Storage device and article gripping system

By designing a storage device door with a trapezoidal protrusion and a surface-connecting opening, the problem of sticky items adhering to the surface is solved, ensuring reliable discharge of items and improving discharge efficiency.

CN117585319BActive Publication Date: 2026-02-17ISHIDA CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202311020333.6
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2022-08-17
Filing Date
2023-08-11
Publication Date
2026-02-17
Estimated Expiration
2043-08-11

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

When discharging highly viscous and fine items, existing storage devices tend to have the items adhere to the door surface, making it difficult to reliably discharge them downwards.

Method used

Design a door for a storage device, wherein the protrusion has a generally trapezoidal shape, the first bottom edge is higher than the second bottom edge from the surface, the width of the flow path below the protrusion narrows when the door is open, the flow velocity increases, and the opening connecting the surface and the inside prevents items from sticking together. The protrusions are arranged in an alternating pattern to improve the smoothness of flow.

Benefits of technology

This allows items to be reliably discharged downwards when the door is open, reducing the adhesion of items to the door surface and improving discharge efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A storage device includes a main body portion that temporarily stores an article that is inserted therein and discharges the article downward through a discharge port, and a door that switches between a closed state and an open state of the discharge port and stores the article together with the main body portion in the closed state. The door includes a plurality of protrusions that protrude from a surface on a side where the article is stored in the closed state. An outer shape of the protrusions has a substantially trapezoidal shape that includes a first base that is a short base and a second base that is a long base when viewed from a direction in which the protrusions protrude from the surface. A height of the first base from the surface is higher than a height of the second base from the surface. In the open state, the first base is positioned lower than the second base.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a storage device and an article holding system. Background Technology

[0002] A storage device is known that includes a main body for temporarily storing an item inside and discharging the item downwards through a discharge port, and a door for switching the closed and open states of the discharge port. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-148473 describes a pool hopper, a metering hopper, and a timed hopper as such a storage device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In storage devices like these, for example, when storing highly viscous and fine items such as pasta, the items may adhere to the surface of the door even when the door is open, making it difficult for the items to be discharged downwards from the outlet.

[0004] One aspect of the present invention is to provide a storage device that reliably discharges articles downwards and an article holding system having the storage device.

[0005] (1) A storage device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a main body for temporarily storing an article inserted therein and discharging the article downward through a discharge port; and a door for switching between a closed state and an open state of the discharge port, storing the article together with the main body in the closed state, the door including a plurality of protrusions protruding from the surface on the side of the article in the closed state, the protrusions having a generally trapezoidal shape including a first bottom edge as a short bottom edge and a second bottom edge as a long bottom edge when viewed from the direction in which the protrusions protrude from the surface, the first bottom edge of the protrusions being higher than the second bottom edge of the surface in the open state, the first bottom edge being located at a position lower than the second bottom edge.

[0006] In this storage device, when the door is open, items flowing downwards inside the main body while in contact with the door protrusion experience a narrower flow path width and a faster flow velocity on the lower side of the protrusion (i.e., the shorter bottom side) because the lower side of the protrusion is the first bottom edge side. Therefore, when the door is open, items in contact with the door protrusion flow downwards without stagnation, and items are unlikely to adhere to the door surface. This allows for reliable downward discharge of items.

[0007] (2) Alternatively, in the storage device described in (1) above, an opening is formed on the first bottom edge side of the protrusion to connect the surface of the door and the inside of the opposite side of the surface. By connecting the surface of the door and the inside of the door through the opening in this way, it is possible to prevent the item from being pressed tightly against the surface by external pressure.

[0008] (3) Alternatively, in the storage device described in (1) or (2) above, when viewed from the direction along the first or second bottom edge, the door is an arc-shaped plate with the surface side as the inner side, and switches between a closed state and an open state by moving along the arc-shaped trajectory relative to the main body. In this case, for example, by moving the door along the arc-shaped trajectory to change from a closed state to an open state, items inside the main body can be discharged downwards through the discharge port.

[0009] (4) Alternatively, in the storage device described in (3) above, the door is formed by bending into an arc shape via a plurality of bending lines extending in the direction along the first bottom edge or the second bottom edge, with the protrusion disposed between an adjacent pair of bending lines. In this case, an arc-shaped plate-like door can be formed with good precision.

[0010] (5) Alternatively, in any of the storage devices described in (1) to (4) above, the protrusion is configured such that the second bottom edge is continuous with the surface. As a result, when the door is open, the flow of the article flowing in contact with the protrusion can be made smooth.

[0011] (6) Alternatively, in any of the storage devices described in (1) to (5) above, the height of the protrusion from the surface increases as it moves from the second bottom edge to the first bottom edge. As a result, when the door is open, the flow of the article that is in contact with the protrusion can be made smoother.

[0012] (7) Alternatively, in any of the storage devices described in (1) to (6) above, the protrusions are arranged in an alternating pattern on the surface. In this case, the protrusions, which are generally trapezoidal in shape, can be densely arranged on the surface of the door.

[0013] (8) Alternatively, in any one of the storage devices described in (1) to (7) above, when viewed from above, a plurality of protrusions are provided in at least the area overlapping the outlet on the surface of the door in the closed state. In this case, the aforementioned effect of making it difficult for articles to adhere to the surface of the door becomes particularly effective because the protrusions can be provided in areas where articles tend to attach.

[0014] (9) Alternatively, the storage device described in any one of (1) to (8) above may constitute the hopper of a combined metering device for calculating the combination of articles. In this case, the storage device according to the present invention can be used as a combined metering device.

[0015] (10) Alternatively, the storage device described in any one of (1) to (8) above may constitute a hopper of an article holding system that holds and discharges a portion of the articles from a group of articles stored in a container. In this case, the storage device according to the present invention can be used in an article holding system.

[0016] (11) Alternatively, in any one of the storage devices described in (1) to (8) above, the main body includes a plurality of main body protrusions protruding from the inner surface. When viewed from the direction in which the main body protrusions protrude from the surface, the shape of the main body protrusions has a generally trapezoidal shape including a first bottom edge as a short bottom edge and a second bottom edge as a long bottom edge. The height of the first bottom edge of the main body protrusion from the surface is greater than the height of the second bottom edge of the main body protrusion from the surface, and the first bottom edge of the main body protrusion is located at a position lower than the second bottom edge of the main body protrusion. In this case, the article in contact with the main body protrusions of the main body flows downward without stagnation, and the article is difficult to adhere to the surface inside the main body. Therefore, the article can be reliably discharged downward.

[0017] (12) An article holding system according to one aspect of the present invention is an article holding system that holds and discharges a portion of articles from a group of articles stored in a container, comprising: a chute for sliding an inserted article to be discharged downward via a discharge port; and a hopper disposed below the chute. As the storage device, the chute includes a plurality of chute protrusions protruding from an inner surface. When viewed from the direction in which the chute protrusions protrude from the surface, the shape of the chute protrusions has a generally trapezoidal shape including a first bottom edge as a short bottom edge and a second bottom edge as a long bottom edge. The height of the first bottom edge of the chute protrusion from the surface is greater than the height of the second bottom edge of the chute protrusion from the surface, and the first bottom edge of the chute protrusion is located at a position lower than the second bottom edge of the chute protrusion.

[0018] Because this article-holding system includes a hopper that serves as the aforementioned storage device, articles can be reliably discharged downwards from the hopper. Furthermore, articles that come into contact with the chute protrusions flow downwards without stagnation, and articles are unlikely to adhere to the inner surface of the chute. Therefore, articles can be reliably discharged downwards from the chute.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, a storage device that reliably discharges articles downwards and an article holding system having the storage device can be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic front view illustrating the article holding system involved in the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A 3D view of the door.

[0022] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 Another 3D view of the door.

[0023] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 The front view of the door.

[0024] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 1 A diagram of the inner surface of the door.

[0025] Figure 6 It is along Figure 5 A sectional view along line VI-VI.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the main body of the timing hopper involved in the modified example.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the assembly groove involved in the modified example.

[0028] Figure 9 (a) is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion involved in the first variation. Figure 9 (b) is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion involved in the second variation. Figure 9 (c) is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion involved in the third variation. Figure 9 (d) is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion involved in the fourth variation. Figure 9 (e) is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion involved in the fifth variation. Figure 9 (f) is a schematic diagram showing the protrusion involved in the sixth variation. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same or equivalent elements will be labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the item holding system 1 holds a portion of the items stored in container 30 and discharges it. The item holding system 1 removes a portion of the items from container 30 to ensure the weight is within a target range, discharging the items to the outside. The items discharged by the item holding system 1 may be packaged in bags or stored in other containers in subsequent processes and shipped as goods. Examples of the items include pasta such as spaghetti, and foods containing a large amount of sugar such as diagonally sliced ​​short pasta. The items may also be highly viscous foods.

[0031] The item handling system 1 includes: a handling unit 20, comprising multiple handling parts 21; a container 30 for holding an item group; a container drive unit 31 for moving the container 30; a collection chute (chute) 8 disposed below the handling unit 20; a timed hopper (hopper) 9 disposed below the collection chute 8; and a control unit 61 for controlling the handling unit 20 and the container drive unit 31. The handling unit 20, the container 30, and the container drive unit 31 are mounted on a main frame 80, for example, in a cuboid shape.

[0032] The gripping units 20 are arranged side by side. The gripping units 20 are fixedly mounted relative to the main frame 80. In the gripping unit 20, multiple gripping parts 21 are arranged horizontally. Each gripping part 21, for example, has multiple gripping claws 24, which grip an item by closing the multiple gripping claws 24. Each gripping part 21 includes a gripping part drive unit 25 that drives the multiple gripping claws 24. The gripping part drive unit 25 uses, for example, a motor or fluid pressure as a drive source to open and close the gripping claws 24. The gripping unit 20 has multiple measuring devices (not shown) that measure the weight of the item gripped by each gripping part 21. Each gripping part 21 and each measuring device are integrally assembled. The measuring devices output the measured weight of the item to the control unit 61.

[0033] Container 30 is a component for holding an assembly of items. Container 30 is a rectangular container that opens upwards. Container 30 is placed on the holding part 15 of container drive unit 31. Container drive unit 31 causes container 30, placed on the holding part 15, to move in both the vertical and horizontal directions while maintaining a horizontal posture.

[0034] The collecting chute 8 collects items that fall after the gripping part 21 of the gripping unit 20 is released. The collecting chute 8 is, for example, a frustum-shaped cylinder that tapers downwards. The collecting chute 8 has openings on both the upper and lower sides. After receiving the inserted items, the collecting chute 8 slides downwards. The collecting chute 8 discharges the items downwards through a discharge port 8E formed by the lower opening. The timed hopper 9 has an openable and closable door 91. The timed hopper 9 temporarily stores items discharged from the collecting chute 8 by closing the door 91. The timed hopper 9 discharges the temporarily stored items downwards by opening the door 91.

[0035] In addition to a CPU (Central Processing Unit), the control unit 61 also has memory such as ROM (Read-Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 61 controls various configurations of the item holding system 1 by executing programs stored in the memory via the CPU. The control unit 61 performs a combination calculation based on the weight values ​​of the items obtained by the measuring device of the holding unit 20. The combination calculation is a process that calculates a combination of weight values ​​where the sum of the weight values ​​of the items held by the multiple holding units 21 is the target weight value. Based on the result of the combination calculation, the control unit 61 selects multiple holding units 21 that correspond to the combination of weight values ​​that constitute the target weight value, and controls the release of the selected multiple holding units 21 from the holding position.

[0036] Next, an example of the action of the object holding system 1 will be explained.

[0037] The control unit 61 moves the container 30 upwards by driving the container drive unit 31, bringing it closer to a holding unit 20. The control unit 61 controls the holding part drive unit 25, causing the holding claws 24 of the holding part 21 of a holding unit 20 to grasp a portion of the items within the container 30. The control unit 61 controls the container drive unit 31, causing the container 30 to move downwards, moving it away from a holding unit 20. The control unit 61 obtains the weight values ​​of the items held by the holding part 21 and performs a combined calculation. The control unit 61 controls the container drive unit 31, causing the container 30 to move horizontally, moving it from below one holding unit 20 to below other holding units 20.

[0038] Based on the results of the combined calculation, the control unit 61 releases the gripping claws 24 of the multiple gripping parts 21 corresponding to the weight value that becomes the target weight value from the item, causing the item to fall. The falling item is thrown into the collection chute 8, slides downwards within the collection chute 8, and is fed into the timing hopper 9 through the lower opening. The item fed into the timing hopper 9 slides downwards inside the timing hopper 9 and is temporarily stored when the door 91 is closed. When the door 91 is opened, the item temporarily stored in the timing hopper 9 is discharged downwards.

[0039] Next, the main parts of the timed hopper 9 will be explained.

[0040] like Figure 2As shown, the timed hopper 9 is a storage device comprising a main body 90 and a door 91. The main body 90 is a bucket-shaped container with openings on the upper and lower sides. The upper opening of the main body 90 forms an inlet 90I for feeding items. The lower opening of the main body 90 forms an outlet 90E for discharging items. The edge of the main body 90 forming the outlet 90E is arc-shaped when viewed from the front. The main body 90 temporarily stores items fed from the collection chute 8 through the inlet 90I, and discharges these items downwards through the outlet 90E.

[0041] Door 91 switches between a closed state and an open state for the discharge outlet 90E. In the closed state, it stores items together with the main body 90. Door 91 is located at the bottom of the timed hopper 9. Door 91 is connected to the rotation shaft 92X of the door drive unit 92, and can move in an arc shape around the rotation shaft 92X as the base axis through the drive of the door drive unit 92. Thus, door 91 switches between an open state where it does not overlap with the discharge outlet 90E when viewed from below, and a closed state where it overlaps with the discharge outlet 90E when viewed from below. The open state exposes the discharge outlet 90E. The closed state blocks the discharge outlet 90E.

[0042] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 As shown in at least one of the diagrams, door 91 is connected to the rotation shaft 92X of door drive unit 92 via shaft portion 93 and arm portion 95. Shaft portion 93 is, for example, cylindrical. Shaft portion 93 is fixed to rotation shaft 92X. Arm portion 95 is fixed to shaft portion 93 and door 91, connecting them.

[0043] Door 91 is sized to close the outlet 90E. Door 91 is a plate-like component having a surface 91A on the side (inner side) where items are stored in the closed state and an inner side 91B on the opposite side (outer side). Door 91 is louvered and includes a plurality of protrusions 96 protruding from the surface 91A. When viewed from the direction in which the protrusions 96 protrude from the surface 91A (in other words, when viewed from the side facing the surface 91A or when viewed from the direction intersecting the surface 91A), the protrusions 96 have a generally trapezoidal shape including a first bottom side 96S as a short bottom side and a second bottom side 96L as a long bottom side.

[0044] The height of the first bottom edge 96S of the protrusion 96 from the surface 91A is greater than the height of the second bottom edge 96L from the surface 91A (see reference). Figure 6In the open state of door 91, the first bottom edge 96S is located below the second bottom edge 96L. That is, the protrusion 96, in the open state of door 91, has a trapezoidal shape that tapers downwards at an angle. An opening 98 is formed on the side of the first bottom edge 96S of the protrusion 96, connecting the surface 91A and the interior 91B (see reference). Figure 6 The protrusion 96 is configured such that the second bottom edge 96L side is continuous with the surface 91A. The height of the protrusion 96 from the surface 91A gradually increases as it moves from the second bottom edge 96L side to the first bottom edge 96S side. For example, the protrusion 96 can be formed by stamping the door 91 from the inside 91B side.

[0045] The protrusions 96 are arranged in a staggered manner on the surface 91A. Specifically, on the surface 91A, there are multiple groups of protrusions 96 arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-back direction (along the direction of the first bottom edge 96S or the second bottom edge 96L), which are orthogonal to the front-back direction. In one and the other of an adjacent pair of protrusion groups, the positions of the protrusions 96 are staggered in the front-back direction.

[0046] When viewed from the front (in this case, from the front), the door 91 is arc-shaped with the surface 91A as the inner side. The door 91 is formed by bending into an arc shape via multiple bending lines 99 extending in the front-back direction. The multiple bending lines 99 appear at equal intervals on the surface 91A and the inner side 91B. The bending lines 99 are machining marks indicating the number of times the bending process has been performed. A protrusion 96 is positioned between adjacent pairs of bending lines 99. The door 91 is bent into a polygonal shape by the multiple bending lines 99 and then curved in an arc shape. Here, when viewed from the front-back direction, the door 91 is curved in an arc shape along the lower edge of the main body 90.

[0047] The door 91 is driven by the door drive unit 92, causing the shaft 93 to rotate, thereby switching between a closed state and an open state relative to the main body 90 by moving along the arc-shaped trajectory. When viewed from above, a plurality of protrusions 96 are provided in the surface 91A of the closed door 91 in at least the area overlapping with the outlet 90E.

[0048] In the timed hopper 9 described above, when the door 91 is open, the items flowing downwards inside the main body 90 while in contact with the protrusion 96 of the door 91 have a narrower flow path width and a faster flow velocity on the lower side of the protrusion 96 because the lower side of the protrusion 96 is the first bottom edge 96S side (that is, the shorter bottom edge side). Therefore, when the door 91 is open, the items in contact with the protrusion 96 of the door 91 flow downwards without stagnation, and items are unlikely to adhere to the surface 91A of the door 91. Therefore, according to the timed hopper 9, items can be reliably discharged downwards.

[0049] In the timed hopper 9, an opening 98 is formed on the first bottom edge 96S side of the protrusion 96, which connects the surface 91A and the interior 91B of the door 91. By connecting the surface 91A and the interior 91B of the door 91 through the opening 98, it is possible to prevent external pressure from causing the item to stick tightly to the surface 91A.

[0050] In the timed hopper 9, the door 91 is a plate-shaped arc with the inner side of the surface 91A, and it switches between a closed state and an open state by moving along the arc-shaped trajectory relative to the main body 90. In this case, for example, by moving the door 91 along the arc-shaped trajectory to change from a closed state to an open state, the items inside the main body 90 can be discharged downward through the discharge port 90E.

[0051] In the timed hopper 9, the door 91 is formed into an arc shape by bending through multiple bending lines 99. The protrusions 96 are disposed between adjacent pairs of bending lines 99. In this case, compared with the case where the timed hopper 9 is formed by bending through rollers, deviations in the arc shape of the door 91 and the size and arrangement of the protrusions 96 can be suppressed, and an arc-shaped plate-like door 91 can be formed with good precision.

[0052] In the timed hopper 9, the protrusion 96 is configured such that the second bottom edge 96L side is continuous with the surface 91A. As a result, when the door 91 is open, the flow of the items flowing in contact with the protrusion 96 can be made smooth.

[0053] In the timed hopper 9, the protrusion 96 is configured such that its height from the surface 91A increases as it moves from the second bottom edge 96L side to the first bottom edge 96S side. This allows for smoother flow of items that are in contact with the protrusion 96 when the door 91 is open.

[0054] In the timed hopper 9, the protrusions 96 are arranged in an alternating pattern on the surface 91A. In this case, the protrusions 96, which have a generally trapezoidal shape, are densely arranged on the surface 91A of the door 91.

[0055] In the timed hopper 9, when viewed from above, multiple protrusions 96 are provided at least in the area overlapping with the discharge port 90E on the surface 91A of the closed door 91. In this case, the aforementioned effect of providing at least the protrusions 96 in the area where there is a high adhesion of articles to the surface 91A of the door 91 becomes particularly effective, as articles are difficult to adhere to the surface 91A of the door 91.

[0056] In this embodiment, the storage device involved in one approach constitutes the timed hopper 9 of the article holding system 1. In this case, the storage device involved in one approach can be used in the article holding system 1.

[0057] The embodiments have been described above, but one aspect of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from its spirit.

[0058] In the above embodiment, a storage device is used in the timed hopper 9, but it is not limited to this. The storage device involved in one embodiment can be applied to various known devices and systems. For example, the storage device involved in one embodiment can also be used as the hopper of a combined metering device for calculating the combined quantity of items, or as a discharge chute for discharging the metered items to a packaging device located below. In this case, the storage device involved in one embodiment can be used in a combined metering device, which can improve the metering accuracy.

[0059] In the above embodiments, the main body 90 is, for example, as shown in... Figure 7 The diagram may also include multiple main body protrusions 90T protruding from the inner surface 90A. The main body protrusions 90T are constructed in the same manner as the protrusions 96 described above. That is, when viewed from the direction in which the main body protrusions 90T protrude from the surface 90A, the shape of the main body protrusions 90T has a generally trapezoidal shape including a first bottom edge 90TS as a short bottom edge and a second bottom edge 90TL as a long bottom edge. The height of the first bottom edge 90TS of the main body protrusion 90T from the surface 90A is higher than the height of the second bottom edge 90TL of the main body protrusion 90T from the surface 90A. The first bottom edge 90TS of the main body protrusion 90T is located below the second bottom edge 90TL of the main body protrusion 90T. In this case, articles in contact with the main body protrusions 90T of the main body 90 flow downwards without stagnation, and articles are difficult to adhere to the inner surface 90A of the main body 90. Therefore, articles can be reliably discharged downwards.

[0060] In the above embodiments, the collection groove 8 is, for example, as shown in... Figure 8 The diagram may also include multiple groove protrusions 86 protruding from the inner surface 8A. The groove protrusions 86 are constructed similarly to the protrusions 96 described above. That is, when viewed from the direction in which the groove protrusions 86 protrude from the surface 8A, the shape of the groove protrusions 86 has a generally trapezoidal shape including a first bottom edge 86S as a short bottom edge and a second bottom edge 86L as a long bottom edge. The height of the first bottom edge 86S of the groove protrusions 86 above the surface 8A is greater than the height of the second bottom edge 86L of the groove protrusions 86 above the surface 8A. The first bottom edge 86S of the groove protrusions 86 is located below the second bottom edge 86L of the groove protrusions 86. In this case, articles in contact with the groove protrusions 86 of the collecting chute 8 flow downwards without stagnation, and articles are difficult to adhere to the inner surface 8A of the collecting chute 8. Therefore, articles can be reliably discharged downwards from the collecting chute 8.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the generally trapezoidal shape of the protrusion 96 is not particularly limited. The generally trapezoidal shape is not only perfectly trapezoidal, but also includes shapes that approximate a trapezoidal shape. For example, ... Figure 9 As shown in (a), when viewed from the direction in which the protrusion 196 protrudes, the shape of the protrusion 196 in the modified example may also be a shape in which a side 96M connecting the first bottom edge 96S and the second bottom edge 96L is orthogonal to the first bottom edge 96S and the second bottom edge 96L.

[0062] In addition, for example, Figure 9 As shown in (b), when viewed from the direction in which the protrusion 296 protrudes, the shape of the protrusion 296 in the modified example may also be such that the first bottom edge 96S is not parallel to the second bottom edge 96L. Furthermore, for example, as... Figure 9 As shown in (c), when viewed from the direction in which the protrusion 396 protrudes, the shape of the protrusion 396 in the modified example can also be such that the second bottom edge 96L is a curve. Furthermore, for example, as... Figure 9 As shown in (d), when viewed from the direction in which the protrusion 496 protrudes, the shape of the protrusion 496 involved in the modified example may also be a curve with a side 96M connecting the first bottom edge 96S and the second bottom edge 96L.

[0063] In addition, for example, Figure 9 As shown in (e), when viewed from the direction in which the protrusion 596 protrudes, the shape of the protrusion 596 in the modified example may also be that the second bottom edge 96L includes an arc-shaped recess 96K. Additionally, for example, as... Figure 9 As shown in (f), when viewed from the direction in which the protrusion 696 protrudes, the shape of the protrusion 696 involved in the modified example may also be such that the lengths of the first bottom edge 96S and the second bottom edge 96L are very different.

Claims

1. A storage device, characterized by, Possessing: a main body portion that temporarily stores an article that is put in, and that discharges the article to a lower side via a discharge port; and a door that switches a closed state and an open state of the discharge port, and that stores the article together with the main body portion in the closed state, the door includes a plurality of protrusions that protrude from a surface on a side where the article is stored in the closed state, an outline of the protrusions has a substantially trapezoidal shape that includes a first base that is a short base and a second base that is a long base, when viewed from a direction in which the protrusions protrude from the surface, a height of the first base of the protrusions from the surface is higher than a height of the second base from the surface, in the open state, the first base is positioned lower than the second base, the door is formed to be bent into an arc shape via a plurality of bend lines that extend in a direction along the first base or the second base, the protrusions are arranged between a pair of the bend lines that are adjacent.

2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein an opening portion that communicates an inside of the surface of the door and an opposite side of the surface is formed on a side of the first base of the protrusions.

3. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the door is a plate shape that is in an arc shape with the surface side as an inside, when viewed from a direction along the first base or the second base, and switches the closed state and the open state by moving along a locus of the arc shape with respect to the main body portion.

4. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protrusions are provided so that the second base side is continuous with the surface.

5. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protrusions are provided so that a height from the surface becomes higher as it goes from the second base side to the first base side.

6. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protrusions are arranged on the surface in a staggered manner.

7. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are provided in the surface of the door in the closed state at least in a region that overlaps with the discharge port, when viewed from above.

8. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage device constitutes a hopper of a combination weighing device that performs combination calculation of articles.

9. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage device constitutes a hopper of an article gripping system that grips a part of articles from a group of articles stored in a container and discharges the part of the articles.

10. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main body portion includes a plurality of main body protrusions that protrude from a surface on an inside, an outline of the main body protrusions has a substantially trapezoidal shape that includes a first base that is a short base and a second base that is a long base, when viewed from a direction in which the main body protrusions protrude from the surface, a height of the first base of the main body protrusions from the surface is higher than a height of the second base of the main body protrusions from the surface, The first bottom edge of the body protrusion is located lower than the second bottom edge of the body protrusion.

11. An article gripping system that grips and discharges a part of an article group stored in a container, characterized by comprising: a gripping device that grips the part of the article group; a conveying device that conveys the part of the article group gripped by the gripping device; and a discharging device that discharges the part of the article group conveyed by the conveying device. Possessing: a chute that causes an article that is dropped to slide and be discharged downward through a discharge port; and a hopper that is disposed below the chute and functions as the storage device according to claim 1 or 2, the chute includes a plurality of chute protrusions that protrude from a surface on an inner side, when viewed from a direction in which the chute protrusions protrude from the surface, the outer shape of the chute protrusions has a substantially trapezoidal shape that includes a first bottom edge that is a short bottom edge and a second bottom edge that is a long bottom edge, the height of the first bottom edge of the chute protrusion from the surface is higher than the height of the second bottom edge of the chute protrusion from the surface, the first bottom edge of the chute protrusion is located lower than the second bottom edge of the chute protrusion.

Citation Information

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