JPH0380665B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to power and free conveyors.

Conventional technology Conventionally, a power line, a free line arranged to overlap with the power line, a large number of pushers that can swing vertically and move together with the drive chain on the power line side, and a free line on the free line side are used. Power-and-free conveyors are already well known, which include an engagement dog provided on a free trolley of the carrier and an anti-coast dog provided on the free trolley opposite the engagement dog. It is used for automation of assembly line production of automobiles, etc.

Problems to be solved by the invention However, with conventional conveyors, free
Since the engaging dog and the coasting prevention dog were fixed to the trolley, a large impact was applied to the free trolley and the carrier when the pusher engaged with the engaging dog, resulting in damage to the processing of conveyed objects such as automobile assemblies. There were problems in that the work was hindered and noise was generated due to the engagement between the pusher and the engagement dog.

By the way, conventionally, in contrast to the pusher that moves together with the drive chain on the power line side, the free trolley of the carrier on the free line side is equipped with a hook (engaging dog) and a hook engaging/removing lever, and the pusher and the hook are Conveyors are already known in which the impact during engagement of the hooks is alleviated by springs attached to the levers (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
-Refer to Publication No. 170307).

However, in such conventional conveyors, although the impact during engagement between the pusher and the engagement dog of the free trolley can be alleviated,
When the carrier is stopped by the stopper or when the carrier is accumulated, there is a problem in that it is not possible to alleviate the impact and it is not possible to prevent the generation of noise.

Furthermore, a power-and-free conveyor equipped with a buffer mechanism consisting of a cylinder holding a rod in a linear direction is already known (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 10394/1983).

However, in this conventional conveyor, the connecting member that connects the front free trolley and the intermediate free trolley constitutes a buffer mechanism. (Transportation moving body) includes a front free trolley having an engagement dog and a coasting prevention dog, an intermediate free trolley, and a rear free trolley having an accumulation cam.
It is necessary to have at least three trolleys, and even for carriers that transport relatively short objects, there is a front free trolley with an engagement dog and a coasting prevention dog, and a main free trolley that supports the load.
It is necessary to have at least two trolleys, and therefore the number of free trolleys installed is large.
There was a problem of increased costs.

Furthermore, in the past, as a result of connecting the front free trolley and the intermediate free trolley by a shock absorber, for example, in a curved rail section, the point of application to the shock absorber (joint part) was far away from the center of the trolley. Because of its location, the force required to turn the trolley sideways is large. In addition, not only on curved rail sections but also on straight rail sections, the intermediate trolley that supports the load of the transported object can change its posture between mutually opposing channel type rails, so it is possible to handle heavy loads. In this case, when the intermediate trolley is tilted, the tilt (torsion) is also transmitted to the front free trolley via the universal joint and connecting rod, and the trolley is therefore tilted, making the steering heavy and damping. There was also the problem that functionality deteriorated.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art by improving one trolley itself without providing a buffer mechanism between the trolleys, and to improve the engagement between the pusher and the engagement dog of the free trolley. Also, when the carrier is stopped by a stopper or when the carrier is accumulated, no impact is applied to the carrier and no noise is generated, making the flow production of automobiles etc. very quiet and efficient. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a power and free conveyor that is practical, requires fewer trolleys, is inexpensive to manufacture, and exhibits an excellent buffering function even on curved rail sections. .

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a power line, a free line arranged to overlap the power line, and a drive chain that moves together with the power line side. A power and free system equipped with a large number of pushers that can freely swing up and down, a free trolley installed on the carrier on the free line side, and a buffer mechanism consisting of a cylinder that holds a rod that is moved in and out of the linear direction. - In the conveyor, the free trolley is composed of a free trolley main body and a sliding body having an engagement dog and a coasting prevention dog attached to the free trolley body so as to be able to slide back and forth. The gist of the conveyor is a power-and-free conveyor in which a cylinder of a shock absorbing mechanism is attached to the trolley body, and the tip of the rod of the shock absorbing mechanism is connected to the sliding body via a connecting pin.

Embodiments and Operations Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The embodiments show the case where the present invention is applied to an underfloor type power and free conveyor.

In this specification, front, rear, left and right refer to the first
Based on the drawing, the front refers to the left side of the drawing, the back refers to the right side of the drawing, and the left refers to the front side of the sheet of drawing paper in the drawing, and the right refers to the back side of the same drawing.

In Figures 1 to 3, the power and free conveyor is connected to power line 1 and power line 1.
A free line 21 arranged so as to overlap the line 1, and a large number of pushers 5 that are vertically swingable and move together with the drive chain 4 on the power line 1 side.
and a pair of front and rear free trolleys 23 and 24 provided on the carrier 20 on the free line 21 side. And the front free trolley 23 is
It is equipped with a free trolley main body 23A and a sliding body 33 housed inside the free trolley body 23A so as to be slidable back and forth, and a pair of sliding pins protruding outward on the left and right sides of the sliding body 33, respectively. 34, 34 are inserted into elongated holes 35, 35, which are long in the front and back, formed in the left and right side walls of the free trolley main body 23A. Therefore, the sliding body 33 can slide back and forth by the length that the sliding pins 34, 34 can move within the elongated holes 35, 35. An engagement dog 25 is provided at the front end of the sliding body 33 in a downwardly projecting manner, and a coasting prevention dog 26 is provided at the rear end of the engagement dog 25.
It is set up to face the.

The free trolley main body 23A and the sliding body 33 are
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, they are connected via a buffer mechanism 40 consisting of a cylinder 42 holding a rod 45 that is moved in and out in a linear direction.

On the other hand, each pusher 5 has a substantially T-shape when viewed from the front due to a mounting part 6 attached to the power trolley 3 by a pivot 10 and an engaging part 7 provided horizontally at the tip of the mounting part 6. In addition, the center part 7a of the engaging part 7 is made thick, and has a dog locking surface 8 at the rear end, and the left and right side parts 7b, 7c are made thin, and the parts 7b and 7c are made thinner, and the center part 7a of the engaging part 7 is made thick, and the left and right side parts 7b and 7c are made thin, and the parts 7b and 7c are made thinner and have a dog locking surface 8 at the rear end. It has inclined surfaces 9, 9 for passing the overtaking dog, which are sloped obliquely upward toward the passing dog.

Each engagement dog 25 has a horizontal connection part 25a integrally provided at the front end of a sliding body 33 provided on the front free trolley 23 of the carrier 20, and a vertical connection part 25a connected to both left and right ends of the horizontal connection part 25a. Joining parts 25b, 25
When viewed from the front, it is shaped like a gate.
A pusher pressing slope 28 is provided at the lower end of each of the vertical engaging portions 25b, 25c and has a slope that rises obliquely toward the front.

Note that both the left and right vertical engaging portions 2 of the engaging dog 25
Pusher 5 from the side on each tip of 5b, 25c
A pusher pushing inclined surface 29 is provided to press down the left and right sides 7 of the horizontal engaging portion 7 of the pusher 5.
A side collision prevention inclined surface 11 that comes into contact with the above-mentioned inclined surface 29 is provided at the tip of each of b and 7c. The angle of these inclined surfaces 28, 11 is generally 30 to 45 degrees.

Sliding body 3 provided on the front free trolley 23
A coasting prevention dog 26 is provided at the rear end of the wheel 3 so as to face the engagement dog 25 and spaced apart from it at a required distance. Tip 2 of coasting prevention dog 26
6a are left and right side parts 7 of the pusher horizontal engagement part 7;
b, 7c are held at a level where they come into contact with the overtaking dog passing slopes 9, 9. Also, on both left and right sides of the tip of the coasting prevention dog 26, pusher pushing slopes 2 for pushing the pusher 5 from the side are provided.
9 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the buffer mechanism 40 includes a pair of left and right pins 41, 4 on the free trolley main body 23A.
A cylinder 4 is swingably mounted by 1.
2, and an orifice 44 slidably housed in the cylinder 42 and opened in the front and rear for passage of fluid such as air.
a piston 43 having a piston rod 45;
One end of the piston rod 45 is connected to the piston 43 inside the cylinder 42, and a joint fitting 46 is attached to the other end, which is connected to the sliding body 3 outside the cylinder 42.
3 is connected to the upper protrusion 36 at the front end via a connecting pin 47. A bellows-shaped cylindrical protective cover 48 is secured to the front wall of the cylinder 42 and the joint fitting 46, and a portion of the piston rod 45 that protrudes forward from the cylinder 42 is covered by the protective cover 48.

An accumulation cam 27 is attached to the rear free trolley 24 of the carrier 20.
This cam 27 is rod-shaped, and has an inclined surface 30 at its rear end for holding down the pusher 5 from the rear, and slopes for pushing down the pusher 5 from the side at both left and right ends of the lower end of the cam 27. A surface 31 is provided.

In the above conveyor, when the pusher 5 moving together with the drive chain 4 engages with the engagement dog 25 of the front free trolley 23 of the carrier 20, the piston rod 45 of the buffer mechanism 40 is projected forward, and at the same time the piston 43 moves forward inside the cylinder 42, and the cylinder 42
Inside, fluid such as air in the space on the front side of the piston 43 passes through the orifice 44 and moves to the space on the rear side of the piston 43, and the pusher 5 and the engaging dog 2
The impact caused by the engagement with 5 is alleviated.

In the normal conveyance state of the carrier 20, as shown in FIG.
is involved in.

Further, when the carrier 20 is to be stopped at a desired location on the conveyor line, a carrier stopping device 50 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is used. That is, the carrier stopping device 50 includes an engagement release member 51 with a stopper that is approximately T-shaped when viewed from the bottom and is horizontally movable on one side of the conveyor line. An engagement dog 25 between the pusher 5 and the free trolley 23 is provided at the rear end by pressing down the horizontal engagement portion 7 of the pusher 5.
An inclined surface 53 is provided for releasing the engagement with the engagement dog 25, and stoppers 54, 54 that come into contact with the front ends of the vertical engagement portions 25b, 25c of the engagement dog 25 are provided on both left and right sides of the front end thereof.

The disengagement member 51 with a stopper of the carrier stop device 50 is normally parked at a remote position on one side of the conveyor line. When stopping the desired carrier 20, the engagement release member 5 with a stopper
1 is horizontally moved from the standby position and is located on the conveyor line, and the front free trolley 2 of the carrier 20 is pulled by the pusher 5.
3 moves forward, the disengagement part 52 in the center
The pusher 5 is pressed downward by the inclined surface 53, and the engagement between the pusher 5 and the engagement dog 25 is released, and the pusher 5 continues to be pressed against the lower surface of the engagement release portion 52 and moves forward. The ends of the left and right vertical engaging portions 25b, 25c of the engaging dog 25 come into contact with the stoppers 54, 54 and are stopped, thereby causing the sliding body 33 integral with the engaging dog 25 to retreat. As the piston rod 45 of the buffer mechanism 40 is retracted, the piston 43
moves backward in the cylinder 42, and fluid such as air in the space on the rear side of the piston 43 passes through the orifice 44 and sequentially moves into the space on the front side of the piston. Engagement part 2
5b, 25c come into contact with the stoppers 54, 54, the impact is alleviated, and the front free trolley 23 and carrier 20 are brought to a gentle stop. In this state where the carrier 20 is stopped, the piston 43 of the buffer mechanism 40 is moved to the cylinder 42.
It is located at the rear end of the carrier 20, and preparations are made when the carrier 20 is moved again.

When the following carrier 20 is accumulated with respect to the stopped preceding carrier 20, as shown on the right side of FIG. 1, the rear free trolley 24 of the stopped preceding carrier 20 is
Inclined surface 3 at the rear end of the rod-shaped accumulation rate cam 27
0, the center part of the pusher 5 that pulls the front free trolley 23 of the following carrier 20 is pressed down, and the pusher 5 and the front free trolley 23
The engagement dog 25 disengages from the engagement dog 25, and then the tip of the engagement dog 25 comes into contact with the rear end of the rear free trolley 24 of the stopped leading carrier 20, and the engagement dog 25 and the sliding slide integrated therewith are disengaged. The moving body 33 is gradually moved backward, and the following carrier 20 comes to a slow stop due to the action of the buffer mechanism 40. After the trailing carrier 20 has stopped, the piston 43 of the buffer mechanism 40 is positioned at the rear end within the cylinder 42, and preparations are made for the carrier 20 to move again.

Figures 7 to 10 show one free line 2
This figure shows a specific example in which one carrier 20 is transferred by pushers 5A and 5B of two different power lines 1A and 1B.

First, in Figures 7 to 9, the underfloor type power
The and free conveyor has first and second power lines 1A and 1B partially arranged in parallel.
and a free line placed across both power lines 1A and 1B and overlapping above them.
line 21, a large number of pushers 5A and 5B that are vertically swingable and move together with the drive chain 4 on both power lines 1A and 1B, and a front free trolley 23 of the carrier 20 on the free line 21 side. It also includes an engagement dog 25 that engages with the pushers 5A and 5B.

The first and second power lines 1A and 1B each include power rails 2A and 2B made of a pair of left and right channel steel, and the free line 21 includes a free rail 22 made of a pair of left and right channel steel. We are prepared. In the parallel portion P of the first and second power lines 1A and 1B, both power lines
Lines 1A and 1B portions are arranged on both left and right sides of the free line 21.

Next, the operation of the above conveyor will be explained.

First, up to the power line parallel portion P, as shown in FIG. Vertical engagement portions 2 on both left and right sides of the engagement dog 25 of the carrier 20
5b and 25c, the carrier 20
is being transported. When the carrier 20 approaches the power line parallel portion P, the first power line 1
A shifts (displacement) with respect to free line 21
Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, pusher 5
The left side 7b of the horizontal engaging portion 7 is the engaging dog 25.
It is engaged with the right vertical engagement portion 25c.
On the other hand, the pusher 5B of the second power line 1B moves in a free state until it reaches the power line parallel portion P.

Next, after passing the power line parallel part P, the first power line 1A becomes the free line 2.
1, pusher 5A and engagement dog 2
5 is disengaged from the right vertical engaging portion 25c, leaving the carrier 20. And the pusher 5 of the second power line 1B is connected to the power line parallel part P.
The engagement dog 25 of the carrier 20 is engaged with the vertical engagement portion 25b on the left side, and the carrier 2
0 is then the pusher 5 of the second power line 1B.
It is towed and moved by B. Note that after passing the power line parallel portion P, the second power line 1B is located directly below the free line 21, so the pusher 5
The left and right sides 7b, 7c of the horizontal engaging portion 7 of B are the left and right vertical engaging portions 25b, 25c of the engaging dog 25.
be involved.

The moving speeds of the pushers 5A and 5B of the first power line 1A and the second power line 1B may be equal to each other, or one may be fast and the other slow;・Line 1A, 1
The carrier 20 can be transferred regardless of the speed difference between the B pushers 5A and 5B.

That is, first, the first power line 1A and the second
Of course, there is no problem if the pushers 5A and 5B of the power line 1B have the same speed.

Next, pusher 5 of the first power line 1A
A is slow, second power line 1B pusher 5
Even if B is fast, there is no problem because the carrier 20, which is being fed into the power line parallel portion P by the slow pusher 5A, is taken away by the latter fast pusher 5B.

Finally, the pusher 5 of the first power line 1A
A is fast, second power line 1B pusher 5
If B is slow, the latter slow pusher 5B enters the power line parallel section P first, and when the carrier 20 pulled by the former fast pusher 5A enters the parallel section P later, the second pusher 5B enters the power line parallel section P first. As shown in FIG. 10, the upper end of the slow pusher 5B is pressed down by the pusher pushing slope 28 on the front side of the engagement dog 25 of the carrier 20, and the lower end 26a of the coasting prevention dog 26 is pushed downward. 5B
Inclined surface 9 for passing the overtaking dog of the horizontal engaging portion 7
Since the carrier 20 is pressed downward by contacting the pusher 5B, the carrier 20 passes the pusher 5B. Then, after passing the power line parallel portion P, the fast pusher 5A of the first power line 1A leaves the carrier 20 behind, so
Since the slow pusher 5B of the second power line 1 subsequently catches up and continues towing and transporting the carrier 20, no problem occurs.

In addition, the front free trolley 2 of each carrier 20
3 free trolley main body 23A and engagement dog 2
5 and a sliding body 3 having a coasting prevention dog 26
3 are connected via the buffer mechanism 40, so when the pusher 5 and the engagement dog 25 are engaged in the conveyor line, the buffer mechanism 4
Due to the zero effect, there is little impact and no noise is generated.

In addition, the pusher 5A of the first power line 1A
If the carrier 20 towed by the pusher 5B of the second power line 1B enters the power line parallel part P at the same time, the carrier 20
Pusher pushing slopes 29, 30, 32 are provided on the left and right sides of the engagement dog 25, coasting prevention dog 26, and accumulation rate cam 27, respectively. The pusher 5 comes into contact with the side collision prevention inclined surfaces 11 provided at both left and right ends of the horizontal portion 7.
Since B is pressed downward, no side collision occurs.

Although not shown, the power and
According to And Free Conveyor, Carrier 2
Merging and branching of 0 can also be performed in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the present invention was applied to an under-floor type power and free conveyor, but the present invention also applies to an overhead type power and free conveyor. It can be applied in exactly the same way, only that the arrangement relationship of the pushers 5 and the gravity relationship of the pusher 5 are upside down.

The carrier 20 shown in the figure is equipped with a pair of front and rear free trolleys 23, 24, but if the object to be conveyed is long, it may be connected between the front and rear pair of free trolleys 23, 24. Two intermediate free trolleys are arranged and the carrier 20
The carriages may be supported by these intermediate free trolleys.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention comprises a power line, a free line arranged to overlap with the power line, and a large number of pushers that can freely swing up and down and move together with the drive chain on the power line side. In a power and free conveyor equipped with a free trolley and a free trolley provided on a carrier on the free line side, the free trolley has a free trolley main body and a retaining member attached to the free trolley body so as to be slidable back and forth. It consists of a sliding body having a mating dog and a dog for preventing coasting, and the cylinder of the shock absorbing mechanism is attached to the free trolley body, and the tip of the rod of the shock absorbing mechanism is attached to the connecting pin on the sliding body. Instead of providing a buffer mechanism between the trolleys, one trolley itself is modified to provide a buffer mechanism, and the engagement between the pusher and the engagement dog of the free trolley is improved. Not only during assembly, but also when the carrier is stopped by the stopper or when the carrier is accumulated, no impact is applied to the carrier and no noise is generated, making the flow production of automobiles etc. extremely quiet. It can be carried out efficiently, and since at least one trolley needs to be used to provide the damping mechanism, the number of trolleys required is small and manufacturing costs are low. Furthermore, since the buffer mechanism is equipped on one trolley, it has the effect of exhibiting an excellent buffer function even on curved rail sections.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a partially omitted enlarged left side view of a power and free conveyor, Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a pusher. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view along the line of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged left side view of the conveyor showing the carrier in a stopped state, and FIG. 6 is a section along the line of FIG. 5. An enlarged bottom view, Figure 7 is a schematic partial plan view of the power line switching section of the power and free conveyor,
Fig. 8 is a left side view of Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the - line in Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a partially enlarged side view of the same conveyor, showing the case where the pusher is overtaken. . 1, 1A, 1B...Power line, 2, 2
A, 2B...Power rail, 3...Power trolley, 4...Drive chain, 5, 5A, 5B...T
Shape pusher, 20...carrier, 21...free line, 22...free rail, 23...
Front free trolley, 24... Rear free trolley, 25... Portal engagement dog, 26... Coasting prevention dog, 27... Accumulation rate cam, 33
...Sliding body, 40 ... Buffer mechanism, 42 ... Cylinder, 43 ... Piston, 44 ... Orifice for passage of fluid such as air, 45 ... Piston rod, 50
...Carrier stop device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A power line 1, a free line 21 arranged so as to overlap the power line 1, a large number of pushers 5 that are vertically swingable and move together with the drive chain 4 on the power line 1 side, and a free line 1. A free wheel provided on the carrier 20 on the 21 side
A buffer mechanism 4 consisting of a trolley 23 and a cylinder 42 holding a rod 45 that is moved in and out in a linear direction.
0, the free trolley 23 includes a free trolley main body 23A, an engagement dog 25 and a coasting prevention dog 26 attached to the free trolley main body 23A so as to be slidable back and forth. The free trolley body 23A has a buffer mechanism 40.
A cylinder 42 is attached to the sliding body 33,
The tip of the rod 45 of the buffer mechanism 40 is connected to the connecting pin 4.
Power and free conveyor connected via 7.