Transport conveyor and transport apparatus equipped with transport conveyor

1 . A transport conveyor to transport an object to be transported in a transport direction, comprising:

two support legs spaced apart from each other in the transport direction;

a frame supported by the two support legs and extending in the transport direction;

two guide bodies spaced apart from each other in the transport direction and supported by the frame;

a tensioner spaced below one of the two guide bodies and supported by the frame; and

an endless member wound around the two guide bodies and the tensioner, the endless member configured to circulate along a predetermined endless path,

wherein the endless path comprises:

a first region extending linearly in the transport direction and constituting a transport surface on which the object to be transported is placeable;

turn-back regions in which the endless path is turned back downward from respective end portions of the first region in the transport direction; and

a second region continuous with the turn-back regions and extending in the transport direction below the first region, and

wherein the second region has, between the two support legs in the transport direction, a specific zone that is parallel with the first region and in which a spacing from the first region in an up-down direction is smaller than a smallest turn-back dimension corresponding to twice a smallest bending radius of the endless member,

wherein the frame includes a specific region, which is a region in the transport direction corresponding to the specific zone, and outer regions, which are regions on respective outer sides of the specific region in the transport direction, and

the frame has, in the specific region, a dimension in the up-down direction that is smaller than a dimension of the frame in the up-down direction in the outer regions,

wherein a transport vehicle, which is configured to transport the object to be transported, is allowed to pass in a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction as viewed in the up-down direction, along a width-direction passage located below the endless path between the two support legs in the transport direction, and

wherein the specific region is above the transport vehicle, and a lower end of the outer region is below an upper end of a carrier body of the transport vehicle, and

the outer region of the frame and the transport vehicle partially overlap in the up-down direction as viewed in the transport direction when the transport vehicle is under the specific region of the frame.

2 . The transport conveyor according to claim 1 ,

wherein the second region has outer zones in which the spacing from the first region in the up-down direction is not smaller than the smallest turn-back dimension, on respective outer sides of the specific zone in the transport direction, and

wherein the transport conveyor further comprises path-changing members located in boundary areas between the outer zones and the specific zone and shifting a position of the endless path in the up-down direction such that the specific zone is above the outer zones, and

each of the path-changing members is constituted by a guide member having a linear inclined face, the endless path extending upward from the outer zone to the specific zone along the linear inclined face.

3 . The transport conveyor according to claim 1 ,

wherein the frame includes a specific region, which is a region in the transport direction corresponding to the specific zone, and outer regions, which are regions on respective outer sides of the specific region in the transport direction, and

wherein the frame has, in the specific region, a dimension in the up-down direction that is smaller than a dimension of the frame in the up-down direction in the outer regions.

4 . The transport conveyor according to claim 3 ,

wherein the frame has, in the specific region, a lower face having a flat shape parallel with the transport direction.

5 . The transport conveyor according to claim 1 ,

wherein in a view in a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction as viewed in the up-down direction, the two support legs, the frame, and the endless path do not overlap a movement path of a transport vehicle, which is configured to transport the object to be transported, while the transport vehicle is passing in the width direction along a width-direction passage located below the endless path between the two support legs in the transport direction.