Conveyor carrier

1 . A conveyor carrier that includes an object support unit that supports an object to be conveyed, and moves along a conveyance route defined by a guide rail, the conveyor carrier capable of being driven by both a power chain drive device and a friction roller drive device, the conveyor carrier comprising:

a front end trolley that is a free trolley supported and guided by the guide rail, and has an engagement dog for engaging with a traction dog of the power chain drive device; and

a connection rod located between the front end trolley and the object support unit, wherein

the connection rod includes a front division body and a rear division body,

the front division body and the rear division body are supported by a slide support unit, to be relatively slidable in a front-rear direction,

a shock absorber in the front-rear direction is disposed between the front division body and the rear division body, and

the connection rod has a side surface serving as a drive surface with which a friction roller of the friction roller drive device is in pressure contact.

2 . The conveyor carrier according to claim 1 , wherein

the shock absorber is incorporated in the connection rod.

3 . The conveyor carrier according to claim 1 , wherein

the connection rod has the side surface with a portion that changes a shape thereof when the front division body and the rear division body relatively slide in the front-rear direction, the shape being a stepped shape that forms: first front-rear opposing surfaces each extending substantially downward from an upper end of the connection rod; top-bottom opposing surfaces each extending in the front-rear direction from a lower end of a corresponding one of the first front-rear opposing surfaces; and second front-rear opposing surfaces each extending substantially downward from an end portion of a corresponding one of the top-bottom opposing surfaces, and

when the friction roller is in pressure contact with the drive surface in the side surface of the connection rod, the friction roller is in pressure contact with one of the front division body and the rear division body, both the front division body and the rear division body, and a remaining one of the front division body and the rear division body, in stated order.

4 . The conveyor carrier according to claim 1 , wherein

the slide support unit is configured such that guide pins respectively provided at a front and a rear of one of the front division body and the rear division body are inserted through long holes in the front-rear direction provided at a front and a rear of a remaining one of the front division body and the rear division body,

the slide support unit is placed above or below the drive surface with which the friction roller is in pressure contact, and

a slide stroke of the slide support unit is smaller than a stroke of the shock absorber.

5 . The conveyor carrier according to claim 4 , wherein

the guide pins are respectively provided at two locations to sandwich the shock absorber from the front and the rear, and the long holes are respectively provided at two locations to sandwich the shock absorber from the front and the rear.

6 . The conveyor carrier according to claim 5 , wherein

when a distance between the guide pins respectively provided at the front and the rear is set as L1, and a distance between attachment holes respectively provided at a front and a rear of the connection rod at a time when the connection rod is in a most contracted state is set as L2,

L1>(L2/2) is established.

7 . The conveyor carrier according to claim 1 , wherein

one end of the shock absorber is attached to a cover body provided in an upper portion of one of the front division body and the rear division body.