Container alignment apparatus

Abstract

To provide a container alignment apparatus which can securely prevent a container with a teardrop shape from falling down on a discharge conveyor.SOLUTION: In a container C, the area of a bottom face is smaller than the cross-sectional area of a body part. A feed conveyor conveys the container C in a rollover state, and a discharge conveyor 15 conveys the container C in an upright state. A bucket 25 includes: a front support member 50 located at the front of the upright container C in a conveyance direction; and a rear support member 60 located at the rear of the upright container C in the conveyance direction. A bucket conveyor 17 moves the bucket 25 at a velocity lower than the conveyance velocity of the discharge conveyor 15 along the conveyance direction of the discharge conveyor 15. The front support member 50 is provided with a front support block 53 having a recessed part 54 contactable with the container C. The rear support member 60 is provided with a rear support block 61 in which fall regulation parts 61A, 61B are projectingly formed on both right and left end parts above the recessed part 54. In this way, the phenomenon that the container C stored in the bucket 25 falls diagonally backward in the conveyance direction of the discharge conveyor 15 is prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container alignment device, and more particularly to a container alignment device that uses a robot to hold an overturned container, transports it to a release position, releases it, and causes the falling container to abut against a standing member to stand it upright. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of such a container alignment device is described in Patent Document 1. This conventional device is equipped with a discharge conveyor and a bucket conveyor, and the bucket of the bucket conveyor has a pair of support members that engage with the front and rear of containers transported by the discharge conveyor in an upright position, with the discharge conveyor moving at a higher speed than the bucket conveyor. The reason for this speed difference is to reduce the possibility of the rear support member interfering with a container at the end of the bucket conveyor and causing the container to tip over, so that the container is transported by the discharge conveyor while pressed against the front support member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-98566 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the containers being processed by the container alignment device are teardrop-shaped, i.e., have a bottom area smaller than the cross-sectional area of the body, the distance between the front and rear support members is determined to fit the larger diameter portion of the container, resulting in the smaller diameter portion of the upper part of the container being significantly separated from the front and rear support members. In particular, because the contact area of the bottom is small, when a container delivered by a robot onto the discharge conveyor tilts backward due to the impact of being dropped, the container may lean against the rear support member of the bucket and be trapped between the front and rear support members in an inclined position. In such a case, when the front and rear support members separate from the discharge conveyor at the end of the bucket conveyor, the container will tip diagonally backward.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a container alignment device that can reliably prevent containers having a shape in which the area of the bottom surface is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the body from tipping over on a discharge conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a container alignment device that aligns and transports containers whose bottom area is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the body, and includes: a first transport means that transports containers in an upside-down state; a second transport means that is disposed adjacent to the first transport means and transports containers in an upright state; a container storage means that has a front support member located in front of the upright container transported by the second transport means in the transport direction and a rear support member located behind the upright container transported by the second transport means; a moving means that moves the container storage means along the transport direction of the second transport means at a speed slower than the transport speed of the second transport means; and a robot that holds the container transported by the first transport means and transfers it above the container storage means to release it. The robot is characterized by having an upright member that is arranged above the container storage means, engages with a container in an overturned state released by the robot, and stores the container in an upright state between the front support member and rear support member of the container storage means, the front support member having a front support block with a recess that can abut the maximum diameter portion where the cross-sectional area of the body is greatest or the body portion below the maximum diameter portion, and the rear support member having rear support blocks that protrude and form tip-prevention portions on both left and right sides above the recess of the front support block, thereby preventing a container in an upright state stored in the container storage means from tipping diagonally rearward in the transport direction of the second transport means.

[0007] The container alignment device may be equipped with a detection means for detecting the placement state of the container transported by the first transport means, and the robot holds the container transported by the first transport means at a portion that is shifted a predetermined amount toward the bottom side relative to the longitudinal center based on the detection result of the detection means. Preferably, the front support block and the rear support block are each provided detachably. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a container alignment device can be obtained that can reliably prevent containers having a shape in which the area of the bottom surface is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the body from tipping over on a discharge conveyor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1 is a plan view showing a container alignment device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 2A, 2B, and 2C are a side view, a front view, and a plan view, respectively, showing a bucket of a bucket conveyor as viewed from an arrow X in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bucket as seen from the front in the conveying direction. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bucket as seen from the rear in the conveying direction. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation when the bucket is not provided with front support blocks and rear support blocks. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention will now be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a container alignment device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the main components of FIG. 1. The container C to be processed in this embodiment is a cylindrical plastic container with a mouth C1 formed in the center of its upper end and a flat bottom C2 at its lower end. The diameter of the body of the container C increases overall from the mouth C1 to the bottom C2, with a maximum diameter portion C3 formed slightly above the bottom C2, giving it a teardrop shape. In other words, the area of the bottom C2 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the body. In the present invention, the body is the portion of the container C whose cross-sectional area (the area of the horizontal cross section) is larger than the area of the bottom C2.

[0011] Supply conveyor (first conveying means) 11 continuously conveys containers C supplied from hopper 12 via inclined feeder 13 in a horizontal state along the direction of arrow P to supply position A. A robot 14 is provided near supply position A, and holds and lifts containers C, transporting them to release position B on discharge conveyor (second conveying means) 15. At release position B, robot 14 releases containers C, which then drop and come into contact with upright members 16, standing upright, and are then received by bucket conveyor 17. That is, containers C are in a horizontal state on supply conveyor 11, but they stand upright, are placed on running discharge conveyor 15, and are supported by bucket conveyor 17 and transported downstream, thereby aligning them vertically in a single row.

[0012] The discharge conveyor 15 is disposed adjacent to the supply conveyor 11, extends parallel to the supply conveyor 11, and transports upright containers C in the direction of arrow Q. The robot 14 is disposed to the side of the supply conveyor 11 and on the opposite side to the discharge conveyor 15, and a standing member 16 is provided above the discharge conveyor 15 at a release position B where the tip of the arm of the robot 14 reaches. A bucket conveyor 17 is provided to the side of the discharge conveyor 15 and on the opposite side to the supply conveyor 11. As will be described later, the bucket conveyor 17 supports the front and rear of the containers C in the transport direction, helping to maintain the containers C in an upright state. A control device 18 for controlling the operation of the robot 14 and other components is provided on the lower base portion 14a of the robot 14.

[0013] Partition plates 21 perpendicular to the conveying direction are attached at equal intervals to the placing surface of the supply conveyor 11, and containers C in an upside-down state are placed on the placing surface between the adjacent partition plates 21. That is, each container C is placed on the supply conveyor 11 in an upside-down state with its longitudinal direction (axis) perpendicular to the conveying direction of the supply conveyor 11, and is transported to the supply position A. The bucket conveyor 17 has an endless belt 24 that is looped around a pair of rotating rollers 22, 23 and travels in a circulating manner in the direction of arrow R, and a number of buckets (container storage means) 25 that can store containers C in an upright position on the discharge conveyor 15 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt 24.

[0014] The loading surface of the discharge conveyor 15 is set lower than the loading surface of the supply conveyor 11 by approximately the same height as the containers C, and the discharge conveyor 15 is controlled to run continuously in synchronization with the supply conveyor 11. The upright member 16 provided above the discharge conveyor 15 is composed of a pair of engagement bars 16A, 16B arranged horizontally along the conveying direction of the discharge conveyor 15. The engagement bars 16A, 16B are arranged facing each other at the same height, and the distance between them is set to a length slightly shorter than the axial length of the containers C. In addition, the engagement bars 16A, 16B are set at a position slightly higher than the height of the containers C placed on the supply conveyor 11 in an overturned state.

[0015] In this embodiment, the outer periphery of the body of the container C that is released at the release position B and that is close to the mouth C1 of the container falls from above and makes contact with either of the engagement bars 16A or 16B. As a result, the container C turns over and passes between the engagement bars 16A and 16B from the bottom C2, thereby standing upright with the mouth C1 facing upward and the bottom C2 facing downward.

[0016] The bucket conveyor 17 circulates continuously in the direction of arrow R at a speed slower than the transport speed of the discharge conveyor 15, and each bucket 25 moves in the same direction as the discharge conveyor 15 between the engagement bars 16A, 16B at release position B and the loading surface of the discharge conveyor 15. That is, the engagement bars 16A, 16B are positioned above the bucket 25, and when an overturned container C is released at release position B above them, the engagement bar 16A or 16B engages with the falling container C, causing the container C to stand upright and be stored in the bucket 25. At release position B, a support plate 26 is provided below one of the engagement bars 16B on the side of the movement direction of each bucket 25 to help the container C stand upright. Therefore, the container C passing between the engagement bars 16A, 16B is guided by the support plate 26 and stored in the bucket 25, and is transported on the discharge conveyor 15 while being supported by a front support block 53, as will be described later. Thereafter, the bucket 25 retreats to a position away from the discharge conveyor 15, and the upright containers C are aligned vertically on the discharge conveyor 15 and discharged downstream.

[0017] The robot 14 is equipped with a processing hand 28 having two holders 27 for holding containers C (see FIG. 3). The two holders 27 successively hold two containers C at a supply position A on the supply conveyor 11. The two containers C are then transported by each holder 27 to a release position B on the discharge conveyor 15, where they are simultaneously released and dropped onto the discharge conveyor 15. As described above, at release position B, the two containers C drop toward the discharge conveyor 15 and come into contact with the engagement bars 16A and 16B, where they are received in the bucket 25 and stand upright. The number of holders 27 is not limited to two, and may be increased or decreased to one, three, or more depending on the shape and dimensions of the containers C, the required processing capacity, and the like.

[0018] A CCD camera (detection means) 30 is disposed on the conveying path of the supply conveyor 11, upstream of the position of the robot 14. The CCD camera 30 photographs the placement state of each container C conveyed by the supply conveyor 11 from above, and inputs the image to the control device 18. The control device 18 recognizes whether the mouth C1 of the overturned container C is located on the right or left side of the conveying direction of the supply conveyor 11. A rotary encoder (not shown) is connected to the downstream end of the supply conveyor 11, and pulse signals detected by the rotary encoder are input to the control device 18.

[0019] Based on the image of the container C input from the CCD camera 30 and the pulse signal from the rotary encoder, the control device 18 moves the processing hand 28 of the robot 14 back and forth between the supply position A and the release position B. The control device 18 controls the operation of the processing hand 28 based on the placement state of the container C input from the CCD camera 30, so that at the supply position A, each holding portion 27 of the processing hand 28 sucks and holds the body of the container C, which is shifted a predetermined amount toward the bottom C2 and closer to the center in the longitudinal direction (height direction), as a predetermined holding position. That is, based on the detection result of the CCD camera 30, the robot 14 holds the container C at the predetermined holding position on the supply conveyor 11, transports it to the discharge conveyor 15, and releases it.

[0020] 2, the robot 14 has a first drive shaft 32 extending vertically from a lower base portion 14a that houses the control device 18, and a base portion of a first arm 33 extending horizontally is connected to the upper end of the first drive shaft 32. A second drive shaft 34 extending vertically is rotatably provided at the tip end of the first arm 33, and a base portion of a second arm 35 extending horizontally is connected to the second drive shaft 34. A third drive shaft 36 is rotatably provided at the tip end of the second arm 35, and a processing hand 28 is attached to the lower end of the third drive shaft 36.

[0021] The configuration of the processing hand 28 of the robot 14 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The longitudinal center of a horizontally extending support member 37 is fixed to the lower end of the third drive shaft 36. When the third drive shaft 36 rotates around its axis, the support member 37 rotates forward and backward in a horizontal plane around the third drive shaft 36. Swinging mechanisms 39 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the support member 37, and each swinging mechanism 39 is attached to a holder 27. That is, based on the detection results of the CCD camera 30, the control device 18 drives each swinging mechanism 39 to swing the holder 27, tilting the container C held by each swinging mechanism 39 by a predetermined angle so that the opening C1 faces diagonally upward. As a result, the container C falls with its lower part (bottom surface C2 side) facing downward, so that it is smoothly deposited in the bucket 25, even if it hits the engaging bars 16A and 16B and causes a recoil. The swinging mechanisms 39 may be omitted depending on the shape and dimensions of the container C and the required processing capacity.

[0022] The holding unit 27 is made of a vacuum pad to which negative pressure is introduced, and is attached to the lower end of the piston rod of an air cylinder 40 for lifting and lowering, which is arranged facing downward. Based on the detection results of the CCD camera 30, the control device 18 sequentially determines the orientation of the mouth C1 of the container C, and one of the holding units 27 moves above the container C to be held this time and is driven downward by the air cylinder 40. The container C is then held by the one of the holding units 27 at its outer periphery, which is shifted toward the bottom surface C2 from the longitudinal center of the container C when it is lying on its side on the supply conveyor 11, and is then lifted upward by the upward drive of the air cylinder 40. Subsequently, the other holding unit 27 is positioned above the next container C to be held, and similarly, the air cylinder 40 is driven up and down to hold and lift the container C.

[0023] The distance between the two holding portions 27 provided on the support member 37 is set to match the distance between the centers of the successive buckets 25 on the bucket conveyor 17, so that at the release position B, containers C can be released simultaneously from the two holding portions 27 of the processing hand 28 and two containers C can be simultaneously placed in the buckets 25. For this purpose, the engagement bars 16A, 16B have a length that spans the width of two successive buckets 25 in the longitudinal direction along the transport direction of the discharge conveyor 15.

[0024] In this way, the operation of the air cylinder 40 is controlled by the control device 18, and when the air cylinder 40 is in an inactive state, the holding portion 27 is at the uppermost position, and when the air cylinder 40 is activated, the holding portion 27 is lowered to the lowermost position. The supply and discharge of negative pressure to the holding portion 27 is also controlled by the control device 18, and negative pressure is introduced to the holding portion 27 when the holding portion 27 is at the supply position A and until it moves from there to the release position B. On the other hand, the introduction of negative pressure to the holding portion 27 is stopped when the holding portion 27 moves to the release position B and until it returns from the release position B to the supply position A. Therefore, at the release position B, the holding state of the container C by the holding portion 27 is released, and the container C abuts against the standing member 16 and falls onto the discharge conveyor 15.

[0025] 4, 5, and 6, the configuration of the bucket 25 of the bucket conveyor 17 that supports the front and rear in the conveying direction of the container C placed upright on the discharge conveyor 15 will be described. Fig. 4 shows the bucket 25 at the position of arrow X in Fig. 2, Fig. 4(a) is a side view of the bucket 25 as seen from the downstream side in the conveying direction of the discharge conveyor 15, Fig. 4(b) is a front view of the bucket 25 as seen from the direction of arrow X, and Fig. 4(c) is a plan view of the bucket 25 as seen from above. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bucket 25 as seen from the front in the conveying direction, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bucket 25 as seen from the rear in the conveying direction.

[0026] The bucket 25 has a front support member 50 located in front of the upright container C in the conveying direction, and a rear support member 60 located behind the upright container C in the conveying direction, and the container C is stored between the front support member 50 and the rear support member 60. The front support member 50 is made of a plate-like member, and its lower part 51 extends perpendicular to the conveying surface of the discharge conveyor 15, while its upper part 52 is bent at a small angle in a direction away from the container C at a position approximately at the same height as the mouth C1 of the container C. The rear support member 60 is also made of a plate-like member and extends perpendicular to the conveying surface of the discharge conveyor 15.

[0027] The side support members 70 are connected to the front support member 50. The side support members 70 are provided directly above the edge of the discharge conveyor 15 on the bucket conveyor 17 side and are approximately perpendicular to the front support member 50. That is, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the front support member 50 and the side support members 70 are L-shaped in plan view and face the front and side of the container C. The side support members 70 are made of plate-like members, and their lower portions 71 extend perpendicular to the conveying surface of the discharge conveyor 15, while their upper portions 72 are bent at a small angle away from the container C at a position slightly higher than the container C. Because the upper portions 52 of the front support member 50 and the upper portions 72 of the side support members 70 spread upward in this way, when the robot 14 drops the container C into the bucket 25, the container C is smoothly fed into the bucket 25 and stands upright.

[0028] A front support block 53 is provided at the lower end portion 51 of the front support member 50. The front support block 53 has a recess 54 that conforms to the shape of the maximum diameter portion C3 of the body of the container C or the portion of the body below that, and the recess is provided to match the height of the maximum diameter portion C3 or the height of the body below the maximum diameter portion C3 for the container C placed on the discharge conveyor 15, and is shaped to cover the front surface of the maximum diameter portion C3 or the portion of the body below that in the conveying direction.

[0029] Meanwhile, on the surface of the rear support member 60 facing the front support member 50, at a position higher than the height of the recess 54 of the front support block 53, a rear support block 61 is provided with which the portion of the container C above the maximum diameter portion C3 can abut. The rear support block 61 has tipping prevention portions 61A, 61B that protrude from both the left and right sides of the rear support member 60, and by surrounding the rear side of the container C in the conveying direction, prevent the container C from tipping diagonally backward in the conveying direction.

[0030] Such front support blocks 53 and rear support blocks 61 are detachably attached to the front support member 50 and rear support member 60 by known means such as screwing, bolting, inserting, or fitting, and the front support member 50 and rear support member 60 are provided with a plurality of attachment points, so that the attachment height and left / right position of the front support blocks 53 and rear support blocks 61 can be adjusted to correspond to the shape and size of the container C to be handled. Furthermore, a plurality of front support blocks 53 and rear support blocks 61 with different shapes and sizes of recesses 54 and tip-restriction portions 61A, 61B are prepared to correspond to the shape and size of the container C to be handled.

[0031] In this embodiment, since the maximum diameter portion C3 of the container C is located at the bottom of the container C, the recess 54 is formed continuously from the maximum diameter portion C3 to the body portion below it. However, if the position of the maximum diameter portion C3 of the container C is in the middle portion of the container C in the vertical direction or in an upper portion higher than that, the recess 54 may be formed so as to be able to abut against the body portion below the maximum diameter portion C3 without including the maximum diameter portion C3.

[0032] Furthermore, the recess 54 does not need to be a shape similar to the shape of the body of the container C, but can be formed as a flat surface, or can be formed as a divided surface rather than a continuous surface.

[0033] In this embodiment, the tip-prevention sections 61A and 61B protruding from both sides of one of the support members 60 are positioned so that they will come into contact near the mouth C1. However, if the maximum diameter section C3 of the container C is positioned high and the recess 54 is positioned so that the body comes into contact below the maximum diameter section C3, the tip-prevention sections 61A and 61B should be positioned to match the height of the maximum diameter section C3.

[0034] The bucket 25, which is composed of the front support member 50, rear support member 60, and side support members 70, is attached to the outer periphery of the endless belt 24 (FIG. 1) via brackets 29 (FIG. 3). The traveling speed of the endless belt 24 is slower than the conveying speed of the discharge conveyor 15, and the pair of rotating rollers 22, 23 and the endless belt 24 constitute a moving means for moving the bucket 25 along the conveying direction of the discharge conveyor 15 at a speed slower than the conveying speed of the discharge conveyor 15. By moving the bucket 25 at a slower speed than the discharge conveyor 15 in this manner, the container C is urged forward in the conveying direction within the bucket 25, and the maximum diameter portion C3 of the container C and the body portion below it are always in contact with the front support block 53. Therefore, the upright state of the container C is stable, and there is no risk of the container C tipping backward when the bucket 25 is retracted from the discharge conveyor 15 downstream of the release position B. In addition, the front support block 53 is formed to match the height at which the maximum diameter part C3 of the body of the container C in the upright state or the body part below that is located, and since the upper part is open, it does not interfere with the fall of the container C stored in the bucket 25.

[0035] As described above, at the release position B, a support plate 26 is provided opposite the bucket 25 to assist the container C in standing upright. The support plate 26 is provided on the opposite side of the side support members 70, so that the container C transported by the discharge conveyor 15 is surrounded on all four sides by the support plate 26, the front support members 50, the rear support members 60, and the side support members 70 while positioned to the side of the bucket conveyor 17. The support plate 26 is made of a plate-like member and has a lower portion 26A that faces the lower portion 71 of the side support members 70 and extends perpendicular to the conveying surface of the discharge conveyor 15, and an upper portion 26B that is bent at a small angle in a direction away from the container C at a position lower than the mouth C1 of the container C. Furthermore, tipping prevention portions 61A, 61B are formed to protrude above the recess 54 of the front support block 53 at the corners of the bucket 25 on both the left and right sides of the rear support member 60.When a container C in an upright state tries to tip diagonally backward to the left or right with respect to the conveying direction, it comes into contact with one of the tipping prevention portions 61A, 61B, and further tilting is prevented, so that the upright state is maintained.

[0036] With the above-described configuration of this embodiment, when the container C is transported in an upright position by the discharge conveyor 15 and bucket conveyor 17, the maximum diameter portion C3 of the container C and the body portion below it are always fitted into and supported by the recess 54 of the front support block 53. Therefore, the container C is stably maintained in an upright position, and there is no risk of it tipping backward when the bucket 25 is retracted from the discharge conveyor 15.

[0037] The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a case where the bucket 25 is not provided with the front support blocks 53 and the rear support blocks 61, with FIG. 7(a) being a side view and FIG. 7(b) being a plan view. As can be seen from these figures, without the front support blocks 53, the gap between the front surface of the maximum diameter portion C3 of the container C in the conveying direction and the front support member 50 is large, and the area of the bottom surface C2 of the container C is small. This makes the container C prone to tilt backward in the conveying direction and lean against the rear support member 60. In particular, when the container C leans against the rear support member 60, it leans to the left or right with respect to the conveying direction, making the container C prone to tip diagonally backward in the conveying direction and lean against a corner of the bucket 25.

[0038] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a rear support block 61 is provided on the bucket 25 above the recess 54 of the front support block 53, and tip-over prevention sections 61A, 61B are provided on both the left and right sides of the rear support member 60 to match the height of the mouth C1 of the container C. This prevents the container C from tipping diagonally backward and leaning against the corners of the bucket 25 on both sides of the rear support member 60, keeping the upright state of the container C very stable, and the container C always maintains an upright position on the discharge conveyor 15.

[0039] The shape of the tip-over prevention portions 61A, 61B of the rear support block 61 is not limited to a triangular prism with a triangular cross section having a flat wall surface facing the container C as shown in Figure 4(c), but may be a cylindrical or quadrangular prism with a cylindrical or angled wall surface facing the container C as long as the tip-over prevention portions 61A, 61B can come into contact with an approaching container C to prevent the container C from tipping over, and in short, it is sufficient that objects that fill the corners of the bucket 25 on both sides of the rear support member 60 are formed to protrude from the rear support member 60. Furthermore, the left and right tip-over prevention portions 61A, 61B can also have different sizes and shapes.

[0040] The shape of the container C is not limited to the teardrop shape adopted in the description of the embodiment, in which the diameter increases downward from the upper part where the mouth portion C1 is formed and the maximum diameter portion C3 is relatively close to the bottom surface C2, but the maximum diameter portion C3 may be close to the upper mouth portion C1, or the maximum diameter portion C3 may be angular in the vertical cross section of the container C and have a shape that is concave above or below the maximum diameter portion C3. In other words, as long as the area of the bottom surface is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the body, it is possible to accommodate containers of various shapes and sizes by adjusting the mounting height and lateral positions of the front support block 53 and the rear support block 61 according to the shape and size of the container C to be handled, and by replacing multiple front support blocks 53 and rear support blocks 61 prepared according to the shape and size of the container C. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Container alignment device 11 Supply conveyor (first conveying means) 14. Robot 15 Discharge conveyor (second conveying means) 16 Standing member 22, 23 Rotating roller (movement means) 24 Endless belt (means of transportation) 25 Bucket (container storage means) 50 Front support member 53 Front support block 54 Recess 60 Rear support member 61 Rear support block 61A, 61B Fall prevention unit C container C2 bottom C3 Maximum diameter part

Claims

1. A container alignment device that aligns and conveys containers whose bottom area is smaller than the cross-sectional area of their body parts, a first conveying means for conveying the container in a rolled-over state; a second conveying means disposed adjacent to the first conveying means and configured to convey the container in an upright position; a container storage means having a front support member located in front of the container in the conveying direction and a rear support member located in the rear of the container in the conveying direction, the front support member being located in front of the container in the upright state conveyed by the second conveying means; a moving means for moving the container receiving means along the conveying direction of the second conveying means at a speed slower than the conveying speed of the second conveying means; a robot that holds the container transported by the first transport means, transports it above the container storage means, and releases it; an upright member disposed above the container accommodating means, which engages with the container released by the robot in a rolled-over state and accommodates the container in an upright position between the front support member and the rear support member of the container accommodating means; a front support block having a recess that can come into contact with a maximum diameter portion where the cross-sectional area of the trunk portion is maximum or with a trunk portion below the maximum diameter portion, provided on the front support member; The rear support member is provided with rear support blocks each having a tip-over prevention portion formed thereon, the rear support blocks being located on both left and right sides above the recess of the front support block, A container alignment device characterized in that the containers stored in the container storage means in an upright position are prevented from falling obliquely backward in the transport direction of the second transport means.

2. The container alignment device described in claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with a detection means for detecting the placement state of the container transported by the first transporting means, and the robot holds the container transported by the first transporting means at a portion that is shifted a predetermined amount toward the bottom side relative to the longitudinal center based on the detection result of the detection means.

3. 3. The container alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the front support block and the rear support block are detachably mounted.

Images