figure explaining the engagement structure of an endless chain, a guide rail, and an intermediate sprocket, (a) is a top view seen from above of an endless chain, (b) is an AA sectional view in (a), (a) (c) is a sectional view taken along line BB in (a). It is a perspective view explaining the engagement structure of an endless chain and an intermediate sprocket.

  Hereinafter, a conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of conveyor device]
First, an outline of the overall configuration of a conveyor device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a conveyor apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, together with a water plasma cutting apparatus 9 used in combination with the conveyor apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the conveyor device 1.

  First, the water plasma cutting device 9 will be briefly described. The water plasma cutting device 9 has a water tank 91 and a plasma cutting machine 92. With the water W stored in the water tank 91, the metal member to be cut is held in the water tank 91 by a holding jig (not shown) installed in the water tank 91. Then, plasma cutting is performed while moving the plasma torch 93 of the plasma cutting machine 92 above the metal member. The cut pieces P, which are waste materials generated by being cut off from the main body of the metal member by the cutting, settle in the water W. The cut pieces P reaching the bottom of the water tank 91 are carried out of the water tank 91 by the conveyor device 1. The water tank 91 has a rectangular parallelepiped main body portion 91a and a triangular portion 91b integrally and continuously. In the triangular portion 91b, a slope is provided on the bottom surface in which the water depth gradually decreases as the distance from the main body portion 91a increases.

  The conveyor device 1 is configured as an apron conveyor, which is a type of chain conveyor. The transport path for transporting the cut piece P that is the transport target is set in a Z-shape. That is, the lower flat portion 1a reaches the upper flat portion 1c via the inclined portion 1b. The transport surfaces of the lower flat portion 1a and the upper flat portion 1c have almost no inclination, and the upper flat portion 1c is formed above the lower flat portion 1b in the direction of gravity. The inclined portion 1b connects the lower flat portion 1a and the upper flat portion 1c, and is configured as a transport path in which the transport surface rises obliquely upward with respect to the direction of gravity. The entire area of the lower flat portion 1a and a part of the lower end side of the inclined portion 1b are provided in the water tank 91. When the water W is stored in the water tank 91, the water W is disposed in the water. The lower flat part 1 a is installed along the bottom surface of the main body part 91 a of the water tank 91. The inclined portion 1b is provided along the bottom surface of the triangular portion 91b, and the region on the upper end side is disposed outside the water tank 91 together with the entire upper flat portion 1c.

  The conveyor device 1 includes a frame 10, a drive unit 20, a driven unit 30, an endless chain 40, a pan 50, a guide rail 60, and an intermediate sprocket 70.

  The frame 10 is a base that accommodates and supports other components constituting the conveyor device 1, and has a bottom surface and both side surfaces along a transport path. The frame 10 is divided into a main frame 11 and a driven side frame 12 on the upstream side (on the drive unit 20 side) and on the downstream side (on the driven unit 30 side) along the transport path. The main frame 11 constitutes a region excluding most of the frame 10, specifically, a part of the lower flat portion 1 a except for a part on the tip side, and is fixed to the support legs 15 installed on the floor surface. ing. The driven side frame 12 constitutes a part of a region on the distal end side of the lower flat portion 1a of the frame 10, and is attached to the distal end side of the main frame 11 continuously. On the other hand, it is detachable. The division between the main frame 11 and the driven frame 12 is indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  A drive unit 20, a driven unit 30, and an endless chain 40 are provided on each side of the frame 10 in the width direction. The pan 50 is provided between the endless chains 40 on both sides.

  The drive unit 20 is disposed on the upper flat portion 1c of the conveyor device 1. The drive unit 20 includes a drive shaft 21, a drive sprocket 22, a motor 23, a speed reducer 24, and a tension adjusting mechanism 25. The drive shaft 21 is fixed to the center of the drive sprocket 22, and is attached to the main frame 11 via a bearing 26 so as to be rotatable about the shaft. The rotation of the motor 23 is transmitted to the drive sprocket 22 via the speed reducer 24. Thus, the drive sprocket 22 and the drive shaft 21 rotate. The tension adjusting mechanism (take-up mechanism) 25 adjusts the tension of the endless chain 40 hung on the drive sprocket 22.

  The driven unit 30 is disposed on the lower flat portion 1a. The driven unit 30 includes a driven shaft 31, a driven sprocket 32, and a tension adjusting mechanism 33. The driven shaft 31 is fixed to the center of the driven sprocket 32, and is rotatably attached to the driven side frame 12 via a bearing 34. Each component of the driven unit 30 is accommodated in the driven frame 12, and when the driven frame 12 is attached to and detached from the main frame 11, the components are also attached and detached integrally with the driven frame 12. You.

  An endless chain 40 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a chain) extends between the driving sprocket 22 and the driven sprocket 32. When the rotation of the driving sprocket 22 is driven, the rotation is transmitted to the chain 40, and the chain 40 moves in an annular shape along the longitudinal direction between the driving sprocket 22 and the driven sprocket 32. At this time, the motion of the chain 40 is also transmitted to the driven sprocket 32, and the driven sprocket 32 also rotates. The rotation direction of the drive sprocket 22 is set such that the chain 40 on the upper side in the direction of gravity moves in the direction of ascending the inclined portion 1 b from the drive sprocket 22 to the driven sprocket 32.

  The main frame 11 is provided with a guide rail 60 for guiding the movement of the chain 40 and a plurality of intermediate sprockets 70 for preventing the chain 40 from coming off the guide rail 60. The configurations of the guide rail 60 and the intermediate sprocket 70 will be described later in detail.

  A pan 50 made of a strip-shaped metal plate is passed between a pair of chains 40 provided on both sides in the width direction of the main frame 11. The pan 50 is fixed with respect to the chain 40 and moves with the chain 40. The upper surface of the pan 50 serves as a transport surface for transporting the cut pieces P.

  In the water plasma cutting device 9, when the metal member is cut and the cut piece P is generated, the generated cut piece P sinks in the water W stored in the water tank 91. Then, it reaches the transfer surface of the lower flat portion 1a of the conveyor device 1 provided on the bottom surface of the water tank 91, and is placed on the transfer surface. When the shaft rotation of the driving sprocket 22 is driven in this state, the cut piece P placed passes through the lower flat portion 1a, the inclined portion 1b, and the upper flat portion 1c along the transport path in order, and It is transported outside. A cut piece collecting container (not shown) is opened below the end of the upper flat portion 1c, and the cut pieces P reaching the upper end of the conveyor device 1 fall into the cut piece collecting container and are collected. . As described above, the cut pieces P generated by the cutting are carried out of the water tank 91 by the conveyor device 1 so that even when a large number of metal members are cut, the cut pieces P are formed on the bottom of the water tank 91. The cutting can be continued without accumulating the. Since the conveyor device 1 is configured as an apron conveyor having the pan 50, a gap is unlikely to be generated on the transport surface formed of the metal pan 50, and during transport, the cut pieces P are caught in the void on the transport surface. The situation that hinders smooth conveyance is unlikely to occur.

[Induction of endless chain by guide rail and intermediate sprocket]
As described above, the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with the guide rail 60 for guiding the chain 40, and further, for preventing the chain 40 from coming off from the guide rail 60, An intermediate sprocket 70 is provided. Hereinafter, the configurations and functions of the guide rail 60 and the intermediate sprocket 70 will be described. Here, description will be made mainly with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3A shows a state when viewed from above the chain 40, that is, a state when the vicinity of the chain 40 is viewed from above the mounting surface of the conveyor device 1, and FIGS. 3B and 3C. Shows the AA cross section and the BB cross section shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view, in which the rollers 44 are omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the chain 40 includes a pair of inner links 41, 41 facing each other and a pair of outer links 42, 42 disposed outside the inner links 41, 41. At both ends in the direction, they are connected to each other by pins 43. Further, a roller 44 is provided in a region sandwiched between the pair of inner links 41, 41. The roller 44 is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of the pin 43 with respect to the pin 43.

  The guide rail 60 is laid along a position in the conveyor device 1 where the chain 40 should pass without meandering or relaxing. The guide rail 60 is configured as a long member having a rectangular cross section, and is fixed inside the side surface of the frame 10 (the main frame 11 and the driven frame 12). As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the cross-sectional dimensions and position of the guide rail 60 are such that the guide rail 60 is positioned at a position where the chain 40 should pass, and the guide rail 60 It is set so that it fits in the region sandwiched between 41 and 41 and the upper surface 61 contacts the roller 44. As described above, the guide rail 60 supports the chain 40 from the inside of the inside links 41, 41 at a predetermined position to pass.

  When the movement of the chain 40 is driven along the movement direction D, the rollers 44 roll on the upper surface 61 of the guide rail 60, so that the chain 40 moves smoothly along the guide rail 60. . At this time, due to the contact between the inner links 41, 41 and the side surfaces 62, 62 of the guide rail 60, the state where the chain 40 sandwiches the guide rail 60 between the pair of inner links 41, 41 is maintained. You. Thereby, the movement of the chain 40 in the horizontal direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 3A; the horizontal direction in FIG. 3B) is restricted. As a result, the chain 40 moves along a predetermined path along the guide rail 60 without meandering or the like.

  Further, the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of intermediate sprockets 70 in the middle of the path along which the chain 40 moves between the driven sprocket 32 and the driving sprocket 22. The intermediate sprocket 70 includes a forward path (a path on the upper side in the gravity direction) in which the chain 40 moves from the driven sprocket 32 toward the driving sprocket 22 and a return path (a lower side in the gravity direction) moving from the driving sprocket 22 toward the driven sprocket 32. Path) are provided in plurality. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, three intermediate sprockets 70 are provided on the outward path and two intermediate sprockets 70 on the return path.

  The intermediate sprocket 70 is attached to the inside of the side surface of the main frame 11 so as to be axially rotatable in a rotation direction R along the movement direction D of the chain 40. As shown in FIG. 3A, at the position where the intermediate sprocket 70 is attached, the guide rail 60 is not locally provided, and the guide rail 60 and the intermediate sprocket 70 do not interfere. The number of teeth and the pitch circle diameter of the intermediate sprocket 70 are set according to the pitch of the chain 40. The rotation shaft 72 of the intermediate sprocket 70 is attached near the path through which the chain 40 passes, and as shown in FIGS. 3 (a), 3 (c) and FIG. One of them can enter the space S between the pair of inner links 41 and 41 and the space S between the pair of outer links 42 and 42 that constitute the chain 40.

  When the movement of the chain 40 is driven by the rotation of the drive sprocket 22 due to the intermediate sprocket 70 having such a configuration and arrangement, the chain 40 is engaged with the chain 40 Will rotate in the rotation direction R along the movement direction D. That is, with one of the teeth 71 of the intermediate sprocket 70 entering the space S between a certain pair of links (the inner link pair 41, 41 or the outer link pair 42, 42) constituting the chain 40, the chain 40 After the movement by the pitch, the process that the next tooth 71 of the intermediate sprocket 70 enters the space S between the next link pair of the chain 40 is repeated, and the intermediate sprocket 70 continues to rotate in the rotation direction R.

  Thus, while the chain 40 is moving, the state in which the intermediate sprocket 70 is engaged with the chain 40 is maintained, so that the chain 40 is prevented from coming off the guide rail 60 (derailment). As described above, the chain 40 moves in the movement direction D with the guide rail 60 sandwiched between the pair of inner links 41, 41. It is regulated that misalignment occurs. However, when a large load is applied to the chain 40 due to long-time operation of the conveyor device 1 or conveyance of a heavy object, abrasion or elongation occurs at the joints of the links 41 and 42 via the pins 43. Would. The guide rail 60 is also worn by the application of the load from the chain 40. As described above, if the intermediate sprocket 70 is not provided when the wear and elongation of the chain 40 and the wear of the guide rail 60 progress, the position of the chain 40 in the lateral direction is determined by the guide rail 60. In some cases, deviation cannot be completely prevented. Then, the chain 40 moves laterally over the guide rail 60, and the chain 40 is derailed. If the chain 40 is meandered or the like and cannot move along a predetermined path due to the derailment, stable conveyance of the object to be conveyed is hindered.

  However, in the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment, since the intermediate sprocket 70 is provided and is engaged with the chain 40, even if a force for moving the chain 40 in the lateral direction is applied, the chain 40 Of the intermediate sprocket 70 prevents movement of the chain 40 and prevents the chain 40 from moving laterally past the guide rail 60. Thus, the engagement between the chain 40 and the intermediate sprocket 70 can prevent the chain 40 from coming off from the guide rail 60 and derailing. Therefore, even if wear and elongation of the chain 40 and wear of the guide rails 60 progress due to application of a load, these phenomena are prevented from leading to derailment of the chain 40, and the chain 40 is kept in a predetermined state for a long time. , And the state in which the object to be conveyed can be stably conveyed can be maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the conveyor device 1 includes the inclined portion 1b, and the chain 40 moves obliquely upward from the driven sprocket 32 toward the driving sprocket 22. As described above, a large load is likely to be applied to the chain 40 in the path for transporting the transport object diagonally upward. In particular, since the inclined portion 1b is provided in the path for discharging the cut pieces P from the inside of the water tank 91 to the outside, the distance of the inclined portion 1b tends to be long. If the cut pieces P are caught between the pans 50, a particularly large load is generated. In addition, a part of the path along which the chain 40 moves is disposed in the water tank 91 and moves in the water. A larger load is applied than when exercising. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the water tank 91 is used for water plasma cutting, a large amount of metal pieces and metal powder generated at the time of cutting are dispersed in the water W, and the constituent members of the chain 40 are worn. Is easy to progress. As described above, the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment can be said to be in a condition in which wear and elongation of the chain 40 and wear of the guide rail 60 are particularly likely to occur due to the installation environment. The provision of the sprocket 70 can effectively suppress those phenomena from leading to derailment of the chain 40.

  Although a certain amount of load is applied to the intermediate sprocket 70 in accordance with the application of the load to the chain 40, the intermediate sprocket 70 is different from the guide rail 60 in that the load can be dispersed by a shaft rotating motion. it can. Therefore, it can be said that the occurrence of wear on the intermediate sprocket 70 and the inability to maintain the engagement with the chain 40 hardly occurs in comparison with derailment due to wear of the guide rail 60. In order to maintain the engagement with the chain 40 firmly, the teeth 71 of the intermediate sprocket 70 are engaged with the teeth 71 deeper than the center position of the pin 43 and in the space S between the link pairs. Preferably.

  In the embodiment described above, the independent intermediate sprocket 70 is engaged with the chain 40 on each of the outward path and the return path. It is also possible to engage the common intermediate sprocket 70 on both the forward path and the return path, but in that case, the elongation of the chain 40 progresses, and the links 41 and 42 constituting each pitch in the forward path and the return path. , It becomes difficult to cause the teeth 71 of the common intermediate sprocket 70 to enter the space S between both the forward and backward link pairs. Therefore, as described above, it is better to engage the independent intermediate sprockets 70 on the outward and return paths, even if the elongation and wear of the chain 40 progress, so that the intermediate sprocket 70 can be stably engaged with the chain 40 for a long period of time. The combined state can be maintained and a high derailment prevention effect can be obtained.

[Maintenance of driven unit]
In a conventional general chain conveyor, a tension adjusting mechanism for adjusting the tension of the chain is provided on the drive sprocket side, and is used to recover the tension of the chain when the elongation of the chain progresses. Often. No tension adjusting mechanism is provided on the driven sprocket side.

  However, in the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment, the tension adjusting mechanism 33 is provided not only in the drive unit 20 but also in the driven unit 30. As described above, the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment has the long inclined portion 1b, and a part of the transport path is provided in the water W in which the metal powder and the metal pieces are dispersed. Thus, a large load is easily applied to the chain 40, and as a result, the chain 40 is likely to elongate. In such a case, it may be difficult to apply sufficient tension to the entire region of the long chain 40 with high uniformity using only the tension adjusting mechanism 25 provided in the drive unit 20.

  Therefore, in the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment, the tension adjusting mechanism 33 is also provided in the driven unit 30 so that the tension can be adjusted at the ends of the chains 40 on both the driving sprocket 22 side and the driven sprocket 32 side. By doing so, when elongation occurs in the chain 40, it is easy to apply sufficient tension to the entire region of the chain 40 with high uniformity. By engaging the intermediate sprocket 70 with the chain 40, the operation of the conveyor device 1 can be continued even when the elongation of the chain 40 has progressed to some extent. However, if the elongation of the chain 40 progresses too much, there is a possibility that an excessive load is applied to the intermediate sprocket 70, and there is a possibility that the derailment of the chain 40 cannot be prevented by the intermediate sprocket 70, so that the drive By using the tension adjusting mechanisms 25 and 33 of the unit 20 and the driven unit 30 to restore the tension of the chain 40, the stable operation of the conveyor device 1 can be continued for a long time.

  The specific configuration of the tension adjusting mechanisms 25 and 33 of the drive unit 20 and the driven unit 30 is not particularly limited, and a conventional chain conveyor may appropriately employ the same tension adjusting mechanism provided on the drive side. Just fine. For example, as the tension adjustment mechanism 33 on the driven unit 30 side, a bearing 34 that supports the driven shaft 31 may be attached to a support plate that is attached to the driven frame 12 so as to be able to advance and retreat along the transport path. When the chain 40 is stretched, the tension of the chain 40 can be recovered by moving the support plate in a direction away from the drive unit 20 along the transport path.

  Further, in the conveyor device 1 according to the present embodiment, the driven unit 30 is disposed at the bottom of the water tank 91, and is always in the water while the water W is stored in the water tank 91. Therefore, as compared to the case where the driven unit 30 is placed in the air, the frequency at which maintenance is required for the constituent members of the driven unit 30 increases. Therefore, the frame 10 is divided into a main frame 11 and a driven side frame 12, and the driven side frame 12 is integrated with each constituent member of the driven unit 30 so as to be detachable from the main frame 11 so that maintenance can be performed. The simplicity is improved. If disassembly or replacement of the components for maintenance is performed in a limited space, such as the bottom of the water tank 91, in which the operation is difficult, the operation requires labor and time. However, after removing the chain 40 from the driven sprocket 32, the entire driven unit 30 is separated from the main frame 11 together with the driven frame 12 and taken out of the water tank 91. By attaching the driven side frame 12 accommodating the driven unit 30 to the main frame 11, the labor and time required for maintenance can be greatly reduced.

  As described above, by making each component of the driven unit 30 including the driven sprocket 32 and the driven shaft 31 detachable integrally with the driven frame 12, maintenance of each member can be easily performed. Even in this case, it is desirable that each member has high durability that can withstand long-term operation in water and that the frequency of maintenance can be reduced. From that viewpoint, it is preferable to use a dry bearing provided with an oil seal as the bearing 34 that supports the driven shaft 31. By using a dry bearing, even when the apparatus is operated for a long time in a situation where a large load is applied, problems such as seizure hardly occur, and high durability can be obtained. By applying an oil seal, water resistance is increased, and such high durability can be easily maintained for a long time even in water.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor apparatus 1a Lower flat part 1b Inclined part 1c Upper flat part 10 Frame 11 Main frame 12 Driven frame 20 Drive unit 21 Drive shaft 22 Drive sprocket 25 Tension adjustment mechanism 30 Drive unit 31 Drive shaft 32 Drive sprocket 33 Tension adjustment mechanism 34 Bearing 40 Chain 41 Inner link 42 Outer link 43 Pin 44 Roller 50 Pan 60 Guide rail 70 Intermediate sprocket 71 Teeth 72 Rotation axis 9 Water plasma cutting device 91 Water tank 92 Plasma cutting machine D Chain movement direction P Cutting piece R Intermediate sprocket rotation Direction S Space W between link pair Water

Claims (7)

Frame and
A drive sprocket and a driven sprocket rotatably mounted on the frame,
An endless chain spanned between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket,
A guide rail fixed to the frame and supporting the endless chain;
An intermediate sprocket that is rotatably mounted on the frame at a position between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket.
A conveyor device wherein the intermediate sprocket rotates by engaging teeth with a space between mutually opposed links constituting the endless chain and engaging with the endless chain.   2. The intermediate sprocket according to claim 1, wherein the endless chain is engaged with the endless chain in one of a forward path and a return path in which the endless chain reciprocates between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket. 3. Conveyor device.   The conveyor device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the endless chain has a path for moving diagonally upward from the driven sprocket toward the drive sprocket. The frame is divided into a main frame and a driven side frame on the driving sprocket side and the driven sprocket side,
The driven-side frame houses the driven sprocket, and a driven shaft fixed to the driven sprocket, and includes the driven sprocket and the driven shaft, together with each of the housing members, to the main frame. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conveyor device is detachable from the conveyor device.   The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least a part of a path along which the endless chain moves is disposed in a water tank capable of storing water. The driven sprocket is provided in the water tank,
The conveyor device according to claim 5, wherein the bearing that supports the driven shaft fixed to the driven sprocket is an oil-sealed dry bearing.   The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a tension adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the tension of the endless chain is provided on both the driving sprocket side and the driven sprocket side. .

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