Patent ID: 9266677
Filing Date: 2016-02-23
CPC Classification: B65G

Claim Text:
1. A transport conveyer comprising: an upstream side conveyer portion for supporting and transporting an article which is rectangular in shape in plan view, along an upstream side imaginary path line; and a downstream side conveyer portion for supporting and transporting an article along a downstream side imaginary path line, the downstream side conveyer portion being connected to a downstream side of the upstream side conveyer portion; wherein the upstream side imaginary path line is defined to have a circular-arc shape, wherein the upstream side conveyer portion is configured to support and transport the article while rotating the article about a vertical axis to cause the article to be in an upstream side orientation in which a lateral side of the article is parallel to a tangent line of the upstream side imaginary path line, wherein a guide body is provided for guiding the article such that the article stays within a set lateral width by contacting a peripheral surface of the article, the guide body being provided along the upstream side imaginary path line and the downstream side imaginary path line, wherein the upstream side conveyer portion is provided such that the upstream side imaginary path line is connected to the downstream side imaginary path line, and such that a tangent line of the upstream side imaginary path line at a downstream side end thereof and a tangent line of the downstream side imaginary path line at the upstream side end thereof are at a same angle, wherein the upstream side imaginary path line of the upstream side conveyer portion is defined to have a circular-arc shape with curves toward a first direction out of right and left directions, wherein the downstream side imaginary path line of the downstream side conveyer portion is defined to have a circular-arc shape which curves toward a second direction out of the right and left directions, wherein each of the upstream side conveyer portion and the downstream side conveyer portion is configured to be of a roller drive type in which the article is supported and transported by rotation of driving rollers which are driven and rotated by an actuating device, wherein the driving roller provided on an upstream side relative to a downstream side end region of the upstream side conveyer portion is an upstream side first driving roller, the upstream side first driving roller being provided in such an orientation that its pivot axis passes through a center of curvature of the upstream side imaginary path line, wherein the driving roller provided on a downstream side relative to the upstream side end region of the downstream side conveyer portion is a downstream side first driving roller, the downstream side first driving roller being provided in such an orientation that its pivot axis passes through a center of curvature of the downstream side imaginary path line, wherein there is provided a rotating operation transport device including: an upstream side second driving roller which is the driving roller provided in the downstream side end region of the upstream side conveyer portion; or a downstream side second driving roller which is the driving roller provided in the upstream side end region of the downstream side conveyer portion, a pivot axis of the upstream side second driving roller is oriented so that a portion of the pivot axis outward in a direction along a radius of curvature relative to an intersection of the pivot axis and the upstream side imaginary path line is disposed on an upstream side relative to a straight line through the intersection and the center of curvature of the upstream side imaginary path line, and a pivot axis of the downstream side second driving roller is oriented so that a portion of the pivot axis outward in a direction along a radius of curvature relative to an intersection of the pivot axis and the downstream side imaginary path line is disposed on a downstream side relative to a straight line through the intersection and the center of curvature of the downstream side imaginary path line.