Stacking device

Abstract

To provide a stacking device which requires smaller area for installation.SOLUTION: A stacking device 10, which sends work-pieces W in a stacked state to the outside, includes a lifting platform 12 mounted on a standing member 11 in a freely ascending and descending manner, work supply means 13, 14 for transferring the work-pieces W to the lifting platform 12, work-piece receiving means 15 for changing from a retracted state in which it does not contact the work-pieces W lifted together with the lifting platform 12 to an interference state in which it contacts the work-pieces W and supports the work-pieces W that are not supported by the lifting platform 12, and control means for lifting the work-pieces W newly conveyed to the lifting platform 12 and stacking them below the work-pieces W supported by the work-piece receiving means 15, setting the work-piece receiving means 15 to a retracted state, and raising the multiple stacked work-pieces W together with the lifting platform 12, returning the work-piece receiving means 15 to an interference state so that it contacts the lowest work-piece W, and causing the work-piece receiving means 15 to support the multiple stacked work-pieces W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stacking device for stacking containers and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] At logistics bases where containers containing items such as food, daily necessities, clothing, and tools are sorted according to their destinations, stacking mechanisms for stacking containers in multiple tiers are often used (see Patent Document 1). As shown in Fig. 6, the stacking mechanism 100 includes a conveyor 103 to which containers 102 are supplied from the outside (conveyor 101 in the example shown in Fig. 6), a table lifter 104 that pushes up the containers 102 placed on the conveyor 103, and a movable receiving member 105 provided above the conveyor 103. The movable receiving member 105 contacts the underside of a flange 106 of the container 102 to support the container 102.

[0003] When a container 102 is supplied from the conveyor 101 to the conveyor 103, as shown in Figures 7(A) and (B), the table lifter 104 pushes up the container 102 on the conveyor 103, and positions the flange 106, which was positioned lower than the movable receiving member 105, at a position higher than the movable receiving member 105. At this time, the movable receiving member 105 is positioned at a retracted position where it does not come into contact with the rising container 102.

[0004] Next, the movable receiving member 105 moves to a support position where a portion of it is disposed directly below the flange portion 106, as shown in Fig. 7(C), and the table lifter 104 lowers the container 102, as shown in Fig. 7(D), and brings the flange portion 106 into contact with the movable receiving member 105 to support the container 102. After the upper end of the table lifter 105 has lowered to a position lower than the upper end of the conveyor 102, a new container 102 is placed from the conveyor 101 onto the conveyor 103, as shown in Fig. 8(A), and the table lifter 104 lifts the container 102.

[0005] 8(B), the container 102 raised by the table lifter 104 (hereinafter referred to as the "lower container 102") comes into contact with the container 102 supported by the movable support member 105 (hereinafter referred to as the "upper container 102") and carries the upper container 102 thereon, and as the lower container 102 further rises in conjunction with the rise of the upper container 102, the flange 106 of the upper container 102 moves away from the movable support member 105, at which point the movable support member 105 moves to the retracted position. Thereafter, the upper container 102 and the lower container 102 are pushed up by the table lifter 104, and the flange 106 of the lower container 102 is positioned higher than the movable support member 105 as shown in FIG. 8(C), after which the movable support member 105 returns to the support position.

[0006] Then, the table lifter 104 lowers the upper container 102 and the lower container 102, and as shown in Figure 8(D), the flange 106 of the lower container 102 comes into contact with the movable receiving member 105 to support the lower container 102. After repeating the same process and stacking a predetermined number of containers 102 (here, three) as shown in Figure 6, the conveyor 103 sends the three stacked containers 102 to a conveyor 107 arranged on the opposite side of the conveyor 101 with the conveyor 103 at the center. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-72929 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, when the conventional stacking mechanism 100 is used, a problem arises in that a large area is required on the transport line of the container 102 in order to arrange the conveyors 101, 103, and 107 on the same plane. This problem is not limited to containers, but also applies to workpieces to be stacked, such as boxes containing items or other items.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a stacking device that can reduce the area required for installation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A stacking device according to a first invention that meets the above-mentioned object is a work stacking device that sends workpieces in a stacked state to the outside, and includes: a standing member; a lifting platform that is attached to the standing member so as to be able to rise and fall freely; a work supplying means that transfers the workpieces given from the outside to the lifting platform; a work receiving means that rises from a retracted state in which it does not come into contact with the workpiece that has been transferred to the lifting platform and rises together with the lifting platform, and comes into an interference state in which it comes into contact with the workpiece that is arranged at a predetermined height position, thereby supporting the workpiece that is not supported by the lifting platform; The system includes a control means for raising the workpieces together with the lifting platform, stacking them below the workpieces supported by the workpiece receiving means, setting the workpiece receiving means to the retracted state, raising the stacked plurality of workpieces together with the lifting platform, returning the workpiece receiving means to the interference state so that it contacts the lowest workpiece, and causing the workpiece receiving means to support the stacked plurality of workpieces; and a workpiece transport means that is arranged in a position that partially or entirely overlaps the workpiece supply means in a plan view, and that retrieves the stacked plurality of workpieces from the lifting platform and sends them to the outside.

[0011] A second invention that meets the above-mentioned object is a work stacking device that sends workpieces in a stacked state to the outside, and includes: a standing member; a lifting platform that is attached to the standing member so as to be able to rise and fall freely; work supply means that transfers the workpieces given from the outside to the lifting platform; work receiving means that rises from a retracted state where it does not come into contact with the workpiece that has been transferred to the lifting platform and rises together with the lifting platform, and comes into an interference state where it comes into contact with the workpiece that is arranged at a predetermined height, thereby supporting the workpiece that is not supported by the lifting platform; and a control means for raising the work newly transferred to the lifting platform together with the lifting platform, stacking it below the work supported by the work receiving means, setting the work receiving means to the retracted state, raising the stacked workpieces together with the lifting platform, returning the work receiving means to the interference state so that it comes into contact with the lowest workpiece, and causing the work receiving means to support the stacked workpieces, and the work supply means obtains the stacked workpieces from the lifting platform and sends them to the outside. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The stacking device according to the first aspect of the invention comprises a standing member, a lifting platform attached to the standing member so as to be able to rise and fall freely, a work supplying means for transferring work given from outside to the lifting platform, a work receiving means which rises from a retracted state in which it does not come into contact with the work transferred to the lifting platform and rising together with the lifting platform, to an interference state in which it comes into contact with the work arranged at a predetermined height, thereby supporting work that is not supported on the lifting platform, a control means which raises the work newly transferred from the work supplying means to the lifting platform together with the lifting platform, and stacks it below the work supported by the work receiving means to form a stacked state, sets the work receiving means to a retracted state, raises the multiple stacked workpieces together with the lifting platform, returns the work receiving means to the interference state so that it comes into contact with the lowest work, and causes the work receiving means to support the multiple stacked workpieces, and a work transporting means which is arranged in a position which partially or entirely overlaps the work supplying means in a plan view, and which retrieves the multiple stacked workpieces from the lifting platform and sends them to the outside, thereby reducing the area that needs to be secured for installation of the stacking device.

[0013] In addition, a stacking device according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a standing member, a lifting platform attached to the standing member so as to be able to rise and fall freely, a work supplying means for transferring work given from outside to the lifting platform, a work receiving means for rising from a retracted state in which it does not come into contact with the work transferred to the lifting platform and rising together with the lifting platform, to an interference state in which it comes into contact with the work arranged at a predetermined height, thereby supporting work that is not supported on the lifting platform, and a control means for raising the work newly transferred from the work supplying means to the lifting platform together with the lifting platform and stacking it below the work supported by the work receiving means, setting the work receiving means to a retracted state, raising the multiple stacked workpieces together with the lifting platform, returning the work receiving means to the interference state so that it comes into contact with the lowest workpiece, and causing the work receiving means to support the multiple stacked workpieces, and the work supplying means retrieves the multiple stacked workpieces from the lifting platform and sends them to the outside, thereby reducing the area that needs to be secured for installation of the stacking device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a partially omitted front view of a stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] 10(A) to 10(D) are explanatory diagrams showing how the workpieces are brought into a staged state. [Figure 4] 10(A) to 10(D) are explanatory diagrams showing how the workpieces are brought into a staged state. [Figure 5] 10(A) to 10(C) are explanatory diagrams showing how the workpieces are brought into a staged state. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional stacking mechanism. [Figure 7] 10A to 10D are explanatory diagrams showing how a conventional stacking mechanism puts workpieces into a stacked state. [Figure 8] 10A to 10D are explanatory diagrams showing how a conventional stacking mechanism puts workpieces into a stacked state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. 1 and 2, a stacking device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device for sending workpieces W in a stacked state to the outside, and includes a standing member 11, a lifting platform 12 attached to the standing member 11 so as to be able to move up and down, work supply means 13 and 14 for transferring workpieces W given from the outside to the lifting platform 12, workpiece receiving means 15 for supporting the workpieces W, control means 16 for controlling the elevation of the lifting platform 12 and the movement of the workpiece receiving means 15, and workpiece transport means 17 and 18 for obtaining a plurality of stacked workpieces W from the lifting platform 12 and sending them to the outside. These will be described in detail below.

[0016] 1 and 2, the erection member 11 has a support 20 to which a reinforcing plate 19 is fixed. Two pulleys 21 and 22, each with a wire R wound around them, are attached to the upper end of the support 20, and a drum 23 around which the wire R is wound is provided at the rear of the support 20. The lifting platform 12 has a movable block 24 attached to the support 20 so as to be able to move up and down, forks 25 fixed to the movable block 24 and kept horizontal, and a belt conveyor (an example of a conveyor) 26 fixed to the upper side of the forks 25.

[0017] A control means 16 composed of a CPU, memory, circuit board, etc. is connected to the motor 27 and belt conveyor 26, which are connected to the drum 23. The control means 16 sends command signals to the belt conveyor 26 and the motor 27 to control the operation of the belt conveyor 26 and the rotation of the drum 23. The lifting platform 12 rises as the wire R is wound up by the clockwise rotation of the drum 23, and falls as the wire R is unwound by the counterclockwise rotation of the drum 23. Note that a chain may be used instead of the wire R.

[0018] The belt conveyor 26 having a stopper 28 at the rear is arranged horizontally, and is capable of picking up the workpiece W from the front and sending out the workpiece W to the front. 2, the work supply means 13 has a horizontally disposed belt conveyor (an example of a conveyor) 29. The work supply means 14, which is disposed above the work supply means 13, also has a horizontally disposed belt conveyor (an example of a conveyor) 30. The control means 16 also controls the operations of the belt conveyors 29 and 30.

[0019] The lifting platform 12 is located at the lowest position and is disposed near the rear side of the work supply means 13, and the belt conveyor 26 and the belt conveyor 29 are disposed at the same height. The belt conveyor 29 can transfer the work W (non-stacked work W) from the outside and send the work W toward the belt conveyor 26, which is disposed at the same height as the belt conveyor 29. By raising the lifting platform 12 from its lowest position, it is positioned near the rear side of the work supply means 14, and the belt conveyor 26 is positioned at the same height as the belt conveyor 30. The belt conveyor 30 can also be loaded with work W from the outside without being stacked, and the work W can be sent toward the belt conveyor 26, which is positioned at the same height as the belt conveyor 30.

[0020] When the workpiece W is sent from the belt conveyor 29 (the same applies to the case from the belt conveyor 30) to the belt conveyor 26, the belt conveyor 26 operates in a direction to acquire the workpiece W (to move it backward) and acquires the workpiece W, and the acquired workpiece W is positioned on the belt conveyor 26 by the stopper 28. The control means 16 can raise and lower the workpiece W placed on the belt conveyor 26 (lifting platform 12) together with the lifting platform 12 by raising or lowering the lifting platform 12.

[0021] In addition, a workpiece receiving means 15 capable of supporting the workpiece W is provided at a position higher than the belt conveyor 30 on the path along which the lifting platform 12 rises and falls. The workpiece receiving means 15 can support the workpiece W by itself (i.e., it can support the workpiece W that is not placed on the belt conveyor 26). 1 and 2, the workpiece receiving means 15 has four rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34. The rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 are arranged at the same height and are provided at positions corresponding to the four corners of a rectangle in plan view.

[0022] In this embodiment, the workpiece W is a container having a flange w1 on its upper side that protrudes horizontally outward. The rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 are rotated by the operation of a motor (not shown) to which a command signal is sent from the control means 16, and move from one of a retracted position where they do not come into contact with the workpiece W (do not interfere with the path along which the workpiece W is raised and lowered) to an interference position where they come into contact with the flange w1 (interfere with the path along which the workpiece W is raised and lowered) to the other. In this embodiment, the state of the work receiving means 15 when all of the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 are positioned in the retracted position is referred to as the retracted state, and the state of the work receiving means 15 when all of the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 are positioned in the interference position is referred to as the interference state.

[0023] 2, above the work supply means 13, 14 (i.e., at a position higher than the work supply means 13, 14), there are provided work transport means 17 and work transport means 18 disposed directly above the work transport means 17. Thus, in this embodiment, there are multiple work transport means 17, 18, each disposed at a different height. The work transport means 17, 18 each have horizontally disposed belt conveyors (an example of a conveyor) 36, 37. The lifting platform 12 can be raised to a height position where the belt conveyor 26 is disposed at the same height as the belt conveyor 37.

[0024] Next, the process of stacking the workpieces W will be described. When the workpiece W is transferred from the workpiece supply means 13 to the belt conveyor 26 (here, it is assumed that the workpiece receiving means 15 is not supporting the workpiece W and is in a retracted state), as shown in Figures 3(A) and (B), the control means 16 raises the workpiece W together with the lifting platform 12 until the flange portion w1 of the workpiece W is positioned higher than the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 by raising the lifting platform 12.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3(C), after the flange portion w1 of the workpiece W has risen to a position higher than the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34, the control means 16 puts the workpiece receiving means 15 into an interference state, and then lowers the workpiece W together with the lifting platform 12, so that the flange portion w1 of the workpiece W comes into contact with the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 as shown in Fig. 3(D), thereby supporting the workpiece W on the workpiece receiving means 15. In this embodiment, the flange portion w1 of the workpiece W is placed on the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34.

[0026] Therefore, the workpiece receiving means 15 rises from a retracted state where it does not come into contact with the workpiece W rising together with the lifting platform 12 to an interference state where it comes into contact with the workpiece W placed at a predetermined height, thereby supporting the workpiece W that is not supported by the lifting platform 12. The platform 12 continues to descend thereafter, and as shown in Figure 4(A), the entire platform 12, including the belt conveyor 26, is no longer in contact with the work W supported by the work receiving means 15, and the platform 12 stops at the lowest position.

[0027] Next, as shown in Figure 4(B), when a new work W is transferred from the work supply means 13 to the belt conveyor 26, the control means 16 raises the work W together with the lifting platform 12, and as shown in Figure 4(C), the work W (hereinafter also referred to as the "lower work W") on the belt conveyor 26 is brought into contact with the underside of the work W (hereinafter also referred to as the "upper work W") supported by the work receiving means 15, and the lower work W is stacked under the upper work W, resulting in the two work pieces W being stacked.

[0028] The lifting platform 12 continues to rise thereafter. As a result, the flange w1 of the upper workpiece W is no longer in contact with the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34, and the two workpieces W stacked on the belt conveyor 26 rise together with the lifting platform 12. Before the flange w1 of the lower workpiece W comes into contact with the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34, the control means 16 moves the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 to the retracted positions (putting the workpiece receiving means 15 in the retracted state) as shown in FIG. 4(D).

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5(A), the control means 16 raises the two stacked workpieces W together with the lifting platform 12 until the flange portion w1 of the lower workpiece W is positioned higher than the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34, and moves the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 to the interference position (returning the workpiece receiving means 15 to the interference state) as shown in Fig. 5(B). Thereafter, the control means 16 lowers the two stacked workpieces W together with the lifting platform 12, and brings the flange portion w1 of the upper workpiece W into contact with the rotating members 31, 32, 33, and 34 as shown in Fig. 5(C), causing the workpiece receiving means 15 to support the two stacked workpieces W.

[0030] By repeating the steps described above, the work W can be stacked three or more levels high. Therefore, the control means 16 raises the work W newly transferred from the work supply means 13 to the lifting platform 12 together with the lifting platform 12, stacks it underneath the work W supported by the work receiving means 15, sets the work receiving means 15 to a retracted state, raises the multiple stacked work pieces W together with the lifting platform 12, returns the work receiving means 15 to an interference state so that it comes into contact with the lowest work piece W, and causes the work receiving means 15 to support the multiple stacked work pieces W.

[0031] The workpieces W transferred from the workpiece supply means 14 to the lifting platform 12 can also be stacked in a similar manner. It is also possible to stack the workpieces W transferred from the workpiece supply means 13 to the lifting platform 12 and the workpieces W transferred from the workpiece supply means 14 to the lifting platform 12.

[0032] The stacked workpieces W supported by the workpiece receiving means 15 rise together with the lifting platform 12 and are given to the workpiece transport means 17 or the workpiece transport means 18. The stacked workpieces W given to the workpiece transport means 17 are placed on the belt conveyor 36 and are transported to the outside by the operation of the belt conveyor 36. The stacked workpieces W given to the workpiece transport means 18 are placed on the belt conveyor 37 and are transported to the outside by the operation of the belt conveyor 37.

[0033] In plan view, the position of the work transport means 17 (same for the work transport means 18) relative to the standing member 11 is substantially the same as the positions of the work supply means 13 and the work supply means 14 relative to the standing member 11. Therefore, the work transport means 17 (same for the work transport means 18) is arranged in a position where it partially or entirely overlaps the work supply means 13 (same for the work supply means 14) in plan view. Therefore, compared to a stacked device in which the work transport means does not overlap the work supply means in plan view, the stacking device 10 of this embodiment can reduce the installation area.

[0034] Moreover, in this embodiment, in plan view, the respective axial centers of the belt conveyor 29 of the work supply means 13, the belt conveyor 30 of the work supply means 14, the belt conveyor 36 of the work transport means 17, and the belt conveyor 37 of the work transport means 18 substantially overlap at least partially. This is preferable from the viewpoint of reducing the installation area of ​​the stacking device 10.

[0035] Furthermore, by configuring a stacking mechanism that has a standing member 11, a lifting platform 12, a work receiving means 15, etc. and stacks multiple workpieces W in layers, the upper limit position to which the workpieces W can be raised is higher than when a stacking mechanism equipped with a conventional table lifter is used, and as a result, it is possible to increase the number of workpieces W that can be stacked, to arrange the workpiece supply means and workpiece carrying-out means so that they overlap when viewed in a plane, to arrange multiple workpiece carrying-out means so that they overlap when viewed in a plane, or to arrange multiple workpiece supply means so that they overlap when viewed in a plane.

[0036] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all changes in conditions that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are within the scope of application of the present invention. For example, there may be one work supply means and one work carry-out means. Furthermore, the workpiece may be designed to be supported by the workpiece receiving means, and does not have to have a flange. For example, a workpiece having an opening or recess that can be engaged with the tip of the rotating member of the workpiece receiving means can be used.

[0037] Furthermore, the workpiece receiving means only needs to be able to support the workpiece independently, and various designs are possible to accommodate the shape of the workpiece. For example, it is possible to adopt workpiece receiving means having a different arrangement or number of rotating members from those in the above embodiment, or workpiece receiving means having a member that moves in parallel to contact the workpiece. The lifting platform, work supply means and work transport means do not have to have conveyors, and can be designed to have pushers or arms for moving the work.

[0038] Furthermore, the workpiece transport means may be provided at a position lower than the workpiece supply means as long as it partially or entirely overlaps the workpiece supply means in a plan view. In this case, the stacked workpieces supported by the workpiece receiving means are lowered together with the lifting platform and are given to the workpiece transport means.

[0039] Furthermore, there is no need to provide a work transport means separate from the work supply means, and the work supply means may also be used to acquire multiple stacked workpieces. That is, the work supply means that transfers workpieces given from outside to the lifting platform can acquire multiple stacked workpieces from the lifting platform and send them to the outside. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10: Stacking device, 11: Standing member, 12: Lifting platform, 13: Work supply means, 14: Work supply means, 15: Work receiving means, 16: Control means, 17: Work transport means, 18: Work transport means, 19: Reinforcing plate, 20: Support, 21: Pulley, 22: Pulley, 23: Drum, 24: Movable block, 25: Fork, 26: Belt conveyor, 27: Motor, 28: Stopper, 29: Belt conveyor, 30: Belt conveyor, 31: Rotating member, 32: Rotating member, 33: Rotating member, 34: Rotating member, 36: Belt conveyor, 37: Belt conveyor, R: Wire, W: Work, w1: Flange portion

Claims

1. A stacking device that stacks workpieces and sends them to the outside, An erection member; a lifting platform attached to the standing member so as to be able to move up and down; a work supply means for transferring the work provided from the outside onto the lifting platform; a workpiece receiving means for supporting the workpiece not supported by the lifting platform by rising from a retracted state where the workpiece is not in contact with the workpiece transferred to the lifting platform and rising together with the lifting platform to an interference state where the workpiece is in contact with the workpiece arranged at a predetermined height; a control means for raising the workpiece newly transferred from the workpiece supply means to the lifting platform together with the lifting platform, stacking the workpiece below the workpiece supported by the workpiece receiving means, setting the workpiece receiving means to the retracted state, and raising the stacked workpieces together with the lifting platform, returning the workpiece receiving means to the interference state so that it comes into contact with the lowest workpiece, and causing the workpiece receiving means to support the stacked workpieces; A stacking device characterized by having a work transport means that is arranged in a position that partially or completely overlaps the work supply means when viewed in a plane, and that retrieves the multiple stacked works from the lifting platform and sends them to the outside.

2. 2. The stacking device according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of said workpiece transport means, each of which is disposed at a different height.

3. 2. A stacking device according to claim 1, wherein said work supply means and said work transport means each have a conveyor on which said work is placed.

4. 2. The stacking device according to claim 1, wherein the lifting platform has a conveyor on which the workpieces are placed.

5. A stacking device that stacks workpieces and sends them to the outside, An erection member; a lifting platform attached to the standing member so as to be able to move up and down; a work supply means for transferring the work provided from the outside onto the lifting platform; a workpiece receiving means for supporting the workpiece not supported by the lifting platform by rising from a retracted state where the workpiece is not in contact with the workpiece transferred to the lifting platform and rising together with the lifting platform to an interference state where the workpiece is in contact with the workpiece arranged at a predetermined height; a control means for raising the workpiece newly transferred from the workpiece supply means to the lifting platform together with the lifting platform, stacking the workpiece below the workpiece supported by the workpiece receiving means, setting the workpiece receiving means to the retracted state, and raising the stacked plurality of workpieces together with the lifting platform, returning the workpiece receiving means to the interference state so that it comes into contact with the lowest workpiece, and causing the workpiece receiving means to support the stacked plurality of workpieces, The stacking device is characterized in that the work supply means acquires the plurality of stacked works from the lifting platform and sends them to the outside.

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