Transport conveyor and transport unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9725245-B2
Application number	US-201415129994-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A transport conveyor and a transport unit including such a transport conveyor are provided in which the transport conveyor can be made compact in the lateral direction while being compatible with a downstream conveyor whose transport direction is different from that of the transport conveyor. A second transport winding member ( 9 ), a first relaying winding member ( 10 ), and a second relaying winding member are supported to be swingable about a vertical axis (X 1 ) extending along the vertical direction and located on the other side end portion, along a transport direction, of the transport conveyor ( 5 ). An operatively connecting mechanism is provided for causing the second transport winding member ( 9 ), the first relaying winding member ( 10 ), and the second relaying winding member to swing in an operatively connected manner, to cause the second transport winding member ( 9 ) and the second relaying winding member to swing integrally about a vertical axis (X 1 ) and to cause the first relaying winding member ( 10 ) to swing about the vertical axis (X 1 ) in the direction in which the second transport winding member ( 9 ) and the second relaying winding member swing and by an amount of swing that is greater than the amount of swing of the second transport winding member ( 9 ) and the second relaying winding member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transport conveyor comprising:
an endless belt wound over a plurality of winding members and a driving rotatable member;
a transport actuator device for drivingly rotating the driving rotatable member;
wherein the transport conveyor transports an article placed on an upward-facing transporting surface of the endless belt along a transport direction, such that the driving rotatable member is drivingly rotated by the transport actuator device to move the endless belt along a longitudinal direction thereof,
wherein provided as the plurality of winding members are:
a first transport winding member located in an end portion, on a first direction side which is one side along the transport direction, of a transport portion that forms the transporting surface of the endless belt;
a second transport winding member located in an end portion, on a second direction side which is the other side along the transport direction, of the transport portion;
a first relaying winding member which is located at a lower position than the first transport winding member and the second transport winding member and which is located between the first transport winding member and the second transport winding member along the transport direction; and
a second relaying winding member which is located at a lower position than the first transport winding member and the second transport winding member and which is located on the second direction side of the first relaying winding member along the transport direction,

wherein the endless belt is wound over the first transport winding member, the second transport winding member, the first relaying winding member, the second relaying winding member, and the first transport winding member, in that order,
wherein the second transport winding member, the first relaying winding member, and the second relaying winding member are supported to be swingable about a vertical axis extending along a vertical direction and located in an end portion, on the second direction side, of the transport conveyor, and
wherein an operatively connecting mechanism is provided to cause the second transport winding member, the first relaying winding member, and the second relaying winding member to swing in an operatively connected manner to cause the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member to swing integrally about the vertical axis and to cause the first relaying winding member to swing about the vertical axis in the direction in which the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member swing, and by an amount of swing that is greater than an amount of swing of the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member.

2. The transport conveyor as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the first transport winding member, the second transport winding member, the first relaying winding member, and the second relaying winding member is provided to be rotatable about a horizontal axis as the endless belt moves along a longitudinal direction thereof.

3. The transport conveyor as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a first support frame which supports the first relaying winding member and is swingable about the vertical axis;
a second support frame which supports the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member and is swingable about the vertical axis; and
a base frame which supports the first transport winding member and is fixed with respect to movement about the vertical axis, and
wherein the driving rotatable member and the transport actuator device are supported by the base frame.

4. The transport conveyor as defined in claim 1 , wherein the operatively connecting mechanism includes a first operatively connecting member which operatively connects the first relaying winding member to a swing actuator device, and a second operatively connecting member which operatively connects the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member to the swing actuator device, and
wherein the operatively connecting mechanism is configured to cause the first operatively connecting member and the second operatively connecting member to be moved by an actuating force of the swing actuator device to cause the first relaying winding member, the second transport winding member, and the second relaying winding member to swing, in an operatively connected manner.

5. The transport unit having the transport conveyor as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an adjacent conveyor located on the second direction side of, and adjacent to, the transport conveyor, and
wherein the operatively connecting mechanism is configured to cause the adjacent conveyor, the second transport winding member, and the second relaying winding member to swing, in an operatively connected manner, to cause the adjacent conveyor, the second transport winding member, and the second relaying winding member to swing integrally about the vertical axis.

6. The transport unit as defined in claim 5 , wherein the adjacent conveyor is provided to be swingable about the vertical axis,
wherein the operatively connecting mechanism includes a first operatively connecting member which operatively connects the first relaying winding member to a swing actuator device, and a second operatively connecting member which operatively connects the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member to the swing actuator device, a third operatively connecting member which operatively connects the adjacent conveyor to the swing actuator device, and
wherein the operatively connecting mechanism is configured to cause the first operatively connecting member, the second operatively connecting member, and the third operatively connecting member to be moved by an actuating force of the swing actuator device, to cause the first relaying winding member, the second transport winding member, the second relaying winding member, and the adjacent conveyor to swing, in an operatively connected manner.

7. The transport unit as defined in claim 6 , wherein the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member are attached to the adjacent conveyor for swinging integrally with the adjacent conveyor about the vertical axis,
wherein the second operatively connecting member is formed by the third operatively connecting member and the adjacent conveyor, and
wherein the first operatively connecting member and the third operatively connecting member are provided at lower positions than the adjacent conveyor.

8. The transport unit as defined in claim 6 , wherein a first support frame which supports the first relaying winding member is provided to be swingable about the vertical axis,
wherein a second support frame which supports the second transport winding member and the second relaying winding member is connected to the adjacent conveyor for swinging integrally with the adjacent conveyor about the vertical axis,
wherein the second operatively connecting member is formed by the third operatively connecting member and the adjacent conveyor,
wherein, with a location at which the first operatively connecting member is connected to the first support frame being defined to be a first connecting location, and with a location at which the third operatively connecting member is connected to the adjacent conveyor being defined to be a second connecting location, the operatively connecting mechanism is configured such that the first connecting location and the second connecting location move about the vertical axis in a same direction and by a same straight line distance, as a result of a fact that the first operatively connecting member and the third operatively connecting

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Fujio Yoshihiko

Classifications

• B65G47/648

  about a vertical axis · CPC title

• B65G15/60

  Arrangements for supporting or guiding belts, e.g. by fluid jets · CPC title

• B65G41/002

  Pivotably mounted · CPC title

• B65G15/00

  Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration (having load-conveying surfaces formed by interconnected longitudinal links B65G17/06) · CPC title

• B65G21/14 Primary

  to allow adjustment of length or configuration of load-carrier or traction element (varying speed of conveyance by adjusting configuration of load-carrier B65G23/00; {tensioning arrangements for belt or chain B65G23/44}) · CPC title