TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR TAKING ARTICLES IN/OUT OF A TRAY WITHOUT BREAKAGE BY UTILIZING FLOTATION TRANSPORTATION

摘要

PURPOSE: A transportation system is provided to reliably float an article with small amount of jet, to take the article in/out of a tray in a stable posture, and to prevent interference of the article and the tray in drawing the article from the tray. CONSTITUTION: A transportation system transports articles while loading the articles on a tray(100) one by one. An opening is formed to the bottom of the tray. The transportation system has a station(74) having a tray transportation conveyor and a flotation transportation device(78) for floating and transporting the article by jetting gas through the opening of the bottom of the tray. A jet unit received in the opening of the bottom of the tray is installed to the floatation transportation device. A lifting unit for relatively lifting the floatation transportation device and the tray transportation conveyor is installed to the floatation transportation device. The position of the jet unit is switchable between a state of being put in the opening and a state of being put lower than the opening.