Transport mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796395-B2
Application number	US-201615070542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2016
Priority date	Mar 19, 2015
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A transport mechanism for transporting a travel body that can self travel and includes: a motor; a drive wheel to which rotary torque of the motor is transmitted; and a first gear to which the rotary torque of the motor is transmitted is provided. The transport mechanism includes: a transport body configured on which the travel body is placed for transportation, the transport body including a second gear that can mesh with the first gear of the placed travel body; a movement mechanism for moving the transport body, on which the travel body is placed, by the rotary torque of the motor transmitted to the second gear; and an idling section for causing an idle state in which the drive wheel rotates idle in a state where the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other and rotation of the second gear is permitted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transport mechanism, comprising:
a travel body that includes a motor, a drive wheel to which rotary torque of the motor is transmitted; and a first gear to which the rotary torque of the motor is transmitted and that can self-travel:
a transport body configured to transport the travel body placed on the transport body, the transport body including a second gear configured to mesh with the first gear of the placed travel body;
a movement mechanism configured to move the transport body, on which the travel body is placed, by the rotary torque of the motor transmitted to the second gear; and
an idling section that causes an idle state in which the drive wheel rotates idle in a state where the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other and rotation of the second gear is permitted.

2. The transport mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein
when the state where the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other and the rotation of the second gear is permitted is shifted to the state where the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other and the rotation of the second gear is restricted, the first gear rolls along the second gear, and the idle state of the drive wheel by the idling section is canceled.

3. The transport mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein
the movement mechanism further includes a worm gear, a third gear, a pinion gear, and a rack,
the second gear is fixed to a first rotary shaft that is rotatably supported,
the worm gear is configured to be fixed to the first rotary shaft and rotate by the rotation of the second gear,
the worm gear meshes with the third gear that is fixed to a second rotary shaft,
the pinion gear is fixed to the second rotary shaft, the pinion gear and the third gear are configured to unable relative rotation to each other but rotate integrally, rotation of the first rotary shaft is configured to be diverted at 90 degrees to an axial direction of the second rotary shaft by the worm gear and the third gear, and
the pinion gear meshes with the rack, a longitudinal direction of which aligns with a vertical direction, and the transport body is configured to move in the vertical direction by rotation of the pinion gear.

4. The transport mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein
the idling section is a hole that is formed in a rail section on which the travel body provided in the transport body travels.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tasaka Masahiro
• Komoto Tadayuki

Classifications

• B61B15/00

  Combinations of railway systems · CPC title

• B66B11/0461

  with rack and pinion gear · CPC title

• B61B13/04 Primary

  Monorail systems · CPC title

• B65G1/065

  with self propelled cars · CPC title

• B61B13/02

  Rack railways · CPC title