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US 7,255,220 B2Granted
Conveyance system
AssigneesHonda Motor Co., Ltd., Iwata Koki Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoshiharu Iwai, Masanori Nonaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conveyance system, wherein dividable horizontal conveyance units are connected to each other through joint plates and a support post and rails of the horizontal conveyance units are connected to each other without any step and clearance. A joint conveyance carnage assembly is conveyed by a force applied thereto from annular chains of the horizontal conveyance units through chain presser plates. When the rearmost one of the chain presser plates leaves the annular chain of the horizontal conveyance unit, the chain presser plate of the headmost first conveyance carriage reaches the annular chain of the horizontal conveyance unit and the joint conveyance carriage assembly is continuously conveyed.
Claims26
A conveyance system, comprising:
- a conveyance carriage assembly for carrying a workpiece thereon;
- and
- a plurality of conveyance units through which said conveyance carriage assembly is conveyed;
- wherein said conveyance carriage assembly comprises a plurality of driven members including a foremost driven member;
- and said conveyance units are separable into individual units;
- each of said individual units comprising:
- two substantially parallel rails for selectively and alternately guiding said conveyance carriage assembly in opposite directions, respectively;
- and
- two drivers, wherein each of said rails has a respective one of said drivers associated therewith for driving said conveyance carriage assembly through said driven members;
- and
- wherein said system is configured so that during use, when the last one of said driven members is separated from a movable range of a driver with which it is associated, at least the foremost one of said driven members is relayed to a driver of an adjacent unit and said conveyance carriage assembly is substantially continuously conveyed.
8 more elements
A conveyance system, comprising:
- a conveyance carriage assembly for carrying a workpiece thereon;
- and
- a plurality of conveyance units through which said conveyance carnage assembly is conveyed;
- wherein said conveyance carriage assembly comprises a plurality of driven members including a foremost driven member;
- and said conveyance units are separable into individual units, each of said individual units comprising:
- a rail for guiding said conveyance carriage assembly;
- and
- a driver, associated with said rail for driving said conveyance carriage assembly through said driven members;
- and
- wherein said system is configured so that during use, when the last one of said driven members is separated from a movable range of a driver with which it is associated, at least the foremost one of said driven members is relayed to a driver of an adjacent unit, and said conveyance carriage assembly is substantially continuously conveyed, wherein said conveyance units include:
- a plurality of horizontal conveyance units for conveying said conveyance carriage assembly in a substantially horizontal direction;
- and
- a gradient conveyance unit interconnecting two of said horizontal conveyance units;
- wherein said gradient conveyance unit comprises:
- a gradient conveyance drive sprocket disposed closely to an end of the gradient conveyance unit, said gradient conveyance drive sprocket being rotatable by said driver;
- a gradient conveyance driven sprocket disposed closely to an opposite end of the gradient conveyance unit, said gradient conveyance driven sprocket being rotatable;
- a gradient conveyance annular chain held in mesh with said gradient conveyance drive sprocket and said gradient conveyance driven sprocket, said gradient conveyance annular chain being circulatingly drivable;
- and
- a gradient guide for supporting, from below, an upper portion of said gradient conveyance annular chain which imparts drive power to said conveyance carriage assembly and a lower portion of said gradient conveyance annular chain which is guided in a direction opposite to said upper portion, making said gradient conveyance annular chain upwardly convex in shape;
- wherein said conveyance carriage assembly has a gradient conveyance driven sprocket positioned near a leading end of the conveyance carriage assembly in a conveyance direction and held in mesh with said gradient conveyance annular chain;
- and
- wherein after said conveyance carriage assembly is pushed out from said horizontal conveyance unit, said driven sprocket is brought into mesh with said gradient conveyance annular chain, and said conveyance carriage assembly is conveyed by said gradient conveyance annular chain along the shape of said gradient guide.
19 more elements
A conveyance system, comprising:
- a conveyance carriage assembly for carrying a workpiece thereon;
- and
- a plurality of conveyance units through which said conveyance carnage assembly is conveyed;
- wherein said conveyance carriage assembly comprises a plurality of driven members including a foremost driven member;
- and said conveyance units are separable into individual units, each of said individual units comprising:
- a rail for guiding said conveyance carriage assembly;
- and
- a driver, associated with said rail for driving said conveyance carriage assembly through said driven members;
- and
- wherein said system is configured so that during use, when the last one of said driven members is separated from a movable range of a driver with which it is associated, at least the foremost one of said driven members is relayed to a driver of an adjacent unit, and said conveyance carriage assembly is substantially continuously conveyed;
- said conveyance system further comprising:
- a conveyance carriage assembly stopping mechanism for stopping the conveyance carriage assembly for carrying and conveying the workpiece;
- said conveyance carriage assembly stopping mechanism comprising:
- a stopping engaging member mounted on said conveyance carriage assembly;
- a first arm and a second arm which extend in a conveyance direction of said conveyance carriage assembly and have respective shanks having pivotally supported ends;
- a displacing mechanism for alternately and selectively displacing said first arm and said second arm toward and away from each other;
- and
- an entry path defined between said first arm and said second arm for said stopping engaging member to enter, said entry path having a narrower portion having a width which is progressively smaller in a direction of travel of said stopping engaging member, and a wider portion which is wider than said narrower portion;
- wherein said conveyance carriage assembly is decelerated when said first arm and said second arm slide against said stopping engaging member in said narrower portion;
- and
- said conveyance carriage assembly which has entered said wider portion after said narrower portion is spread by said stopping engaging member which presses said first arm and said second arm, is stopped by said first arm and said second arm which engage said stopping engaging member.
18 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.