Abstract:
A transporting apparatus has two storage means with plate form body supporting members in a plurality of stages in vertical direction. Each plate form body supporting member is constructed with a plurality of string like members having widths to pass through clearance between adjacent transporting rotary bodies for vertical movement therethrough and arranged on the same plane for simply being lifted up and down for loading and unloading the plate form body. The storage mean scan be arranged within an installation region of the transporting passage portion. Also, necessary length of the transporting passage portion is merely two or three times of the plate form body. The storage means can be installed in a relay transporting passage portion arranged between two transporting lines arranged in parallel relationship to facilitate installation with simple and compact construction.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a transporting apparatus for plate form bodies to be used by building in a processing line or an inspection line of a glass panel for a plasma display, for example.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    It is typical that a processing line or an inspection line of glass plates for plasma displays is divided into kinds of processes or inspection, or that a processing line or an inspection line cannot be constructed as a single straight line due to physical restriction. In such case, a relaying transporting passage portion is arranged for connection between the divided lines. When it becomes necessary to stop transportation of the plate form body in the line located downstream side of the relaying transporting passage portion, the plate form bodies fed from the upstream side line have to be temporarily stored without feeding into the downstream side line. Adapting to this, a storage apparatus for temporarily storing the plate form bodies is provided in the relaying transporting passage. In such case, the plate form bodies storage apparatus in the relaying transporting passage portion may be constructed to receive the plate form bodies fed from the upstream side line through a storage line branched from the relaying transporting passage portion, for temporary storage.  
           [0005]    The construction, in which the storage apparatus is added, is disadvantageous for significant increase of facility investment and is even impractical in view point of installation space. Therefore, it is typical measure to build in the storage apparatus in the existing relaying transporting passage portion. In such kind of storage apparatus built in the relaying transporting passage portion, the plate form bodies on the relaying transporting passage portion are transported and vertically or laterally stacked. In the typically considered layout, the storage apparatus is arranged on upper side, lower side or lateral side of the relaying transporting passage portion, and transfer means for transferring the plate form bodies between the storage apparatus and the transporting passage is employed. However, such construction is also requires high facility investment for requiring dedicated transfer means and further requires large installation space for overall apparatus to cause significant difficulty in practical use by installing with the existing relaying transporting passage portion.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a transporting apparatus for plate form bodies which can solve the problems set forth above.  
           [0007]    In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a transporting apparatus for plate form bodies, comprises:  
           [0008]    a transporting passage portion arranged in a transporting line of plate form bodies and including transporting rotary bodies arranged in alignment along a transporting direction with a given interval;  
           [0009]    temporarily storing means provided in the transporting passage portion at two positions of upstream side and downstream side for storing plate form bodies,  
           [0010]    each temporarily storing means including vertically arranged a plurality of plate form body supporting members with a given interval permitting the plate form body to pass through,  
           [0011]    each plate form body supporting member being formed with a plurality of string like members having lateral width to pass through a clearances between the transporting rotary bodies for movement in vertical direction and arranged in a transporting direction on the same plane for picking up the plate form body stopped at a predetermined position on the transporting passage portion and lifting the picked up plate form body for loading operation, and placing the plate form body in the storage portion onto the transporting passage portion for unloading operation.  
           [0012]    With a carriage type transporting apparatus of the present invention constructed as set forth above, the storage means provided at two positions of upstream side and downstream side in the transporting direction are provided with plate form body supporting members in a plurality of stages in vertical direction. Each plate form body supporting member is constructed with a plurality of string like members having widths to pass through clearance between adjacent transporting rotary bodies for vertical movement therethrough and arranged on the same plane for simply being lifted up and down for loading and unloading the plate form body. Therefore, the storage means can be arranged within an installation region of the transporting passage portion. Also, necessary length of the transporting passage portion is merely two or three times of the plate form body. Accordingly, the storage means can be installed in a relay transporting passage portion arranged between two transporting lines arranged in parallel relationship to facilitate installation. Furthermore, overall construction of the overall apparatus can be quite simple and inexpensive.  
           [0013]    Furthermore, when storing of the plate form bodies in the storage means is unnecessary, the plate form bodies can be transported irrespective of presence of two storage means. Upon occurrence of abnormality, in which the plate form bodies cannot be fed into the downstream side transporting line, and this the plate form body fed from the upstream side line is to be temporarily stored, the stored plate form bodies can be fed out to the downstream side transporting line in the same order as fed from the upstream side transporting line in first-in first-out manner to avoid problem to be caused by disordering of the plate form bodies due to presence of temporarily storing means. Accordingly, when the transporting apparatus according to the present invention is installed in the manufacturing line of the plate form bodies, the temporary storage of the plate form bodies will not affect for management of manufacturing lot.  
           [0014]    In the preferred construction, the string like members lifted up and down between through one clearance between adjacent transporting rotary bodies are extended between a pair of left and right side frames, the pair of left and right side frames are integrated by an upper side connection frame located above the transporting passage portion and a lower side connection frame located below the transporting passage portion, and a vertically driving means for driving the lower side connection frame up and down is provided below the transporting passage portion.  
           [0015]    By implementing the present invention with the construction set forth above, the storage means can be constructed using the space below the transporting passage, and above the transporting passage, only space for moving a pair of left and right side frames and the upper side connection frame connecting the side frames is required to make the overall construction of the apparatus quite simple and compact.  
           [0016]    In the alternative, the string like members lifted up and down between through one clearance between adjacent transporting rotary bodies are extended between a pair of left and right side frames, the pair of left and right side frames are integrated by an upper side connection frame located above the transporting passage portion and a lower side connection frame located below the transporting passage portion, and a vertically driving means for driving the upper side connection frame up and down is provided above the transporting passage portion.  
           [0017]    By implementing the present invention with the construction set forth above, the storage means can be constructed using the space above the transporting passage, and below the transporting passage, only space for moving a pair of left and right side frames and the lower side connection frame connecting the side frames is required to make the overall construction of the apparatus quite simple and compact.  
           [0018]    Particular construction and operation of the present invention will become apparent from the disclosure of the preferred embodiment given hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinafter and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which, however, should not be taken to be limitative to the invention, but are for explanation and understanding only.  
         [0020]    In the drawings:  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1A is a partially and longitudinally sectioned side elevation of an overall construction of the preferred embodiment of a transporting apparatus according to the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1B is a side elevation showing driving means of a roller conveyer;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of a transporting apparatus according to the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 is a plan view showing vertical driving means for an elevating platform of storage means;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5A is a general section showing a condition upon stacking plate form bodies in first storage means;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5B is a general section showing a condition where stacking of the plate form bodies in the first storage is completed;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6A is a general side elevation for explaining a condition where the plate form bodies are transferred from the first storage means to second storage means;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 6B is a general side elevation showing a condition where transferring of the plate form bodies to the second stage means is completed; and  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 7 is a general plan view showing one mode of use of the transporting apparatus according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]    The present invention will be discussed hereinafter in detail in terms of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instance, well-known structure are not shown in detail in order to avoid unnecessary obscurity of the present invention.  
         [0031]    Referring to FIG. 1A to  4 , the reference numeral  1  denotes a roller conveyer constructed with a front half conveyer portion  2 A and a rear half conveyer  2 B, in which a plurality of conveying rotary bodies  3  are arranged in alignment along a transporting direction, with a regular interval. Each transporting rotary body  3  is formed by mounting a plurality of discs on a rotary shaft  4  with a regular interval. Each rotary shaft  4  is horizontally supported between left and right side bearing plates  6 . In each of the front half conveyer portion  2 A and the rear half conveyer portion  2 B, driving means  7 A and  7 B for cooperatively driving respective transporting rotary bodies  3  are provided. Each driving means  7 A and  7 B is constructed with driven pulleys  8  mounted on one ends of respective rotary shafts  4 , idle pulleys  9  rotatably arranged at desired positions, a driving pulley  11  mounted on a driving shaft of a motor  10 , and a transmission belt  12  wrapped around the driven pulleys  8 , the idle pulleys  9  and the driving pulley  11  for driving the transporting rotary bodies  3  in the same direction.  
         [0032]    In the front half conveyer portion  2 A and the rear half conveyer portion  2 B of the roller conveyer  1 , temporary storage means  13  and  14  for temporarily storing plate form bodies are arranged. The temporary storage means  13  and  14  have identical construction. Each temporary storage means  13  and  14  has an elevating platform  16  lifted up and down within a lower space of the roller conveyer  1  driven by vertically driving means  15 . On the elevating platform  16 , plate form body supporting members  17  are vertically arranged a plurality of stages (ten stages in the shown embodiment) with a given internal so that the plate form body P may pass through a space between the vertically adjacent plate form body supporting members  17 . The plate form body supporting member  17  is constructed by laterally stretching a plurality of string like members, such as wires or the like, in the same level, for vertical movement through a space between the transporting rotary bodies  3 . It should be noted that, throughout the disclosure and claims, the word “string like member” is used for representing all elongated member suitable for supporting the plate form body, such as glass panel for plasma display and thus includes not only strings, such as wire, rope, cord or the like but also rigid elongated bars, strips and so on. Respective string like members  18  of respective stage of the plate form body supporting member  17  on the same vertical plane are stretched between a pair of left and right side frames  19  movable across the space between the adjacent transporting rotary bodies  3 . A pair of left and right side frames  19  are integrated by an upper connecting frame  20  located upper side of the roller conveyer  1  and a lower connecting frame  21  located lower side of the roller conveyer  1 . The lower side frame  21  is mounted on the elevating platform  16 .  
         [0033]    The vertically driving means  15  of the elevating platform  16  is constructed with a pair of vertically extending guide rails  23  supporting the elevating platform  16  in cantilever fashion, a threaded rotary shaft  24  supported vertically between the vertically extending guide rails  23 , a reversible motor  25  driving the threaded rotary shaft  24  in forward and reverse direction, and a female threaded body  26  threadingly engaging with the threaded rotary shaft  24  and fixed on the elevating base  16 . Accordingly, by rotatingly the threaded rotary shaft  24  by the motor  25  in forward direction, the elevating platform  16  is lifted upwardly. Conversely, by rotatingly the threaded rotary shaft  24  by the motor  25  in reverse direction, the elevating platform  16  is lifted downwardly.  
         [0034]    In each of storage means  13  and  14  constructed as set forth above, the plate form body supporting member  17  is formed with a plurality of the string like members  18 , number of which is large enough to stably support a possible maximum length of plate form body to be transported on the roller conveyer  1 . A distance between a pair of left and right side frames  19  is set to be greater than a possible maximum width of the plate form body P to be transported on the roller conveyer  1 . The elevating platform  16  is driven up and down between a lower limit position (see the storage means  13  of FIG. 1) where the plate form body supporting body  17  at the uppermost level is located below a transporting level of the roller conveyer  1  and an upper limit position (see storage means  14  of FIG. 1) where the plate form body supporting body  17  located at the lowermost level is located above the transporting level of the roller conveyer  1 . It should be noted that when the elevating platform  16  is located at the lower limit position or the upper limit position, the plate form body P transported on the roller conveyer  1  may pass through the positions where the storage means  13  and  14  are provided.  
         [0035]    By holding the elevating platforms of respective storage means  13  and  14  at the lower limit position or the upper limit position, and by rotatingly driving respective transporting rotary bodies  3  of the roller conveyer  1  by the driving means  7 A and  7 B, the plate form body P supported on respective transporting rotary bodies  3  is transported from the front half conveyer portion  2 A to the rear half conveyer portion  2 B. As shown in FIG. 7, the transporting apparatus constructed as set forth above, can use as a relay transporting passage portion  29  between a first transporting line  27  and a second transporting line  28  arranged in parallel relationship with each other and having mutually opposite transporting direction. The reference numeral  30  denotes plate form body transferring means for transferring the plate form body P from the first transporting line  27  and the relay transporting passage portion  29 ,  31  denotes plate form body transferring means for transferring the plate form body P from the relaying transporting passage portion  29  to the second transporting line  28 . The plate form body transferring means  30  and  31  are arranged at upstream side end and downstream side end of the transporting apparatus (roller conveyer  1 ) of the construction set forth above.  
         [0036]    Thus, as set forth above, by holding the elevating platform  16  of each storage means  13  and  14  at the lower limit position or the upper limit position and rotatingly driving respective transporting rotary bodies  3  of the roller conveyer  1  by rotatingly driving the driving means  7 A and  7 B, the plate form body P fed in from the first transporting line  27  through the plate form body transferring means  30  is fed out to the plate form transferring means  31  via the front half conveyer portion  2 A and the rear half conveyer portion  2 B and then to the second transporting line  28  from the plate form body transferring means  31 . Namely, the transporting apparatus (roller conveyer) constructed as set forth above can serve as the relaying transporting passage portion  29 .  
         [0037]    Upon occurrence of a happen requiring interruption of feeding of the plate form body P to the second transporting line  28 , the plate form body P fed from the first transporting line  27  to the roller conveyer is temporarily stored in the storage means  13  of the front half conveyer portion  2 A in sequential order. Namely, as shown in FIG. 5A, by lowering the elevating plate form  16  of the storage means  13  down to the lower limit position for placing the plate form body supporting member  17  at the uppermost position below the transporting level of the roller conveyer  1 , when the front end of the first plate form body P to be temporarily stored reaches a predetermined position of the front half conveyer portion  2 A (the position where the front end of the string like members  18  of the plate form body supporting member  17  of the storage means  13  and the front end portion of the plate form body overlap in plan view), respective transporting rotary bodies of the front half conveyer portion  2 A is stopped to stop the plate form body P in place and the elevating platform  16  of the storage means  13  is listed up for one pitch (corresponding to vertical distance of the plate form body supporting member  17 ) to pick-up the first plate form body P to be temporarily stored by the plate form body supporting member  17  at the uppermost position. Subsequently, driving of the transporting rotary bodies  3  of the front half conveyer portion  2 A is resumed to receive the subsequent plate form body P on the front half conveyer portion  2 A. Subsequently, whenever the plate form bodies P reaches the predetermined position of the front half conveyer portion  2 A and stops thereat, the elevating platform  16  of the storage means  13  is lifted up per one pitch to store the sequentially fed plate form bodies P in the storage means  13 .  
         [0038]    The plate form bodies P fed to the front half conveyer portion  2 A as set forth above, are sequentially stored in the plate form body supporting members  17  from that located at the uppermost position. Therefore, the plate form bodies P are stored in the storage means  13  so that the last stored plate form body P is positioned at the lowermost position. When the storage means  13  becomes full (when ten plate form bodies P are stored in the shown embodiment) or when the second transporting line  28  is resumed in a condition for receiving the plate form body P, the elevating platform  16  of the storage means  13  is lowered for one pitch as shown in FIG. 6A in a condition where in-feeding of the plate form body to the roller conveyer  1  by the plate form body transferring means  30  to place the lowermost plate form body supported by the plate form body supporting member  17  on the front half conveyer portion  2 A. Then, in a condition where the elevating platform  16  of the storage means  14  is placed at the lower limit position the transporting rotary bodies  3  of the front half conveyer  2 A ands the transporting rotary bodies  3  of the rear half conveyer  2 B are driven to transport the plate form body P returned from the storage means  13  to the front half conveyer portion  2 A to the predetermined position on the rear half conveyer portion  2 B (the position where the front end string like member  18  of the plate form body supporting member  17  and the front end portion of the plate form body P overlap in plan view) and stopped thereat.  
         [0039]    Subsequently, similarly to the storage means  13 , the elevating platform  16  of the storage means  14  is lifted up per one pitch to pick-up the plate form body P stopped on the rear half conveyer portion  2 B by the plate form body supporting member  17  at the uppermost position of the storage means  14 . By repeating unloading operation for returning the plate form bodies stored in the storage means  13  to the front half conveyer portion  2 A, the plate form body transporting operation from the front half conveyer portion  2 A to the rear half conveyer portion  2 B by the roller conveyer  1  and plate form body picking up operation of the storage means  14 , the plate form bodies P stored in the storage means  13  is transferred to the storage means  14 .  
         [0040]    The transferring operation from the storage means  13  to the storage means  14  is performed in such a manner that the plate form bodies P stored in the storage means  13  are sequentially taken out from the lower most plate form body to upper one and are sequentially stored in the storage means  14  in the plate form body supporting members  17  in order from the uppermost one to lower one. Therefore, the order of storage of the plate form bodies in the storage means  14  in vertical direction becomes opposite to the order of storage of the plate form bodies in the storage means  13  in vertical direction. Namely, in the storage means  14 , after starting storing operation, the plate form bodies P are stacked in sequential order as fed into the storage means  13  from the lowermost level to upper levels.  
         [0041]    As shown in FIGS.  6 B, when all of the plate form bodies P stored in the storage means  13  are transferred to the storage means  14 , the elevating platform  16  of the storage means  14  is lowered for one pitch to place the plate form body P supported on the plate form body supporting member  17  at the lowermost position on the rear half conveyer portion  2 B of the roller conveyer  1  for unloading operation. Then, the transporting rotary bodies  3  of the rear half conveyer portion  2 B is driven to transport the unloaded plate form body P to the second transporting line  28 . By repeating these unloading operation and transporting operation, all of the plate form bodies P stored in the storage means  14  may be fed out to the second transporting line  28 . At this time, in the storage means  14 , the plate form bodies are fed out in order from one in the lowermost level to those in upper levels. Thus, the plate form bodies P are fed out to the second transporting line  28  in the same order as being fed out from the first transporting line.  
         [0042]    It should be noted that when a space for arranging the vertically driving means  15  for the storage means  13  and  14  cannot be obtained below the roller conveyer  1 , the vertically driving means  15  may be arranged above the roller conveyer  1 . On the other hand, if the plate form bodies P have sufficient stiffness, the string form bodies forming the plate form body supporting members  17  of the storage means  13  and  14  are not necessarily provided in all spaces between the transporting rotary bodies  3  in a region where the plate form body is to be supported, but can be provided in spaces between the transporting rotary bodies  3  with an appropriate interval.  
         [0043]    Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to exemplary embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omission and additions may be made therein and thereto, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be understood as limited to the specific embodiment set out above but to include all possible embodiments which can be embodied within a scope encompassed and equivalent thereof with respect to the feature set out in the appended claims.