Trolley-type conveyance device

• US 8,408,381 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Inventors: Murakami, Masami, Wang, Jianguo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell, James R
• Application Number:
  US13/619,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20130015039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 200 Days
• Field of Search: 198/465.1, 198/465.2, 198/580, 198/468.6, 198/468.8, 414/749.1, 414/589, 104/48, 104/50, 104/128, 104/130.07
• US Class Current: 198/468.8
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/18 Transportation, conveyor or haulage systems specially adapted for motor vehicle or trailer assembly lines conveyors and haulage in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/06 comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path effecting drive at two or more points spaced along the length of an endless conveyor B65G23/32
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 37/02 Flow-sheets for conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops

Abstract

A carriage-type conveying apparatus with a workpiece support base and an elevating drive has a passive shaft interlocked with the elevating drive and a lock to prevent descent of the workpiece support base A power source carriage capable of traveling synchronously with the conveying carriage is aside of a traveling path of the conveying carriage at a workpiece support height changing position so as to be reciprocable along the traveling path. The power source carriage has a transmission shaft driven by a power source and a separable interlock to interlock the passive shaft and a transmission shaft with each other.

Claims

1. A carriage-type conveying apparatus comprising:

a conveying carriage provided with an elevatable workpiece support base and an elevating drive means to vertically drive the workpiece support base;

a workpiece support height changing position set on a traveling path of the conveying carriage and, when the conveying carriage passes through the workpiece support height changing position, the elevating drive means being operable to change a height of the workpiece support base;

a power source carriage provided aside of the traveling path of the conveying carriage at the workpiece support height changing position said power source carriage being reciprocable along the traveling path;

a synchronization drive means provided aside of the traveling path of the conveying carriage at the workpiece support height changing position to make the power source carriage travel synchronously with the conveying carriage;

the conveying carriage having a passive shaft interlocked with a driving shaft of the elevating drive means; and

having

a locking means to prevent descent of the workpiece support base while the passive shaft does not receive a torque;

the power source carriage having a transmission shaft acceptable to transmit a torque to the passive shaft;

a power source operable to rotationally drive the transmission shaft; and

a separable interlocking means to interlock the passive shaft and the transmission shaft with each other in a state where the conveying carriage and the power source carriage synchronously travel.

2. The carriage-type conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the locking means comprises a worm gear reducer interposed in a transmission system between the driving shaft of the elevating drive means and the passive shaft.

3. The carriage-type conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization drive means comprises a couplable and separable coupling means to couple the conveying carriage and the power source carriage.

4. The carriage-type conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the coupling means comprises a held portion connected to the conveying carriage, openable and closable holders connected to the power source carriage so as to be capable of holding the held portion therebetween from front and rear of a traveling direction of the conveying carriage, and a switch drive means connected to the power source carriage to switch the holders between a retract state of retracting outside a moving path of the held portion and a holding state of holding the held portion.

5. The carriage-type conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission shaft and the passive shaft are arranged concentrically with each other and orthogonal to a traveling direction in the synchronous traveling state of the conveying carriage and the power source carriage, the transmission shaft and the passive shaft are also provided with respective rotation transmitting fitting distal ends fittable to and separable from each other, and

the interlocking means comprises a transmission shaft in-and-out drive means to drive the transmission shaft to move in and out in an axial center direction thereof.

6. The carriage-type conveying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transmission shaft in-and-out drive means is provided with a movable body supported on the power source carriage so as to be reciprocable in the axial center direction of the transmission shaft, a movable body drive means to reciprocate the movable body, a relay shaft supported to the movable body so as to only be self-rotatable, and a motor supported to the movable body (as the power source and rotationally driving the relay shaft,

the transmission shaft is fitted to the relay shaft so as to be relatively movable only in the axial center direction within a fixed range and is biased to an advancing direction with respect to the relay shaft by a spring interposed with the relay shaft, and

the transmission shaft and the passive shaft are fitted to each other at the respective rotation transmitting fitting distal ends when the movable body moves to its advance limit in the synchronous traveling state of the conveying carriage and the power source carriage, and then the transmission shaft moves rearward with respect to the relay shaft against the spring.

7. The carriage-type conveying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a positioning rod arranged parallel to the transmission shaft and having a conical pointed end is supported to the movable body so as to be reciprocable in an axial center direction within a fixed range and a spring biasing the positioning rod toward the traveling path side of the conveying carriage is juxtaposed,

the conveying carriage is provided with a positioning fitted member having a conical hole to which the conical pointed end of the positioning rod can be fitted, and

the conical pointed end of the positioning rod is fitted to the conical hole of the positioning fitted member before the transmission shaft and the passive shaft are fitted to each other at the respective rotation transmitting fitting distal ends when the movable body is advanced in the synchronous traveling state of the conveying carriage and the power source carriage, and the positioning rod retracts against the spring when the movable body moves to the advance limit.

8. The carriage-type conveying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the movable body is provided with a movable base plate being movable with respect to an origin position in a two-dimensional vertical plane within a fixed range and being biased and held at the origin position by springs, and the relay shaft and the motor are supported to the movable base plate.