Article conveying device

Abstract

The present invention provides an article conveying device. A container conveying device (2) has a contact support portion (4A) that contacts one side surface (20a) of a container (20), a star wheel (4) that is rotatably disposed in a conveying direction of the container, a contact support portion (5A) that contacts the other side surface (20b) of the container (20), and a holding wheel (5) that is rotatably disposed in the conveying direction of the container (20) and is relatively rotatable with respect to the star wheel (4). When the container (20) is not positioned at a container inspection position (P2), the container is conveyed while maintaining the posture of the container by contacting the contact support portion (4A) with the container. When the container (20) is positioned at the container inspection position (P2), the container conveying device separates the contact support portions (4A, 5A) that contact the surfaces of the container. The star wheel (4) is stopped at the container inspection position (P2), and the container is released from the contact support portions (4A, 5A).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an article conveying device. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, as an article conveying device for conveying containers to a metering device, a system for metering containers as described in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0003] The system for metering the container has a rotating disk with a recess in its radially outer periphery for introducing the container. After the container is introduced into the recess by the rotating disk, it rotates to transport the container to the metering table.

[0004] A measuring unit for weighing containers is installed on the measuring platform. When a container is transported to the measuring platform by a rotating disc, it comes to rest on the measuring unit. To obtain an accurate measurement value, the container is physically separated from the recess. Therefore, the recess is formed to be larger than the size of the container.

[0005] In conventional container metering systems, when a container is transported to the metering station at a low speed via a rotating disc, the friction between the metering unit and the container during metering can stop the container at the metering position.

[0006] However, when the container is transported to the metering station at high speed and brought to a stop at the metering position, the container shakes violently within the recess due to the gap between the container and the recess. Therefore, it is impossible to determine the stationary position of the container. Depending on the situation, there is a concern that the container may be metered while the recess is in contact with the container, and there is a concern that the container may not be accurately metered.

[0007] Therefore, it becomes difficult to transport containers at high speeds, and there are concerns about the increased metering time for containers.

[0008] As a system capable of preventing this from happening, the measurement system described in Patent Document 2 is known.

[0009] The metering system has a metering table and a clamping device mounted on the metering table and holding the container. The metering table and clamping device are placed on the load receiving part of the metering unit that measures the container, and the conveyor rail for transporting the container travels on the metering table.

[0010] This metering system can measure containers held along a conveyor track and transported to the metering platform by a clamping device through a metering unit.

[0011] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6128466

[0012] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 4805360

[0013] However, in the metering system described in Patent Document 2, the clamping device for holding the container is provided on the metering unit for metering the container. Therefore, there is a concern that the position of the container after it has just come to rest cannot be accurately controlled, and depending on the situation, there is a concern that the container is held in contact with the conveying track (i.e., the conveying device), which raises concerns that the container cannot be accurately metered. Summary of the Invention

[0014] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an article conveying device that can accurately inspect articles while conveying them at high speed and shorten the inspection time of the articles.

[0015] The article conveying device of the first aspect of the present invention is an article conveying device having a plurality of receiving portions for receiving articles sequentially placed at predetermined positions and conveying articles received in the receiving portions to an article inspection position, wherein the receiving portion is composed of the following parts: a first contact support portion provided on a first conveying member movably disposed along the conveying direction of the article and capable of contacting one side upstream of the conveying direction of the article; and a second contact support portion provided on a second conveying member movably disposed along the conveying direction of the article and movably disposed relative to the first conveying member along the conveying direction of the article and capable of contacting the other side downstream of the conveying direction of the article, and configured such that when the article is not located at the article inspection position, the article is conveyed by maintaining the posture of the article by at least contacting the article with the first contact support portion, and when the article is located at the article inspection position, the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion are separated from the article.

[0016] According to this structure, items placed at a designated item placement position are accommodated in the receiving part. When the item is not in the item inspection position, at least the first contact support part contacts the item, thereby maintaining the posture of the item and conveying it. Therefore, the item can be conveyed to the item inspection position at high speed.

[0017] When the item is transported to the item inspection position, by stopping the first and second transport components and separating the first and second contact supports from the item, it is possible to prevent the item from interfering with the first and second contact supports at the item inspection position.

[0018] As a result, items placed at the input position can be transported at high speed to the inspection position and accurately positioned there. Furthermore, items can be accurately inspected at the inspection position, thereby reducing inspection time.

[0019] Furthermore, the article conveying device of the second aspect of the present invention, in the article conveying device of the first aspect, is configured to include: an elastic member disposed at a first opening window formed on the first conveying member and a second opening window formed on the second conveying member, and capable of transmitting power from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and elastically deformable when the first conveying member and the second conveying member move relative to each other; a first driving unit that causes the elastic member to elastically deform so as to move the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member; and a second driving unit that causes the elastic member to elastically deform so as to move the first conveying member relative to the second conveying member.

[0020] According to this structure, for example, when the elastic member is stretched to its maximum extent, the gap between the first contact support and the second contact support can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the article, so that the article can be accommodated between the first contact support and the second contact support and transported to the article inspection position.

[0021] Therefore, it can transport items from the item input position to the item inspection position at high speed, thereby more effectively shortening the item inspection time.

[0022] Furthermore, when the first conveying member is moved along the conveying direction of the article, the power of the first conveying member can be transmitted to the second conveying member via the elastic member, so there is no need for a dedicated actuator to drive the second conveying member.

[0023] Furthermore, by moving the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member relative to the first driving member through the first driving member, the elastic member is elastically deformed, thereby separating the second contact support from the article.

[0024] Furthermore, the first conveying member moves relative to the second conveying member by elastically deforming the elastic member through the second driving part, thereby separating the first contact support from the article.

[0025] As a result, the items can be transported at high speed to the item inspection position through a simple item conveying device, and the items can be accurately positioned in the item inspection position. This reliably prevents the items from interfering with the first contact support and the second contact support at the item inspection position, thereby enabling accurate item inspection.

[0026] Furthermore, the article conveying device of the third aspect of the present invention, in the article conveying device of the first aspect, is configured to include: an elastic member disposed between the first conveying member and the second conveying member, capable of transmitting power from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and elastically deformable when the first conveying member and the second conveying member move relative to each other; an adjustment part that causes the elastic member to elastically deform to adjust the interval between the first contact support part and the second contact support part, the first contact support part and the second contact support part being positioned to maintain a certain interval; a first drive part that causes the elastic member to elastically deform to move the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member; and a second drive part that causes the elastic member to elastically deform to move the first conveying member relative to the second conveying member.

[0027] According to this structure, the gap between the first contact support and the second contact support is adjusted by elastically deforming the elastic member through the adjustment part, and the first contact support and the second contact support are positioned to maintain a certain gap. Thus, the gap between the first contact support and the second contact support can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the article, so that the article can be accommodated between the first contact support and the second contact support and transported to the article inspection position.

[0028] Therefore, it can transport items from the item input position to the item inspection position at high speed, thereby more effectively shortening the item inspection time.

[0029] Furthermore, by adjusting the gap between the first contact support and the second contact support according to the diameter (size) of the item, items of different diameters can be accommodated in the first contact support and the second contact support and transported.

[0030] Therefore, it is not necessary to use multiple first and second conveying components with fixed spacing between the first and second contact supports according to the diameter of the article, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of the article conveying device.

[0031] Furthermore, when the first conveying member is moved along the conveying direction of the article, the power of the first conveying member can be transmitted to the second conveying member via the elastic member, so there is no need for a dedicated actuator to drive the second conveying member.

[0032] Furthermore, by moving the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member relative to the first driving member through the first driving member, the elastic member is elastically deformed, thereby separating the second contact support from the article.

[0033] Furthermore, the first conveying member moves relative to the second conveying member by elastically deforming the elastic member through the second driving part, thereby separating the first contact support from the article.

[0034] As a result, the items can be transported at high speed to the item inspection position through a simple item conveying device, and the items can be accurately positioned in the item inspection position. This reliably prevents the items from interfering with the first contact support and the second contact support at the item inspection position, thereby enabling accurate item inspection.

[0035] Furthermore, the article conveying device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the article conveying device of the first aspect, includes: a third driving unit for moving the first conveying member along the conveying direction of the article; and a fourth driving unit for moving the second conveying member along the conveying direction of the article.

[0036] According to this structure, the first conveying member is moved along the conveying direction of the article by the third driving unit, and the second conveying member is moved along the conveying direction of the article by the fourth driving unit. Thus, when the article is not in the article inspection position, the first contact support can be made to contact the article to maintain the article's posture and convey it to the article inspection position. Furthermore, the first contact support and the second contact support can be separated from the article at the article inspection position.

[0037] As a result, an item conveying device is obtained that can transport items from the item input section at high speed to the item inspection position, accurately position the items at the item inspection position, and accurately inspect the items at the item inspection position, thereby shortening the item inspection time.

[0038] Furthermore, in the article conveying device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the article conveying device of the fourth aspect, the fourth drive unit has a drive motor, which directly moves the second conveying member, or moves the second conveying member by transmitting the power of the drive motor to the second conveying member via a power transmission unit.

[0039] According to this structure, the second conveying member can be moved by a drive motor or a drive motor and a power transmission unit. Therefore, the second conveying member can be moved with a simple structure.

[0040] Furthermore, the article conveying device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the article conveying device of the fifth aspect, has an elastic member disposed in a first opening window formed in the first conveying member and a second opening window formed in the second conveying member, and is capable of transmitting power from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and elastically deforming freely when the first conveying member and the second conveying member move relative to each other. The fourth drive unit directly transmits the power of the drive motor to the second conveying member, causing the elastic member to elastically deform and thus move the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member, or transmits the power of the drive motor to the second conveying member via the power transmission unit, causing the elastic member to elastically deform and thus move the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member. The third drive unit causes the elastic member to elastically deform and thus move the first conveying member relative to the second conveying member.

[0041] According to this structure, for example, when the elastic member is stretched to its maximum extent, the gap between the first contact support and the second contact support can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the article, so that the article can be accommodated between the first contact support and the second contact support and transported to the article inspection position.

[0042] Therefore, it can transport items from the item input position to the item inspection position at high speed, thereby more effectively shortening the item inspection time.

[0043] Furthermore, when the first conveying member moves along the conveying direction of the article, the power of the first conveying member can be transmitted to the second conveying member via the elastic member. Therefore, the distance between the first contact support and the second contact support can be maintained at a distance slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the article, while the first conveying member and the second conveying member can be moved along the conveying direction of the article via the third drive.

[0044] Furthermore, by directly transmitting the power of the drive motor of the fourth drive unit to the second conveying member, the elastic member is elastically deformed, causing the second conveying member to move relative to the first conveying member; or by transmitting the power of the drive motor to the second conveying member via the power transmission unit, the elastic member is elastically deformed, causing the second conveying member to move relative to the first conveying member, thereby enabling the second contact support to be separated from the article.

[0045] Furthermore, the first conveying member moves relative to the second conveying member by elastic deformation of the elastic member through the third driving part, thereby separating the first contact support from the article.

[0046] As a result, the items can be transported at high speed to the item inspection position through a simple item conveying device, and the items can be accurately positioned in the item inspection position. This reliably prevents the items from interfering with the first contact support and the second contact support at the item inspection position, thereby enabling accurate item inspection.

[0047] Furthermore, in the article conveying device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the article conveying device of the first aspect, the first conveying member and the second conveying member are composed of rotating members whose conveying direction of the article is the rotational direction and which coincide in the vertical direction. The article conveying device has a drive motor for rotating the first conveying member and the second conveying member and a planetary gear mechanism. The planetary gear mechanism includes: a sun gear, which is mounted on the first conveying member and driven by the drive motor; internal gears formed on the second conveying member; and a wheel carrier that rotatably supports the planetary gears meshing with the sun gear and the internal gears and is rotated by the drive motor.

[0048] According to this structure, the items put in from the item input section are accommodated in the receiving section. When the items are not in the item inspection position, the wheel frame is rotated freely, and the sun gear is rotated, causing the pinion to move around, thereby causing the sun gear and internal gear meshing with the pinion to rotate as a whole.

[0049] Thus, the first contact support can be made to contact the article to maintain the article's posture, and the second conveying member can be moved in such a way that a gap is formed between the second contact support and the article, thereby enabling the article to be conveyed at high speed to the article inspection position.

[0050] As a result, items fed from the item input section can be transported at high speed to the item inspection position and accurately positioned at the item inspection position.

[0051] Furthermore, in the article conveying device of the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the article conveying device of the second or third aspect, the first driving unit, when the article is located in the article inspection position, causes the second contact support to separate from the other side of the article by moving the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member, and causes the first contact support to separate from one side of the article by moving the first conveying member in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the second conveying member.

[0052] According to this structure, the article housed in the first contact support and the second contact support is transported at high speed to the article inspection position. By driving the first drive unit and the second drive unit at the article inspection position, the first contact support and the second contact support are separated from the article. This reliably prevents the article from interfering with the first contact support and the second contact support, thereby enabling accurate inspection of the article.

[0053] Furthermore, in the article conveying device of the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the article is located at the article inspection position, the fourth drive unit directly transmits the power of the drive motor to the second conveying member, causing the second conveying member to move relative to the first conveying member, thereby separating the second contact support from the other side of the article; or the third drive unit transmits the power of the drive motor to the second conveying member via the power transmission unit, causing the second conveying member to move relative to the first conveying member, thereby separating the second contact support from the other side of the article.

[0054] This prevents the item from interfering with the first and second contact supports at the item inspection position, thus enabling accurate inspection of the item at the inspection position. As a result, the inspection time for the item can be shortened.

[0055] Furthermore, in the article conveying device of the 10th aspect of the present invention, when the article is located at the article inspection position, the wheel frame is separated from the drive motor and set to non-rotation, thereby causing the sun gear to rotate by the drive motor, and by causing the planet gear to rotate, the first conveying member and the second conveying member rotate relative to each other, thereby causing the second contact support to separate from the other side of the article, and causing the first contact support to separate from one side of the article.

[0056] This structure prevents the item from interfering with the first and second contact supports at the item inspection position, thereby enabling accurate inspection of the item at the inspection position. As a result, the inspection time for the item can be shortened.

[0057] Furthermore, in any one of the second, third, and eighth embodiments of the article conveying device of the present invention, an inclined groove is formed along the moving direction of the second conveying member, the first driving unit is configured to have a moving part that moves along the inclined groove while contacting it, and includes an actuator that moves the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member, wherein the inclined groove is inclined relative to the moving direction of the moving part.

[0058] According to this structure, when the item is conveyed to the item inspection position, the moving part is moved along the inclined groove by the first drive unit, thereby enabling the second conveying member to move relative to the first conveying member. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the second contact support from interfering with the item at the item inspection position.

[0059] Furthermore, the movement of the second conveying member is restricted to a state where the moving part is in contact with the inclined groove. In this state, the elastic member is elastically deformed by the second drive unit, causing the first conveying member to move relative to the second conveying member, thereby separating the first contact support from the article. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the first contact support from interfering with the article in the article inspection position.

[0060] As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent items from interfering with the first and second contact supports at the item inspection position, thereby enabling accurate item inspection.

[0061] Furthermore, in another embodiment of the article conveying device of the present invention, in any one of the first to twelfth embodiments, the first contact support has a first contact surface that contacts one side of the article, and the second contact support has a second contact surface that contacts the other side of the article, and at least the first contact surface extends from the lower part to the upper part of the article.

[0062] According to this structure, the first contact surface of the first contact support can be used to push the article to transport the article, thereby stably maintaining the posture of the article to transport the article at high speed from the article input position to the article inspection position.

[0063] Furthermore, in another embodiment of the article conveying device of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth embodiments, the first conveying member is a first rotating member in which the conveying direction of the article becomes the rotation direction, and the second conveying member is a second rotating member that can rotate freely in the same direction as the rotation direction of the first rotating member.

[0064] According to this structure, the installation area of ​​the item conveying device can be reduced compared to devices that convey items in a straight line.

[0065] Invention Effects

[0066] The present invention provides an article conveying device that can accurately inspect articles while conveying them at high speed and shorten the inspection time. Attached Figure Description

[0067] Figure 1 This is a top view of an article weighing device equipped with an article conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the contact support portion has separated from the article.

[0068] Figure 2 This is a top view of an article weighing device equipped with an article conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the article is held by the contact support.

[0069] Figure 3 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the article is held by the contact support portion.

[0070] Figure 4 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the contact support portion is separated from the article.

[0071] Figure 5 middle, Figure 5 (a) to Figure 5 (d) is a diagram showing the sequence in which articles are transported to the article inspection position and weighed by the article conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 , Figure 2 The diagram viewed in the direction of arrow A.

[0072] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing another shape of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] Figure 7 This is a partial view showing the article conveying device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Sectional view from direction VIII-VIII.

[0075] Figure 9 This is a top view of an article weighing device equipped with an article conveying device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the contact support portion has separated from the article.

[0076] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 A sectional view in the XX direction.

[0077] Figure 11 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the third embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the article is held by the contact support portion.

[0078] Figure 12 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the third embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the contact support portion is separated from the article.

[0079] Figure 13 This is a top view of an article weighing device equipped with an article conveying device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the contact support portion has separated from the article.

[0080] Figure 14 yes Figure 13 A sectional view along the XIV-XIV direction.

[0081] Figure 15 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the article is held by the contact support portion.

[0082] Figure 16 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the contact support portion is separated from the article.

[0083] Figure 17 This is a top view of an article weighing device equipped with an article conveying device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the contact support portion has separated from the article.

[0084] Figure 18 yes Figure 17 A cross-sectional view along the XVIII-XVIII direction.

[0085] Figure 19 This is a top view of an article weighing device equipped with the article conveying apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, showing the state where the article has separated from the contact support portion (equivalent to...). Figure 20 (XIX-XIX sectional view).

[0086] Figure 20 yes Figure 19 The XX-XX sectional view shows the connection between the planetary gear carrier and the drive shaft of the drive motor.

[0087] Figure 21 Equivalent to Figure 19 The XX-XX sectional view shows the state in which the planetary gear carrier is connected to the main body.

[0088] Figure 22 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the article is held by the contact support portion.

[0089] Figure 23 An enlarged top view of the contact support portion of the article conveying device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention shows the state in which the contact support portion is separated from the article.

[0090] Figure 24 middle, Figure 24 (a) to Figure 24 (c) is a diagram showing the sequence in which articles are transported to the article inspection position and weighed by the article conveying device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 19 The diagram viewed in the direction of arrow A. Detailed Implementation

[0091] The following is based on the accompanying drawings and... Figures 1 to 6 The structure of the article conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0092] exist Figure 1 In this process, the container conveying device 2 is installed on the container weighing device 1, which arranges the items to be weighed and continuously conveys them to the container weighing section 3.

[0093] The objects being weighed, i.e., articles, include articles or molded products of a specified shape manufactured using existing manufacturing equipment.

[0094] As corresponding items, such as containers for holding aerosol cans, bottles, etc.

[0095] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the container weighing device 1 includes a container conveying device 2, which is an article conveying device for conveying containers 20 along a circumferential conveying path; a container weighing section 3, which weighs containers 20 at a container inspection position P2 midway along the conveying path; a container insertion section 11, which inserts containers into the container conveying device 2 at a container insertion position P1, which is a predetermined position; and a container removal section 12, which removes containers from the container conveying device 2 at a container removal position P3. In this embodiment, the container insertion section 11 constitutes an article insertion section, and the container inspection position P2 constitutes an article inspection position.

[0096] The container conveying device 2 includes a star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5. The holding wheel 5 is rotatable relative to the star wheel 4 and is mounted on the same axis as the star wheel 4. The star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are rotatable in the conveying direction of the container 20.

[0097] A recess 4a is formed on the outer periphery (end) of the star wheel 4, and the recesses 4a are equally spaced along the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4. A contact support portion 4A is provided on the outer periphery of the star wheel 4, and the contact support portion 4A is equally spaced along the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4.

[0098] In addition, the rotation directions of the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are clockwise rotation direction R1 and counterclockwise rotation direction R2. When the direction of rotation is not limited, the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 is set as rotation direction R for explanation.

[0099] The recess 4a is formed between the contact support portions 4A in the rotational direction R of the star wheel 4. That is, the outer periphery of the star wheel 4 is formed with a continuous concave-convex shape in the rotational direction R.

[0100] The star-shaped wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 are disposed on the main body 1A of the container weighing device 1 (in Figure 5 (A partial view of the main body 1A is shown). A drive motor 6, which is composed of a stepper motor, is provided in the main body 1A of the container weighing device 1.

[0101] A fixing member 7 is provided on the upper part of the star wheel 4, which is fixed to the drive shaft 6A of the drive motor 6. The fixing member 7 is fixed to the upper surface of the star wheel 4. When the drive motor 6 is rotated, the star wheel 4 and the fixing member 7 rotate together. In this embodiment, the drive motor 6 constitutes the second drive unit.

[0102] Two containers 20 are accommodated in each recess 4a. The radial length of the contact support portion 4A is more than twice the diameter of the container 20.

[0103] A slit 4k is formed in the star-shaped wheel 4, and a portion of the retaining wheel 5 is accommodated within the slit 4k (see reference). Figure 5 The retaining wheel 5 is mounted on the main body 1A of the container weighing device 1 in such a way that it rotates relative to the drive shaft 6A of the drive motor 6 and relative to the star wheel 4.

[0104] A recess 5a is provided on the outer periphery of the holding wheel 5, and the recesses 5a are provided at equal intervals in the rotation direction R of the holding wheel 5. A contact support portion 5A is provided on the outer periphery of the holding wheel 5, and the contact support portion 5A is provided at equal intervals in the rotation direction R of the holding wheel 5.

[0105] The recesses 5a are formed between the contact support portions 5A in the rotational direction R of the holding wheel 5. That is, the outer periphery of the holding wheel 5 is formed with a continuous concave-convex shape in the rotational direction R. In addition, the recesses 4a and 5a and the contact support portions 4A and 5A do not need to be provided at equal intervals in the rotational direction R of the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0106] The outer end of the contact support portion 5A is located on the inner side relative to the outer end of the contact support portion 4A in the radial direction, and the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A are arranged in the vertical direction.

[0107] Two containers 20 are respectively housed in the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, located between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A. That is, they are housed in the recesses 4a and 5a.

[0108] Specifically, such as Figure 5As shown, the contact surface 4b in the rotation direction R of the contact support 4A can contact one side (upstream side) 20a in the conveying direction of the container 20, and extends from the lower part 20m to the upper part 20n of the container 20.

[0109] That is, the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A extends in the vertical direction in such a way that it is in overall contact with one side 20a of the container 20 in the vertical direction.

[0110] The star-shaped wheel 4 of this embodiment has a portion that faces the holding wheel 5 in the vertical direction and a portion that faces the holding wheel 5 in the horizontal direction.

[0111] The contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A in the rotation direction R can contact the other side (downstream side) 20b of the container 20 in the conveying direction. The lower part 20m of the container 20 constitutes the lower part of the article, and the upper part 20n of the container 20 constitutes the upper part of the article.

[0112] Here, upstream and downstream refer to upstream and downstream relative to the conveying direction of container 20 (the rotation direction of star wheel 4 and holding wheel 5). For example, container insertion position P1 is located upstream of container inspection position P2, and container inspection position P2 is located downstream of container insertion position P1.

[0113] When conveying container 20, the interval between the contact surface 4b of the contact support portion 4A and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 is, for example, formed to be a interval slightly larger than the maximum diameter tolerance of container 20.

[0114] That is, during transport, the container 20 is accommodated in the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A such that the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and a small gap is formed between the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A and the other side 20b of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 3 ).

[0115] The gap is formed so that when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 will not move excessively from the container inspection position P2 to the downstream side, and it can prevent the container 20 from tilting and relying on the contact support part 5A when the container 20 is being transported.

[0116] Therefore, during transport, the container 20 housed in the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A is transported in a posture where the central axis of the container 20 is parallel to the vertical axis.

[0117] like Figure 2As shown, the width w1 of the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4 is shorter than the width w2 of the contact support portion 4A in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4. That is, the contact support portions 4A and 5A are composed of retaining pieces that can hold the container 20 through the side surface in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4.

[0118] In this embodiment, the star-shaped wheel 4 constitutes a conveying member, a first conveying member, and a first rotating member (first star-shaped wheel), and the holding wheel 5 constitutes a conveying member, a second conveying member, and a second rotating member (second star-shaped wheel). The contact support portion 4A constitutes a receiving portion and a first contact support portion, and the contact support portion 5A constitutes a receiving portion and a second contact support portion.

[0119] The conveying direction of container 20 is clockwise rotation direction R1, and the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 is the moving direction of the first conveying component and the second conveying component. Thus, the annular conveying container 20 is formed.

[0120] The contact surface 4b of the contact support part 4A constitutes a first contact surface that contacts one side of the article, and the contact surface 5b of the contact support part 5A constitutes a second contact surface that contacts the other side of the article.

[0121] Four rectangular openings 4W are formed in the star wheel 4, with the long side of the openings 4W extending in the direction of rotation R of the star wheel 4. Four rectangular openings 5W are formed in the holding wheel 5, with the long side of the openings 5W extending in the direction of rotation R of the star wheel 4.

[0122] Opening window 4W and opening window 5W are formed to be the same size, and when opening window 4W and opening window 5W are opposed in the vertical direction, they coincide in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, opening window 4W constitutes the first opening window, and opening window 5W constitutes the second opening window.

[0123] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, a helical spring 8 is provided in the opening window 4W and the opening window 5W. When the opening window 4W and the opening window 5W are aligned vertically, one end 8a of the helical spring 8 abuts against one end 4c of the opening window 4W and one end 5c of the opening window 5W, and the other end 8b of the helical spring 8 abuts against the other end 4d of the opening window 4W and the other end 5d of the opening window 5W.

[0124] That is, when the helical spring 8 is at its maximum extension, one end 4c of the opening window 4W and one end 5c of the opening window 5W are opposite each other in the vertical direction due to the force of the helical spring 8, and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W and the other end 5d of the opening window 5W are opposite each other in the vertical direction.

[0125] With the helical spring 8 at its maximum extension, the distance between the contact surface 4b of the contact support portion 4A and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 becomes a distance slightly larger than the maximum tolerance of the diameter of the container 20. In this state, the container 20 can be accommodated between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A.

[0126] If the star wheel 4 is driven to rotate by the drive motor 6, the wheel 5 and the star wheel 4 are kept rotating together by the force of the helical spring 8. That is, the wheel 5 is kept rotating with the star wheel 4. In this embodiment, the helical spring 8 constitutes an elastic component.

[0127] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, two actuators 9 are provided in the main body 1A of the container weighing device 1. The actuators 9 are arranged at 180° intervals in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4, facing each other relative to the rotation center axis O of the star wheel 4.

[0128] The actuator 9 has a cylinder portion 9A, a shaft portion 9B that moves freely in and out of the cylinder portion 9A, and a roller portion 9C that is mounted on the front end of the shaft portion 9B and moves freely in and out of the cylinder portion 9A by moving the shaft portion 9B in and out of the cylinder portion 9A.

[0129] An opening 5C is formed radially inside the holding wheel 5 relative to the contact support portions 4A and 5A, and an inclined groove 5t is formed in the opening 5C. The inclined groove 5t is inclined relative to the moving direction (in / out direction) of the roller portion 9C. The moving direction of the roller portion 9C is radial to the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0130] As the roller 9C protrudes from the cylinder body 9A, the actuator 9 causes the roller 9C to move along the inclined groove 5t while in contact with it. For example... Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the inclined groove 5t is inclined to the left from the inner end 5m in the radial direction of the opening 5C toward the outer end 5n.

[0131] Therefore, as the roller 9C protrudes from the cylinder 9A and moves along the inclined groove 5t while in contact with it, the wheel 5 is kept rotating relative to the star wheel 4, so that the contact support 5A separates from the contact support 4A. In this embodiment, the actuator 9 constitutes the first drive unit, and the roller 9C constitutes the moving unit.

[0132] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the container feeding unit 11 is provided at the container feeding position P1. The container feeding unit 11 is the part that feeds the container 20 into the container conveying device 2, and may be a container conveying unit 13, such as a straight feeder or a conveyor.

[0133] A pair of guide rails 11A and 11B are provided on the upper part of the container conveying section 13, and the gap between the guide rails 11A and 11B is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the container 20. The guide rails 11A and 11B are supported on the main body 1A by the support section 11C.

[0134] The containers 20 conveyed by the container conveying unit 13 are conveyed in a single line to the container conveying device 2 by being clamped by guide rails 11A and 11B.

[0135] The rotational speed of the star wheel 4 is controlled by the drive motor 6, and it pauses at the moment when the container 20 is inserted into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1. If the star wheel 4 pauses at this moment, two containers 20 are inserted from the container insertion part 11 into the recesses 4a and 5a, and the containers 20 are accommodated between the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A.

[0136] When two containers 20 are accommodated in the recesses 4a and 5a, the subsequent container 20 accommodated in the recesses 4a and 5a will contact the container 20 accommodated in the recesses 4a and 5a without being accommodated between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A. Thus, the subsequent container 20 is ready to use in the container insertion portion 11.

[0137] Therefore, the friction force of the container conveying section 13 is set such that it can convey the container 20 and allow the container 20 to slide relative to the container 20 while the container input section 11 is in standby state.

[0138] The container removal section 12 is provided at the container removal position P3. The container removal section 12 removes the container 20 from the container conveying device 2 and has a container conveying section 13 that is continuous with the container input section 11.

[0139] That is, the container conveying section 13 extends from the container input section 11 through the bottom of the star wheel 4 to the container output section 12.

[0140] When the star wheel 4 is paused at the container removal position P3, the container 20 is removed from the recesses 4a and 5a by the container removal section 12. The container 20 removed to the container removal section 12 is then transported to the next process by the container conveying section 13. Guide rails 11B and 11C can be provided in the container removal section 12.

[0141] A pair of container weighing units 3 are provided at the container inspection position P2 and are arranged radially along the star wheel 4. The container inspection position P2 is located between the container input position P1 and the container removal position P3 in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4.

[0142] That is, the container weighing part 3 is disposed between the container feeding part 11 and the container conveying device 2 in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4, and the container feeding part 11, the container weighing part 3 and the container discharging part 12 are respectively disposed at 90° intervals in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4. In addition, this 90° interval is an example and is not limited to it.

[0143] like Figure 5 As shown, the container weighing part 3 is provided in a recess 1b that is recessed downward relative to the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A. The container 20 is conveyed from the container input position P1 through the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A.

[0144] That is, the container 20, which is contained in the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, comes into contact with the contact support portion 4A and is pushed by the rotation of the star wheel 4, forming a tiny gap between it and the contact support portion 5A.

[0145] Therefore, the container 20 is not completely gripped by the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A, and is transported from the container input position P1 through the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A.

[0146] Here, the meaning of container 20 being accommodated in recesses 4a and 5a and container 20 being accommodated in contact support portions 4A and 5A is the same.

[0147] The container weighing section 3 can hold the container 20. When the contact support 4A and contact support 5A are separated from the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, the container weighing section 3 weighs the container 20.

[0148] When container 20 is not in container inspection position P2, the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment conveys the container 20 by contacting the contact support part 4A with the container 20 and maintaining the posture of the container 20. When the container 20 is in container inspection position P2, the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A are separated from the container 20. After the weighing of the container 20 is completed, the contact support part 4A is contacted with the container 20 and the container is conveyed to the container removal position P3.

[0149] Furthermore, at the same time as when the container 20 is weighed by the container weighing part 3 at the container inspection position P2, when the container 20 is inserted (accommodated) from the container insertion part 11 into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, and when the container 20 is removed from the recesses 4a and 5a into the container removal part 12 at the container removal position P3, the container 20 separates from the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A.

[0150] like Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, four cuts 4e are formed in the star wheel 4, and the cuts 4e extend along the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4.

[0151] Four protrusions 5e are formed in the retaining wheel 5. The protrusions 5e extend along the rotation direction R of the retaining wheel 5 and are adapted to the cutouts 4e.

[0152] Therefore, when the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 rotate relative to each other, the protrusion 5e moves along the cut 4e, thereby preventing the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 from deviating radially and enabling the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 to rotate smoothly relative to each other.

[0153] The length of the protrusion 5e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4 is shorter than the length of the cut 4e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4. When the wheel 5 is kept to rotate excessively relative to the star wheel 4 for some reason, the end of the protrusion 5e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4 abuts against the end of the cut 4e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 4.

[0154] This prevents the coil spring 8 from being over-compressed, thus protecting it. Consequently, the durability of the coil spring 8 is improved.

[0155] Next, the operation of the container conveying device 2 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0156] When the container 20 is inserted into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, the drive motor 6 is stopped at the moment the container 20 is inserted into the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, thereby pausing the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0157] Next, the actuator 9 is driven to cause the roller 9C to protrude from the cylinder 9A, and the roller 9C moves along the inclined groove 5t while in contact with the inclined groove 5t.

[0158] Thus, the wheel 5 is kept rotating relative to the star wheel 4 in the rotation direction R1, so that the contact support 5A separates from the contact support 4A, the gap between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 widens, and a sufficient space for accommodating the container 20 is formed between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A.

[0159] At this time, container 20 is inserted between contact support 4A and contact support 5A at container insertion position P1 (reference). Figure 1 When the container 20 is inserted, a sufficient space is formed between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A to accommodate the container 20, thereby improving the insertion performance of the container 20.

[0160] If container 20 is placed between contact support 4A and contact support 5A at container placement position P1, the actuator 9 is driven to move roller 9C toward cylinder 9A, causing roller 9C to separate from inclined groove 5t.

[0161] At this time, the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 are subjected to force by the helical spring 8, causing the helical spring 8 to extend to its maximum length, so that one end 4c of the opening window 4W coincides with one end 5c of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction, and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W coincides with the other end 5d of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction (see reference). Figure 2 , Figure 4 ).

[0162] If the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum, the gap between the contact surface 4b of the contact support portion 4A and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 is formed to be a gap slightly larger than the maximum diameter tolerance of the container 20.

[0163] If the star wheel 4 is rotated by driving the drive motor 6 in this state, the power of the star wheel 4 is transmitted to the retaining wheel 5 via the helical spring 8.

[0164] At this time, if the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate, the container 20 is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and the container 20 is transported from the container input position P1 toward the container inspection position P2.

[0165] That is, container 20 contacts the contact surface 4b of the contact support part 4A of the star wheel 4 via one side 20a and is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and is conveyed to the container inspection position P2. At this time, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support part 5A, and container 20 is conveyed from container input position P1 to container inspection position P2 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A (see reference). Figure 5 (a). Additionally, the illustration of this minute gap is omitted. (To be continued...) Figure 5 (b) and Figure 6 The same applies.

[0166] A small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. However, sometimes the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A while the container 20 is being transported. If the container 20 is to swing excessively, the container 20 will come into contact with the contact support 5A, thereby preventing the container 20 from being transported in an inclined state.

[0167] Furthermore, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A, so the container 20 will not be completely held in contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A.

[0168] Therefore, the bottom surface of container 20 can slide on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A, thereby preventing the bottom surface of container 20 from colliding strongly with the conveying surface 1a and from exerting a strong impact on container 20 during conveying.

[0169] If container 20, contained in recesses 4a and 5a, is transported to container inspection position P2 (reference) Figure 5 (b) will stop the drive motor 6 and pause the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0170] When the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2 and the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20.

[0171] This prevents container 20 from being positioned too far downstream from container inspection position P2, thus enabling container 20 to be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2.

[0172] In addition, when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 often comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20. However, the container 20 sways upstream or downstream relative to the conveying direction, so sometimes one side 20a of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 4A, and sometimes it does not come into contact with the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A.

[0173] Next, as Figure 4 As shown, the actuator 9 is driven to cause the roller 9C to protrude from the cylinder 9A, and the roller 9C moves along the inclined groove 5t while contacting the inclined groove 5t.

[0174] Therefore, by maintaining the relative rotation of wheel 5 with respect to the star wheel 4 in the direction of rotation R1, the contact support portion 5A is separated from the contact support portion 4A, and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A is separated from the other side 20b of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 5 (c)).

[0175] At this time, the helical spring 8 elastically deforms in a contracted manner, and the distance between one end 5c of the opening window 5W and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W is shortened compared with when the container 20 is held by the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A.

[0176] Next, the drive motor 6 rotates the star wheel 4 in a direction R2 opposite to the rotation direction R1 of the holding wheel 5, further compressing the helical spring 8 and shortening the distance between one end 5c of the opening window 5W and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W, causing the contact support part 4A to separate from the contact support part 5A, thereby causing the contact surface 4b of the contact support part 4A to separate from one side 20a of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 4 , Figure 5 (d)).

[0177] Therefore, the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, and no load is applied to the container 20 by the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5. In this state, the container 20 is weighed by the container weighing portion 3.

[0178] Furthermore, during transport, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A, so the bottom surface of the container 20 slides on the conveying surface 1a while in contact with the conveying surface 1a and is transported to the container inspection position P2.

[0179] Therefore, when weighing container 20, separating the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from container 20 prevents container 20 from colliding with the conveying surface 1a and shaking, thereby stabilizing the behavior of container 20. Thus, container 20 can be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2 for accurate weighing.

[0180] Alternatively, the drive motor 6 and the actuator 9 can be driven simultaneously to separate the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A relative to the container 20 at the same time or to bring the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A closer together at the same time.

[0181] On the other hand, when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, the container 20 is inserted from the container insertion portion 11 into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, and the container 20 is removed from the recesses 4a and 5a into the container removal portion 12 at the container removal position P3.

[0182] In addition, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A, so that the container 20 can be put in and taken out first without having to wait until the release time.

[0183] If the weighing of container 20 by container weighing unit 3 ends at container inspection position P2, actuator 9 is driven and roller 9C moves toward cylinder 9A. As a result, roller 9C separates from inclined groove 5t.

[0184] At this time, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed in a way that maximizes its extension, keeping the wheel 5 rotating relative to the star wheel 4, so that the contact support 5A is close to the contact support 4A, the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A.

[0185] Thus, the container 20, after weighing, is conveyed from the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3 in a state where its posture is maintained by the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A, and then removed from the container removal position P3 to the container removal part 12.

[0186] In addition, at the container inspection position P2, in order to shorten the weighing time of the container 20, it is preferable to shorten the time when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A.

[0187] In the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment, at the container inspection position P2, when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, two containers 20 are inserted from the container input portion 11 into the recesses 4a and 5a, and two containers 20 are moved out from the recesses 4a and 5a into the container removal portion 12.

[0188] Therefore, at the same time as when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A at the container inspection position P2, in order to quickly insert two containers 20 into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, the conveying speed of the container conveying unit 13 is accelerated.

[0189] As a result, at the same moment that container 20 is released from contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A at container inspection position P2, two containers 20 are quickly moved out from recesses 4a and 5a at container removal position P3.

[0190] Next, the effects of the container conveying device 2 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0191] The container conveying device 2 of this embodiment has contact support portions 4A and 5A for accommodating containers 20 sequentially fed from the container input portion 11, and has a star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5 for conveying the containers 20 contained in the contact support portions 4A and 5A to the container inspection position P2.

[0192] The star wheel 4 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20, and the wheel 5 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20 and to rotate freely relative to the star wheel 4.

[0193] Contact support 4A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of star wheel 4 and can contact one side 20a of container 20. Contact support 5A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of holding wheel 5 and can contact the other side 20b of container 20.

[0194] Furthermore, when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 is conveyed by contacting the contact support part 4A with the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20. Therefore, the container 20 can be conveyed at high speed from the container insertion position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0195] Furthermore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A are separated from the container 20, thus preventing the container 20 from interfering with the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A in the container inspection position P2.

[0196] As a result, the container 20 fed from the container feeding section 11 can be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2 and accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2. The container 20 can be accurately weighed at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the weighing time of the container 20.

[0197] Furthermore, the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment includes: a helical spring 8, provided in the opening window 4W formed on the star wheel 4 and the opening window 5W formed on the holding wheel 5, and capable of transmitting power from the star wheel 4 to the holding wheel 5 and elastically deformable when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate relative to each other; and an actuator 9, which causes the helical spring 8 to elastically deform so that the holding wheel 5 rotates relative to the star wheel 4.

[0198] In addition, there is a drive motor 6 that causes the helical spring 8 to elastically deform when the container 20 is transported to the container inspection position P2, thereby causing the star wheel 4 to move relative to the holding wheel 5.

[0199] Thus, for example, when the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum extent, the gap between the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container 20, thereby accommodating the container 20 between the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 and conveying it to the container inspection position P2.

[0200] Therefore, the container 20 can be transported at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2, thereby more effectively shortening the container weighing time.

[0201] Furthermore, when the star wheel 4 rotates in the conveying direction of the container 20, the power of the star wheel 4 can be transmitted to the holding wheel 5 via the helical spring 8. Therefore, the container 20 can be conveyed to the container inspection position P2 while being held by the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A. Thus, there is no need for a dedicated actuator to drive the holding wheel 5.

[0202] Furthermore, by rotating the retaining wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4 via the actuator 9, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed, thereby separating it from the contact support portion 5A from the container 20.

[0203] Furthermore, by transmitting power from the drive motor 6 to the star wheel 4, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed, causing the star wheel 4 to move relative to the retaining wheel 5, thereby separating it from the contact support 4A from the container 20.

[0204] Therefore, by using a simple container conveying device 2 to transport the container 20 at high speed to the container inspection position P2 and accurately position the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, it is possible to reliably prevent the container 20 from interfering with the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A at the container inspection position P2, thereby enabling the container 20 to be weighed accurately.

[0205] Furthermore, according to the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment, the actuator 9 is such that when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the actuator 9 causes the holding wheel 5 to rotate relative to the star wheel 4, causing the contact support portion 5A to separate from the other side 20b of the container 20. The drive motor 6 is such that by moving the star wheel 4 in a rotation direction R2 opposite to the rotation direction R1 of the holding wheel 5, the contact support portion 4A is separated from one side 20a of the container 20.

[0206] Therefore, the container 20 contained in the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A can be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2. At the container inspection position P2, the actuator 9 and the drive motor 6 are driven to separate the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from the container 20. This reliably prevents the container 20 from interfering with the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, thereby enabling the container 20 to be weighed accurately.

[0207] Furthermore, according to the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment, an inclined groove 5t is formed along the rotation direction R of the holding wheel 5.

[0208] The actuator 9 has a rotatable roller 9C that moves along the inclined groove 5t while in contact with it, and is configured such that the holding wheel 5 rotates relative to the star wheel 4, and the inclined groove 5t is inclined relative to the direction of movement of the roller 9C.

[0209] Therefore, when container 20 is conveyed to container inspection position P2, the actuator 9 moves roller 9C along inclined groove 5t, thereby enabling the holding wheel 5 to rotate relative to the star wheel 4. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the contact support 5A from interfering with container 20 at container inspection position P2.

[0210] Furthermore, the retaining wheel 5 is rotated in a state where the roller 9C is in contact with the inclined groove 5t. In this state, the star wheel 4 moves relative to the retaining wheel 5 by the elastic deformation of the helical spring 8 caused by the drive motor 6, thereby separating the contact support 4A from the container 20. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the contact support 4A from interfering with the container 20 at the container inspection position P2.

[0211] As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the container 20 from interfering with the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A at the container inspection position P2, thereby enabling the container 20 to be weighed accurately.

[0212] Furthermore, according to the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment, the contact support portion 4A has a contact surface 4b that contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and the contact support portion 5A has a contact surface 5b that contacts the other side 20b of the container 20. The contact surface 5b extends from the lower part 20m of the container 20 to the upper part 20n.

[0213] Therefore, the entire contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A can be used to push the container 20 to transport the container 20, thereby stably maintaining the posture of the container 20 and transporting it at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0214] In addition, the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment extends the contact surface 4b from the lower part 20m of the container 20 to the upper part 20n, but is not limited to this.

[0215] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 can be positioned vertically opposite each other, and the contact surface 4f of the contact support portion 4A of the star wheel 4 can be in contact with the upper portion 20n of the container 20. Furthermore, the contact surface 4b can extend from the lower portion 20m of the container 20 to the upper portion 20n.

[0216] Furthermore, in the container conveying device 2 according to this embodiment, the star wheel 4 is a rotating component whose conveying direction of the container 20 is the rotation direction, and the holding wheel 5 is a rotating component that can rotate freely in the same direction as the rotation direction of the star wheel 4.

[0217] Therefore, compared with the case where the container 20 is transported in a straight line, the installation area of ​​the container transport device 2 can be reduced.

[0218] Furthermore, in this embodiment, two actuators 9 are provided at 180° intervals, but this is not a limitation. For example, only one actuator 9 may be provided, or three or more may be provided separately in the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the star wheel 4.

[0219] Furthermore, the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment is composed of a freely rotating star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5 as the conveying component, but it is not limited to this.

[0220] For example, a conveying member can be constructed from a first conveying member that is movable in the straight direction and a second conveying member that is integral with the second conveying member and movable in the straight direction relative to the first conveying member, and contact support portions are provided at the ends of the first and second conveying members in the direction of movement of the first and second conveying members.

[0221] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the container conveying device 2 contacts the contact support portion 4A with the container 20 when conveying the container 20, but it is also possible to contact both the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A with the container 20. That is, the container 20 can also be held by the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A.

[0222] Furthermore, the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment illustrates an example of weighing the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, but it is not limited to this. For example, it can also be applied to other inspections such as metal detection or X-ray transmission inspection.

[0223] During inspection, if the contact supports are close to the object being inspected, it can sometimes affect the measurement results. For example, if the contact supports 4A and 5A are made of metal, it can sometimes affect the measurement results when metal detection is performed. Furthermore, in X-ray inspection, X-rays are emitted radially from the X-ray source, and the radially extending ends hang on the contact supports 4A and 5A, which can sometimes affect the measurement results.

[0224] Next, according to Figure 7 , Figure 8 The structure of the article conveying device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, structures identical to those in the first embodiment will be labeled with the same numbers, and descriptions will be omitted.

[0225] exist Figure 7 , Figure 8 In the star-shaped wheel 4, six rectangular openings 4g (one shown in the figure) are formed, and in the holding wheel 5, six rectangular openings 5g (one shown in the figure) are formed. These openings 4g and 5g are arranged separately in the rotation direction of the star-shaped wheel 4. In addition, the number of openings 4g and 5g is not limited to six.

[0226] The opening area of ​​the opening window 4g is larger than that of the opening area of ​​the opening window 5g. When the star-shaped wheel 4 is viewed from above, the opening window 5g is located inside the opening window 4g.

[0227] A bend 4h is formed in the star-shaped wheel 4, and the bend 4h bends downward in such a way that it passes through the opening window 5g from the star-shaped wheel 4. That is, the bend 4h is set at the same height position as the holding wheel 5.

[0228] A helical spring 15 is housed in the opening window 5g. One end of the helical spring 15 abuts against the inner wall surface 5h of the opening window 5g, and the other end of the helical spring 15 abuts against the bent portion 4h.

[0229] The helical spring 15 applies force to the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 in the direction of rotation of the star wheel 4, so as to separate the contact support part 4A from the contact support part 5A.

[0230] A bolt support portion 5i is provided in the retaining wheel 5, and a bolt 14 is screwed into the bolt support portion 5i. A through hole 5j is formed in the retaining wheel 5, and the head 14A of the bolt 14 is accommodated in the through hole 5j. Thus, the operator can insert a tool into the through hole 5j to operate the bolt 14.

[0231] The front end of bolt 14 (the end on the side opposite to head 14A) abuts against the bent portion 4h. If bolt 14 is rotated in one direction and the helical spring 15 is elastically deformed in a compressed manner, the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 rotate relative to each other in the rotation direction of star wheel 4, so that the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A come closer together.

[0232] On the other hand, if the bolt 14 is rotated in another direction and the coil spring 15 is elastically deformed in an elongated manner, the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 rotate relative to each other in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4, so that the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A separate.

[0233] The container conveying device 2 of this embodiment can adjust the interval between the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A according to the diameter of the container 20 by operating the bolt 14, and position the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A to maintain a certain interval.

[0234] Therefore, containers 20 of different diameters can be accommodated in the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A according to the interval between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A, so that the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and a small gap is formed between the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A and the other side 20b of the container 20, thereby transporting the container 20 to the container inspection position P2.

[0235] In this embodiment, the bending portion 4h, the bolt support portion 5i, and the bolt 14 constitute an adjustment portion, and the helical spring 15 constitutes an elastic component.

[0236] If container 20 is transported to container inspection position P2, drive motor 6 is stopped, and star wheel 4 and holding wheel 5 are paused.

[0237] When the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2 and the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20.

[0238] This prevents container 20 from being positioned too far downstream from container inspection position P2, thus enabling container 20 to be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2.

[0239] Next, with Figure 4 Similarly, the actuator 9 is driven to cause the roller 9C to protrude from the cylinder 9A, and the roller 9C moves along the inclined groove 5t while in contact with the inclined groove 5t.

[0240] Thus, the wheel 5 is kept rotating relative to the star wheel 4 in the direction of rotation R1, so that the helical spring 15 is compressed and the contact support 5A is separated from the contact support 4A, and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A is separated from the other side 20b of the container 20.

[0241] Next, the star wheel 4 is rotated in the opposite direction of rotation R2 to the rotation direction R1 of the holding wheel 5 by the drive motor 6, which further compresses the helical spring 15 and causes the contact support 4A to separate from the contact support 5A, thereby causing the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A to separate from one side 20a of the container 20.

[0242] Therefore, the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, and no load is applied to the container 20 by the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5. In this state, the container 20 is weighed by the container weighing portion 3.

[0243] Alternatively, the drive motor 6 and the actuator 9 can be driven simultaneously to separate the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A relative to the container 20 at the same time or to bring the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A closer together at the same time.

[0244] Thus, the container conveying device 2 of this embodiment has a helical spring 15 disposed between the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5, which can transmit power from the star wheel 4 to the holding wheel 5 and can be elastically deformed when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 move relative to each other.

[0245] Furthermore, the container conveying device 2 includes a bent portion 4h that adjusts the interval between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A by elastically deforming the helical spring 15 and positioning the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A to maintain a certain interval, a bolt support portion 5i and a bolt 14, an actuator 9 that causes the retaining wheel 5 to move relative to the star wheel 4 by elastically deforming the helical spring 15, and a drive motor 6 that causes the star wheel 4 to move relative to the retaining wheel 5 by elastically deforming the helical spring 15.

[0246] Thus, by adjusting the gap between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A through the elastic deformation of the helical spring 15 by the bolt 14, and by positioning the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A to maintain a certain gap, the gap between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A is formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container 20, thereby enabling the container 20 to be accommodated between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A and transported to the container inspection position P2.

[0247] Therefore, the container 20 can be transported at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2, thereby more effectively shortening the weighing time of the container 20.

[0248] Furthermore, by operating the bolt 14, the interval between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A can be adjusted according to the diameter (size) of the container 20, and containers 20 of different diameters can be accommodated in the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A and transported.

[0249] Therefore, it is not necessary to use multiple star-shaped wheels 4 and retaining wheels 5 to fix the interval between the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A according to the diameter of the container 20, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of the container conveying device 2.

[0250] Furthermore, when the star wheel 4 is moved along the conveying direction of the container 20, the power of the star wheel 4 can be transmitted to the holding wheel 5 via the helical spring 15, so there is no need for a dedicated actuator to drive the star wheel 4.

[0251] Furthermore, by moving the retaining wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4 through the actuator 9, the helical spring 15 is elastically deformed, thereby separating it from the contact support 5A from the container 20.

[0252] Furthermore, by driving the motor 6 to elastically deform the helical spring 15, the star wheel 4 moves relative to the retaining wheel 5, thereby separating it from the container 20 and contacting the support portion 4A.

[0253] As a result, the container 20 can be accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2 by high-speed transport of the container 20 to the container inspection position P2 through the simple container conveying device 2, and the container 20 can be reliably prevented from interfering with the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A at the container inspection position P2, thereby enabling the container 20 to be weighed accurately.

[0254] Next, according to Figures 9 to 12 The structure of the article conveying device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, structures identical to those in the first embodiment will be labeled with the same numbers, and descriptions will be omitted.

[0255] like Figure 9 As shown, the container weighing device 1 includes a container conveying device 21 that serves as an article conveying device for conveying containers 20 along a circumferential conveying path, a container weighing section 3 that weighs containers 20 at a container inspection position P2 in the middle of the conveying path, a container input section 11 that inputs containers into the container conveying device 21 at a container input position P1, and a container output section 12 that removes containers 20 from the container conveying device 21 at a container output position P3.

[0256] The container conveying device 21 includes a star-shaped wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5. Internal teeth 5f are formed in the radially inner side of the opening 5C of the holding wheel 5 relative to the contact support portions 4A and 5A, and are formed throughout the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the holding wheel 5. In this embodiment, the internal teeth 5f constitute a toothed portion.

[0257] like Figure 9 , Figure 10 As shown, a fixing component 7 is provided on the upper part of the star wheel 4, which is fixed to the drive shaft 6A of the drive motor 6. The fixing component 7 is fixed to the upper surface of the star wheel 4. When the drive motor 6 is rotated, the star wheel 4 and the fixing component 7 rotate together.

[0258] The container conveying device 21 includes a drive motor 22, which is a stepper motor, and a gear 23. The drive motor 22 is located below the gear 23 and is mounted on the main body 1A. The drive motor 22 is connected to the gear 23, and the gear 23 is driven to rotate by the drive motor 22. If the gear 23 rotates via the drive motor 22, the wheel 5 is kept rotating.

[0259] In this embodiment, the drive motor 6 constitutes the third drive unit, and the drive motor 22 and gear 23 constitute the fourth drive unit. Furthermore, the gear 23 and the internal gear 5f constitute the power transmission unit.

[0260] Next, the operation of the container conveying device 21 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0261] When the container 20 is inserted into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, the drive motor 6 is stopped at the moment the container 20 is inserted into the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, thereby pausing the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0262] Next, the drive motor 22 is driven (excited) to cause the gear 23 to rotate in the clockwise direction R1.

[0263] Therefore, by maintaining the rotation of wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4 in a clockwise direction R1, the contact support portion 5A separates from the contact support portion 4A, thereby widening the gap between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4. Thus, a sufficient space for accommodating the container 20 is formed between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A.

[0264] At this time, container 20 is inserted between contact support 4A and contact support 5A at container insertion position P1 (reference). Figure 9 When the container 20 is inserted, a sufficient space is formed between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A to accommodate the container 20, thereby improving the insertion performance of the container 20.

[0265] If the container 20 is placed between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A at the container placement position P1, the drive motor 22 will be in a de-energized state, allowing the gear 23 to rotate freely.

[0266] At this time, the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 are subjected to force by the helical spring 8, and the helical spring 8 extends to its maximum length, so that one end 4c of the opening window 4W coincides with one end 5c of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction, and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W coincides with the other end 5d of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction (see reference). Figure 11 During the extension of the helical spring 8, the gear 23 rotates in the counterclockwise direction R2, keeping the wheel 5 rotating relative to the star wheel 4 in the counterclockwise direction R2.

[0267] If the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum, the gap between the contact surface 4b of the contact support portion 4A and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 is formed to be a gap slightly larger than the maximum diameter tolerance of the container 20.

[0268] If the star wheel 4 is rotated clockwise in the direction R1 by driving the drive motor 6 in this state, the power of the star wheel 4 is transmitted to the retaining wheel 5 via the helical spring 8.

[0269] If the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate, the container 20 is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and the container 20 is transported from the container input position P1 toward the container inspection position P2.

[0270] That is, container 20 contacts the contact surface 4b of the contact support part 4A of the star wheel 4 via one side 20a and is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and is conveyed to the container inspection position P2. At this time, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support part 5A, and container 20 is conveyed from container input position P1 to container inspection position P2 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A (see reference). Figure 5 (a)).

[0271] A small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. However, sometimes the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A while the container 20 is being transported. If the container 20 is to swing excessively, the container 20 will come into contact with the contact support 5A, thereby preventing the container 20 from being transported in an inclined state.

[0272] Furthermore, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A, so the container 20 will not be completely held in contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A.

[0273] Therefore, the bottom surface of container 20 can slide on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A, thereby preventing the bottom surface of container 20 from colliding strongly with the conveying surface 1a and from exerting a strong impact on container 20 during conveying.

[0274] If container 20, contained in recesses 4a and 5a, is transported to container inspection position P2 (reference) Figure 5 (b) will stop the drive motor 6 and pause the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0275] When the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2 and the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20.

[0276] This prevents container 20 from being positioned too far downstream from container inspection position P2, thus enabling container 20 to be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2.

[0277] In addition, when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 often comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20. However, the container 20 sways upstream or downstream relative to the conveying direction, so sometimes one side 20a of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 4A, and sometimes it does not come into contact with the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A.

[0278] Next, the drive (excitation) motor 22 is driven to rotate gear 23 in the clockwise direction R1. This keeps the wheel 5 rotating relative to the star wheel 4 in the clockwise direction R1, causing the contact support portion 5A to separate from the contact support portion 4A, thereby separating the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A from the other side 20b of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 5 (c)).

[0279] At this time, the helical spring 8 elastically deforms in a contracted manner, and the distance between one end 5c of the opening window 5W and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W is shortened compared with when the container 20 is held by the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A.

[0280] Next, the drive motor 6 rotates the star wheel 4 counterclockwise in the direction R2, further compressing the helical spring 8 and causing the contact support 4A to separate from the contact support 5A. This causes the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A to separate from one side 20a of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 5 (d) Figure 12 ).

[0281] Therefore, the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, and no load is applied to the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5. In this state, the container 20 is weighed by the container weighing portion 3. At this time, the drive motor 22 is energized so that the gear 23 does not rotate, and therefore the holding wheel 5 does not rotate.

[0282] Furthermore, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, the container 20 is transported to the container inspection position P2 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a with the bottom surface of the container 20 in contact with the conveying surface 1a.

[0283] Therefore, when weighing container 20, separating the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from container 20 prevents container 20 from colliding with the conveying surface 1a and shaking, thereby stabilizing the behavior of container 20. Thus, container 20 can be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2 for accurate weighing.

[0284] On the other hand, when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, the container 20 is inserted from the container insertion portion 11 into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, and the container 20 is removed from the recesses 4a and 5a into the container removal portion 12 at the container removal position P3.

[0285] In addition, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A, so that the container 20 can be put in and taken out first without having to wait until the release time.

[0286] If the weighing of container 20 by container weighing unit 3 ends at container inspection position P2, the drive motor 22 is de-energized, allowing gear 23 to rotate freely.

[0287] At this time, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed in a way that maximizes its extension, keeping the wheel 5 and the star wheel 4 rotating relative to each other, so that the contact support 5A and the contact support 4A are close together, so that the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A.

[0288] Therefore, if the star wheel 4 is driven to rotate clockwise in the direction R1 by the drive motor 6, the container 20 after weighing is transported from the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3 in a state where the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A maintain the posture, and is removed from the container removal position P3 to the container removal part 12.

[0289] Next, the effects of the container conveying device 21 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0290] The container conveying device 21 of this embodiment has contact support portions 4A and 5A for accommodating containers 20 sequentially fed from the container input portion 11, and has a star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5 for conveying the containers 20 contained in the contact support portions 4A and 5A to the container inspection position P2.

[0291] The star wheel 4 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20, and the wheel 5 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20 and to rotate freely relative to the star wheel 4.

[0292] Contact support 4A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of star wheel 4 and can contact one side 20a of container 20. Contact support 5A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of holding wheel 5 and can contact the other side 20b of container 20.

[0293] Furthermore, when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 is conveyed by contacting the contact support part 4A with the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20. Therefore, the container 20 can be conveyed at high speed from the container insertion position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0294] Furthermore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A are separated from the container 20, thus preventing the container 20 from interfering with the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A in the container inspection position P2.

[0295] As a result, the container 20 fed from the container feeding section 11 can be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2 and accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2. The container 20 can be accurately weighed at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the weighing time of the container 20.

[0296] Furthermore, the container conveying device 21 of this embodiment includes a drive motor 22 that rotates the star wheel 4 in the conveying direction of the container 20, a drive motor 22 that rotates the holding wheel 5 in the conveying direction of the container 20, and a gear 23.

[0297] The retaining wheel 5 has internal teeth 5f formed along the rotation direction of the retaining wheel 5, and the gear 23 is configured to mesh with the internal teeth 5f and rotate freely, and the drive motor 22 drives the gear 23 to rotate.

[0298] Therefore, the star wheel 4 can be moved along the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6, and the holding wheel 5 can be moved by rotating the gear 23 by the drive motor 22. Thus, the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 can be moved along the conveying direction and moved relative to each other at the container inspection position P2.

[0299] Furthermore, the container conveying device 21 has an opening window 4W formed on the star wheel 4 and an opening window 5W formed on the holding wheel 5, and a helical spring 8 that can transmit power from the star wheel 4 to the holding wheel 5 and can be elastically deformed when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate relative to each other.

[0300] The container conveying device 21 causes the gear 23 to rotate by the drive motor 22, which causes the helical spring 8 to deform elastically and thus moves the holding wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4. By transmitting power from the drive motor 6 to the star wheel 4, the helical spring 8 is deformed elastically and the star wheel 4 rotates relative to the holding wheel 5.

[0301] Thus, when the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum extent, the gap between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container 20, thereby accommodating the container 20 between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A and transporting it to the container inspection position P2.

[0302] Therefore, the container 20 can be transported at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2, thereby more effectively shortening the inspection time of the container 20.

[0303] Furthermore, when the star wheel 4 is rotated in the conveying direction of the container 20, the power of the star wheel 4 can be transmitted to the holding wheel 5 via the helical spring 8. Therefore, the distance between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A can be maintained at a distance slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container, while the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 can be moved in the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6.

[0304] Furthermore, by driving the motor 22 to rotate the gear 23, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed, causing the retaining wheel 5 to rotate relative to the star wheel 4, thereby separating the contact support 5A from the container 20.

[0305] Furthermore, by transmitting power from the drive motor 6 to the star wheel 4, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed, causing the star wheel 4 to rotate relative to the holding wheel 5, thereby separating it from the contact support 4A from the container 20.

[0306] As a result, the container 20 can be accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2 by high-speed transporting the container 20 to the container inspection position P2 through the simple container transport device 21, and the container 20 can be reliably prevented from interfering with the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A at the container inspection position P2, thereby enabling accurate inspection of the container 20.

[0307] In addition, the container conveying device 21 of this embodiment has opening windows 4W and 5W formed in the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5, and a helical spring 8 is provided in the opening windows 4W and 5W, but the opening windows 4W and 5W and the helical spring 8 may be omitted.

[0308] In this case, when the container 20 is transported to the container inspection position P2 by the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5, the rotation of the star wheel 4 based on the drive motor 6 is synchronized with the rotation of the holding wheel 5 based on the drive motor 22 and the gear 23.

[0309] Next, when container 20 is positioned at container inspection position P2, drive motor 22 is used to rotate gear 23 clockwise in direction R1, and then drive motor 6 is used to rotate star wheel 4 counterclockwise in direction R2. As a result, container 20 is released from contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A at container inspection position P2.

[0310] Next, when container 20 is moved out of container inspection position P2, drive motor 22 drives gear 23 to rotate counterclockwise in the direction R2, and then drive motor 6 drives star wheel 4 to rotate clockwise in the direction R1.

[0311] Therefore, at the container inspection position P2, the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A can be brought close to the container 20 and placed in a state where the container 20 can be transported.

[0312] Alternatively, the drive motor 6 and the drive motor 22 can be driven simultaneously to separate the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from the container 20 at the same time, or to bring the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A close to the container 20 at the same time.

[0313] Thus, when the star wheel 4 is moved along the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6, and the gear 23 is rotated by the drive motor 22 to move the holding wheel 5 along the conveying direction of the container 20, the contact support part 4A can be made to contact the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20 and convey it to the container inspection position P2 when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2. Furthermore, the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A can be separated from the container 20 at the container inspection position P2.

[0314] Even so, it is possible to transport the container 20 from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2 at high speed and accurately position the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, and accurately inspect the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the inspection time of the container 20.

[0315] Furthermore, according to the container conveying device 21 of this embodiment, the contact support portion 4A has a contact surface 4b that contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and the contact support portion 5A has a contact surface 5b that contacts the other side 20b of the container 20. In addition, the contact surface 5b extends from the lower portion 20m of the container 20 to the upper portion 20n (see reference). Figure 5 ).

[0316] Therefore, the entire contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A can be used to push the container 20 to transport the container 20, thereby stably maintaining the posture of the container 20 and transporting it at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0317] Next, according to Figures 13 to 16 The structure of the article conveying device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, structures identical to those in the first embodiment will be labeled with the same numbers, and descriptions will be omitted.

[0318] like Figure 13 As shown, the container weighing device 1 includes a container conveying device 24, which is an article conveying device for conveying containers 20 along a circumferential conveying path; a container weighing section 3, which weighs containers 20 at a container inspection position P2 in the middle of the conveying path; a container input section 11, which inputs containers into the container conveying device 24 at a container input position P1; and a container output section 12, which removes containers 20 from the container conveying device 24 at a container output position P3.

[0319] The container conveying device 24 includes a star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5. The holding wheel 5 does not have an opening 5C as in the first embodiment, and the holding wheel 5 is made of a circular plate.

[0320] like Figure 13 , Figure 14 As shown, a fixing component 7 is provided on the upper part of the star wheel 4, which is fixed to the drive shaft 6A of the drive motor 6. The fixing component 7 is fixed to the upper surface of the star wheel 4. When the drive motor 6 is rotated, the star wheel 4 and the fixing component 7 rotate together.

[0321] The container conveying device 24 includes a drive motor 25, which is a stepper motor. The drive motor 25 is located below the holding wheel 5 and is mounted on the main body 1A. The drive shaft 25A of the drive motor 25 is mounted on the holding wheel 5, and the drive motor 25 drives the holding wheel 5 by rotating it. That is, the drive motor 25 directly drives the holding wheel 5 by directly transmitting power to it.

[0322] In this embodiment, drive motor 6 constitutes the third drive unit, and drive motor 25 constitutes the fourth drive unit.

[0323] Next, the operation of the container conveying device 24 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0324] When the container 20 is inserted into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, the drive motor 6 is stopped at the moment the container 20 is inserted into the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, thereby pausing the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0325] Next, the drive (excitation) drive motor 25 is driven to rotate the holding wheel 5 in the clockwise rotation direction R1.

[0326] Therefore, by maintaining the rotation of wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4 in a clockwise direction R1, the contact support portion 5A separates from the contact support portion 4A, thereby widening the gap between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4. Thus, a sufficient space for accommodating the container 20 is formed between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A.

[0327] At this time, container 20 is inserted between contact support 4A and contact support 5A at container insertion position P1 (reference). Figure 13 When the container 20 is inserted, a sufficient space is formed between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A to accommodate the container 20, thereby improving the insertion performance of the container 20.

[0328] If the container 20 is inserted between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A at the container insertion position P1, the drive motor 25 will be in a de-energized state and the holding wheel 5 will be in a free state.

[0329] At this time, the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 are subjected to force by the helical spring 8, and the helical spring 8 extends to its maximum length, so that one end 4c of the opening window 4W coincides with one end 5c of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction, and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W coincides with the other end 5d of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction (see reference). Figure 15 During the extension of the helical spring 8, the wheel 5 is kept rotating relative to the star wheel 4 in the counterclockwise direction R2.

[0330] If the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum, the gap between the contact surface 4b of the contact support portion 4A and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 is formed to be a gap slightly larger than the maximum diameter tolerance of the container 20.

[0331] If the star wheel 4 is rotated clockwise in the direction R1 by driving the drive motor 6 in this state, the power of the star wheel 4 is transmitted to the retaining wheel 5 via the helical spring 8.

[0332] If the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate, the container 20 is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and the container 20 is transported from the container input position P1 toward the container inspection position P2.

[0333] That is, container 20 contacts the contact surface 4b of the contact support part 4A of the star wheel 4 via one side 20a and is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and is conveyed to the container inspection position P2. At this time, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support part 5A, and container 20 is conveyed from container input position P1 to container inspection position P2 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A (see reference). Figure 5 (a)).

[0334] A small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. However, sometimes the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A while the container 20 is being transported. If the container 20 is to swing excessively, the container 20 will come into contact with the contact support 5A, thereby preventing the container 20 from being transported in an inclined state.

[0335] Furthermore, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A, so the container 20 will not be completely held in contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A.

[0336] Therefore, the bottom surface of container 20 can slide on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A, thereby preventing the bottom surface of container 20 from colliding strongly with the conveying surface 1a and from exerting a strong impact on container 20 during conveying.

[0337] If container 20, contained in recesses 4a and 5a, is transported to container inspection position P2 (reference) Figure 5 (b) will stop the drive motor 6 and pause the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0338] When the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2 and the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20.

[0339] This prevents container 20 from being positioned too far downstream from container inspection position P2, thus enabling container 20 to be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2.

[0340] In addition, when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 often comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20. However, the container 20 sways upstream or downstream relative to the conveying direction, so sometimes one side 20a of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 4A, and sometimes it does not come into contact with the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A.

[0341] Next, the drive (excitation) motor 25 is driven to rotate the holding wheel 5 clockwise in the direction R1. As a result, the holding wheel 5 rotates relative to the star wheel 4 in the clockwise direction R1, causing the contact support portion 5A to separate from the contact support portion 4A, thereby separating the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A from the other side 20b of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 5 (c)).

[0342] At this time, the helical spring 8 elastically deforms in a contracted manner, and the distance between one end 5c of the opening window 5W and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W is shortened compared with when the container 20 is held by the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A.

[0343] Next, the drive motor 6 rotates the star wheel 4 counterclockwise in the direction R2, further compressing the helical spring 8 and causing the contact support 4A to separate from the contact support 5A. This causes the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A to separate from one side 20a of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 5 (d) Figure 16 ).

[0344] Therefore, the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, and no load is applied to the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5. In this state, the container 20 is weighed by the container weighing unit 3. At this time, the holding wheel 5 is not rotated by setting the drive motor 25 to the energized state.

[0345] Furthermore, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, the container 20 is transported to the container inspection position P2 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a with the bottom surface of the container 20 in contact with the conveying surface 1a.

[0346] Therefore, when weighing container 20, separating the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from container 20 prevents container 20 from colliding with the conveying surface 1a and shaking, thereby stabilizing the behavior of container 20. Thus, container 20 can be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2 for accurate weighing.

[0347] On the other hand, when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, the container 20 is inserted from the container insertion portion 11 into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, and the container 20 is removed from the recesses 4a and 5a into the container removal portion 12 at the container removal position P3.

[0348] In addition, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A, so that the container 20 can be put in and taken out first without having to wait until the release time.

[0349] If the weighing of container 20 by container weighing unit 3 ends at container inspection position P2, the drive motor 25 is de-energized and the holding wheel 5 is left free.

[0350] At this time, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed in a way that maximizes its extension, keeping the wheel 5 and the star wheel 4 rotating relative to each other, so that the contact support 5A and the contact support 4A are close together, so that the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A.

[0351] Therefore, if the star wheel 4 is driven to rotate clockwise in the direction R1 by the drive motor 6, the container 20 after weighing is transported from the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3 in a state where the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A maintain the posture, and is removed from the container removal position P3 to the container removal part 12.

[0352] Next, the effects of the container conveying device 24 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0353] The container conveying device 24 of this embodiment has contact support portions 4A and 5A for accommodating containers 20 sequentially fed from the container input portion 11, and has a star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5 for conveying the containers 20 contained in the contact support portions 4A and 5A to the container inspection position P2.

[0354] The star wheel 4 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20, and the wheel 5 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20 and to rotate freely relative to the star wheel 4.

[0355] Contact support 4A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of star wheel 4 and can contact one side 20a of container 20. Contact support 5A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of holding wheel 5 and can contact the other side 20b of container 20.

[0356] Furthermore, when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 is conveyed by contacting the contact support part 4A with the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20. Therefore, the container 20 can be conveyed at high speed from the container insertion position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0357] Furthermore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A are separated from the container 20, thus preventing the container 20 from interfering with the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A in the container inspection position P2.

[0358] As a result, the container 20 fed from the container feeding section 11 can be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2 and accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2. The container 20 can be accurately weighed at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the weighing time of the container 20.

[0359] Furthermore, the container conveying device 24 of this embodiment includes a drive motor 25 that rotates the star wheel 4 in the conveying direction of the container 20 and a drive motor 25 that rotates the holding wheel 5 in the conveying direction of the container 20.

[0360] Thus, by driving motor 6, the star wheel 4 is moved along the conveying direction of container 20, and by driving motor 25, the holding wheel 5 is moved along the conveying direction of container 20, thereby enabling the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 to move along the conveying direction and move relative to each other at the container inspection position P2.

[0361] Furthermore, the container conveying device 24 has an opening window 4W formed on the star wheel 4 and an opening window 5W formed on the holding wheel 5, and a helical spring 8 that can transmit power from the star wheel 4 to the holding wheel 5 and can be elastically deformed when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate relative to each other.

[0362] The container conveying device 24 transmits power from the drive motor 25 to the holding wheel 5, causing the helical spring 8 to deform elastically and thus moving the holding wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4. It also transmits power from the drive motor 6 to the star wheel 4, causing the helical spring 8 to deform elastically and thus rotating the star wheel 4 relative to the holding wheel 5.

[0363] Thus, when the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum extent, the gap between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container 20, thereby accommodating the container 20 between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A and transporting it to the container inspection position P2.

[0364] Therefore, the container 20 can be transported at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2, thereby more effectively shortening the inspection time of the container 20.

[0365] Furthermore, when the star wheel 4 is rotated in the conveying direction of the container 20, the power of the star wheel 4 can be transmitted to the holding wheel 5 via the helical spring 8. Therefore, the distance between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A can be maintained at a distance slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container, while the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 can be moved in the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6.

[0366] Furthermore, by transmitting power from the drive motor 25 to the retaining wheel 5, the coil spring 8 is elastically deformed, causing the retaining wheel 5 to rotate relative to the star wheel 4, thereby enabling it to separate from the container 20 and contact the support portion 5A.

[0367] Furthermore, by transmitting power from the drive motor 6 to the star wheel 4, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed, causing the star wheel 4 to rotate relative to the holding wheel 5, thereby separating it from the contact support 4A from the container 20.

[0368] As a result, the container 20 can be accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2 by high-speed transport of the container 20 to the container inspection position P2 through the simple container transport device 24, and the container 20 can be reliably prevented from interfering with the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A at the container inspection position P2, thereby enabling accurate inspection of the container 20.

[0369] In addition, the container conveying device 24 of this embodiment has opening windows 4W and 5W formed in the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5, and a helical spring 8 is provided in the opening windows 4W and 5W, but the opening windows 4W and 5W and the helical spring 8 may be omitted.

[0370] In this case, when the container 20 is transported to the container inspection position P2 by the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5, the rotation of the star wheel 4 based on the drive motor 6 is synchronized with the rotation of the holding wheel 5 based on the drive motor 25.

[0371] Next, when container 20 is positioned at container inspection position P2, drive motor 25 is used to rotate holding wheel 5 clockwise in direction R1, and then drive motor 6 is used to rotate star wheel 4 counterclockwise in direction R2. Thus, container 20 is released from contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A at container inspection position P2.

[0372] Next, when container 20 is moved out of container inspection position P2, drive motor 25 is driven to rotate holding wheel 5 in the counterclockwise direction R2, and then drive motor 6 is driven to rotate star wheel 4 in the clockwise direction R1.

[0373] Therefore, at the container inspection position P2, the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A can be brought close to the container 20 and placed in a state where the container 20 can be transported.

[0374] Alternatively, the drive motor 6 and the drive motor 25 can be driven simultaneously to separate the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from the container 20 at the same time, or to bring the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A closer to the container 20 at the same time.

[0375] Thus, when the star wheel 4 is moved along the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6, and the holding wheel 5 is moved along the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 25, the contact support part 4A can be made to contact the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20 and convey it to the container inspection position P2 when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2. Furthermore, the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A can be separated from the container 20 at the container inspection position P2.

[0376] Even so, it is possible to transport the container 20 from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2 at high speed and accurately position the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, and accurately inspect the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the inspection time of the container 20.

[0377] Furthermore, according to the container conveying device 24 of this embodiment, the contact support portion 4A has a contact surface 4b that contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and the contact support portion 5A has a contact surface 5b that contacts the other side 20b of the container 20. In addition, the contact surface 5b extends from the lower portion 20m of the container 20 to the upper portion 20n (see reference). Figure 5 ).

[0378] Therefore, the entire contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A can be used to push the container 20 to transport the container 20, thereby stably maintaining the posture of the container 20 and transporting it at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0379] Next, according to Figure 17 , Figure 18 The structure of the article conveying device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, structures identical to those in the first embodiment will be labeled with the same numbers, and their descriptions will be omitted. The fourth embodiment will also be referenced. Figure 15 , Figure 16 Let me explain.

[0380] like Figure 17 As shown, the container weighing device 1 includes a container conveying device 26, which is an article conveying device for conveying containers 20 along a circumferential conveying path; a container weighing section 3, which weighs containers 20 at a container inspection position P2 in the middle of the conveying path; a container input section 11, which inputs containers into the container conveying device 26 at a container input position P1; and a container output section 12, which removes containers 20 from the container conveying device 26 at a container output position P3.

[0381] The container conveying device 26 includes a star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5. The holding wheel 5 does not have an opening 5C as in the first embodiment, and the holding wheel 5 is made of a circular plate.

[0382] like Figure 17 , Figure 18 As shown, a fixing component 7 is provided on the upper part of the star wheel 4, which is fixed to the drive shaft 6A of the drive motor 6. The fixing component 7 is fixed to the upper surface of the star wheel 4. When the drive motor 6 is rotated, the star wheel 4 and the fixing component 7 rotate together.

[0383] The container conveying device 26 includes a drive motor 27, which is a stepper motor. The drive motor 27 is located below the holding wheel 5 and is mounted on the main body 1A. A pulley 27B is mounted on the upper end of the motor shaft 27A of the drive motor 27.

[0384] A drive shaft 28 is provided below the retaining wheel 5, and the drive shaft 28 is mounted on the retaining wheel 5.

[0385] A pulley 28A is mounted on the lower end of the drive shaft 28, and a timing belt 29 is wound around the pulleys 27B and 28A.

[0386] If the drive motor 27 rotates, power is transmitted from pulley 27B to pulley 28A via timing belt 29, which in turn drives the retaining pulley 5 to rotate via drive shaft 28. That is, the drive motor 27 drives the retaining pulley 5 via timing belt 29.

[0387] In this embodiment, the drive motor 6 constitutes the third drive unit, and the drive motor 27, pulley 27B, drive shaft 28, pulley 28A, and timing belt 29 constitute the fourth drive unit. Furthermore, pulley 27B, drive shaft 28, pulley 28A, and timing belt 29 constitute the power transmission unit.

[0388] Next, the operation of the container conveying device 26 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0389] When the container 20 is inserted into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, the drive motor 6 is stopped at the moment the container 20 is inserted into the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, thereby pausing the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0390] Next, the drive (excitation) motor 27 is driven to rotate the holding wheel 5 in the clockwise direction R1. At this time, the power of the drive motor 27 is transmitted to the drive shaft 28 via pulley 27B, timing belt 29 and pulley 28A.

[0391] Therefore, by maintaining the rotation of wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4 in a clockwise direction R1, the contact support portion 5A separates from the contact support portion 4A, thereby widening the gap between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4. Thus, a sufficient space for accommodating the container 20 is formed between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A.

[0392] At this time, container 20 is inserted between contact support 4A and contact support 5A at container insertion position P1 (reference). Figure 17 When the container 20 is inserted, a sufficient space is formed between the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A to accommodate the container 20, thereby improving the insertion performance of the container 20.

[0393] If the container 20 is inserted between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A at the container insertion position P1, the drive motor 27 will be in a de-energized state and the holding wheel 5 will be in a free state.

[0394] At this time, the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 are subjected to force by the helical spring 8, and the helical spring 8 extends to its maximum length, so that one end 4c of the opening window 4W coincides with one end 5c of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction, and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W coincides with the other end 5d of the opening window 5W in the vertical direction (see reference). Figure 15 During the extension of the helical spring 8, the wheel 5 is kept rotating relative to the star wheel 4 in the counterclockwise direction R2.

[0395] If the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum, the gap between the contact surface 4b of the contact support portion 4A and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 4 is formed to be a gap slightly larger than the maximum diameter tolerance of the container 20.

[0396] If the star wheel 4 is rotated clockwise in the direction R1 by driving the drive motor 6 in this state, the power of the star wheel 4 is transmitted to the retaining wheel 5 via the helical spring 8.

[0397] If the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate, the container 20 is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and the container 20 is transported from the container input position P1 toward the container inspection position P2.

[0398] That is, container 20 contacts the contact surface 4b of the contact support part 4A of the star wheel 4 via one side 20a and is pushed by the contact support part 4A, and is conveyed to the container inspection position P2. At this time, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support part 5A, and container 20 is conveyed from container input position P1 to container inspection position P2 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A (see reference). Figure 5 (a)).

[0399] A small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. However, sometimes the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A while the container 20 is being transported. If the container 20 is to swing excessively, the container 20 will come into contact with the contact support 5A, thereby preventing the container 20 from being transported in an inclined state.

[0400] Furthermore, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support portion 5A, so the container 20 will not be completely held in contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A.

[0401] Therefore, the bottom surface of container 20 can slide on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A, thereby preventing the bottom surface of container 20 from colliding strongly with the conveying surface 1a and from exerting a strong impact on container 20 during conveying.

[0402] If container 20, contained in recesses 4a and 5a, is transported to container inspection position P2 (reference) Figure 5 (b) will stop the drive motor 6 and pause the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5.

[0403] When the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2 and the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20.

[0404] This prevents container 20 from being positioned too far downstream from container inspection position P2, thus enabling container 20 to be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2.

[0405] In addition, when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 often comes into contact with the contact support 5A due to the inertia of the container 20. However, the container 20 sways upstream or downstream relative to the conveying direction, so sometimes one side 20a of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 4A, and sometimes it does not come into contact with the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A.

[0406] Next, the drive (excitation) motor 27 is driven to rotate the holding pulley 5 clockwise in the direction R1 via the timing belt 29. As a result, the contact support 5A separates from the contact support 4A, and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A separates from the other side 20b of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 5 (c)).

[0407] At this time, the helical spring 8 elastically deforms in a contracted manner, and the distance between one end 5c of the opening window 5W and the other end 4d of the opening window 4W is shortened compared with when the container 20 is held by the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A.

[0408] Next, the drive motor 6 rotates the star wheel 4 counterclockwise in the direction R2, further compressing the helical spring 8 and causing the contact support 4A to separate from the contact support 5A. This causes the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A to separate from one side 20a of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 5 (d) Figure 16 ).

[0409] Therefore, the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, and no load is applied to the container 20 by the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5. In this state, the container 20 is weighed by the container weighing portion 3. At this time, the holding wheel 5 is not rotated by setting the drive motor 27 to the energized state.

[0410] Furthermore, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A. Therefore, the container 20 is transported to the container inspection position P2 while sliding on the conveying surface 1a with the bottom surface of the container 20 in contact with the conveying surface 1a.

[0411] Therefore, when weighing container 20, separating the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from container 20 prevents container 20 from colliding with the conveying surface 1a and shaking, thereby stabilizing the behavior of container 20. Thus, container 20 can be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2 for accurate weighing.

[0412] On the other hand, when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A, the container 20 is inserted from the container insertion portion 11 into the recesses 4a and 5a at the container insertion position P1, and the container 20 is removed from the recesses 4a and 5a into the container removal portion 12 at the container removal position P3.

[0413] In addition, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A, so that the container 20 can be put in and taken out first without having to wait until the release time.

[0414] If the weighing of container 20 by container weighing unit 3 ends at container inspection position P2, the drive motor 27 is de-energized and the holding wheel 5 is left free.

[0415] At this time, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed in a way that maximizes its extension, keeping the wheel 5 and the star wheel 4 rotating relative to each other, so that the contact support 5A and the contact support 4A are close together, so that the contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A.

[0416] Therefore, if the star wheel 4 is driven to rotate clockwise in the direction R1 by the drive motor 6, the container 20 after weighing is transported from the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3 in a state where the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A maintain the posture, and is removed from the container removal position P3 to the container removal part 12.

[0417] Next, the effects of the container conveying device 26 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0418] The container conveying device 26 of this embodiment has contact support portions 4A and 5A for accommodating containers 20 sequentially fed from the container input portion 11, and has a star wheel 4 and a holding wheel 5 for conveying the containers 20 contained in the contact support portions 4A and 5A to the container inspection position P2.

[0419] The star wheel 4 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20, and the wheel 5 is set to rotate freely in the conveying direction of the container 20 and to rotate freely relative to the star wheel 4.

[0420] Contact support 4A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of star wheel 4 and can contact one side 20a of container 20. Contact support 5A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of holding wheel 5 and can contact the other side 20b of container 20.

[0421] Furthermore, when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 is conveyed by contacting the contact support part 4A with the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20. Therefore, the container 20 can be conveyed at high speed from the container insertion position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0422] Furthermore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A are separated from the container 20, thus preventing the container 20 from interfering with the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A in the container inspection position P2.

[0423] As a result, the container 20 fed from the container feeding section 11 can be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2 and accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2. The container 20 can be accurately weighed at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the weighing time of the container 20.

[0424] Furthermore, the container conveying device 26 of this embodiment includes a drive motor 6 that rotates the star wheel 4 in the conveying direction of the container 20, a drive motor 27 that rotates the holding wheel 5 in the conveying direction of the container 20, a pulley 27B, a drive shaft 28, a pulley 28A, and a timing belt 29.

[0425] Therefore, the star wheel 4 can be moved along the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6, and the timing belt 29 can be moved around by the drive motor 27 to move the retaining wheel 5. Thus, the star wheel 4 and the retaining wheel 5 can be moved along the conveying direction and moved relative to each other at the container inspection position P2.

[0426] Furthermore, the container conveying device 26 has an opening window 4W formed on the star wheel 4 and an opening window 5W formed on the holding wheel 5, and a helical spring 8 that can transmit power from the star wheel 4 to the holding wheel 5 and can be elastically deformed when the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 rotate relative to each other.

[0427] The container conveying device 26 transmits power from the drive motor 27 to the holding wheel 5 via the timing belt 29, causing the helical spring 8 to deform elastically and thus moving the holding wheel 5 relative to the star wheel 4. It also transmits power from the drive motor 6 to the star wheel 4, causing the helical spring 8 to deform elastically and thus rotating the star wheel 4 relative to the holding wheel 5.

[0428] Thus, when the helical spring 8 is stretched to its maximum extent, the gap between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container 20, thereby accommodating the container 20 between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A and transporting it to the container inspection position P2.

[0429] Therefore, the container 20 can be transported at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2, thereby more effectively shortening the inspection time of the container 20.

[0430] Furthermore, when the star wheel 4 is rotated in the conveying direction of the container 20, the power of the star wheel 4 can be transmitted to the holding wheel 5 via the helical spring 8. Therefore, the distance between the contact support 4A and the contact support 5A can be maintained at a distance slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container, while the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5 can be moved in the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6.

[0431] Furthermore, by transmitting power from the drive motor 27 to the retaining wheel 5, the coil spring 8 is elastically deformed, causing the retaining wheel 5 to rotate relative to the star wheel 4, thereby separating it from the contact support portion 5A from the container 20.

[0432] Furthermore, by transmitting power from the drive motor 6 to the star wheel 4, the helical spring 8 is elastically deformed, causing the star wheel 4 to rotate relative to the holding wheel 5, thereby separating it from the contact support 4A from the container 20.

[0433] As a result, the container 20 can be accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2 by high-speed transport of the container 20 to the container inspection position P2 through the simple container transport device 26, and the container 20 can be reliably prevented from interfering with the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A at the container inspection position P2, thereby enabling accurate inspection of the container 20.

[0434] In addition, the container conveying device 26 of this embodiment has opening windows 4W and 5W formed in the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5, and a helical spring 8 is provided in the opening windows 4W and 5W, but the opening windows 4W and 5W and the helical spring 8 may be omitted.

[0435] In this case, when the container 20 is transported to the container inspection position P2 by the star wheel 4 and the holding wheel 5, the rotation of the star wheel 4 based on the drive motor 6 is synchronized with the rotation of the holding wheel 5 based on the drive motor 27.

[0436] Next, when container 20 is positioned at container inspection position P2, drive motor 27 rotates holding pulley 5 clockwise in direction R1 via timing belt 29, and then drive motor 6 rotates star pulley 4 counterclockwise in direction R2. Thus, container 20 is released from contact support portion 4A and contact support portion 5A at container inspection position P2.

[0437] Next, when container 20 is moved out of container inspection position P2, drive motor 27 drives the holding pulley 5 to rotate counterclockwise in the direction R2 via timing belt 29, and then drive motor 6 drives the star pulley 4 to rotate clockwise in the direction R1.

[0438] Therefore, at the container inspection position P2, the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A can be brought close to the container 20 and placed in a state where the container 20 can be transported.

[0439] Alternatively, the drive motor 6 and the drive motor 27 can be driven simultaneously to separate the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A from the container 20 at the same time, or to bring the contact support portion 4A and the contact support portion 5A close to the container 20 at the same time.

[0440] Thus, when the star wheel 4 is moved along the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 6, and the holding wheel 5 is moved along the conveying direction of the container 20 by the drive motor 27 via the timing belt 29, the contact support part 4A can be made to contact the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20 and convey it to the container inspection position P2 when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, and the contact support part 4A and the contact support part 5A can be separated from the container 20 at the container inspection position P2.

[0441] Even so, it is possible to transport the container 20 from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2 at high speed and accurately position the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, and accurately inspect the container 20 at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the inspection time of the container 20.

[0442] Furthermore, according to the container conveying device 26 of this embodiment, the contact support portion 4A has a contact surface 4b that contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and the contact support portion 5A has a contact surface 5b that contacts the other side 20b of the container 20. In addition, the contact surface 5b extends from the lower portion 20m of the container 20 to the upper portion 20n (see reference). Figure 5 ).

[0443] Therefore, the entire contact surface 4b of the contact support 4A can be used to push the container 20 to transport the container 20, thereby stably maintaining the posture of the container 20 and transporting it at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0444] In addition, the power transmission unit in this embodiment is composed of pulley 27B, drive shaft 28, pulley 28A and timing belt 29, but is not limited to this.

[0445] For example, a gear can be provided at the upper end of the motor shaft 27A, and a gear that meshes with the gear of the motor shaft 27A can be provided at the lower end of the drive shaft 28. The power transmission part is composed of the motor shaft 27A, the gear of the motor shaft 27A, the drive shaft 28, and the gear of the drive shaft 28.

[0446] Next, according to Figures 19 to 24 The structure of the article conveying device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, structures identical to those in the first embodiment will be labeled with the same numbers, and descriptions will be omitted.

[0447] like Figure 19 , Figure 20 As shown, the container weighing device 1 includes a container conveying device 31 that serves as an article conveying device for conveying containers 20 along a circumferential conveying path, a container weighing section 3 that weighs containers 20 at a container inspection position P2 in the middle of the conveying path, a container input section 11 that inputs containers into the container conveying device 31 at a container input position P1, and a container output section 12 that removes containers from the container conveying device 31 at a container output position P3.

[0448] The container conveying device 31 includes a star wheel 34 and a holding wheel 35. In this embodiment of the container conveying device 31, the holding wheel 35 is provided on the upper side of the star wheel 34. The star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35 are composed of rotating components whose conveying direction is the rotational direction and which coincide in the vertical direction.

[0449] A recess 34a is formed on the outer periphery (end) of the star wheel 34, and the recesses 34a are equally spaced along the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34. A contact support portion 34A is formed on the outer periphery of the star wheel 34, and the contact support portion 34A is equally spaced along the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34.

[0450] The recess 34a is formed between the contact support portions 34A in the rotational direction R of the star wheel 34. That is, the outer periphery of the star wheel 34 is formed with a continuous concave-convex shape in the rotational direction R.

[0451] The star-shaped wheel 34 and the retaining wheel 35 are disposed on the main body 1A of the container weighing device 1 (in Figure 21 , Figure 22 , Figure 24 (A partial view of the main body 1A is shown). A drive motor 36, which is composed of a stepper motor, is provided in the main body 1A of the container weighing device 1 (see reference). Figure 19 , Figure 20 ).

[0452] Two containers 20 are accommodated in each recess 34a. The radial length of the contact support portion 34A is more than twice the diameter of the container 20.

[0453] A notch 34k is formed in the star-shaped wheel 34, and a portion of the retaining wheel 35 is accommodated in the notch 34k (see reference). Figure 24 ).

[0454] A recess 35a is provided on the outer periphery of the holding wheel 35, and the recesses 35a are provided at equal intervals in the rotation direction R of the holding wheel 35. A contact support portion 35A is provided on the outer periphery of the holding wheel 35, and the contact support portion 35A is provided at equal intervals in the rotation direction R of the holding wheel 35.

[0455] The recesses 35a are formed between the contact support portions 35A along the rotational direction R of the holding wheel 35. That is, the outer periphery of the holding wheel 35 is formed with a continuous concave-convex shape along the rotational direction R. In addition, the recesses 34a, 35a and the contact support portions 34A, 35A may not be equally spaced along the rotational direction R of the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35.

[0456] The outer end of the contact support portion 35A is located on the inner side relative to the outer end of the contact support portion 34A in the radial direction, and the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A are arranged in the vertical direction.

[0457] Two containers 20 are respectively housed in the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A, located between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A. That is, they are housed in the recesses 34a and 35a.

[0458] Specifically, such as Figure 24 As shown, the contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A in the rotation direction R can contact one side (upstream side) 20a of the container 20 in the conveying direction, and extends from the lower part 20m of the container 20 to the upper part 20n.

[0459] That is, the contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A extends in the vertical direction in such a way that it is in overall contact with one side surface 20a of the container 20 in the vertical direction.

[0460] The star-shaped wheel 34 of this embodiment has a portion that faces the holding wheel 35 in the vertical direction and a portion that faces the holding wheel 35 in the horizontal direction.

[0461] The contact surface 35b of the contact support 35A in the rotation direction R can contact the other side (downstream side) 20b of the container 20 in the conveying direction. The lower part 20m of the container 20 constitutes the lower part of the article, and the upper part 20n of the container 20 constitutes the upper part of the article.

[0462] When conveying container 20, the interval between the contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A and the contact surface 35b of the contact support portion 35A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 34 is, for example, formed to be a gap slightly larger than the maximum diameter tolerance of container 20.

[0463] That is, when the container 20 is being transported, the container 20 contacts one side 20a of the contact support portion 34A with the contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A, and is accommodated in the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A in such a way that a small gap is formed between the contact surface 35b of the contact support portion 35A and the other side 20b of the container 20 (see reference). Figure 22 ).

[0464] The gap is formed so that when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 will not move excessively from the container inspection position P2 to the downstream side, and it can prevent the container 20 from tilting and relying on the contact support 35A gap when the container 20 is being transported.

[0465] Therefore, during transport, the container 20 housed in the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A is transported in a posture where the central axis of the container 20 is parallel to the vertical axis.

[0466] In this embodiment, the star-shaped wheel 34 constitutes a conveying member and a first conveying member, and the holding wheel 35 constitutes a conveying member and a second conveying member. The contact support portion 34A constitutes a receiving portion and a first contact support portion, and the contact support portion 35A constitutes a receiving portion and a second contact support portion.

[0467] The conveying direction of container 20 is clockwise rotation direction R1, and the rotation direction R of star wheel 34 and holding wheel 35 is the rotation direction of the first conveying component and the second conveying component. Thus, the annular conveying container 20 is formed.

[0468] The contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A forms a first contact surface that contacts one side of the article, and the contact surface 35b of the contact support portion 5A forms a second contact surface that contacts the other side of the article.

[0469] Four rectangular openings 34W are formed in the star-shaped wheel 34, with the long side of the openings 34W extending in the rotation direction R of the star-shaped wheel 34. Four rectangular openings 35W are formed in the holding wheel 35, with the long side of the openings 35W extending in the rotation direction R of the star-shaped wheel 34.

[0470] Opening windows 34W and 35W are formed to be the same size, and when opening windows 34W and 35W are opposed in the vertical direction, they coincide in the vertical direction.

[0471] like Figure 22 , Figure 23As shown, a coil spring 38 is provided in the opening window 34W and the opening window 35W. When the opening window 34W and the opening window 35W are aligned vertically, one end 38a of the coil spring 38 abuts against one end 34c of the opening window 34W and one end 35c of the opening window 35W, and the other end 38b of the coil spring 38 abuts against the other ends 34d of the opening window 34W and the other end 35d of the opening window 35W.

[0472] That is, when the helical spring 38 is at its maximum extension, one end 34c of the opening window 34W and one end 35c of the opening window 35W are opposite each other in the vertical direction due to the force of the helical spring 38, and the other end 34d of the opening window 34W and the other end 35d of the opening window 35W are opposite each other in the vertical direction.

[0473] With the helical spring 38 at its maximum extension, the distance between the contact surfaces 34b of the contact support portion 34A and 35b of the contact support portion 35A in the rotational direction of the star wheel 34 becomes a distance slightly larger than the maximum tolerance of the diameter of the container 20. In this state, the container 20 can be accommodated between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A.

[0474] like Figure 19 As shown, a planetary gear mechanism 41 is provided in the container conveying device 31. The planetary gear mechanism 41 has a sun gear 42, which is fixed to the upper surface of the central part of the star wheel 34 and rotates integrally with the star wheel 34 (see reference). Figure 20 , Figure 21 ).

[0475] The radially inner side of the retaining wheel 35 is open relative to the contact support portions 34A and 35A, and internal teeth 35g are formed in the opening. The internal teeth 35g are formed throughout the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the retaining wheel 35.

[0476] like Figure 20 As shown, the sun gear 42 is positioned at the same height as the retaining wheel 35 and is located radially inside the internal tooth 35g.

[0477] The drive shaft 36A of the drive motor 36 is connected in the sun gear 42. If the drive motor 36 is rotated, the star wheel 34 and the sun gear 42 will rotate together.

[0478] The planetary gear mechanism 41 has a planetary gear carrier 43. The planetary gear carrier 43 has four legs 43a spaced 90° apart on the right side of the circumference (see reference). Figure 19 The foot 43a is rotatably supported by a pinion 43A. The pinion 43A meshes with the sun gear 42 and the internal gear 35g.

[0479] That is, the planetary gear mechanism 41 has internal teeth 35g formed on the retaining wheel 35, which is equivalent to the gear ring of the planetary gear mechanism 41. The sun gear 42 constitutes the stellar gear, and the pinion 43A constitutes the planetary gear.

[0480] like Figure 20 As shown, a cylindrical portion 36B is provided on the drive shaft 36A of the drive motor 36, and the cylindrical portion 36B rotates integrally with the drive shaft 36A. An annular electromagnetic coil 44 is built into the cylindrical portion 36B.

[0481] A support portion 1c is provided in the main body 1A, and an annular electromagnetic coil 45 is built into the support portion 1c.

[0482] Multiple slots 43b are formed in the planetary gear carrier 43, and the slots 43b are opposite the cylindrical portion 36B in the vertical direction. The slots 43b extend with a certain length on the same circumference of the planetary gear carrier 43 and are separated from each other on the same circumference of the planetary gear carrier 43.

[0483] A clutch 46 is accommodated radially inward relative to the groove 43b. The clutch 46 is formed to be the same length as the circumferential length of the groove 43b, and can move freely vertically between being accommodated in the groove 43b and protruding from the groove 43b, but cannot move circumferentially along the groove 43b. That is, the two ends of the clutch 46 abut against the two ends of the groove 43b in the circumferential direction.

[0484] Multiple slots 43c are formed in the planetary gear carrier 43. The slots 43c are located on the inner side of the planetary gear carrier 43 in the radial direction relative to the slots 43b, and are opposite to the support portion 1c in the vertical direction.

[0485] The grooves 43c extend a certain length on the same circumference of the planetary gear carrier 43 and are separated from each other on the same circumference of the planetary gear carrier 43.

[0486] A clutch 47 is accommodated in the groove 43c. The clutch 47 is formed to be the same length as the circumferential length of the groove 43c, and can move freely in the vertical direction between being accommodated in the groove 43c and protruding from the groove 43c, but cannot move in the circumferential direction of the groove 43c. That is, the two ends of the clutch 47 in the circumferential direction abut against the two ends of the groove 43c in the circumferential direction.

[0487] In the container conveying device 31, if the electromagnetic coil 44 is energized, the clutch 46 protrudes upward from the slot 43b and is attracted to the electromagnetic coil 44. As a result, the planetary gear carrier 43 is connected to the drive shaft 36A of the drive motor 36, and the planetary gear carrier 43 and the drive shaft 36A rotate as a unit.

[0488] When the planetary gear carrier 43 is connected to the drive shaft 36A of the drive motor 36, if the sun gear 42 is driven by the rotation of the drive motor 36, the planetary gear 34 and the sun gear 42 will rotate together.

[0489] At this time, the planetary gear carrier 43 rotates as a whole with the sun gear 42, and the foot 43a moves around the rotation center axis O of the star gear 34. Therefore, the pinion 43A revolves around the rotation center axis O of the star gear 34 without rotating on its own axis.

[0490] As a result, the retaining wheel 35, which meshes with the internal gear 35g, and the star wheel 34 rotate at the same speed as each other.

[0491] In this state, the container 20, which is housed in the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A, comes into contact with the contact support portion 34A and is pushed by the rotation of the star wheel 34, and is conveyed while maintaining a small gap with the contact support portion 35A.

[0492] Therefore, the container 20 is not completely gripped by the contact support 34A and the contact support 35A, but slides on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A while being conveyed from the container input position P1 through the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3.

[0493] On the other hand, if the electromagnetic coil 45 is energized, the clutch 47 protrudes upward from the slot 43c and is attracted to the electromagnetic coil 45. As a result, the planetary gear carrier 43 is fixed to the main body 1A and cannot rotate.

[0494] If the planetary gear carrier 43 is fixed to the main body 1A and the drive motor 36 is driven, the foot 43a will not move around the rotation center axis O of the star gear 34 and will remain stationary, and the sun gear 42 will rotate through the drive motor 36.

[0495] Thus, the pinion 43A rotates on its own axis around the rotation center O of the star wheel 34 without revolving around it. Through the rotation of the pinion 43A, the wheel 35 is kept rotating relative to the star wheel 34.

[0496] In this embodiment, the clutches 46 and 47 can be any components that are attracted to the electromagnetic coils 44 and 45 when they are energized and separate from them when they are not energized.

[0497] In this embodiment, it is made of, for example, a lightweight metal. The electromagnetic coil 44 and clutch 46, and the electromagnetic coil 45 and clutch 47 of this embodiment constitute an electromagnetic clutch.

[0498] In the container conveying device 31 of this embodiment, when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 is conveyed by contacting the contact support 34A with the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20. When the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the contact support 34A and the contact support 35A are separated from the container 20. After the weighing of the container 20 is completed, the contact support 34A is contacted with the container 20 and the container is conveyed to the container removal position P3.

[0499] like Figure 19 As shown, four protrusions 34e are formed in the star wheel 34, and the protrusions 34e extend along the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34.

[0500] The retaining wheel 35 has four slits 35e. The slits 35e extend in the rotation direction R of the retaining wheel 35, and the protrusions 34e are adapted to the slits 35e.

[0501] Therefore, when the star wheel 34 and the retaining wheel 35 rotate relative to each other, the cut 35e moves along the protrusion 34e, thereby preventing the star wheel 34 and the retaining wheel 35 from deviating radially, thus enabling the star wheel 34 and the retaining wheel 35 to rotate smoothly relative to each other.

[0502] The length of the cut 35e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34 is longer than the length of the protrusion 34e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34. When the wheel 35 is kept to rotate excessively relative to the star wheel 34 for some reason, the end of the protrusion 34e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34 abuts against the end of the cut 35e in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34.

[0503] This prevents the coil spring 38 from being over-compressed, thus protecting it. Consequently, the durability of the coil spring 38 is improved.

[0504] Next, the operation of the container conveying device 31 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0505] When the container 20 is inserted into the recesses 34a and 35a at the container insertion position P1, the drive motor 36 is stopped at the moment the container 20 is inserted into the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A, thereby pausing the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35.

[0506] Next, the electromagnetic coil 45 is energized, causing the clutch 47 to be attracted to the electromagnetic coil 45. Thus, the planetary gear carrier 43 is connected to the main body 1A (see reference). Figure 21 At this time, the electromagnetic coil 44 is in a de-energized state, and the drive shaft 36A of the drive motor 36 is not connected to the planetary gear carrier 43. Subsequently, the drive (energizing) drive motor 36 causes the sun gear 42 to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction R2.

[0507] If the sun gear 42 rotates in the counterclockwise direction R2, then the star gear 34 rotates in the counterclockwise direction R2, and the pinion 43A rotates in the clockwise direction R1, while the gear 35 rotates in the clockwise direction R1.

[0508] Here, the two ends of the clutch 47 in the circumferential direction abut against the two ends of the groove 43c in the circumferential direction, so the planetary gear carrier 43 will not rotate relative to the main body 1A, and the pinion 43A will not rotate around the sun gear 42 but will rotate on its own in the same position.

[0509] As a result, the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A are separated from each other, and the gap between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A in the rotation direction R of the star wheel 34 becomes wider, forming a sufficient space for accommodating the container 20 between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A.

[0510] At this time, container 20 is inserted between contact support 34A and contact support 35A at container insertion position P1 (reference). Figure 19 When the container 20 is inserted, a sufficient space is formed between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A to accommodate the container 20, thereby improving the insertion performance of the container 20.

[0511] If the container 20 is placed between the contact support 34A and the contact support 35A at the container placement position P1, the drive motor 36 will be in a de-energized state, allowing the sun gear 42 to rotate freely.

[0512] At this time, the star wheel 34 and the retaining wheel 35 are stressed by the helical spring 38, and the helical spring 38 extends to its maximum length, so that one end 34c of the opening window 34W coincides with one end 35c of the opening window 35W in the vertical direction, and the other end 34d of the opening window 34W coincides with the other end 35d of the opening window 35W in the vertical direction (see reference). Figure 22 ).

[0513] During the extension of the helical spring 38, the sun gear 42 rotates in the clockwise direction R1, and the pinion 43A rotates in the counterclockwise direction R2, while the retaining wheel 35 rotates in the counterclockwise direction R2.

[0514] If the helical spring 38 is stretched to its maximum, the gap between the contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A and the contact surface 35b of the contact support portion 35A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 34 is formed to be a gap slightly larger than the maximum diameter tolerance of the container 20.

[0515] Next, the electromagnetic coil 45 is de-energized, thus disconnecting the planetary gear carrier 43 from the main body 1A. The electromagnetic coil 44 is then energized, attracting the clutch 46 to it. This connects the planetary gear carrier 43 to the drive shaft 36A of the drive motor 36 (see reference). Figure 20 Subsequently, the drive motor 36 is driven to rotate the sun gear 42 in the clockwise direction R1.

[0516] If the sun gear 42 rotates in the clockwise direction R1, the planetary gear 34 rotates in the same clockwise direction R1 as the sun gear 42. In addition, the planetary gear carrier 43 moves around in the clockwise direction R1, and the pinion 43A revolves around the rotational center axis O of the planetary gear 34 without rotating on its own axis.

[0517] Thus, while maintaining a certain distance between the contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A and the contact surface 35b of the contact support portion 35A, the wheel 35 and the star wheel 34 rotate together in the clockwise rotation direction R1.

[0518] Here, the two ends of the clutch 46 in the circumferential direction abut against the two ends of the groove 43b in the circumferential direction, so the cylindrical part 36B of the planetary gear carrier 43 and the planetary gear carrier 43 will not rotate relative to each other in the circumferential direction, and the planetary gear carrier 43 and the drive shaft 36A rotate together.

[0519] At this time, the container 20 is pushed by the contact support part 34A, and the container 20 is transported from the container input position P1 toward the container inspection position P2.

[0520] That is, the container 20 contacts the contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A of the star wheel 34 through one side 20a and is pushed by the contact support portion 34A, and is transported to the container inspection position P2.

[0521] At this time, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 35b of the contact support 35A. The container 20 slides on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A while being conveyed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2 (reference). Figure 24 (a)).

[0522] A small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 35b of the contact support 35A. However, sometimes the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact surface 35b of the contact support 35A during the conveying of the container 20. If the container 20 is to swing excessively, the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 35A, thereby preventing the container 20 from being conveyed in an inclined state.

[0523] Furthermore, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 35b of the contact support portion 35A, so the container 20 will not be completely held in contact support portion 34A and contact support portion 35A.

[0524] Therefore, the bottom surface of container 20 can slide on the conveying surface 1a of the main body 1A, thereby preventing the bottom surface of container 20 from colliding strongly with the conveying surface 1a and from exerting a strong impact on container 20 during conveying.

[0525] If container 20, contained in recesses 34a and 35a, is transported to container inspection position P2 (reference) Figure 24 (b) will stop the drive motor 36 and pause the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35.

[0526] When the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 35b of the contact support 35A. Therefore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2 and the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 35A due to the inertia of the container 20.

[0527] This prevents container 20 from being positioned too far downstream from container inspection position P2, thus enabling container 20 to be accurately positioned at container inspection position P2.

[0528] In addition, when the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35 are paused, the other side 20b of the container 20 often comes into contact with the contact support 35A due to the inertia of the container 20. However, the container 20 sways upstream or downstream relative to the conveying direction, so sometimes one side 20a of the container 20 comes into contact with the contact support 34A, and sometimes it does not come into contact with the contact support 34A and the contact support 35A.

[0529] Next, the electromagnetic coil 44 is de-energized so that the drive shaft 36A of the drive motor 36 is not connected to the planetary gear carrier 43, and the electromagnetic coil 45 is energized so that the clutch 47 is attracted to the electromagnetic coil 45.

[0530] Thus, the planetary gear carrier 43 is connected to the main body 1A (reference). Figure 21 Subsequently, the drive motor 36 is driven to rotate the sun gear 42 in the counterclockwise direction R2.

[0531] If the sun gear 42 rotates in the counterclockwise direction R2, then the star gear 34 rotates in the counterclockwise direction R2, and the pinion 43A rotates in the clockwise direction R1, while the gear 35 rotates in the clockwise direction R1.

[0532] As a result, the contact support portion 35A and the contact support portion 34A separate from each other, and the gap between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A in the rotation direction of the star wheel 34 widens (see reference). Figure 24 (c)).

[0533] At this time, the helical spring 38 elastically deforms in a contracted manner, and the distance between one end 35c of the opening window 35W and the other end 34d of the opening window 34W is shortened compared with when the container 20 is held by the contact support 34A and the contact support 35A.

[0534] On the other hand, when the container 20 is released from the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A, the container 20 is inserted from the container insertion portion 11 into the recesses 34a and 35a at the container insertion position P1, and the container 20 is removed from the recesses 34a and 35a into the container removal portion 12 at the container removal position P3.

[0535] In addition, when the container 20 is being transported, a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 5b of the contact support 5A, so that the container 20 can be put in and taken out first without having to wait until the release time.

[0536] If the weighing of container 20 by container weighing unit 3 ends at container inspection position P2, the drive motor 36 is put into a de-energized state, so that the sun gear 42 and pinion 43A can rotate freely.

[0537] At this time, the helical spring 38 is elastically deformed in a way that maximizes its elongation, keeping the wheel 35 rotating relative to the star wheel 34, so that the contact support 35A moves close to the contact support 34A, thereby the contact surface 34b of the contact support 34A contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and a small gap is formed between the other side 20b of the container 20 and the contact surface 35b of the contact support 35A.

[0538] Therefore, after the clutch 46 is attracted to the electromagnetic coil 44, if the star wheel 34 is driven to rotate clockwise in the direction R1 by the drive motor 36, the container 20 after weighing is transported from the container inspection position P2 to the container removal position P3 in a state where the posture is maintained by the contact support part 34A and the contact support part 35A, and then removed from the container removal position P3 to the container removal part 12.

[0539] Next, the effects of the container conveying device 31 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0540] The container conveying device 31 of this embodiment has contact support portions 34A and 35A for accommodating containers 20 sequentially fed from the container input portion 11, and has a star wheel 34 and a holding wheel 35 for conveying the containers 20 contained in the contact support portions 34A and 35A to the container inspection position P2.

[0541] The star wheel 34 is rotatably arranged in the conveying direction of the container 20, and the retaining wheel 35 is rotatably arranged in the conveying direction of the container 20 and rotatably arranged relative to the star wheel 34.

[0542] Contact support portion 34A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of star wheel 34 and can contact one side 20a of container 20. Contact support portion 35A is provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of holding wheel 35 and can contact the other side 20b of container 20.

[0543] Furthermore, when the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, the container 20 is conveyed by contacting the contact support 34A with the container 20 to maintain the posture of the container 20, thus enabling the container 20 to be conveyed at high speed from the container insertion position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0544] Furthermore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A are separated from the container 20, thus preventing the container 20 from interfering with the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A in the container inspection position P2.

[0545] As a result, the container 20 fed from the container feeding section 11 can be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2 and accurately positioned at the container inspection position P2. The container 20 can be accurately weighed at the container inspection position P2, thereby shortening the weighing time of the container 20.

[0546] Furthermore, the container conveying device 31 of this embodiment has a drive motor 36 that rotates and drives the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35, and a planetary gear mechanism 41. The planetary gear mechanism 41 includes a sun gear 42 mounted on the star wheel 34 and driven by the drive motor 36, an internal tooth 35g formed on the holding wheel 35, and a planetary gear carrier 43 that rotatably supports and meshes with the sun gear 42 and the internal tooth 35g and is rotated and driven by the drive motor 36.

[0547] According to this structure, the container 20 inserted from the container insertion part 11 is accommodated between the contact support part 34A and the contact support part 35A. When the container 20 is not in the container inspection position P2, by making the planetary gear carrier 43 rotate freely and the sun gear 42 rotate, the pinion 43A moves around, so that the sun gear 42 and the internal gear 35g meshing with the pinion 43A rotate as a whole.

[0548] Thus, the contact support 34A can be brought into contact with the container 20 to maintain the container's posture, and the holding wheel 35 can be moved in such a way that a gap is formed between the contact support 35A and the container 20, thereby enabling the container 20 to be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2.

[0549] As a result, the container 20 fed from the container feeding unit 11 can be transported at high speed to the container inspection position P2 and the container 20 can be accurately positioned at the container inspection position P.

[0550] Furthermore, when the container 20 is in the container inspection position P2, the container conveying device 31 of this embodiment separates the planetary gear carrier 43 from the drive motor 36 and sets it to non-rotation. The drive motor 36 rotates the sun gear 42 and causes the pinion 43A to rotate, thereby causing the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35 to rotate relative to each other, causing the contact support portion 35A to separate from the other side 20b of the container 20, and causing the contact support portion 34A to separate from one side 20a of the container 20.

[0551] This prevents the container 20 from interfering with the contact support 34A and contact support 35A at the container inspection position P2, thereby enabling accurate inspection of the container 20 at the container inspection position P2. As a result, the inspection time of the container 20 can be shortened.

[0552] Furthermore, the container conveying device 31 of this embodiment has an opening window 34W formed on the star wheel 34 and an opening window 35W formed on the holding wheel 35, and a helical spring 38 that can transmit power from the star wheel 34 to the holding wheel and can be elastically deformed when the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35 rotate relative to each other.

[0553] Thus, when the helical spring 38 is stretched to its maximum extent, the gap between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A can be formed to be slightly larger than the maximum dimensional tolerance of the container 20, thereby accommodating the container 20 between the contact support portion 34A and the contact support portion 35A and transporting it to the container inspection position P2.

[0554] Therefore, the container 20 can be transported at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2, thereby more effectively shortening the inspection time of the container 20.

[0555] Furthermore, according to the container conveying device 31 of this embodiment, the contact support portion 34A has a contact surface 34b that contacts one side 20a of the container 20, and the contact support portion 35A has a contact surface 35b that contacts the other side 20b of the container 20. In addition, the contact surface 35b extends from the lower portion 20m of the container 20 to the upper portion 20n.

[0556] Therefore, the entire contact surface 34b of the contact support portion 34A can be used to push the container 20 to transport the container 20, thereby stably maintaining the posture of the container 20 and transporting it at high speed from the container input position P1 to the container inspection position P2.

[0557] Furthermore, in the container conveying device 2 according to this embodiment, the star wheel 34 is a rotating component whose conveying direction of the container 20 is the rotation direction, and the holding wheel 35 is a rotating component that can rotate freely in the same direction as the rotation direction of the star wheel 34.

[0558] Therefore, compared with the case where the container 20 is transported in a straight line, the installation area of ​​the container transport device 2 can be reduced.

[0559] In addition, the container conveying device 31 of this embodiment has opening windows 34W and 35W formed in the star wheel 34 and the holding wheel 35, and a helical spring 38 is provided in the opening windows 34W and 35W, but the opening windows 34W and 35W and the helical spring 38 may be omitted.

[0560] In this case, when the weighing of container 20 at container inspection position P2 is completed, drive motor 36 is rotated clockwise in direction R1 with clutch 47 attracted by electromagnetic coil 45, and pinion 43A is rotated counterclockwise in direction R2, thereby bringing contact support 34A and contact support 35A close to container 20.

[0561] Embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that additional modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Of course, all such modifications and equivalents are included within the scope of this technical solution.

[0562] Symbol Explanation

[0563] 2, 21, 24, 26, 31 - Container conveying device (item conveying device); 4 - Star wheel (conveyor component, first conveyor component, first rotating component); 4A, 34A - Contact support (accommodating part, first contact support); 4b, 34b - Contact surface (first contact surface); 4h - Bending part (adjustment part); 4W - Opening window (first opening window); 5 - Holding wheel (conveyor component, second conveyor component, second rotating component); 5A, 35A - Contact support Support (accommodating part, second contact support part), 5b, 35b - contact surface (second contact surface), 5f - internal tooth (power transmission part), 5i - bolt support part (adjustment part), 5t - inclined groove, 5W - opening window (second opening window), 6 - drive motor (second drive part, third drive part), 8, 15 - helical spring (elastic component), 9 - actuator (first drive part), 9C - roller part (moving part), 11 - container input part (item input part), 14 - bolt (Adjustment section), 20-Container (item), 20a-One side (one side of the item), 20b-The other side (the other side of the item), 20m-Lower part (lower part of the item), 20n-Upper part (upper part of the item), 22, 25, 27-Drive motor (4th drive section), 23-Gear (4th drive section, power transmission section), 27B-Pulley (4th drive section, power transmission section), 28-Drive shaft (4th drive section, power transmission section), 28A-Belt 29 - Timing belt (4th drive unit, power transmission unit), 34 - Star wheel (conveyor component, 1st conveyor component, rotating component), 35 - Holding wheel (conveyor component, 2nd conveyor component, rotating component), 35g - Internal gear, 41 - Planetary gear mechanism, 42 - Sun gear (solar gear), 43 - Planetary gear carrier (wheel carrier), 43A - Pinion (planetary gear), P2 - Container inspection position (item inspection position).

Claims

1. An article conveying device that is an article conveying device (2, 21, 24, 26, 31) having a plurality of accommodation portions that accommodate articles (20) that are sequentially fed in a prescribed position (Pl) and that conveys the articles accommodated in the accommodation portions to an article inspection position (P2), wherein the accommodation portions are constituted by: a first contact support portion (4A, 34A) that is provided to a first conveying member (4, 34) that is movably provided in a conveying direction of the articles and that is capable of contacting one side surface (20a) on an upstream side in the conveying direction of the articles; and a second contact support portion (5A, 35A) that is provided to a second conveying member (5, 35) that is movably provided in the conveying direction of the articles and that is capable of contacting the other side surface (20b) on a downstream side in the conveying direction of the articles, the second conveying member being movably provided relative to the first conveying member in the conveying direction of the articles, when the article is not positioned at the article inspection position, the posture of the article is maintained and the article is conveyed by at least the first contact support portion contacting the article, when the article is positioned at the article inspection position, the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion are separated from the article, the first conveying member (34) and the second conveying member (35) are constituted by rotating members that coincide in a rotating direction that is the conveying direction of the articles and in a vertical direction, the article conveying device has a drive motor (36) that rotates the first conveying member and the second conveying member and a planetary gear mechanism (41), the planetary gear mechanism has: a sun gear (42) that is attached to the first conveying member and that is driven by the drive motor; an internal gear (35g) that is formed in the second conveying member; and a carrier (43) that rotatably supports a planetary gear (43A) that meshes with the sun gear and the internal gear and that is rotated by the drive motor.

2. The article conveying device according to claim 1, wherein when the article is positioned at the article inspection position, the carrier is separated from the drive motor and is set to be non-rotatable, whereby the sun gear is rotated by the drive motor and the first conveying member and the second conveying member are relatively rotated by the carrier being caused to rotate, the second contact support portion is separated from the other side surface of the article, and the first contact support portion is separated from one side surface of the article.

3. The article conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first contact support portion has a first contact surface (34b) that contacts one side surface of the article, the second contact support portion has a second contact surface (35b) that contacts the other side surface of the article, and at least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) of the article to an upper portion (20n) of the article. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 4. An article conveying device that is an article conveying device (2, 21, 24, 26, 31) having a plurality of accommodation portions that accommodate articles (20) that are sequentially fed in a prescribed position (Pl) and that conveys the articles accommodated in the accommodation portions to an article inspection position (P2), wherein the accommodation portion is composed of: a first contact support portion (4A, 34A) provided to a first conveying member (4, 34) that is movably provided in a conveying direction of the article and that is capable of contacting one side surface (20a) on an upstream side in the conveying direction of the article; and a second contact support portion (5A, 35A) provided to a second conveying member (5, 35) that is movably provided in the conveying direction of the article and that is capable of contacting the other side surface (20b) on a downstream side in the conveying direction of the article, when the article is not positioned at the article inspection position, the posture of the article is maintained by at least the first contact support portion contacting the article, and when the article is positioned at the article inspection position, the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion are separated from the article, the first conveying member is a first rotating member (4) in which the conveying direction of the article becomes a rotating direction, and the second conveying member is a second rotating member (5) that is rotatable in the positive and negative directions of the rotating direction of the first rotating member.

5. The article conveying device according to claim 4, comprising: an elastic member (8) provided to a first opening window (4W) formed in the first conveying member and a second opening window (5W) formed in the second conveying member and capable of transmitting power from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and elastically deforming freely when the first conveying member and the second conveying member are relatively moved; a first drive portion (9) that relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by elastically deforming the elastic member; and a second drive portion (6) that relatively moves the first conveying member with respect to the second conveying member by elastically deforming the elastic member.

6. The article conveying device according to claim 4, comprising: an elastic member (15) provided between the first conveying member and the second conveying member and capable of transmitting power from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and elastically deforming freely when the first conveying member and the second conveying member are relatively moved; an adjustment portion (4h, 5i, 14) that adjusts the interval between the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion by elastically deforming the elastic member, the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion being positioned so as to maintain a certain interval; a first drive portion (9) that relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by elastically deforming the elastic member; and a second drive portion (6) that relatively moves the first conveying member with respect to the second conveying member by elastically deforming the elastic member.

7. An article conveying device that is an article conveying device (2, 21, 24, 26, 31) having a plurality of accommodation portions that accommodate articles (20) that are sequentially fed at a prescribed position (PI) and that conveys the articles accommodated in the accommodation portions to an article inspection position (P2), wherein the accommodation portions are composed of: a first contact support portion (4A, 34A) that is provided to a first conveying member (4, 34) that is movably provided in a conveying direction of the articles and that is capable of contacting one side surface (20a) on an upstream side in the conveying direction of the articles; and a second contact support portion (5A, 35A) that is provided to a second conveying member (5, 35) that is movably provided in the conveying direction of the articles and that is capable of contacting the other side surface (20b) on a downstream side in the conveying direction of the articles, the second conveying member being movably provided relative to the first conveying member in the conveying direction of the articles, the article conveying device being configured to maintain a posture of the article by bringing at least the first contact support portion into contact with the article when the article is not positioned at the article inspection position, and to separate the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion from the article when the article is positioned at the article inspection position. The article conveying device has: an elastic member (8) that is provided to a first opening window (4W) formed in the first conveying member and to a second opening window (5W) formed in the second conveying member and that is capable of transmitting a force from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and of being elastically deformed when the first conveying member and the second conveying member are relatively moved; a first drive portion (9) that elastically deforms the elastic member to relatively move the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member; and a second drive portion (6) that elastically deforms the elastic member to relatively move the first conveying member relative to the second conveying member.

8. An article conveying device that is an article conveying device (2, 21, 24, 26, 31) having a plurality of accommodation portions that accommodate articles (20) that are sequentially fed at a prescribed position (PI) and that conveys the articles accommodated in the accommodation portions to an article inspection position (P2), wherein the accommodation portions are composed of: a first contact support portion (4A, 34A) that is provided to a first conveying member (4, 34) that is movably provided in a conveying direction of the articles and that is capable of contacting one side surface (20a) on an upstream side in the conveying direction of the articles; and a second contact support portion (5A, 35A) that is provided to a second conveying member (5, 35) that is movably provided in the conveying direction of the articles and that is capable of contacting the other side surface (20b) on a downstream side in the conveying direction of the articles, the second conveying member being movably provided relative to the first conveying member in the conveying direction of the articles, the article conveying device being configured to maintain a posture of the article by bringing at least the first contact support portion into contact with the article when the article is not positioned at the article inspection position, and to separate the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion from the article when the article is positioned at the article inspection position. The article conveying device has: an elastic member (8) that is provided to a first opening window (4W) formed in the first conveying member and to a second opening window (5W) formed in the second conveying member and that is capable of transmitting a force from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and of being elastically deformed when the first conveying member and the second conveying member are relatively moved; a first drive portion (9) that elastically deforms the elastic member to relatively move the second conveying member relative to the first conveying member; and a second drive portion (6) that elastically deforms the elastic member to relatively move the first conveying member relative to the second conveying member. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ When the article is not positioned at the article inspection position, the posture of the article is maintained by at least the first contact support portion being in contact with the article, and when the article is positioned at the article inspection position, the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion are separated from the article, The article conveying device has: a resilient member (15) disposed between the first conveying member and the second conveying member and capable of transmitting power from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and elastically deforming freely when the first conveying member and the second conveying member relatively move; an adjustment portion (4h, 5i, 14) that adjusts the interval between the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion by elastically deforming the resilient member, the first contact support portion and the second contact support portion being positioned to maintain a certain interval; a first drive portion (9) that relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by elastically deforming the resilient member; and a second drive portion (6) that relatively moves the first conveying member with respect to the second conveying member by elastically deforming the resilient member.

9. The article conveying device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein when the article is positioned at the article inspection position, the first drive portion separates the second contact support portion from the other side surface of the article by relatively moving the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member, the second drive portion separates the first contact support portion from the side surface of the article by moving the first conveying member in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the second conveying member.

10. The article conveying device according to claim 9, wherein an inclined groove (5t) is formed in the moving direction of the second conveying member, the first drive portion is configured to have a moving portion (9C) that moves along the inclined groove with one side being in contact with the inclined groove and includes an actuator that relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member, the inclined groove is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the moving portion.

11. The article conveying device according to claim 9, wherein the first contact support portion has a first contact surface (4b) that is in contact with the side surface of the article, the second contact support portion has a second contact surface (5b) that is in contact with the other side surface of the article, at least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

12. The article conveying device according to claim 10, wherein the first contact support portion has a first contact surface (4b) that is in contact with the side surface of the article, the second contact support portion has a second contact surface (5b) that is in contact with the other side surface of the article, at least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

13. The article conveying device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein an inclined groove (5t) is formed in the moving direction of the second conveying member, The first driving section is configured to have a moving section (9C) that moves along the inclined groove while contacting the inclined groove, and includes an actuator that relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member, The inclined groove is inclined with respect to a moving direction of the moving section.

14. The article conveying device according to claim 13, wherein The first contact support section has a first contact surface (4b) that contacts one side surface of the article, The second contact support section has a second contact surface (5b) that contacts the other side surface of the article, At least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

15. The article conveying device according to any one of claims 4, 7, and 8, wherein The first contact support section has a first contact surface (4b) that contacts one side surface of the article, The second contact support section has a second contact surface (5b) that contacts the other side surface of the article, At least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

16. The article conveying device according to any one of claims 4, 7, and 8, having: a third driving section (6) that moves the first conveying member in a conveying direction of the article; and a fourth driving section (22, 23, 25, 27, 27B, 28, 28B, 29) that moves the second conveying member in the conveying direction of the article.

17. The article conveying device according to claim 16, wherein The fourth driving section has a driving motor (22, 25, 27) that directly moves the second conveying member by the driving motor, or moves the second conveying member by transmitting power of the driving motor to the second conveying member via a power transmission section (5f, 23, 27B, 28, 28A, 29).

18. The article delivery apparatus of claim 17, wherein, having: an elastic member (8) that is provided to a first opening window (4W) formed in the first conveying member and a second opening window (5W) formed in the second conveying member, and that is capable of transmitting power from the first conveying member to the second conveying member and elastically deforming as the first conveying member and the second conveying member relatively move, The fourth driving section relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by directly transmitting power of the driving motor to the second conveying member to elastically deform the elastic member, or relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by transmitting power of the driving motor to the second conveying member via the power transmission section to elastically deform the elastic member, The third driving section relatively moves the first conveying member with respect to the second conveying member by elastically deforming the elastic member.

19. The article conveying device according to claim 17, wherein the fourth driving section relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by directly transmitting the power of the driving motor to the second conveying member, thereby separating the second contact supporting section from the other side surface of the article, or relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by transmitting the power of the driving motor to the second conveying member via the power transmission section, thereby separating the second contact supporting section from the other side surface of the article, when the article is located at the article inspection position, the third driving section relatively moves the first conveying member with respect to the second conveying member in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the second conveying member, thereby separating the first contact supporting section from the side surface of the article.

20. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the fourth driving section relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by directly transmitting the power of the driving motor to the second conveying member, thereby separating the second contact supporting section from the other side surface of the article, or relatively moves the second conveying member with respect to the first conveying member by transmitting the power of the driving motor to the second conveying member via the power transmission section, thereby separating the second contact supporting section from the other side surface of the article, when the article is located at the article inspection position, the third driving section relatively moves the first conveying member with respect to the second conveying member in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the second conveying member, thereby separating the first contact supporting section from the side surface of the article.

21. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first contact supporting section has a first contact surface (4b) which contacts the side surface of the article, the second contact supporting section has a second contact surface (5b) which contacts the other side surface of the article, at least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

22. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the first contact supporting section has a first contact surface (4b) which contacts the side surface of the article, the second contact supporting section has a second contact surface (5b) which contacts the other side surface of the article, at least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

23. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first contact supporting section has a first contact surface (4b) which contacts the side surface of the article, the second contact supporting section has a second contact surface (5b) which contacts the other side surface of the article, at least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

24. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first contact supporting section has a first contact surface (4b) which contacts the side surface of the article, the second contact supporting section has a second contact surface (5b) which contacts the other side surface of the article, At least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

25. The article conveying device according to claim 20, wherein, the first contact support portion has a first contact surface (4b) that contacts one side surface of the article, the second contact support portion has a second contact surface (5b) that contacts the other side surface of the article, At least the first contact surface extends from a lower portion (20m) to an upper portion (20n) of the article.

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