JP5062965B2 - Branch and junction device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention can change the height level of the conveyance wheel group in the direction orthogonal to the upper and lower sides of the conveyance wheel group when branching in the direction orthogonal to the loading direction without changing the conveyance level of the conveyed object. More particularly, the present invention relates to a branching and merging apparatus capable of branching a conveyed product in an orthogonal direction while suppressing dust generation under clean conditions.

A branching / merging device for branching a conveyed product in an orthogonal direction includes a wheel conveyor or belt conveyor that can be conveyed in the Y direction (branching direction) between each roller of the roller conveyor in the X direction (carrying direction) so as to be raised. It is used (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In addition, when changing the height of the conveyor at the junction of junctions, the cargo weight plus the weight of the cross conveyor must be lifted up and down. There is also known an apparatus that is alternately moved up and down between a transport level and a standby level and transported from the main transport line to the branch line at the same level in the branch transport of cargo such as containers (for example, Patent Document 3).
On the other hand, a large number of transport rollers are attached between the frames of the conveyor, a drive shaft is arranged along the side of one frame, and a large number of cylinders magnetized in a multi-spiral shape in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft are fitted at regular intervals. In addition, a driven cylinder is provided at the shaft end of each conveying roller in a multi-spiral shape and is not in contact with the magnetized cylinder on the drive shaft side. A conveyance device that does not generate dust by rotating a conveyance roller by magnetic power transmission is also known (for example, Patent Document 4).

Japanese Patent No. 2825801 (first page, right column, line 7 to second left column, line 12, FIG. 4). Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-26378 (page 4, lines 23 to 34, FIGS. 4 and 5). Utility Model Registration No. 2591674 (page 4, left column, line 33 to page 5, right column, line 31, line 1, figure 4). Japanese Patent No. 2949493 (page 2, left column, line 44 to right column, line 32, FIGS. 1 and 4).

Glasses for large substrates such as liquid crystal panels and plasma displays should be handled carefully from molding to processing. In particular, rollers and wheels that are driven and transported while supporting from below must be soft touched against the work to be transported. is there. However, high-speed conveyance as much as possible is also required in order to increase workpiece production. When such a workpiece is lifted or lowered at a branch point as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the workpiece is broken by a vertical motion shock as it is conveyed at a high speed. In Patent Document 3, it is configured to transport from the main transport line to the branch line at the same level. However, since it is intended for branch transport of heavy objects such as container cargo, a large driving force is required for the vertical movement of the branch point conveyor. In addition, since the drive transmission unit such as the conveyor wheel is exposed and dust generation cannot be suppressed from the transmission gear, it is not suitable for the substrate glass conveyance line under clean conditions. For this reason, the appearance of a device that is suitable for branch conveyance under a clean condition using a gear such as a magnet ring and that does not give an impact even if it is conveyed at high speed is desired.
The present invention can change the height level of the conveyance wheel group in the direction orthogonal to the upper and lower sides of the conveyance wheel group when branching in the direction orthogonal to the loading direction without changing the conveyance level of the conveyed object. It is an object of the present invention to provide a branching / merging apparatus or a cross conveyor that can avoid a shock during movement and can branch and convey while suppressing dust generation.

In order to achieve the above object, claim 1 of the present invention provides a standard frame having a plurality of wheels that rotate in a direction in which a conveyed product is carried in ( the conveyance direction of the first conveyor) and is arranged outside. 1 conveyor and the first conveyor in a framed state within the frame area of the first conveyor, rotating in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first conveyor without causing interference with the wheels of the first conveyor A second conveyor located on the inner side with a large number of wheels arranged side by side,
When branching a transported object in a direction perpendicular to the transported object carrying-in direction, the second conveyor is raised to the same transport level as the first conveyor, and then the first conveyor is lowered to move the second conveyor In the branching and merging device designed to branch and transport without changing the transport level by driving the wheel of the conveyor ,
In the outer first conveyor frame and the inner second conveyor frame, there are a wheel drive shaft in which a large number of magnet gears are mounted at regular intervals, and a non-contact state with the drive side magnet gear fixed to each wheel shaft. Provided with a wheel drive means constituted by a driven magnet ring rotated by
When the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are switched up and down, one of the conveyor frames is raised to the transfer level of the conveyed product, and the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are raised. The conveyor frame is maintained at the transport level, and then the other conveyor frame is lowered to include a conveyor frame lifting / lowering means for avoiding an impact on the transported object when the wheel group moves up and down,
The conveyor frame lifting means is
A total of eight cams for raising and lowering the second conveyor frame that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, at least four of which are provided on the lower base plate near each of the four corners in the outer first conveyor frame region; An outer cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame;
A follower roller provided near each of the four corners of the lower part of the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side, and abutting the cam;
Up and down of the second conveyor frame on the inner side which is 180 degrees out of phase with each other at least two, which rotate synchronously via two gear boxes from a cam drive shaft on which one cam drive motor rotates. And a cam drive unit composed of two cam interlocking shafts each fitted with a cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame on the outside,
By the simultaneous rotation of the respective cams interlocking with the rotation of the cam driving motor, the second conveyor frame on the inner side that has been kept below the conveyance level is raised and lowered, and the first conveyor frame on the outer side and After maintaining the second conveyor frame on the inner side at the conveyance level for a rotation angle of 40 degrees of the cam interlocking shaft, the first conveyor frame on the outer side that was previously at the conveyance level is lowered to the standby level. This is a branching / merging device characterized by the above.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first conveyor located on the outside of a standard frame, on which a plurality of wheels rotating in a branching direction (conveying direction of the first conveyor) are arranged in parallel. A plurality of wheels arranged in a loose state in the frame area of one conveyor and rotating in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first conveyor without causing interference with the wheels of the first conveyor A second conveyor located on the inside,
When the conveyed product is branched in a direction orthogonal to the conveyed product loading direction (that is, the conveying direction of the second conveyor), the first conveyor is raised to the same conveying level as the second conveyor and then the second In the branching and merging apparatus in which the conveyor of the first conveyor is lowered and the wheel of the first conveyor is driven to branch and transport without changing the transport level,
In the outer first conveyor frame and the inner second conveyor frame, there are a wheel drive shaft in which a large number of magnet gears are mounted at regular intervals, and a non-contact state with the drive side magnet gear fixed to each wheel shaft. Provided with a wheel drive means constituted by a driven magnet ring rotated by
When the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are switched up and down, one of the conveyor frames is raised to the transfer level of the conveyed product, and the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are raised. The conveyor frame is maintained at the transport level, and then the other conveyor frame is lowered to include a conveyor frame lifting / lowering means for avoiding an impact on the transported object when the wheel group moves up and down,
The conveyor frame lifting means is
A total of eight cams for raising and lowering the second conveyor frame that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, at least four of which are provided on the lower base plate near each of the four corners in the outer first conveyor frame region; An outer cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame;
A follower roller provided near each of the four corners of the lower part of the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side, and abutting the cam;
Up and down of the second conveyor frame on the inner side which is 180 degrees out of phase with each other at least two, which rotate synchronously via two gear boxes from a cam drive shaft on which one cam drive motor rotates. And a cam drive unit composed of two cam interlocking shafts each fitted with a cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame on the outside,
The simultaneous rotation of the cams interlocking with the rotation of the cam driving motor raises and lowers the first conveyor frame on the outside that has been kept below the transport level, and the first conveyor frame on the outside and After maintaining the second conveyor frame on the inner side at the conveyance level for a rotation angle of 40 degrees of the cam interlocking shaft, the second conveyor frame on the inner side that was previously at the conveyance level is lowered to the standby level. This is a branching and merging device characterized by the above.

Claim 3, wheel of the second conveyor,
Inserted into the wheel support shaft,
In a longitudinal direction of one side of a plurality of parallel wheel support beams each extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the first conveyor, the wheel support shafts are held in a cantilevered manner at intervals. The branching and merging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the rear end of the inner second conveyor frame in the direction perpendicular to the first conveyor transport direction and the rear of the first conveyor transport direction in the outer first conveyor frame. Between the end and the base plate respectively facing the rear end,
Two lift sensors for detecting the height movement of the inner second conveyor frame and the outer first conveyor frame are provided.
The branching / merging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

Thin glass for substrates such as liquid crystal panels and plasma displays needs to avoid impact caused by vertical movement during branch conveyance from molding to processing, but the present invention is a group of conveyance wheels in the orthogonal direction. Can be changed alternately, and when branching or merging in a direction perpendicular to the loading direction, the workpiece is transported while avoiding impact on the workpiece during the vertical movement of the transport wheel group and suppressing dust generation. be able to. In addition, the return of the transfer wheel in the transfer direction at the branching section can quickly change the height of the branch wheel and the transfer wheel, reducing the time required to change the workpiece traveling direction. Are better.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the branching / merging apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view.
In this branching / merging apparatus, a quadrangular frame-shaped standard frame 4 is horizontally mounted on the upper portion of the base frame 2 via a plurality of adjusters 3, 3, and 2 respectively on base plates 5, 5 provided at the inner four corners. Elevating means 30, 30 having a pair of cams are provided to provide a first (outer) wheel conveyor (hereinafter referred to as a first conveyor) 11 and a second (inner) wheel conveyor (hereinafter referred to as a second conveyor) 12. Are arranged in an up-and-down loose state. In the illustrated conveyor, the frame and other main components are made of light metal, and a second conveyor 12 is superposed on the inside of the first conveyor 11 outside the quadrangular frame shape so that the frame can be exchanged vertically . One conveyor frame 10 is provided with a large number of wheels 16 that rotate in the transport direction (X-axis direction), and the second conveyor frame 20 serving as an inner frame is branched and conveyed without causing interference with the wheels 16. A large number of wheels 22 rotating in the direction (Y-axis direction) are arranged side by side.
The first conveyor frame 10 and the second conveyor frame 20 are provided with wheel drive motors 6 and 9, respectively, and a stand or pole 40 is set up at the end of the frame in the workpiece carry-out direction to detect the workpiece passing opto-sensor 41. Is installed. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, a cam driving motor (motor with brake) 33 is provided on one base plate 5, and an outer first conveyor frame and an inner second belt are provided between the base plates 5 and 5 . In order to ensure the synchronous rotation of each cam when the conveyor frame is raised and lowered, a cam drive shaft 34 and a gear box 35 connected to the gear head 33 of the cam drive motor are provided, and are further led out from the gear box 35 and supported by a plurality of bearings 36. The cam interlocking shafts 37 and 38 thus arranged are arranged.

The outer first conveyor frame 10 and the inner second conveyor are rotated by synchronously rotating the cams of the lifting and lowering means 30 provided on the base plates 5 and 5 near the lower four corners in the outer first conveyor frame region. The frames 20 are moved up and down in opposite directions while being held in parallel, so that both conveyors are alternately switched to the same transport level.
The frame raising / lowering cam 31 is a plate cam or an arc cam that is 180 degrees out of phase with each other, and the standby level of one of the outer first conveyor frame 10 and the inner second conveyor frame 20 by simultaneous rotation of both cams. The conveyor frame located at the top is raised to maintain both conveyor frames at a constant level, and the other conveyor frame is lowered to the standby level. A conveyed object carried direction and branch direction rear end of the upper and lower conveyor frame, between the base opposite thereto, in addition to providing a lifting sensor which detects the height movement of the conveyor frame, lifting the sensor 44, 46 in the lower part of the conveyor frame (See FIGS. 6 and 7).

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the standard frame 4 in which the first conveyor frame, the second conveyor frame , the wheel group, the conveyor frame lifting means and the like are omitted from FIG.
A motor 33 for driving a cam (with an axial direction change device with a brake) is fixed to a base plate 5 at one corner of the standard frame 4, and one horizontal in the X-axis direction is placed between the base plates 5 and 5 at positions facing the base plate 5. The cam drive shaft 34 that is a shaft is passed through the motor axial direction conversion device so as to be driven, and both ends thereof are inserted into the gear boxes 35 and 35. Two cam interlocking shafts 37 and 38 extending from the front and rear surfaces of the gear boxes 35 and 35 in the Y-axis direction and supported by bearings 36 and 36, respectively, are led out. A total of eight cam-operated conveyor frame raising / lowering means 30 and 30 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) are fixed to the cam interlocking shafts 37 and 38 at a distance of four. Four lifting means 30 near the conveyor frame of the first conveyor frame 10 of the outer, or four lifting means 30 of the inner conveyor frame intended to guide the lifting and lowering of the inside of the second conveyor frame 20, Guide posts 28 and 28 are provided near the cams, respectively.
As described above, the cam 31 of the inner second conveyor frame 20 and the cam 31 of the outer first conveyor frame 10 are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. As will be described later with reference to FIG. By rotating the cams at the same time, the outer first conveyor frame or the inner second conveyor frame, which is lower than the transport level, is raised to the transport level by moving the inner conveyor frames 10 and 20 to the transport level . After the two conveyor frames and the outer first conveyor frame are maintained at the transport level for a short time, the inner second conveyor frame or the outer first conveyor frame that was previously at the transport level is lowered. In addition, an encoder or a light transmission type cam rotation angle sensor (not shown) is attached to the cam interlocking shafts 37 and 38 , and the elevation is detected instead of the elevation sensor constituted by the X dog 44, the Y dog 46 and the striker 45. It is good also as a sensor to do.

The applications and features of the present invention are summarized as follows.
Field: Suitable for transporting glass substrates (LCD / PDP) in clean rooms.
Application: The branching and merging in the plane conveyance of thin glass (for example, W = 1500-1550 mm, L = 1800-1850 mm, t = 0.5-3.0 mm) is performed.
Features: (a) When branching or merging without changing the height of the transfer surface, that is, when the work is to be branched, when the work is carried to the branching point by the carry-in conveyor and stopped, the branch conveyor is raised to support the work. The branch conveyor is driven and branched at the same time when the transport side wheel is lowered. (B) Reduces the impact of the conveyor when moving up and down the conveyor, (c) Reduces the time required to change the direction of movement of the workpiece and improves the conveyance capacity. (D) The conveyance roller is a non-contact drive with a magnet gear system. (E) Device lifting is composed of one drive unit, a connecting shaft and a cam plate.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the outline of the branching / merging apparatus of the present invention.
The branching / merging apparatus 1 includes an inner second conveyor frame 20 disposed in an outer first conveyor frame 10 on a standard frame 4 mounted on a base frame 2 using an adjuster 3, and both conveyors. The frame is placed in an idle state, that is, in an overlapping state so that it can be raised and lowered alternately.
[Configuration of Outer Frame and Outer Wheel] The outer first conveyor frame 10 has an inner side with vertical frames 10a and 10a in the workpiece loading direction (X-axis direction) and horizontal frames 10b and 10b in the branching direction (Y-axis direction). The second conveyor frame 20 is formed in a quadrangular frame size that surrounds the outer periphery of the second conveyor frame 20 . Several reinforcing beams 17 (FIG. 5 shows only the beam closer to the vertical frame 10a) are fixed between the horizontal frames 10b and 10b, and the support plates 18 and 18 (FIG. 3, FIG. In FIG. 4, 17 × 3 rows) are erected, and the support shafts 15 are supported by the support plates 18 and 18 which are erected with the second conveyor frame 20 inside . The support shaft 15 is provided with a plurality of transfer wheels 16 and 16 (13 in FIG. 2) that rotate in the workpiece loading direction (X-axis direction). On the outer wall of the vertical frame 10a orthogonal to the support shaft 15, a drive shaft 13 supported by several bearings 14 and provided with first magnet rings 13a, 13a on the drive side at regular intervals and capable of forward / reverse driving is provided. Horizontally. Further, one shaft end side of the support shaft 15 protrudes through the vertical frame 10a, and the end portion thereof is driven in a non-contact manner by the first magnet ring 13a on the drive shaft 13 side orthogonal thereto. A second magnet ring 15a to be moved is provided.

The wheels 16 and 16 groups attached to the respective support shafts 15 are accurately assembled so that the surface formed at the top portion thereof maintains the conveying surface or standby surface having the same height, and the drive motor 6 (FIG. 1, 6) by rotating the drive shaft 13 forward / reversely driven, the support shaft 15 is rotated via the first and second magnet rings 13a and 15a that transmit the rotational force in a non-contact manner. The wheel 16 group can be rotated in the same direction and at the same speed.

[Configuration of Inner Frame and Inner Wheel] The inner second conveyor frame 20 includes vertical frames 20a and 20a in the workpiece loading direction (X-axis direction) and a plurality of wheel support beams 21 in the branching direction (Y-axis direction). A plurality of wheel support beams 21, 21 (eight in FIG. 3), which are formed in a raft-like frame, are fixed to the fastening pipe 27 via clamps at predetermined intervals, respectively. A plurality of Y-axis direction conveyance wheels 22 (13 in FIG. 3) that can be rotated forward and backward in the Y-axis direction along the longitudinal direction are attached. Fastening pipes 27 are inserted in several places (two places in FIG. 3) near the lower side of each support beam 21 and fixed with clamps 27a.
In the longitudinal direction of one side surface of the support beam 21, the core shafts 26 and 26 are fixedly spaced to hold the Y-axis direction conveyance wheel 22 in a cantilevered manner. That is, a sixth magnet ring 22a having permanent magnets N and S poles alternately magnetized in a spiral shape is fixed to the center of the Y-axis direction transport wheel 22 and is inserted into the wheel support shaft 26. Then, the Y-axis direction conveyance wheels 22 and 22 are attached. The outer edges of the Y-axis direction transport wheels 22, 22 are slightly projected from the upper side of the support beam 21, and the surface formed by the top portions of the projected Y-axis direction transport wheel groups has the same height. The inner and outer wheels and the wheel drive shaft are accurately assembled so as to maintain the standby surface and the inner and outer wheels and the wheel drive shaft do not interfere with each other by raising and lowering the frame.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, in order to avoid interference with the support shaft 15 supported by the outer first conveyor frame at the upper side of the vertical frame 20a when the inner second conveyor frame 20 is raised. Notches (relief) 29, 29 are provided.

Further, a Y-axis direction transport wheel drive shaft 25 is provided over substantially the entire length of the side surface of the support beam 21 corresponding to the lower portion of the wheel support shafts 26, 26. A fifth magnet ring 25a in which N and S poles are magnetized in a spiral shape in a direction orthogonal to the magnet ring 22a at a position corresponding to the sixth magnet ring 22a is provided in a non-contact state with respect to the sixth magnet ring 22a. Deploy. Furthermore, one end of each Y-axis direction conveyance wheel drive shaft 25 is protruded from the vertical frame 20a in the X-axis direction, and the fourth magnet ring 24a on the driven side having the same configuration as before is fixed, while the Y-axis direction is fixed. The fourth drive shafts 23 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vertical frame 20a on the side from which the conveyance wheel drive shaft 25 is projected and are driven forward and reverse by the drive motor 9 (FIGS. 1 and 6). The third magnet rings 23a and 23a that transmit the rotational force in a non-contact manner perpendicular to the magnet ring 24a are fixed. The other end of the drive shaft 25 is supported by a bearing supported by a bracket from the wheel support beam 21. Therefore, when the intermediate drive shaft 23 is rotated, each Y-axis direction wheel drive shaft 25 is rotated via the third and fourth magnet rings 23a and 24b, and each Y is transferred via the magnet rings 25a and 22a. The axial conveyance wheels 22 and 22 can be rotated in the same direction and at the same speed. The conveyor is not limited to a wheel, and may be replaced with a roller when conveying a heavy workpiece.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view as seen in the direction of the arrow from the AA line in FIG. 4, and the Y-axis direction conveyance wheel 22 and its drive shaft 25 are omitted. As shown in FIG. 8, the drive shaft 13 of the X-axis direction conveyor wheel 16 is rotated via the output shaft of the drive motor 6, the gear train 7, and a gear (screw gear) 7 a fixed to the drive shaft 13. Is done. And each wheel 16 and 16 of an outer 1st conveyor rotates the support shaft 15 via the magnet rings 13a and 15c fixed to the drive shaft 13 which transmits a rotational force in non-contact. Then, when the outer first conveyor frame 10 is in the raised position, the workpiece is conveyed in, for example, the conveying direction X by a line formed by the upper edges of the wheels 16 and 16. The guide post 28 and the cam follower 32 in the elevating means 30 are held by the block 28a, and when the cam 31 rotates, the outer first conveyor frame 10 is accurately raised and lowered along the guide post 28. The lift sensor composed of X dog 44, Y dog 46 and striker 45 is arranged at 2 points and 2 positions on each frame on the diagonal posts of the frame. Not only the hole shape but also a photoelectric switch type may be used. In addition, an encoder or a light transmission type cam rotation angle sensor (not shown) is attached to the cam drive shaft 34 , and a sensor for detecting elevation is substituted for the elevation sensor constituted by the X dog 44, the Y dog 46 and the striker 45. It is also good.
The portion including the output shaft of the drive motor 6 and the gear train 7 incorporated on the outer surface of the frame is scattered in the apparatus when dust is generated by the drive gear surrounded by the cover 8 as shown in FIG. It prevents it from adhering.

7 is an enlarged front view as seen in the direction of the arrow from the BB line in FIG. 4, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of the drive unit of the Y-axis direction conveyance wheel 22 and the conveyor frame lifting means . The intermediate drive shaft 23 for driving the wheel drive shaft 25 of the inner second conveyor is driven by the rotation of the gear meshing with the output shaft of the drive motor 9 shown in FIG. 9, and as described with reference to FIG. The sixth magnet ring 25a attached to the wheel drive shaft 25 is rotated through the third and fourth magnet rings 23a, 24a provided on the intermediate drive shaft 23, and is fixed to the shaft of each wheel 22. The magnet ring 22a is rotated without contact. When the inner second conveyor frame 20 is in the raised position, the workpiece is conveyed, for example, in the conveyance direction Y by a line formed by the upper edges of the wheels 22 and 22.
In the illustrated example, Yu the first conveyor 11 of the outer multiple wheel 16 juxtaposed to rotate conveyed object carrying direction, frame region outside the first conveyor 11, the second conveyor 12 inside the Although the case where a large number of wheels 22 that are arranged in the combined state and rotate in the branching direction are arranged side by side is shown, it may be changed so that the inner conveyor is set in the transfer direction of the conveyed product and the outer conveyor is transferred in the branching direction.

10A and 10B show a lift cam mechanism. FIG. 10A is an enlarged front view, and FIG. 10B is a cam diagram.
As described above, the conveyor frame elevating means 30 is composed of the cam 31 and the follower roller 32, and alternately switches the inner second conveyor and the outer first conveyor to the same conveyance level. Yes. Therefore, the cams 31 and 31 are plate cams or arc cams that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. By simultaneous rotation of the two cams, the conveyor frame at either the internal or external standby level is raised so that the conveyor frames 10 and 20 are kept at a certain height. The other conveyor frame is lowered to the standby level. That is, FIG. 10B shows the displacement of the X-axis cam of the outer first conveyor frame 10 as the upper horizontal axis and the displacement of the Y-axis cam of the inner second conveyor frame 20 as the lower horizontal axis. FIG. 4 is a cam diagram showing the rotation angle (0 to 2π) on the vertical axis, and the displacement of both cams appears at a peak at a position shifted by 180 degrees by one rotation of the cam.
For this reason, when the workpiece W conveyed from the upstream is moved straight in the loading direction on the branching / merging apparatus, the workpiece is sent downstream by the outer first conveyor 11 maintained at the conveyance level and branched in the orthogonal direction. After the inner second conveyor 12 is raised to reach the workpiece conveyance level and stabilized, the outer first conveyor 11 is lowered to avoid the impact on the workpiece during vertical movement, and then raised to the conveyance level. High quality and thin work by preventing the impact on the work of the branching / merging device and dust generation of the drive part by branching and transporting without changing the transport level by driving the stationary transport wheel group It is possible to maintain high reliability of the branch conveyance.

As described above, the present invention includes an inner second (wheel) conveyor in which a plurality of wheels rotating in the direction in which the article is conveyed are arranged between the inner second conveyor frames forming a rectangular frame on the base. A first outer (wheel) mounted with a plurality of wheels rotating in a direction Y orthogonal to the loading direction X, and being an outer conveyor frame forming a rectangular frame disposed on the outer periphery of the inner second conveyor frame The conveyor and the conveyor can be turned upside down. Conveyor frame raising / lowering means provided with cam mechanisms is arranged near the lower four corners of each frame of the first outer conveyor , and a plurality of follower rollers are respectively attached via brackets, and the conveyor frames of the two conveyors are mounted on the base. Are arranged opposite to each other. The cams of the inner second conveyor frame and the outer first conveyor frame are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, and by rotating the cam shaft synchronously , the outer first conveyor and the inner second conveyor are moved . Switch to the same transport level alternately. A drive shaft having magnet rings fitted at regular intervals is arranged side by side in the direction perpendicular to the carry-in of the second conveyor frame on the inner side and the first conveyor frame on the outer side, and the first shaft The workpiece can be conveyed in the straight or branching direction without driving either the inner or outer wheel through a driven magnet ring driven in a non-contact state with the magnet ring on the drive shaft at the end.

It is a front view of this invention branch merging apparatus. It is a side view of FIG. It is a top view of the standard frame which abbreviate | omitted and showed the wheel group and frame raising / lowering means, etc. of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view in which a conveyance roller group in FIG. 3 is omitted. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the outline of this invention branch merging apparatus. It is the enlarged front view seen from the AA line of FIG. 4 in the arrow direction. It is the enlarged front view seen from the BB line of FIG. 4 in the arrow direction. It is an enlarged front view of the wheel drive part for X-axis direction conveyance. It is an enlarged front view of the wheel drive part for a Y-axis direction conveyance and a frame raising / lowering mechanism. The lift cam mechanism is shown. (A) is an enlarged front view, (b) a cam diagram showing the X-axis and Y-axis cams in a comprehensive manner.

1 Branch and junction device 2 Base frame 4 Standard frame 5 Base plate
10 First (outside) conveyor frame
10a, 20a X axis direction vertical frame
10b, 20b Y axis direction horizontal frame 11 (outside) first conveyor
12 (Inner) second conveyor 13 Drive shaft
13a, 14a, 14b, 15a Magnet ring 15 Wheel shaft
16, 22 Conveyor wheel
18 Support plate
20 (Inner) second conveyor frame
22a, 23a, 24b, 25a Magnet ring 23 Wheel intermediate drive shaft
25 Wheel drive shaft 26 Wheel support shaft (core shaft)
28 Guide post 28a Block
29 Notch 30 Conveyor frame lifting means
31 cam 32 follower roller
32a Holding member 33 Cam driving motor
34 Cam drive shaft 35 Gear box
36 Bearing 37, 38 Cam interlocking shaft
40 stand (pole)
41 Opto sensor 42 for detecting workpiece passage 42 Shaft
43 Cam rotation angle sensor 44, 46 Lift sensor (X dog, Y dog)
45, 47 striker

Claims (4)

On the standard frame, there is a first conveyor located on the outside where a large number of wheels rotating in the direction of carrying the object to be conveyed ( the conveying direction of the first conveyor ) are arranged in parallel, and in the frame area of the first conveyor The second is located inside the multiple wheels arranged in a loose state and rotating in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first conveyor without causing interference with the wheels of the first conveyor. Place the conveyor and
When branching a transported object in a direction perpendicular to the transported object carrying-in direction, the second conveyor is raised to the same transport level as the first conveyor, and then the first conveyor is lowered to move the second conveyor In the branching and merging device designed to branch and transport without changing the transport level by driving the wheel of the conveyor ,
In the outer first conveyor frame and the inner second conveyor frame, there are a wheel drive shaft in which a large number of magnet gears are mounted at regular intervals, and a non-contact state with the drive side magnet gear fixed to each wheel shaft. Provided with a wheel drive means constituted by a driven magnet ring rotated by
When the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are switched up and down, one of the conveyor frames is raised to the transfer level of the conveyed product, and the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are raised. The conveyor frame is maintained at the transport level, and then the other conveyor frame is lowered to include a conveyor frame lifting / lowering means for avoiding an impact on the transported object when the wheel group moves up and down,
The conveyor frame lifting means is
A total of eight cams for raising and lowering the second conveyor frame that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, at least four of which are provided on the lower base plate near each of the four corners in the outer first conveyor frame region; An outer cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame;
A follower roller provided near each of the four corners of the lower part of the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side, and abutting the cam;
Up and down of the second conveyor frame on the inner side which is 180 degrees out of phase with each other at least two, which rotate synchronously via two gear boxes from a cam drive shaft on which one cam drive motor rotates. And a cam drive unit composed of two cam interlocking shafts each fitted with a cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame on the outside,
By the simultaneous rotation of the respective cams interlocking with the rotation of the cam driving motor, the second conveyor frame on the inner side that has been kept below the conveyance level is raised and lowered, and the first conveyor frame on the outer side and After maintaining the second conveyor frame on the inner side at the conveyance level for a rotation angle of 40 degrees of the cam interlocking shaft, the first conveyor frame on the outer side that was previously at the conveyance level is lowered to the standby level. A branching and merging device characterized by that. On the standard frame, the first conveyor located on the outside with a large number of wheels rotating in the branching direction ( conveying direction of the first conveyor ), and loosely within the frame area of the first conveyor A second conveyor located inside and arranged in parallel with a number of wheels rotating in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the first conveyor without causing interference with the wheels of the first conveyor; And place
When branching the conveyed object in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance object carrying-direction (i.e. the transport direction of the second conveyor), the second mixture was allowed to rise the first conveyor at the same conveying level and the second conveyor In the branching and merging apparatus in which the conveyor of the first conveyor is lowered and the wheel of the first conveyor is driven to branch and transport without changing the transport level,
In the outer first conveyor frame and the inner second conveyor frame, there are a wheel drive shaft in which a large number of magnet gears are mounted at regular intervals, and a non-contact state with the drive side magnet gear fixed to each wheel shaft. Provided with a wheel drive means constituted by a driven magnet ring rotated by
When the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are switched up and down, one of the conveyor frames is raised to the transfer level of the conveyed product, and the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side are raised. The conveyor frame is maintained at the transport level, and then the other conveyor frame is lowered to include a conveyor frame lifting / lowering means for avoiding an impact on the transported object when the wheel group moves up and down,
The conveyor frame lifting means is
A total of eight cams for raising and lowering the second conveyor frame that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, at least four of which are provided on the lower base plate near each of the four corners in the outer first conveyor frame region; An outer cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame;
A follower roller provided near each of the four corners of the lower part of the first conveyor frame on the outer side and the second conveyor frame on the inner side, and abutting the cam;
Up and down of the second conveyor frame on the inner side which is 180 degrees out of phase with each other at least two, which rotate synchronously via two gear boxes from a cam drive shaft on which one cam drive motor rotates. And a cam drive unit composed of two cam interlocking shafts each fitted with a cam for raising and lowering the first conveyor frame on the outside,
The simultaneous rotation of the cams interlocking with the rotation of the cam driving motor raises and lowers the first conveyor frame on the outside that has been kept below the transport level, and the first conveyor frame on the outside and After maintaining the second conveyor frame on the inner side at the conveyance level for a rotation angle of 40 degrees of the cam interlocking shaft, the second conveyor frame on the inner side that was previously at the conveyance level is lowered to the standby level. A branching and merging device characterized by that. The wheel of the second conveyor is
Inserted into the wheel support shaft,
In a longitudinal direction of one side of a plurality of parallel wheel support beams each extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the first conveyor, the wheel support shafts are held in a cantilevered manner at intervals. The branching / merging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein A rear end of the inner second conveyor frame in a direction orthogonal to the first conveyor transport direction, and a rear end of the outer first conveyor frame in the first conveyor transport direction; Between the base plate facing each end,
Two lift sensors for detecting the height movement of the inner second conveyor frame and the outer first conveyor frame are provided.
The branching / merging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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