CONVEYOR CARRIER

Abstract

A conveyor carrier includes a front end trolley that is a free trolley having an engagement dog that engages with a traction dog of a power chain drive device, and a connection rod located between the front end trolley and an object support unit. The connection rod includes a front division body and a rear division body. The front division body and the rear division body are supported by a slide support unit so as to be relatively slidable in a front-rear direction. A shock absorber in the front-rear direction is disposed between the front division body and the rear division body. The connection rod has a side surface that serves as a drive surface with which a friction roller of a friction roller drive device is in pressure contact.

Claims

1. A conveyor carrier that includes an object support unit that supports an object to be conveyed, and moves along a conveyance route defined by a guide rail, the conveyor carrier comprising: a front end trolley that is a free trolley supported and guided by the guide rail, and has an engagement dog for engaging with a traction dog of a power chain drive device; and a connection rod located between the front end trolley and the object support unit, wherein the connection rod includes a front division body and a rear division body, the front division body and the rear division body are supported by a slide support unit, to be relatively slidable in a front-rear direction, a shock absorber in the front-rear direction is disposed between the front division body and the rear division body, and the connection rod has a side surface serving as a drive surface with which a friction roller of a friction roller drive device is in pressure contact.

2. The conveyor carrier according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorber is incorporated in the connection rod.

3. The conveyor carrier according to claim 1, wherein the connection rod has the side surface with a portion that changes a shape thereof when the front division body and the rear division body relatively slide in the front-rear direction, the shape being a stepped shape that forms: first front-rear opposing surfaces each extending substantially downward from an upper end of the connection rod; top-bottom opposing surfaces each extending in the front-rear direction from a lower end of a corresponding one of the first front-rear opposing surfaces; and second front-rear opposing surfaces each extending substantially downward from an end portion of a corresponding one of the top-bottom opposing surfaces, and when the friction roller is in pressure contact with the drive surface in the side surface of the connection rod, the friction roller is in pressure contact with one of the front division body and the rear division body, both the front division body and the rear division body, and a remaining one of the front division body and the rear division body, in stated order.

4. The conveyor carrier according to claim 1, wherein the slide support unit is configured such that guide pins respectively provided at a front and a rear of one of the front division body and the rear division body are inserted through long holes in the front-rear direction provided at a front and a rear of a remaining one of the front division body and the rear division body, the slide support unit is placed above or below the drive surface with which the friction roller is in pressure contact, and a slide stroke of the slide support unit is smaller than a stroke of the shock absorber.

5. The conveyor carrier according to claim 4, wherein the guide pins are respectively provided at two locations to sandwich the shock absorber from the front and the rear, and the long holes are respectively provided at two locations to sandwich the shock absorber from the front and the rear.

6. The conveyor carrier according to claim 5, wherein when a distance between the guide pins respectively provided at the front and the rear is set as L1, and a distance between attachment holes respectively provided at a front and a rear of the connection rod at a time when the connection rod is in a most contracted state is set as L2, L1>(L2/2) is established.

7. The conveyor carrier according to claim 1, wherein one end of the shock absorber is attached to a cover body provided in an upper portion of one of the front division body and the rear division body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example in which a conveyor carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention is used in an overhead conveyor.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example in which the conveyor carrier according to the embodiment of the present invention is used in a floor conveyor.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first connection rod in the conveyor carrier according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing the first connection rod in its most extended state.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first connection rod in its most contracted state.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a front view of a vertical cross-section of the first connection rod in its most extended state.

[0031] FIG. 6 is also a front view of a vertical cross-section of the first connection rod in its most contracted state.

[0032] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the first connection rod.

[0033] FIGS. 8A to 8C are front views of enlarged main parts, showing a state in which the first connection rod is driven by a friction roller drive device.

[0034] FIG. 8A shows a state in which a friction roller is in pressure contact only with a front division body, FIG. 8B shows a state in which the friction roller is in pressure contact with both the front division body and a rear division body, and FIG. 8C shows a state in which the friction roller is in pressure contact only with the rear division body.

[0035] FIG. 9 is a front view of a vertical cross-section of a modified example of a shock absorber to be used in the first connection rod, showing the first connection rod in its most extended state.

[0036] FIG. 10 is a front view of a vertical cross-section of the modified example, showing the first connection rod in its most contracted state.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention are described with reference to the drawings.

[0038] In the description, along a conveyance direction of a conveyor carrier (see an arrow F in FIGS. 1 and 2), a front side (downstream side) of the conveyor carrier is defined as a front, a rear side (upstream side) thereof is defined as a rear, left and right are defined facing the front, and a view from the left is referred to as a front view.

[Conveyor Carrier]

[0039] FIG. 1 shows an example in which a conveyor carrier A according to an embodiment of the present invention is used in an overhead conveyor. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the conveyor carrier A is used in a floor conveyor. The carrier A includes an object support unit H for supporting an object W to be conveyed, and moves along a conveyance route defined by a guide rail GR.

[0040] The carrier A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes load trolleys LT that support the object support unit H, and free trolleys FT that do not support the object support unit H. The load trolleys LT and the free trolleys FT are supported and guided by the guide rail GR.

[0041] The carrier A includes, for example, a front end trolley 1 that is the free trolley FT, a front load trolley 2 and a rear load trolley 3 that are the load trolleys LT, and a rear end trolley 4 that is the free trolley FT.

[0042] The front end trolley 1 and the front load trolley 2 are connected via the first connection rod 11. The front load trolley 2 and the rear load trolley 3 are connected via a second connection rod 12. The rear load trolley 3 and the rear end trolley 4 are connected via a third connection rod 13.

[0043] The front end trolley 1 has an engagement dog C that engages with a traction dog B of a power chain drive device PC. With this configuration, the carrier A can be driven by the power chain drive device PC.

[0044] Each of the front end trolley 1, the first connection rod 11, the front load trolley 2, the second connection rod 12, the rear load trolley 3, the third connection rod 13, and the rear end trolley 4 has a side surface that serves as a drive surface E with which a friction roller D (see FIGS. 8A to 8C) of the friction roller drive device FR is in pressure contact. In other words, the carrier A has a side surface over its entire length in the front-rear direction, and the side surface serves as the drive surface E with which the friction roller D of the friction roller drive device FR is in pressure contact. With this configuration, the carrier A can be driven by the friction roller drive device FR.

[0045] Therefore, the carrier A can be used in common with the power-and-free conveyor and the friction roller conveyor.

[0046] It is not necessarily required that the side surface of the carrier A over its entire length in the front-rear direction is used as the drive surface E. However, when the side surface over the entire length of the carrier A in the front-rear direction is used as the drive surface E, an interval between the friction rollers D to be placed can be enlarged. Accordingly, the number of friction rollers D can be reduced, so that a cost of the friction roller drive device FR can be reduced.

[First Connection Rod]

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first connection rod 11 includes a front division body 5 and a rear division body 6. The front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 are supported by a slide support unit S shown in FIGS. 3 to 7 so as to be relatively slidable in the front-rear direction. With this configuration, the first connection rod 11 can be extended and contracted between its most extended state shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 and its most contracted state shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0048] With reference to the exploded perspective view of FIG. 7, a configuration of the first connection rod 11 according to the present embodiment is described. The first connection rod 11 is an example of connection rods constituting the conveyor carrier according to the present invention.

[0049] A bolt R1 is inserted through a through hole 14a provided in the left side of a support body U hanging from a cover body 10, a through hole of an end portion 7A of the shock absorber 7, and another through hole 14a provided in the right side of the support body U, and then a nut T1 is screwed onto a tip end of the bolt R1. Accordingly, the end portion 7A of the shock absorber 7 is attached to the cover body 10.

[0050] A bolt R2 is inserted through a through hole 14b provided in the left side of a support body V of the rear division body 6, a through hole of an end portion 7B of the shock absorber 7, and another through hole 14b provided in the right side of the support body V, and then a nut T2 is screwed onto a tip end of the bolt R2. Accordingly, the end portion 7B of the shock absorber 7 is attached to the rear division body 6.

[0051] A cylindrical guide pin P1 is inserted through a long hole Q1 elongated in the front-rear direction of the rear division body 6, and a cylindrical guide pin P2 is inserted through a long hole Q2 elongated in the front-rear direction of the rear division body 6. A bolt R3 is inserted through a through hole 15a provided in the left side of the front division body 5, a center hole of the guide pin P1, and another through hole 15a provided in the right side of the front division body 5, and then a nut T3 is screwed onto a tip end of the bolt R3. A bolt R4 is inserted through a through hole 15b provided in the left side of the front division body 5, a center hole of the guide pin P2, and another through hole 15b provided in the right side of the front division body 5, and then a nut T4 is screwed onto a tip end of the bolt R4. Accordingly, the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 are supported so as to be relatively slidable in the front-rear direction.

[0052] Bolts R5 in the left side in FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively inserted into through holes 16b in the left side of the front division body 5 shown in FIG. 7 and through holes 16a in the left side of the cover body 10, and then a nut T5 in the left side in FIGS. 3 and 4 is screwed onto the tip end of each of the left-side bolts R5. Bolts R5 in the right side in FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively inserted into through holes 16b in the right side of the front division body 5 shown in FIG. 7 and through holes 16a in the right side of the cover body 10, and then a nut T5 in the right side in FIGS. 3 and 4 is screwed onto the tip of each of the right-side bolts R5. Accordingly, the cover body 10 is attached to the front division body 5.

[0053] In this manner, the end portion 7A of the shock absorber 7 is attached to the cover body 10 provided on an upper portion of one of the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 (the front division body 5 in the present embodiment). Accordingly, installation of the shock absorber 7 is completed by attaching the cover body 10 to the upper portion of the front division body 5 while the end portion 7A of the shock absorber 7 is attached to the cover body 10. Exposure of the end portion 7A of the shock absorber 7 is completed by removing the cover body 10. Accordingly, installation and replacement of the shock absorber 7 is facilitated.

[Slide Support Unit]

[0054] In the slide support unit S, for example, the guide pins P1 and P2 respectively provided at the front and the rear of one of the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 (the front division body 5 in the present embodiment) are respectively inserted into the long holes Q1, Q2 in the front-rear direction respectively provided at the front and the rear of the other of the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 (the rear division body 6 in the present embodiment). The slide support unit S is configured with the guide pins P1, P2 and the long holes Q1, Q2, so that a structure of the slide support unit S is simplified, and sliding action is ensured.

[0055] The slide support unit S is disposed above the drive surface E with which the friction roller D (see FIGS. 8A to 8C) of the friction roller drive device FR comes into pressure contact. This ensures the continuous drive surface E without any irregularities. The slide support unit S may be disposed below the drive surface E with which the friction roller D is in pressure contact.

[Shock Absorber]

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the shock absorber 7 is disposed in the front-rear direction between the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6. The shock absorber 7 is, for example, a telescopic double-acting hydraulic damper including a cylinder tube 8, oil contained in the cylinder tube, and a piston rod 9, thereby adjusting its speed in both extension/contraction directions. Therefore, when the first connection rod 11 extends or contracts to cause the shock absorber 7 to generate an attenuation force, the impact can be mitigated.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the shock absorber 7 is incorporated in the first connection rod 11. With this configuration, an axis M connecting front and rear attachment holes 5A, 6A of the first connection rod 11 shown in FIG. 6 can be brought closer to a central axis N of the shock absorber 7, and the axis M and the central axis N can be laid to overlap each other. Therefore, a bending moment acting on the shock absorber 7 is reduced, so that the shock absorber 7 can directly and efficiently absorb the impact.

[0058] In addition, the shock absorber 7 is incorporated in the first connection rod 11. Accordingly, even if oil leaks from the shock absorber 7, oil leakage from the first connection rod 11 can be prevented, thereby preventing adhesion of the oil to the friction roller D. Therefore, a coefficient of friction between the carrier A and the friction roller D does not decrease, so that the carrier A can be reliably conveyed by the friction roller drive device FR.

[Arrangement of Slide Support Unit]

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the respective guide pins P1, P2 and the respective long holes Q1, Q2, which constitute the slide support unit S, are provided at two locations so as to sandwich the shock absorber 7 from the front and the rear. With this configuration, impact received at both ends of the slide support unit S at a slide stroke can be dispersed.

[Slide Stroke]

[0060] The slide stroke of the slide support unit S is set to be smaller than a stroke of the shock absorber 7. This can prevent damage to the shock absorber 7.

[Distance Between Front and Rear Guide Pins, and Distance Between Front and Rear Long Holes]

[0061] When a distance between the front and rear guide pins P1, P2 of the first connection rod 11 is L1, and a distance between the front and rear attachment holes 5A, 6A of the first connection rod 11 at a time when the first connection rod 11 shown in FIG. 6 is in a most contracted state is L2, L1>(L2/2) can be established.

[0062] In the present embodiment, as described above, in order to secure the drive surface E with which the friction roller D (see FIGS. 8A to 8C) of the friction roller drive device FR is in pressure contact, the slide support unit S is disposed above the drive surface E, for example. With this configuration, when the first connection rod 11 extends or contracts, a force acts on the slide support unit S in the vertical direction.

[0063] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the first connection rod 11 contracts, a rearward force F1 is applied to the front division body 5 and an upward force F2 is applied to the guide pin P2, and also a forward force F1 is applied to the rear division body 6 and the upward force F2 is applied to the long hole Q1. When eccentricity in an upward direction from the axis M, which is shown in FIG. 6, is EC, equation (1) can be obtained.

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}F1\mathrm{EC}=F2L1& \left(l\right)\end{array}$

[0064] When the eccentricity amount EC cannot be changed, as a premise, due to a fixed height of the drive surface E, it is necessary to increase L1 for reducing the upward force F2 (the bending force acting on the slide support unit S). In the present embodiment, the distance L1 between the front and rear guide pins P1, P2 and the distance between the front and rear long holes Q1, Q2 are large, so that the bending force acting on the slide support unit S is mitigated, thereby facilitating the extension/contraction action of the first connection rod 11.

[Part Having Side Shape that Changes Due to Extension/Contraction of First Connection Rod]

[0065] The friction roller D of the friction roller drive device FR, which is shown by phantom lines in FIGS. 8A to 8C, rotates about a rotation axis O and is in pressure contact with the drive surface E of the first connection rod 11. With this configuration, the first connection rod 11 (the conveyor carrier A) is conveyed in the conveyance direction F in FIGS. 8A to 8C.

[0066] As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, a portion I on a side surface of the first connection rod 11 has a shape that changes when the first connection rod 11 extends or contracts, i.e., when the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 relatively slide in the front-rear direction. Such a portion I has a stepped shape that forms first front-rear opposing surfaces J1 extending substantially downward from an upper end of the first connection rod 11, a top-bottom opposing surfaces K respectively extending in the front-rear direction from a lower end of each of the first front-rear opposing surfaces J1, and a second front-rear opposing surfaces J2 extending substantially downward from each end of the top-and-bottom opposing surfaces K.

[0067] Accordingly, when the friction roller D of the friction roller drive device FR is in pressure contact with the drive surface E on the side surface of the first connection rod 11, the friction roller D is first in pressure contact only with the front division body 5, as shown in FIG. 8A. Then, the friction roller D is in pressure contact with both the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6, as shown in FIG. 8B. Then, the friction roller D is in pressure contact only with the rear division body 6, as shown in FIG. 8C. Therefore, even when the extension/contraction stroke of the first connection rod 11 is elongated, the drive surface E with which the friction roller D is in pressure contact can be secured.

[0068] In the configuration of the conveyor carrier A according to the embodiment of the present invention, the first connection rod 11 is formed of the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6, the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 are supported by the slide support unit S so as to be relatively slidable in the front-rear direction, and the shock absorber 7 in the front-rear direction is provided between the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6.

[0069] With this configuration, the first connection rod 11 has an extension/contraction function and an attenuation force is generated by the shock absorber 7. Accordingly, it is possible to mitigate a large impact acting on the carrier A when the carrier A is used in a power-and-free conveyor, and also to prevent the generation of noise. In addition, the front division body 5 and the rear division body 6 are supported by the slide support unit S so as to be relatively slidable in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even if the shock absorber 7 is damaged during conveyance of the carrier A, the extension/contraction function of the first connection rod 11 can be maintained. Therefore, there is no need to stop the conveyance of the carrier A.

Modified Example of Shock Absorber

[0070] The shock absorber in the front-rear direction in the present invention is not limited to the shock absorber 7 that is the telescopic double-acting hydraulic damper. For example, two single-acting hydraulic dampers, the speed of which can be adjusted in a compression direction, may be combined. An example of the combination of a first shock absorber 17A that is the single-acting hydraulic damper and a second shock absorber 17B that is also the single-acting hydraulic damper is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0071] In FIGS. 9 and 10, the first shock absorber 17A is supported by a first support body Z1 provided in the front division body 5, and the second shock absorber 17B is supported by a second support body Z2 provided in the front division body 5. The shock absorbers 17A, 17B face each other in the front-rear direction, and a receiving plate Y attached to the rear division body 6 is disposed between the shock absorbers 17A, 17B.

[0072] For example, when the conveyor carrier A shown in FIG. 1 is stopped at a fixed position, a compression force acts on the first connection rod 11 shown in FIG. 9, and the receiving plate Y interposed between the shock absorbers 17A and 17B shifts in the conveyance direction F (a direction X1 along which the first shock absorber 17A in FIG. 9 is compressed). Therefore, the attenuation force is generated by the first shock absorber 17A that is the single-acting hydraulic damper capable of adjusting its speed in the compression direction and is compressed to a state shown in FIG. 10 from a state shown in FIG. 9.

[0073] For example, when the engagement dog C of the conveyor carrier A shown in FIG. 1 engages with the towing dog B and the conveyor carrier A is towed by the power chain drive device PC, an extension force acts on the first connection rod 11 shown in FIG. 10, and the receiving plate Y interposed between the shock absorbers 17A and 17B shifts in the direction opposite to the conveying direction F (a direction X2 in FIG. 10 in which the second shock absorber 17B is compressed). Therefore, an attenuation force is generated by the second shock absorber 17B that is the single-acting hydraulic damper capable of adjusting its speed in the compression direction and is compressed to the state shown in FIG. 9 from the state shown in FIG. 10.

[0074] The above description of the embodiments is merely illustrative, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Various improvements and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.