Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SPECIFI~ATION
ROLL~R CONVEYOR
FIELD O~ T~E INVENTION
The present invention relates to a roller conveyor
which is of a continuous driving type having driving rollers
pressed against the outer peripheries of free rollers and
yet allows the roller pitch to be changed as desired.
BACKGROUND OF T~E INVENTION
This type of roller conveyor is known and is disclosed
for example in USP 4,488,63g. This conventional roller
conveyor includes a number of free rollers capable of only
free rotation disposed on a main frame to define a transfer
path, and a support frame associated with the main frame.
The support frame is provided with pins extending along the
roller axes, each of said pins being provided with a wheel
and a sprocket, said wheel and sprocket being rotatable
integrally and said wheel being simultaneously contactable
with a pair of adjacent free rollers. A driving chain guided
along said main frame is engaged with the sprockets.
According to this conventional type, the wheels are
rotated by the driving chain through the sprockets, and the
rotation of each wheel is transmitted to the pair of free
rollers contacted therewith, so that object~ to be
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~362 ~1~
transferred are transferred on the transfer path by the
rotation of the free rollers groups.
According to such conventional type, since the free
rollers are stationary with respect to the main frame, the
roller pitch cannot be changed according to the ~hape and
length of objects to be transferred and the conveyor system
becomes expensive when the roller pitch is reduced so as to
smoothly transfer objects of minimum shape and length.
Similarly, since the support frames are stationary, a large
number of them are re~uired.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a roller
conveyor which makes it possible to change the roller pitch
as desired and also change the position of the driving
rollers accordingly.
To achieve this object, a roller conveyor according to
the invention comprises:
a main frame,
support frame means attached to said main frame so that
its position lengthwi~e of said main frame can be changed as
desired,
free rollers rotatably attached to the top of said
qupport frame meanq for tran-qferring objects to be
transferred,
support ~hafts disposed in the lower region of said
i2~
support frame means and extending along the axes of said
free rollers, said support shafts being vertically swingably
attached to said support frame means,
a transmission roller and a driven wheel which are
supported on each said support shaft and rotatable as a
unit,
upward movement imparting means attached to said support
frame means and operatively connected to said support shafts
to move the latter upward, thereby pressing said
transmission rollers against the lower regions of the outer
p~ripheries of said free rollers,
driving means associated with said main frame and
operatively connected to said driven wheels to drive the
latter.
According to this arrangement, the transmission rollers
are rotated by the driving means through the driven wheels,
and in this state, the transmission rollers are moved upward
by the upward movement imparting means through the support
shafts, whereby the free rollers against which the
transmission rollers are pressed are forcibly driven for
transferring objects. Further, by changing the attaching
position of the support frame means with respect to the main
frame, the roller pitch can be changed as desired; thus, the
number of units consisting of the free rollers and
transmission rollers can be reduced in accordance with the
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shape and length of objects to thereby save the overall cost
and make the driving device compact.
Moreover, since the positions of the units can be
changed as desired, when a diverging device or converging
device is installed on the side of the main frame somewhere
in the conveyor line, the adjustment of the attaching
position of s~ch device is facilitated. Since there is no
part interposed between adjacent units, i.e., adjacent free
rollers, a stopper device for objects to be transferred or a
diverging conveyor can be incorporated as desired. Further,
since the free rollers and the transmission rollers are
unitized by the support frame means, the accuracy of
arrangement of these rollers is secured.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a sectional side view of a first embodiment
of a roller conveyor according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional front view of the roller conveyor
shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the roller
conveyor shown in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a support
frame used in the roller conveyor shown in Figs. 1 through
3;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another portion of said
~upport frame;
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Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic side view of the entire roller
conveyor shown in Figs. 1 through 5;
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary diagrammatic side view showing
that the roller pitch of the roller conveyor shown in Fig. 6
has been changed;
Fig. 8 is a sectional side view of a second embodiment
of a roller conveyor;
Fig. 9 is a sectional front view of the roller conveyor
shown in Fig. 8;
Fig. 10 is a sectional front view showing that a
transmission roller in the roller conveyor shown in Fig. 9
has been separated from the free roller;
Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic side view of the roller
conveyor shown in Figs. 8 through 10;
Fig. 12 is a sectional side view of a third embodiment
of a roller conveyor according to the invention;
Fig. 13 is a sectional front view of the roller
conveyor shown in Fig. 12;
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a cover used in the
roller conveyor shown in Figs. 12 and 13;
Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic side view of the entire
roller conveyor shown in Figs. 12 through 14;
Fig. 16 is a sectional diagrammatic side view showing
that the roller pitch of the roller conveyor shown in Fig.
15 has been changed;
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Fig. 1~ is a sectional side view of a fourth embodiment
of a roller conveyor according to the invention;
Fig. 18 is a sectional front view of the roller
conveyor shown in Fig. 17;
Fig. 19 is a view showing the other support frame used
in the roller conveyor shown in Figs. 11 and 18;
Fig. 20 is a sectional side view of a fifth embodiment
of a roller conveyor of the invention;
Fig. 21 is a sectional front view of the roller
conveyor shown in Fig. 20;
Fig. 22 is an enlarged sectional detailed view of the
guide frame portion shown in Fig. 20;
Figs. 23A and 23B are enlarged perspective views,
showing an arrangement around the support frame shown in
Fig. 20;
- Fig. 24 is a view showing an example of an arrangement
around the support frame;
Fig. 25 is a view showing another example of an
arrangement around the support frame;
Fig. 26 is a diagrammatic side view of the roller
conveyor shown in Figs. 21 through 25 in its entirety;
Fig. 27 is a diagrammatic side view wherein part of the
roller conveyor shown in Fig. 26 serves as a non-driven
region;
Fig. 28 is a diagrammatic side view showing the state
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in which the roller pitch of the roller conveyor shown in
Figs. 26 and 2~ is changed;
Fig. 29 is a sectional view showing another example of
a guide frame;
Fig. 30 is a sectional side~ view of a transmission unit
in Fig. 21;
Fig. 31 is a view showing one side of an arrangement
around an annular boss portion in Figs. 21 and 30;
Fig. 32 is a view showing the other side of an
arrangement around the annular boss portion of Fig. 31;
FIg. 33 is a sectional view for explaining the action
of vanes and vent holes in Figs. 30 ~hrough 32;
Fig. 34 is a sectional side view of a sixth embodiment
of a roller conveyor of the invention;
Fig. 35 is a sectional front view of the roller
conveyor shown in Fig. 34;
Fig. 36 is a diagrammatic side view for explaining a
first operating state of the roller conveyor shown in Figs.
34 and 35;
Fig. 37 is a diagrammatic side view for a second
operating state of the roller conveyor shown in F~gs. 34 and
35; and
Fig. 38 is a sectional front view showing another
example of arrangement of a transmission unit and a brake
unit in the roller conveyor shown in Figs. 34 through 3~.
12l~62~ !3
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODI~ENTS
A first embodiment of the invention will now be
described with reference to Figs. 1 through ?.
The numeral 1 denotes a maln frame made of metal and
having a U-shaped cross-section. Said main frame comprising
a pair of lateral frames lA and lB and a base frame lC
connecting the lower ends of sa:id lateral frames lA and lB.
The opposed inner surfaces of the lateral frames lA and lB
are fromed with L-shaped guides 2A and 2B. The upper
regions of the lateral frames lA and lB are formed with
grooves 4A and 4B which allow the sliding of nuts 3A and 3B.
In one lateral frame lA, the lower inner surface region
thereof has a pair of upper and lower guide rails ~ and 8
associated therewith through attachments 5 and 6, said guide
rails extending lengthwise of the frame.
The attachments 5 and 6 are integral with the lateral
frame lA. Therefore, the guide rails 7 and a can be easily
disposed at the predetermined positions. The main frame 1
and the attachments 5 and 6 are integrally formed of
aluminum; thus, a frame construction which has sufficient
mechanical strength and rigidity can be expected. Despite
the fact that the frame construction can be made small in
size, heavy objects can be transferred.
The inner surfaces of the lateral frames lA and lB are
provided with support frames 9A and 9B of resin which are
~2~
fitted at their lower ends in the L-shaped guides 2A and 2B
so that their positions can be changed lengthwise of the
frame (they are slidable). The~e support frames 9A and 9B
are fixed in position by passing bolts lOA and 10B through
the upper regions thereof and threadedly engaging them with
said nuts 3A and 3B so that their positions can be changed.
The upper portions of the support frames 9A and 9B are
formed with locking portions llA and llB. The opposite ends
of roller shaft 12 are locked in ~aid locking portions llA
and llB, whereby a free roller 13 of resin is freely
rotatably installed between the support frames 9A and 9B.
One support frame 9A is in the form of a case comprising a
base plate 14 formed with the lower end to be fitted in said
guide portion 2A and said locking portions llA, a pair of
cover plates 15 extending inwardly from the lower half of
the inner surface of the base plate 14, and a connecting
plate 16 disposed between the lower ends of the cover plates
15. The other support frame 9A is in the form of a
rectangular plate.
Vertically swingably attached to one support frame 9A
is a s-~pport shaft 18 extending along the roller axis 1~.
That is, the inner surface of the lower end of the base
plate 14 is formed with a cylindrical bearing 19, and a ball
18a formed on one end of said support shaft 18 i9 fitted in
~aid bearing 19, so that the support shaft 18 is vertically
3~2862~8
swingable around said ball 18a. An L-shaped plate 35 is
attached between the lateral ends of the cover plates 15,
and the other end of said support shaft 18 is fitted in a
vertically extending elongated opening 36 formed in the
vertical plate portion of said L-shaped plate 35~
The support shaft 18 has s sprocket 20, which is an
example of a driven wheel, rotatably attached thereto. The
boss of the sprocket 20 has a transmission roller 21 fitted
thereon. The sprocket 20 and transmission roller 21 are
rotatable as a unit. The transmission roller 21 comprises
an inner wheel 2la of metal or resin fitted on the boss of
the sprocket 20 through a friction transmission section
(slip allowing section) 22, and an outer wheel 21b of
urethane rubber fitted on said inner wheel 21a, the outer
wheel 2lb being contacted with the lower region of the outer
periphery of the free roller 13. That is, a coil spring
3~, which is an example of an upward movement imparting
device which effects pressure contact, is interposed between
the lower surface of the other end of the support shaft 18
and the bottom plate portion of the L-shaped plate 35. The
parts denoted by the reference characters 9A, 9B through 22,
35 through 37 described above form a transmission unit 40,
and a number of such transmission units 40 are disposed
lengthwise of the main frame 1; thus, a group of free
rollers 13 define a transfer path 23. A chain 24 which is a
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~Z862 ~
common drive section operatively connected to the sprockets
20 is supported and guided by the guide rails 7 and ~. The
chain 24 is installed under tension between a driving
sprocket 25 and driven sprockets 26 through guide sprockets
27, ~aid driving sprocket 25 being operatively connected to
a motor 29. The numeral 30 denotes objects to be
transferred.
Since the attachments 5 and 6 supporting the guide
rails 7 and 8 are integral with the main frame 1, as
described above, the accuracy of the installation of guide
rails I and 8 is improved. Thus, the chain 24 can be
accurately engaged with the sprockets 20 to provide a
satisfactory driving state.
However, according to the conventional type of USP
4,488,639, the guide rails or the attachments supporting the
guide rails are not integral with the main frame but held up
by the main frame by means of bolts. Therefore, according
to this conventional structure, such operational effects of
the present invention as above-mentioned can not be expected
at all.
The transfer operation will now be described.
Figs. 1 and 6 show the operating state with the roller
pitch _ adjusted to a minimum. The chain 24 is constantly
driven by the motor 29, so that all the sprockets 20
engaging the chain 24 are rotating around the axe~ of the
-- 1 1 --
~86~ ~
-qupport shafts 18. Further, each transmission roller 21 is
contacted with the lower region of the outer periphery of
the free roller 13 by the resilient force of the coil spring
3~; thus, the group of free rollers 13 are forced to rotate,
so that objects 30 can be transferred along the transfer
path 23. When an object 30 is stopped by a stopper device
(not shown), since the friction transfer force of the free
roller 13 on the object 30 is greater than the friction
force of the friction transfer section 22, the boss of the
sprocket 20 slidingly rotates with respect to the inner
wheel 21a. Thus, while the sproc~et 20 is constantly
rotating, the rotation of the free roller 13 is stopped, so
that the object 30 can be stored without causing a sliding
contact state on the lower side.
When the object 30 is a long-sized one as shown in Fig.
~, the roller pitch P can be increased to reduce the number
of transmission units 40 consisting of free rollers 13 and
transmission rollers 21. This can be attained by loosening
the bolts lOA and lOB, moving the support frames 9A and 9B
toward the transfer path 23 along the guides 2A and 2B, and
tightening the bolts lOA and lOB with respect to the nuts 3A
and 3B which have been moved integrally with the support
frames 9A and 9B and bolts lOA and lOB. During this, excess
free rollers 12 and support frames 9A and 9B are removed.
Figs. 8 through 11 show a second embodiment of the
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24~
invention. In the second embodiment, rotatably attached to
the two cover plates 15 at a position closer to the base
plate 14 is a shaft 3a extending in the direction of
transfer at right angles with the roller axis 1~. A
cylinder device 39, which is another example of an upward
movement imparting device, is installed between one end of
the support shaft 18 and the connecting plate 16. In this
case, the cylinder device 39 has a main body 39a fixed to
the connecting plate 16 and a rod 39b contacted at its front
end with the support shaft 38.
According to this second embodiment, the cylinder
device 39 upwardly moves the transmission roller 21 together
with the support shaft 18 and presses the transmission
roller 21 against the free roller 13, whereby a group of
free rollers 13 are forcibly rotated, as in a driving region
31 shown in Fig. 11, to transfer objects 31 along the
transfer path ~3. Further, the cylinder device 39 is
reversely operated to lower the transmission roller ~1 until
the latter is separated from the free roller 13, whereby
transmission from the transmission roller 21 to the free
roller 13 is interrupted. Thus, the rotation of the group
of free rollers 13 is stopped, as in a non-driving region 32
shown in Fig. 11, to store the object 30 on the transfer
path 23.
At this time, in the driving region 31, the object 30
- 13 -
1%~
is sensed by a sensing lever or phototube devlce and the
free rollers 13 located forwardly of the object 30 in the
direction of transfer are successively rotated, while the
free rollers 13 passed over by the object 30 are
successively stopped; by so controlling, the object 30 can
be progrssively displaced in the direction of transfer. In
a particular location, a non-driving region 32 can be
defined by a control signal so as to store the object 30.
Further, the driving region 31 can be automatically
controlled to be converted into a non-driving region 32 when
the subsequent object 30 approaches the preceding object 30;
thus, continuous storage can be effected without collision.
~ igs. 12 through 16 shows a third embodiment of the
invention.
The lateral frames lA and lB are obtained by extrusion
of aluminum. At this time~ simultaneously with the
formation of the guides 2A and 2B and grooves 4A and 4B, the
inner side of the lower attachment 6 is formed with a top-
opened holding groove 41 extending throughout the region
lengthwise of the transfer path 23, and a locking piece 42
inwardly projecting above the upper attachment 5 is formed
throughout the region lengthwise of the transfer path 23. A
cover 43 which covers the top and inner side of the path of
transfer of the chain 24 is provided between adjacent
transmission units 40. The cover 43 is an aluminum extruded
- 14 -
...
12~362 ~8
article of substantially L-shaped cross section, and is cut
into required lengths in use. The lower end of the vertical
plate portion 44 of the cover 43 forms an lnsert portion 44a
to be inserted from above into the holding groove 41, while
the front end of the transverse plate portion 45 thereof
forms a locXing portion 45a to be locked from below to the
locking piece 42. The cover 43 can be attached between
transmission units 40 by inserting the insert portion 44a
from above into the holding groove 41 and locking the
locking portion 45a to the lower locXing piece 42 by
utilizing the elasticity of the cover 43.
During transfer operation, foreign substances from the
object 30 will drop into a space between adJacent free
rollers 13. Those foreign substances which fall ~nto the
free roller 13 will slide down the free roller 13 to fall
into a space between adjacent free rollers 13. Therefore,
the transmission unit 40 consisting of the sprocket 20 and
transmission roller 21, and the chain 24 located therebelow
are protected from the foreign substances by the free
rollers 13 and cover plate 15. All the foreign substances
will drop from a ~pace between free rollers 13, as described
above, but since the chain 25 located between and below the
free rollers 13 i~ covered with the lateral frame lA and
cover 43, they will never drop onto ~uch part~.
Further, the provision of the covers prevents an
- 15 -
36~
operator who performs conveyor operating from accidentally
putting his hand into the operating section of the chain 24.
Thus, safety is secured.
When a long-sized object shown in Fig. 16 is handled as
an object 30 to be transferred, the pitch P is increased and
long-sized covers 43 corresponding to the changed pitch P
are utilized.
In the above embodiment, the covers 43 have been of the
type adapted to be removed from the lateral frames lA and
lB. However, they may be of the type adapted to be removed
from the transmission units 40.
Figs. 1~ through lg shows a fourth embodiment of the
invention.
The base plate 14 of one s~pport frame 9A is formed
with locking holes 53a and 53b. The other support frame 9B
ls in the form of a rectangular plate having a pair of upper
and lower attaching holes 54B for receiving a bolt lOB.
Opposite sides of the support frame 9B with the attaching
holes 54B interposed therebetween are formed with locking
grooves 55a and 55b which are opened at end surfaces of the
support frame 9B. The distancecl L1 and L2 from the bottoms
of the locking grooves 55a and 55b to the attaching holes
54B are made equal to the distances L1 and L2 from the
attaching hole 54A, formed in one support frame 9A to
receive the bolt lOA, to the locking holes 53a and 53b. The
- 16 -
:12l~i2-~
free roller 13 has it~ roller shaft 12 inserted at one end
thereof in either of the locking holes 53a and 53b and at
the other end thereof in either of the locking grooves 55a
and 55b from above and supported on the bottom of the
groove.
The width dimensions of the locking grooves 55a and 55b
are such that the innermost width Wl (arc diameter) is
somewhat greater than the diameter D of the roller shaft 12
and the inlet width W2 is further greater than said diameter
D, and projections 56a and 56b are formed between these
regions, the width W3 between these projections 56a and 56b
being somewhat smaller than said diameter: W2>W1>D>W3.
Thus, the shaft 12 dropped into the locking groove 55a or
55b pas~es over the projection~ 56a or 56b by depressing
them, so that during normal operation the projections 56a or
56b serve as stoppers which prevent upward withdrawal.
When free rollers of different diameter is used because
of changes of the transfer speed or roller pitch P, the free
rollers 13 now in use will be first removed. At the time,
the operator raises the end of the free roller 13 associated
with the ~upport frame 9B, forcibly moving the end of the
roller shaft 12 through the space between the projections
56a and 56b until it is upwardly removed from the locking
groove 55a or 55b. Then the operator pulls the free roller
13 lengthwise of the latter to extract the other end of the
36~ ~8
roller ~haft 12 from the locking hole 53a or 53b. And be
resets the support frame 9A by -turning it upside down.
Subsequently, he inserts one end of the roller shaft 12 of a
new free roller 13 into the locking hole 53b or 53a and the
other end into the loc~ing groo~e 55b or 55a. In this
manner, the free roller 13 can be easily and quickly
changed.
Figs. 20 through 33 show a fifth embodiment of the
invention.
The upper portions of support frames 9A and 9B for a
transmission unit 40 are formed with rece ses 60A and 60B
whose upper and inner surfaces are opened, while the upper
portions of erected elements 61A and 61B po~itioned at the
outer sides of the support frames 9A and 9B are formed with
guide surfaces 62A and 62B which are inclined outward the
more the upper region i~ approached. The front and rear
~urfaces of the recesses 60A and 60B are defined by pawl
bodies 63A and 63B having inward pawl portions 63a and 63b
in the upper ends. The bac~ and upper portions of the pawl
bodie~ 63A and 63B are provided with grooves 64A and 64B
whose upper surface~ and opposite lateral surface3 are
opened, and following these grooves 64A and 64B, the lower
portions are provided with tapping grooves 65A and 65B, ~o
t~at these pawl bodie~ 63A and 63B are forwardly and
rearwardly swung against their own elasticity.
- 18 -
3,2~
Formed on the upper surfaceq of the support frames 9A
and 9B and forwardly and rearwardly outwardly of the grooves
64A and 64B are recessed step portions 66A and 66B. Lid
memberq 67A and 67B fitted from above in said step portions
66A and 66B to close the upper surfaces of the recesses 60A
and 60B have through-holes 68A and 68B capable of being
opposed to the tapping grooves 65A and 65B. The inner ends
of the lower surfaces of the lid plates 69A and 69B for
in~ertion from above into the grooves 64A and 6~B, while the
outer ends of the lower surfaces thereof are formed with
wedging elements 70A and 70B whose outer surfaces are
inclined and which can be inserted between the pawl bodies
63A and 63B.
A free roller 13 of resin is idly rotatably installed
between the support frames 9A and 9B through a roller shaft
12. More specifically, installed on the opposite ends of
the roller shaft 12 idly rotatably fitted in the free roller
13 are bearing bodies ~lA and 71B adapted to be fitted from
above into the recesses 60A and 60B. The bearing bodies ~lA
and 71B are in the form of rectangular blocXs which are
centrally formed with through-holes ~2A and ~2B through
which the roller shaft 12 is inserted, the upper end corner
portions thereof being formed with locked portionq ~3A and
~3B in the form of reces-qes adapted to be engageable by the
pawl portions 63a and 63b. In addition, pluralities of said
-- 19 --
12~36Z~t3
bearing bodies 71A and 71B with the vertical positions of
their through-holes 72A and ~2B changed are prepared. The
attachment of the roller shaft 12 is effected by fitting the
bearing bodies ~lA and 71B in the recesses 60A and 60B, and
the free roller 13 is rendered idly rotatably around the
roller axis 1~.
An L-shaped plate 35 in thle support frame 9A is made
from resin and is attached in position by being fitted in
the free end of the cover plate 15, said L-shaped plate 35
being formed with a vertically extending recess 74 for
controlling the vertical swing range of the support shaft 18
by getting the other end of the ~upport shaft 18 therein.
In this embodiment, same air cylinder device 75 as the
one shown in the third embodiment described above is
installed on the transverse plate of the L-shaped plate 35
to serve as upward movement imparting means for pressing the
transmission roller 21 against the free roller 13. The air
cylinder device ~5 comprises a main body ~6 fixed to the
transverse plate, and a rubber body (a kind of flexible
body) fixed to the upper portion of said main body 76
through a fixing member 7~, said rubber body ~8 being
adapted for vertical expansion~ and contraction by supplying
a fluid, such as air, into and extracting it from an
actuation chamber ~9 formed below the rubber body ~8. The
rubber body 78 is capable of abutting from below again~t a
- 20 -
31.2B6~8
cylinder rubber support 80 attached to the other end of the
support shaft 18, said cylinder rubber support 80 is
integrally formed with a cap-like cover body 81 ~ufficiently
large to completely cover the rubber body 78 from above.
Between the lateral frames lA and lB, a support frame
85 is installed to extend across a plurality of base frames
lC in the direction of the transfer path 23. This l1pport
frame 85 i~ in the form of a ra!il which has a dovetail
groove 86 centrally formed in the lower surface thereof and
dovetail yrooves 87a and 87b centrally formed in opposite
lateral surface~ thereof and a tapping groove 88 centrally
formed in the upper surface thereof and tapping grooves 89a,
89b, 90a and 90b formed above and below the dovetail grooves
87a and 87b in the opposite lateral surfaces. Further, the
support frame 85 is formed on its opposite lateral surfaces
with upward engaging portions 91a and 91b above the tapping
grooves 90a and 90b and also with downward engaging portions
92a and 92b below said tapping grooves. The support frame
85 is fixed to the ba~e frame lC by a nut 93 positioned in
the dovetail groove 84 and a bolt 94 and ~upport~ the L-
shaped plate 35 through a nut 95 positioned in the dovetail
groove 87 on one side and a bolt 96.
Further, the ~upport frame 85, as shown in Fig. 24,
~upports a bracket 98 having an item presence detector 97 by
engaging its engaged portion 99 with the engaging portion
~21~36~ ~8
91b and then ~crewing a tapping ~crew 100 into the tapping
groove 89b. Further, as ~hown in Fig. 25, there can be
provided lower half frame bodies 102a and 102b ~ith engaged
portions lOla and lOlb engaged ~ith the engaging portions
92a and 92b and an upper half frame body 104 engaged at it~
lower end with the upward engaging groove~ 103a and 103b
fromed on the outer ends of said lower half bodies 102a and
102b, and duct sections 106a and 106b can be formed on both
sides of the support frame 85 by screwing a tapping ~crew
105, passed centrally through the upper half frame body 104,
into the tapping groove 88. ~lectric wires may be installed
in the duct ~ections 106a and 106b.
Objects 30 to be transferred are supported and
transferred through wooden pallets lOa.
In the sprocket 20, the annular boss portion 111 having
the transmission roller 21 fitted théreon is formed with a
plurality of circumferentially spaced vent holes 112
extending along the support shaft 18. The surface of the
annular boss portion 111 associated with the sprocket 20 is
formed with vanes 113. The vent holes are arcuate in the
circumferential direction and formed at ~ix circumferential
places. The vanes 113 are formed at three circumferential
places between the ends of the vent holes 112. ~ach vane
113 comprises a pair of vane plates 113a and 113b. The~e
vane plates 113a and 113b are inclined so that their radial
- 22 -
~2~36Z ~8
outer ends are connected together and so that the ends
as-o.ociated with vent holes 112 in the direction of the
length of the support shaft 18 are connected together as
they are contacted with the amlular boss portion 111.
The upper portions of the lateral Prames lA and lB are
provided with removable guide i.-rames 120A and 120B. The
guide frame~ 120A and 120B as well as the lateral frames lA
and lB and support frame 85 are obtained by the drawing of
aluminum. These guide frames 120A and 120B are formed at
their outer surfaces with outwardly opened dovetail grooves
121A and 121B and at their inner surfaces with inwardly
opened locklng grooves 122A and 122B in the form of dovetail
groovec~. The attachment of the guide frames 120A and 120B
to the lateral frames lA and lB is effected as follows: The
upper regions of the outer surfaces of the lateral frames lA
and lB are formed with step portions 123A and 123B and
dovetail groove~ 124A and 124B which open to intermediate
regions of said step portions 123A and 123B. First,
connecting plates 125A and 125B applied to the step portions
123A and 123B are fixed to the lateral frames lA and lB by
nuts 126A and 126B positioned in the dovetail grooves 124A
and 124B and bolts 12 lA and 127B . By nuts 128A and 128B
positioned in the dovetail grooves 121A and 121B and bolt~
129A and 129B, the guide frames 120A and 120B placed on the
lateral frames lA and lB are fixed to the connecting plate~
-- 23 --
~L2~62-~
125A and 125B to complete the attachment. The guide plate
130 of resin, for example, i~ removably attachable to the
guide frame 120A by lengthwise inserting a locking portion
131 integral with the outer surface into said locking groove
122A. As another example, in t~le case where a guide plate
132 of metal, such as iron, is used, a counter-sun~ bolt 135
pas-~ed through a hole 134 formed in said metal guide plate
132 is screwed into a threaded patch plate 133 positioned in
the loc~ing groove 122B. In addition, in Fig. 21, the resin
guide plate 130 and the metal guide plate 132 are shown
positioned on opposite sides but actually two such plates
130 or two such plates 132 which are made of the same
material suitable for the material of the pallets 108 are
positioned on oppo~ite sides.
The transfer operation based on the above construction
will now be described.
Figs. 20, 21 and 26 show the state of use with the
entire length of the transfer path 23 adapted to serve as a
drive region 31 by upwardly moving all the transmission
rollers 21 together with the support sh~fts 18 by the push-
up forces from the air cylinder devices 75 to press them
against the corresponding free rollers 13. The push-force
from the air cylinder device 75 i~ obtained by feeding
compressed air into the actuation chamber 79 to upwardly
expand the rubber body 78. This push-up force is
- 24 -
~Z~36~
transmitted to the support shaft 18 through the cylinder
rubber support 80, thus swinging the support shaft 18 upward
around the pivot point on the bearing portion 19. The chain
24 is constantly driven by the motor 29 and hence all the
sprockets 20 engaging the chain 24 are rotating around the
respective axes of the support ~hafts 18. Further, the
transmi~sion roller 21 is pressed against the lower region
of the outer periphery of the free roller 13, thereby
forcibly rotating the group of rollers 13 to transfer the
objects 30 on the transfer path 23.
During such transfer operation, an air current E is
generated by the vane plates 113a of the vanes 113 being
made a rotation D integral with the sprocket 20 and so on,
said air current E flowing through the vent hole 112 into
the cover plate section 15. Thereby, it is possible to cool
the sprocket 20 and the cover plate section 15 as well as
the rubber body 78. Particularly in the case where parts
are made from synthetic resin, the synthetic resin tends to
be degraded by heating; thus, cooling by air is effective.
Further, such location is where heat of friction is being
generated and hence cooling is reguired.
In the above construction, a transmis~ion unit 40
compri~ing a ~procket 20 and a transmi~sion roller 21 ha-
~been di3posed in one lateral frame lA; however, it may be
disposed in the other lateral frame lB or such units may be
- 25 -
- ~2B62~8
disposed in both lateral frames lA and lB to drive the free
roller at the opposite ends. When the transmission unit 40
is disposed in the other lateral frame lB, the direction of
rotation thereof is relatively reversed, so that during
rotation d as shown in Fig. 33, an air current e is
generated by the other vane plate 113b.
During operation, if foreign particles, such as wood
chips, fall from an object 30 to be transferred or a pallent
108, they fall onto a free roller 13 or between adjacent
free rollers 13. The foreign particles falling onto a free
roller 13 slip down along the free roller 13 to pass between
adjacent free rollers 13, with some of said foreign
particles entering the cover plate section 15. The foreign
particles entering the cover plate section 15 are stopped by
the cover body 81 and thereby prevented from falling onto
the rubber body 78, which is thus protected from foreign
materials.
In such transfer state, the bearing bodies ~lA and 71B
with the roller shafts 12 insertable into the through-holes
72A and ~2B are fitted from immediately above into the
rece~ses 60A and 60B of the support frames 9A and 9B.
During this fitting, the outer -Qurfaces of the bearing
bodies ~lA and ~lB act on the pawl portions 63a and 63b to
force them apart from each other again~t their elasticity,
and thereafter the elastic restoring force cause~ the pawl
- 26 -
12~62~
portions 63a and 63b to engage the locked portions ~3A and
73B, whereby the bearing bodies llA and llB are prevented
from ~lipping off. The upper portions of the bearlng bodies
71A and 71B are closed by the lid members 67A and 67B, at
which time the push-in elements 69A and 69B are pu~hed into
the grooves 64A and 64B while the lid members 6~A and 61B
are fitted in the step portions 66A and 66B. And the
tapping screws 141A and 141B passed through the through-
holes 68A and 68B are screwed into the tapping grooves 65A
and 65B, whereby the lid members 67A and 61B are fixed in
position. In that the push-in elements 69A and 69B are
pushed into the grooves 64A and 64B as described above,
outward deformation of the pawl bodies 63A and 63B is
prevented and the engagement by the pawl portions 63a and
63b is firmly maintained.
In the case where the transfer manner described above
is changed by changing the roller pitch P or using free
rollers 13 of different diameter to change the transfer
speed, first, the removal of the free rollers 13 now in use
i-~ effected. That is, the bolts 129A and 129B are removed
for removal of the guide frames 120A and 120B, whereupon the
tapping screws 141A and 141B are removed for removal of the
lid members 61A and 6~B. And the lid members 67A and 67B
are turned through 180 degrees sos that the wedging elements
~OA and ~OB are opposed to the pawl portions 63a and 63b.
- 2~ -
In this state, when the lid members 67A and 67B are lowered,
the wedging elements 70A and 70B act on the inner surfaces
of the pawl bodies 63A and 63B, thereby outwardly opening
these pawl bodies 63A and 63B against their elasticity so as
to release the pawl portions 63a and 63b from the locked
portions 73A and 73B. Subsequently, the free roller 13is
pulled directly upward, whereupon the bearing bodies 71A and
71B fitted on the rGller shaft 12 are removed upward from
the recesses 60A and 60B and so are the lid plates 67A and
67B. Thereafter, the bearing bodies 71A and ~lB fitted on
the roller shaft 12 of a new another free roller 13 are
dropped from directly above into the recesses 60A and 60B
and then the lid members 67A and 67B are set in position.
In the case where the guided members are wooden pallet~
108, the metal guide plates 132 are sufficient for
satisfactory guide, but if the pallets 108 are made of some
other material (such as resin) or ~pecial objects 30 are to
be directly transferred, the guide plates 132 will be
replaced by those made from a material suitable for the
~ituation. In the construction represented by the resin
guide plates 130, this can be effected by lengthwise
shifting the resin guide plates 130 to move the locking
portions 131 for insertion or extraction relative to the
locking grooves 122A and 122B. In the construction
repre~ented by the metal guide plate~ 132, replacement can
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~236~
be effected by mainpulating the counter-sunk bolts 135 for
tightening or loosening; in this case, the patch plates 133
and counter-sunk bolts 135 as well as the guide frames 120A
and 12OB can be used as such.
When long-sized objects to be transferred such as one
shown at 30 in Fig. 28 are to be handled, it is possible to
increase the roller pitch P and decrease the number of
transmission units 40 each comprising a free roller 13 and a
transmission roller 21. This ca~1 be realized by removing the
free roller 13 and other parts as described above, loosening
the bolts lOA and lOB, moving the support frames 9A and 9B
by the guides portions 2A and 2B in the direction of the
transfer path 23, and tightening the bolts 10~ and lOB for
fixing with respect to the nuts 3A and 3B which have been
moved integrally therewith. At this time, unnecessary free
rollers 13 and support frames 9A and 9B are removed.
In the above, the entire length of the transfer path 23
has been described as serving as a drive region 31; this,
however, as shown in Fig. 2~, can be switched between non-
drive regions 32 and drive regions 31, the details of the
switching operation being the same as in the second
embodiment previously described with reference to Fig. 11.
As pointed out in the above embodiment, when the
support frame 85 for supporting the free end side of the L-
shaped plate 35 is provided, part of the load on the side
- 29 -
a~ociated with the L-shaped plate 35 can be supported, and
hence the attachment by the bolt lOA and the shape of the
transmission unit 40 can be maintained ~ati~factory for a
long time. Further, the support frame 65 can be utilized
for the attachment of a photocell device and a solenoid
valve and also utilized as the main member for the duct as
described above.
As for the guide frames 120A and 120B, a wide shape
shown in Fig. 29 may be employed.
Figs. 34 through 38 show a sixth embodiment of the
invention.
As in the previous embodiments, transmission units 40,
~uch as the one shown in Fig. 21, each comprising a support
shaft 18, a sprocket 20, a transmission roller 21 and an air
cylinder device ~5, etc., which are supported by a ~upport-
frame 9A, are disposed in opposed relation to most of the
plurality of free rollers 13. Brake units 151 are di-~posed
relative to some free rollers 13.
The brake units 151 are constructed in the same way as
the transmission unit~ 40 and, a~ ~hown in Fig. 35, each
brake unit ha~ a ~upport ~haft 152 extending along a roller
axis 17, ~aid ~upport shaft 152 being fitted at one end
thereof in a bearing portion 19 90 that it i-~ vertically
swingable. A cylindrical bos~ member 154 i~ fixed to the
~upport ~haft 19 by a key 153, and a bra~e body 155 of
- 30 -
urethane rubber is fixed to the bo~s member 154. The brake
body 155 is cylindrical and is arranged so that its outer
peripheral ~urface can be contacted with the lower region of
the outer periphery of the free roller 13. The brake body
155 together with the boss member 154 can be
circumferentially displaced for change of phase so as to
change it~ active portion, thereby coping with problem of
wear. An air cylinder device 156 for moving the brake body
155 is disposed between a cylinder rubber support 157
attached to the other ~ide of the support shaft 152 and the
transverse plate of an L-shaped plate 35. When the boss
member 154 is shaped to have a flange portion 158 made
integral therewith as by cutting off the teeth of the
sprocket 20 of the transmission unit 40, the flange portion
158 can be engaged with the upper ~ide of the chain 24.
The free rollers 13 each paired with a transmission
unit 40 or brake unit 151 as de~cribed above are arranged at
intervals of a pitch P on a main frame 1, whereby a transfer
path 23 is defined by the group of free rollers 13. The
numeral 161 denote~ buckets, which are an example of an
object to be transferred.
Free rollers 13 each paired with a transmission unit 40
or brake unit 151 are divided into a plurality of groups a,
b, c, n, each group consisting of seven units, and are
controlled group by group. That is, it i~ arranged that a
- 31 -
6~
first supply and discharge hose 165 serially connecting the
air cylinder devices 75 for the transmission uni~s 40 and a
~econd ~upply and discharge ho~e 166 serially connecting the
air cylinder devices 156 for the brake units 151 can be
alternatively connected to an air supply hose 169 from an
air supply device 168 through a 5-port solenoid valve 161.
The numeral 1~0 denotes a regulator, and 171 denotes a
silencer. ~ach of the groups a, b, c, ---n is provided with
an item presence detector 172 of photoelectric or other
type.
Transfer operation based on the abovë construction will
now be described.
In Figs. 34 and 36, in all groups a, b, c, -n, the
solenoid valves 16~ are switched to connect the air ~upply
hoses 169 to the first supply and discharge hoses 165, and
the support shafts 18 are swung upward by the extension of
said air cylinder devices 75 to press all transmission
rollers 21 from below against the corresponding free rollers
13. At this time, the chain 24 is constantly driven by the
motor 29 and hence all ~prockets 20 engaged with the chain
24 are rotating around the axes of the support shafts 18.
The transmission rollers 21 are contacted with the lower
regions of the outer peripheries of the free rollers 13 to
thereby forcibly rotate the free rollers 13, ~o that bucket~
161 can be transferred on the transfer path 23 in which the
- 32 -
12~ 8
entire length is made to ~erve as a drive region. At this
time, the second supply and discharge hoses 166 are opened
and the support shafts 152 are ~wung downward under their
own weights on the basis of the amounts of contraction of
th~ air cylinder devices 156 for the brake units 151, thu~
moving the brake bodies 155 away from the free rollers 13.
Therefore, no brake action is created and hence the
corresponding free rollers 13 are allowed to rotate freely
with the travel of the buckets 161.
As shown by the group b in Fig. 37, for example, the
solenoid valve 167 is switched to connect the air supply
hose 169 to the second supply and discharge hose 166 and, as
shown in Fig. 35, the support shaft 152 is swung upward by
the extension of the air cylinder device 156 to press the
brake body 155 from below against the corresponding free
roller 13, whereby free rotation of this free roller 13 can
be prevented. Thereby, it is possible to brake a bucket 161
to prevent it from being transferred. In addition, when the
brake body 155 is pressed as indicated by a phantom lin J in
Fig. 34, the transmis~ion roller 21 is spaced away as
indicated b~ a phantom line K.
As shown in Fig. 37, for example, when the bucket 161
is in the storage state in the group b, a bucket 161 which
has come in ai it is transferred by the group a which is in
the drive ~tate is detected by the item pre~ence detector
1~86;~
172 as indicated by a phantom line R. As a result of this
detection signal and the detection signal from the group b,
the solenoid valve 167 for the group _ is automatically
switched so that, as described above, the transmission
roller 21 is separated from the free roller 13 and the brake
body 155 is pressed against the free roller 13. Therebyr
the bucket 161 is braked and stopped without colliding with
the preceding bucket 161 as indicated by a phantom line S.
If the bucket 161 in the group b is carried out, the
detection signal from the item presence detector 1~2
disappears, whereby the solenoid valve 167 for the group a
is automatically switched for drive so that the bucket 161
is transferred to the group b.
Fig. 38 shows another example of arrangement of a
tran~mission unit 40 and a brake unit 151. In this example
of arrangement, the transmission unit 40 is disposed below
one end of the free roller 13 while the brake unit 151 is
disposed below the other end. According to such
arrangement, the free roller 13 which is being driven can be
braked.
- 34 -
