Conveying device and conveyor unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464756-B2
Application number	US-201715729892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2017
Priority date	Feb 10, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A conveying device has: a main conveyor unit; a sub conveyor unit; and a lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers at least one of the main conveyor unit and the sub conveyor unit, wherein the main conveyor unit has a main conveying passage disposed in a fixed region, the main conveying passage conveying a conveyance object, wherein the sub conveyor unit has a sub conveying passage disposed in the fixed region, the sub conveying passage conveying the conveyance object in an intersecting direction with respect to a conveying direction of the main conveying passage, wherein a conveyance attitude is capable of being changed between a main conveyance attitude in which a conveying surface of the sub conveying passage is located below a conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and a sub conveyance attitude in which both ends in the intersecting direction of the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage are located above the conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and in the sub conveyance attitude, the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage is inclined in a height direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveying device comprising:
a main conveyor unit;
a sub conveyor unit; and
a lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers at least one of the main conveyor unit and the sub conveyor unit,
wherein the main conveyor unit comprises a main conveying passage disposed in a fixed region, the main conveying passage conveying a conveyance object,
wherein the sub conveyor unit comprises a sub conveying passage disposed in the fixed region so that the main conveying passage and sub conveying passage overlap as viewed from above the conveying device, the sub conveying passage conveying the conveyance object in an intersecting direction with respect to a conveying direction of the main conveying passage,
wherein a conveyance attitude is changeable between a main conveyance attitude in which a conveying surface of the sub conveying passage is located below a conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and a sub conveyance attitude in which both ends in the intersecting direction of the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage are located above the conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and
wherein in the sub conveyance attitude, the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage is inclined in a height direction.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein in the sub conveyance attitude, substantially a whole of the conveying surface of the main conveying passage is located below the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage.

3. The conveying device according to claim 2 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises at least two kinds of cam members changing the conveyance attitude from the main conveyance attitude to the sub conveyance attitude by rotation thereof.

4. The conveying device according to claim 3 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a connecting member connecting the two kinds of cam members directly or through another member, the connecting member allowing a synchronizing rotation of the two kinds of cam members to change the conveyance attitude from the main conveyance attitude to the sub conveyance attitude.

5. The conveying device according to claim 2 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a driving source that lifts and lowers one of the main conveyor unit and the sub conveyor unit, driving of the driving source changing the conveyance attitude from the main conveyance attitude to the sub conveyance attitude.

6. The conveying device according to claim 5 , wherein the driving source is a motor-incorporating roller comprising a motor and a speed reducer therein.

7. The conveying device according to claim 2 , further comprising an angle adjusting unit adjusting an inclination angle of the sub conveying passage in the sub conveyance attitude.

8. The conveying device according to claim 2 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a base part directly or indirectly fixed to a floor or a fixed structure, the base part being connected to a part of the sub conveyor unit to regulate movement of the sub conveying passage in the conveying direction of the main conveying passage.

9. A conveyor unit comprising:
at least two conveyor lines having a height difference; and
a connection line connecting the two conveyor lines,
wherein at least one of the two conveyor lines comprises the conveying device according to claim 2 in a connection portion to the connection line.

10. A conveyor unit comprising:
a conveyor line; and
an inclined line inclined in a height direction,
wherein one of ends of the inclined line is connected to an intermediate part of the conveyor line, and
wherein the conveyor line comprises the conveying device according to claim 2 in a connection portion to the inclined line.

11. The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises at least two kinds of cam members changing the conveyance attitude from the main conveyance attitude to the sub conveyance attitude by rotation thereof.

12. The conveying device according to claim 11 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a connecting member connecting the two kinds of cam members directly or through another member, the connecting member allowing a synchronizing rotation of the two kinds of cam members to change the conveyance attitude from the main conveyance attitude to the sub conveyance attitude.

13. The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a driving source that lifts and lowers one of the main conveyor unit and the sub conveyor unit, driving of the driving source changing the conveyance attitude from the main conveyance attitude to the sub conveyance attitude.

14. The conveying device according to claim 13 , wherein the driving source is a motor-incorporating roller comprising a motor and a speed reducer therein.

15. The conveying device according to claim 1 , further comprising an angle adjusting unit adjusting an inclination angle of the sub conveying passage in the sub conveyance attitude.

16. The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the lifting and lowering unit comprises a base part directly or indirectly fixed to a floor or a fixed structure, the base part being connected to a part of the sub conveyor unit to regulate movement of the sub conveying passage in the conveying direction of the main conveying passage.

17. A conveyor unit comprising:
at least two conveyor lines having a height difference; and
a connection line connecting the two conveyor lines,
wherein at least one of the two conveyor lines comprises the conveying device according to claim 1 in a connection portion to the connection line.

18. A conveyor unit comprising:
a conveyor line; and
an inclined line inclined in a height direction,
wherein one of ends of the inclined line is connected to an intermediate part of the conveyor line, and
wherein the conveyor line comprises the conveying device according to claim 1 in a connection portion to the inclined line.

Assignees

• Itoh Denki Co Ltd

Inventors

• Itoh Kazuo
• Nakamura Tatsuhiko
• Ueda Koji
• Itoh Takahiro

Classifications

• B65G47/643 Primary

  in a vertical plane · CPC title

• B65G47/52

  Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices (loading or unloading by means not incorporated in, or not operatively associated with, conveyors B65G65/00; transfer of workpieces during metal rolling B21B41/00) · CPC title

• B65G47/54 Primary

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

• B65G47/66

  Fixed platforms or combs, e.g. bridges between conveyors · CPC title

• B65G35/02

  comprising an endless traction element, e.g. a belt, arranged to roll cylindrical articles over a supporting surface · CPC title