Transfer device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053300-B2
Application number	US-201515113193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2015
Priority date	Jan 28, 2014
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

To develop a transfer device which has a lower overall height than that of a conventional technology. A transfer device 1 includes a main conveying unit 3 equipped with main conveying bodies 82 , a sub conveying unit 2 equipped with sub conveying bodies 14 , a lifting and lowering mechanism 4 which lifts and lowers the main conveying unit 3 and the sub conveying unit 2 such that the respective units 3 and 2 are located at different positions in the up-down direction, and a motor 5 which operates the lifting and lowering mechanism 4 . A planar position of the motor 5 resides in a planar area overlapping with the main conveying bodies 82 and the sub conveying bodies 14 . A position of the motor 5 in the height direction is set such that a part or the whole of the motor 5 is located above a height of a lower end of a rotational track or a traveling track of any one of the conveying bodies 82 and 14 in a lowered state of any one of the conveying units 3 and 2 . This structure can reduce the overall height of the transfer device 1 in a state that the motor 5 is disposed within the transfer device 1.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transfer device comprising:
a main conveying unit having a plurality of main conveying bodies that rotate or travel in contact with a conveyed object to convey the object in a fixed direction;
a sub conveying unit having a plurality of sub conveying bodies that rotate or travel in contact with the conveyed object to carry the object in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the main conveying unit; and
a lifting and lowering unit having a lifting and lowering mechanism for lifting and lowering at least one of the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit, and a motor for operating the lifting and lowering mechanism,
the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit being disposed in an identical planar area,
the lifting and lowering unit lifting one of the conveying units to a position above the other conveying unit to convey the object in a desired direction,
wherein a planar position of the motor resides in a planar area overlapping with the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit, and
wherein a position of the motor in a height direction is set such that a part or the whole of the motor is located above a height of a lower end of a rotational track or a traveling track of any one of the conveying bodies of any one of the conveying units in a lowered state,
wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a cleared motor, a power transmission shaft transmitting rotational force from the geared motor, a pinion gear attached to the power transmission shaft, and a rack engaging with the pinion gear,
wherein an output shaft of the geared motor and the power transmission shaft have a skew positional relationship,
wherein the power transmission shaft is disposed below the output shaft of the geared motor, and
wherein the rack is formed in a downward direction.

2. The transfer device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conveying bodies of one of the conveying units are rotating bodies composed of rollers or small rotating body groups coaxially arranged whereas the conveying bodies of the other conveying unit are narrow conveyers having a small width,
wherein the rotating bodies are disposed in parallel with a fixed interval whereas the narrow conveyers are disposed between the rotating bodies and appear from between the rotating bodies, and
wherein a position of a part or the whole of the motor in the height direction is higher than a height of a lowermost end of the rotating bodies, and higher than a height of a lower end of a rotational track or traveling track of the narrow conveyers.

3. The transfer device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conveying bodies of one of the conveying units are rotating bodies composed of rollers or small rotating body groups coaxially arranged,
wherein the rotating bodies are disposed in parallel with a fixed interval, and
wherein a driving motor that drives the rotating bodies is disposed in a plane identical to a plane of the respective rotating bodies.

4. The transfer device according to claim 1 ,
wherein one of the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit is a roller conveyer device that includes a plurality of rollers disposed in parallel whereas the other conveying unit is a belt conveyer device including a plurality of belts disposed in parallel,
wherein the belts composing the belt conveyer device are disposed between the rollers composing the roller conveyer device,
wherein a traveling track of each of the belts comprises a conveying passage side on which the conveyed object is placed, and a return side that passes below the conveying passage side,
wherein a narrow part coming close to the conveying passage side is formed in the return side of at least one of the belts for a predetermined length in the conveying direction of the conveyed object, and
wherein the motor is disposed at the narrow part.

5. The transfer device according to claim 1 ,
wherein one of the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit is a roller conveyer device that includes a plurality of rollers disposed in parallel whereas the other conveying unit is a belt conveyer device including a plurality of belt conveyers disposed in parallel,
wherein the belts composing the belt conveyer device are disposed between the rollers composing the roller conveyer device, and
wherein the motor is disposed in parallel with the rollers of the roller conveyer device, and between the rollers.

6. The transfer device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit comprises a regulating unit provided for allowing linear upward and downward movement, and a frame,
wherein the regulating unit is a plate body or a linear body that bends and/or tilts, and
wherein the regulating unit is attached between the frame and the main conveying unit or the sub conveying unit in such a posture that a bending direction or a tilting direction is aligned with an upward and downward movement direction of the main conveying unit or the sub conveying unit.

7. The transfer device according to claim 6 , wherein a plurality of the regulating units are provided between the frame and the main conveying unit or the sub conveying unit.

8. A transfer device comprising:
a main conveying unit having a plurality of main conveying bodies, each with a conveying surface, that rotate or travel in contact with a conveyed object to convey the object in a fixed direction;
a sub conveying unit having a plurality of sub conveying bodies, each with a conveying surface, that rotate or travel in contact with the conveyed object to carry the object in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the main conveying unit; and
a lifting and lowering unit having a lifting and lowering mechanism for lifting and lowering at least one of the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit, and a motor for operating the lifting and lowering mechanism,
the main conveying unit and the sub conveying unit being disposed in an identical planar area,
the lifting and lowering unit lifting one of the conveying units to a position above the other conveying unit to convey the object in a desired direction,
wherein a planar position of the motor resides in a planar area overlapping with the main conveying surfaces on the conveying unit and the conveying surfaces on the sub conveying unit,
wherein a position of the motor in a height direction is set such that a part or the whole of the motor is located above a height of a lower end of a rotational track or a traveling track of any one of the conveying bodies of any one of the conveying units in a lowered state,
wherein the conveying bodies of one of the conveying units are rotating bodies composed of rollers or small rotating body groups coaxially arranged whereas the conveying bodies of the other conveying unit are narrow conveyers having a small width,
wherein the rotating bodies are disposed in parallel with a fixed interval whereas the narrow conveyers are disposed between the rotating bodies and appear from between the rotating bodies, and
wherein a position of a part or the whole of the motor in the height direction is higher than a height of a lowermost end of the rotating bodies.

9. The transfer device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a geared motor, a power transmission shaft transmitted rotational force from the geared motor, a pinion gear attached to the power transmission shaft, and a rack engaging with the pinion gear,
wherein an output shaft of the geared motor and the power transmission shaft have a skew positional relationship,
wherein the power transmission shaft is disposed below the output shaft of the geared motor, and
wherein the rack is f

Assignees

• Itoh Denki Co Ltd

Inventors

• Itoh Kazuo
• Nakamura Tatsuhiko
• Maekawa Jun

Classifications

• B65G47/54 Primary

  at least one of which is a roller-way · CPC title

• B65G15/12

  with two or more endless belts · CPC title

• B65G13/07

  having endless driving elements · CPC title

• B65G2207/18

  Crossing conveyors · CPC title

• B65G13/10

  Switching arrangements · CPC title