Alignment conveyance apparatus and alignment conveyance method

Abstract

To feed only adherends in a desired orientation to a labeler while resolving a stacked state.SOLUTION: An alignment conveyance apparatus 1 for feeding columnar adherends to a labeler comprises: a stack resolution unit 10 for resolving a state where the adherends are stacked; and a selection unit 50 provided downstream of the stack resolution unit, for detecting the adherends not oriented as desired, and exhausting the same to the outside of a conveyance path. Each of the stack resolution unit and the selection unit comprises: a plate defining the orbit of the conveyance path; and plural conveyance shafts fitted to a conveyor chain at equal intervals, and arranged along the plates. The plates are arranged to slope upwards toward the downstream side in the stack resolution unit, and have plural air outlets in the selection unit. The selection unit comprises: an imaging part for acquiring the image of each adherend; and a blower for jetting air from each air outlet. When it is determined that the orientation of each adherend is different from settings, air is jetted from the blower, and the adherend is exhausted to the outside of the conveyance path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aligning and conveying device, and more particularly to an aligning and conveying device that is installed upstream of a labeler.The present invention also relates to an aligning and conveying method using the aligning and conveying device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a labeling device (labeler) that applies labels to the side of a cylindrical adherend. In this labeler, the side of the adherend is sandwiched between a backup plate and a conveyor and rolled by the conveyor to move the adherend forward, and the trailing charged label is sent in a straight line while being attracted to the conveyor 32 with the side opposite the adhesive side, and is applied to the side of the preceding adherend. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6013053 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there are several points to keep in mind when feeding adherends to such a labeler. First, the supply operation itself is simple if the materials can be supplied all at once from a cardboard box or the like to a feeder, etc., but if these are transported directly to the labeler on a conveyor or the like, there is a risk of malfunction or problems due to the piled-up adherends, etc., so it is necessary to clear the pile before they reach the labeler.

[0005] Furthermore, there are cases where a cylindrical adherend has a predetermined orientation. For example, when a cylinder is placed upright, the shape is the same regardless of which end in the axial direction is at the bottom. However, if the cylinder has a cap attached to one end, for example, in order to attach a label in the desired manner, the end with the cap attached must be fed into the labeler with the end facing the predetermined direction.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an alignment and conveyance device that can supply only adherends oriented in a desired direction to a labeler while eliminating stacked state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is an aligning and conveying device that is disposed upstream of a labeler and supplies columnar adherends to the labeler. This alignment and conveying device comprises a stack elimination section that eliminates stacked adherends, and a sorting section that is located downstream of the stack elimination section and detects adherends that are not oriented in the desired manner and discharges them out of the conveying path. The stack elimination section and the sorting section have a plate that defines the trajectory of the conveying path, a plurality of conveying shafts attached to the conveyor chain at equal intervals and arranged along the plate, and a drive section that drives the conveyor chain, and are configured so that the adherend can enter between two adjacent conveying shafts. The plate is arranged in an uphill manner toward the downstream side in the stack elimination section, and has a plurality of air blowing openings penetrating in the thickness direction in the sorting section. The sorting unit has an imaging unit that captures an image of the adherend, and a blower that blows air from an air outlet. This aligning and conveying device is configured to eject the adherend out of the conveying path by blowing air from a blower when it is determined based on the image that the orientation of the adherend differs from the setting.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a method for aligning and conveying columnar adherends using the aligning and conveying device according to the first aspect. In this aligned conveying method, the distance between the outer peripheral surfaces of two adjacent conveying shafts is set to 1.5 times or less the radial dimension of the adherend, and the distance between the conveying shafts and the plate is set so that the central axes of the conveying shafts and the adherends are at the same height. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an alignment and conveyance device that can supply only adherends oriented in a desired direction to a labeler while eliminating stacking. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an aligning and conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the aligning and conveying device. [Figure 3] 1A is a schematic view of the stack elimination unit of the aligning and conveying device as seen in the conveying direction, and FIG. 1B is a schematic view of the stack elimination unit as seen in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the behavior of the adherend in the stuck elimination section. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram showing a sorting unit of the aligning and conveying device and its surroundings. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a portion of the sorting unit located between partition walls is viewed in the conveying direction. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a schematic diagram showing the discharge operation of the adherend in the sorting section. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing an aligning and conveying device 1 according to this embodiment. The aligning and conveying device 1 is incorporated between a labeler that affixes labels to cylindrical adherends and a feeder or the like that supplies the adherends, and is used to introduce the adherends into the labeler while arranging them.

[0012] The aligning and conveying device 1 is configured to have two sections: an upstream stack elimination section 10 and a downstream sorting section 50. Each section will be described in detail below. The unstack unit 10 has a basic conveyor-like structure that slopes upward from upstream to downstream. Figure 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the interior of the unstack unit 10. The unstack unit 10 has multiple conveying shafts 11, a plate 21 arranged below the conveying shafts 11, and a guide 31 arranged above the conveying shafts.

[0013] 3A is a schematic diagram showing the stack elimination unit 10 as viewed in the conveying direction, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing the stack elimination unit 10 as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. In FIG. 3B, the conveying direction is indicated by an arrow. The conveying shaft 11 is a rod-shaped member. As shown in Fig. 3(a), the conveying shaft 11 is perpendicular to the conveying direction, and as shown in Fig. 3(b), the axes of the conveying shafts 11 are arranged at equal intervals. Both ends of the conveying shaft 11 are fixed to the circular conveyor chain 12.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the conveyor chain 12 is wound around a sprocket (drive unit) 2 located downstream of the sorting unit 50. Therefore, by driving the sprocket 2 to rotate using a motor or the like, the conveying shaft 11 can be moved in the conveying direction along the stack elimination unit 10.

[0015] The plate 21 defines the conveying path and its trajectory of the aligning and conveying device 1, and is arranged from the stack elimination section 10 to the sorting section 50. In this embodiment, the plate 21 is generally uphill in the stack elimination section 10 and becomes generally horizontal as it approaches the sorting section 50. The distance of the plate 21 from the conveying shaft 11 is configured to be adjustable according to the diameter of the adherend, etc. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the conveying shaft 11 and the plate 21 is set so that the central axis of the conveying shaft 11 and the central axis of the adherend Sb that has entered between the conveying shafts 11 are at approximately the same height. The area of ​​the plate 21 located in the sorting section 50 has a space penetrating through in the thickness direction. Details will be given in the description of the sorting section 50.

[0016] 3(a), two guides 31 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the axial direction of the conveying shaft 11. The distance between the guides 31 is set to be slightly longer than the length (dimension in the axial direction) of the cylindrical adherend.

[0017] The operation of the stack elimination unit 10 in the aligning and conveying device 1 will be described. The adherends supplied to a feeder or the like sequentially enter between the conveying shafts 11, but because the distance between the conveying shafts is shorter than the longitudinal dimension of the adherends, the adherends always enter approximately parallel to the conveying shafts 11. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the distance D between the outer circumferential surfaces of two adjacent conveying shafts 11 is less than twice the diameter d of the adherend Sb (specifically, 1.5 times in this embodiment). This makes it physically impossible for two adherends to enter between the conveying shafts 11.

[0018] The adherend Sb that has entered between the conveying shafts 11 is supported below by the plates 21 and is pushed by the conveying shaft 11 located upstream, causing it to move along the plates 21. From the viewpoint of stable movement, it is preferable to set the distance between the conveying shaft 11 and the plates 21 so that the conveying shaft 11 comes into contact with the adherend at a height approximately the same as the axis of the adherend. The position of the adherend Sb in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is adjusted by the guide 31 within a predetermined range.

[0019] As described above, two adherends Sb do not enter between the conveying shafts 11, but there are cases where another adherend is piled up on top of the adherend Sb that has entered between the conveying shafts 11, resulting in a stack state. In this case, as shown in Figure 4, the other adherend Sbx moves together with the adherend Sbo that has entered between the conveying shafts 11. However, because the adherend Sbo and the adherend Sbx are both cylindrical, during the process of moving along the uphill plate (the conveying direction is also indicated by an arrow in Figure 4), the adherend Sbx is no longer able to maintain its position on the adherend Sbo and falls off the adherend Sbo. In this way, the stuck state of the adherends supplied to the feeder is reliably resolved in the stuck elimination section 10. As a result, the adherends Sbx do not reach the sorting section 50, and only the adherends Sbo that fit properly between the conveying shafts 11 are sent to the sorting section 50.

[0020] The inclination angle of the uphill slope in the unstuck section 10 may be appropriately set taking into consideration the radial dimensions of the adherends and the conveying shafts, while also taking into account factors such as ensuring the adherends Sbx fall off and preventing the adherends Sbo from falling off. The preferred angle range for the uphill slope is 60° to 80°. An angle of less than 60° increases the likelihood that the adherends Sbx will reach the sorting section without falling, while an angle of more than 80° increases the likelihood that the adherends Sbo located between the conveying shafts 11 will fall off. The inventors' investigations have shown that, under conditions such as the present embodiment in which the central axes of the conveying shafts 11 and the adherends Sbo are roughly at the same height and the distance D is 1.5 times the diameter d, these phenomena are unlikely to occur within the above-mentioned angle range. Even when the distance D is 1.5 times the diameter d or less, it appears that similar effects can be achieved by appropriately setting the moving speed of the conveying shafts 11.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the adherend Sb has a cap C attached to one end. In Figures 1 and 2, the ends with the cap C attached are all located on the same side, but when adherends are randomly supplied from the feeder, this is not usually the case, and some adherends will inevitably enter between the conveying shafts 11 with the end with the cap C attached located on the opposite side. Although the stack elimination unit 10 can eliminate the stuck state of the adherend as described above, it cannot control on which side the end to which the cap C is attached is located when the adherend Sbo is properly fitted between the conveying shafts 11.

[0022] Therefore, in the aligning and conveying device 1 according to this embodiment, the sorting section 50 removes adherends Sbo conveyed from the stack elimination section 10 whose end with the cap C attached is not located on the desired side, and supplies only adherends whose end with the cap C attached is located on the desired side to the labeler. The sorting section 50 will be described in detail below.

[0023] 5 is a diagram showing the sorting section 50 and its surroundings in the aligning and conveying device 1. The sorting section 50 includes an imaging device (imaging section) 51, a pair of partition walls 52, and three blowers, which will be described later. The imaging device 51 is disposed above the plate 21 and the conveying shaft 11, and sequentially captures images of the moving adherend Sb. The images acquired by the imaging device 51 are used to determine, through image processing or the like, which side the end to which the cap C is attached is located. There are no particular limitations on the method of determination, but one example is to determine whether a recess extending in the circumferential direction at the boundary between the cap and the main body is detected within a predetermined range in the image. A program, software, or the like for making the determination may be incorporated into the imaging device 51, or may be provided in a computer or the like connected to the imaging device 51.

[0024] The partition 52 is disposed downstream of the imaging device 51, above the plate 21 and the conveying shaft 11, and at a height that does not interfere with the moving adherend Sb. A gap is secured between the pair of partitions 52 that allows a single adherend to pass between the partitions 52 without touching them. In the plate 21, a plurality of air blowing openings 21a are formed in the portions located between the partition walls 52, penetrating in the thickness direction.

[0025] 6 is a schematic diagram showing a portion of sorting unit 50 located between partition walls 52 as viewed in the conveying direction. A first blower 53 and a second blower 54 are disposed below blower opening 21a. In the width direction of the plate 21 perpendicular to the conveying direction, a third blower (discharge blower) 55 is arranged on one side, and the entrance of a chute 56 that receives adherends that are not oriented as desired is opened on the other side.

[0026] Both the first blower 53 and the second blower 54 can blow air toward the air outlet 21a, but the second blower 54 on the third blower 55 side blows stronger air than the first blower 53 on the chute 56 side. The third blower 55 can blow air toward the chute 56 into the space between the partition walls 52.

[0027] The drive shaft of the sprocket 2 is connected to an angle detection sensor such as a rotary encoder via a transmission (not shown). Furthermore, the speed ratio of the transmission is set so that the amount of rotation of the drive shaft corresponding to one pitch of the conveyor chain 12 is equal to one rotation of the angle detection sensor. As a result, in the aligning and conveying device 1, the movement of one pitch of the conveyor chain 12 is converted into an angular position of 360°, and the position of each conveying shaft 11 attached to the conveyor chain 12 can be grasped.

[0028] An example of the operation of the sorting unit 50 in the aligning and conveying device 1 will be described. In the sorting section 50, it is determined whether or not the end portion to which the cap C is attached is located on the desired side of the conveyed adherend based on the image acquired by the imaging device 51. Then, when an adherend whose end portion to which the cap C is attached is not located on the desired side (hereinafter referred to as an "NG adherend") is detected, specific information about the conveying shaft 11 immediately downstream thereof is transmitted to the control section of the aligning and conveying device 1.

[0029] The control unit operates the first blower 53 and the second blower 54 at a predetermined timing, such as when the transport shaft 11 immediately downstream of the NG adherend approaches the downstream partition wall 52. As a result, air is blown toward the NG adherend from the air outlet 21a provided in the plate 21. At this time, the second blower 54 blows air at a faster speed than the first blower 53, so that the NG adherend Sbng that receives the air is moved to a position higher than the transport shaft 11 and so that the end on the third blower 55 side is higher, as shown in FIG.

[0030] Furthermore, the control unit operates the third blower 55 slightly after the first blower 53 and the second blower 54. Then, air from the third blower 55 is blown onto the outer peripheral surface of the lifted NG adherend Sbng. As a result, the NG adherend Sbng moves into the chute 56 and is removed from the plate 21, and is no longer sent to the labeler. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated every time an NG adherend is detected. The functions of the control unit described above can be executed by a computer or the like connected to the above-mentioned respective operating parts of the aligning and conveying device 1.

[0031] As described above, in the sorting section 50 according to this embodiment, only NG adherends that are not oriented in the desired direction can be preferably discharged out of the conveying path without stopping the movement of the adherends toward the labeler. The discharge of the NG adherends is performed by blowing air from the first to third blowers, so the discharged NG adherends are not damaged. Therefore, the NG adherends discharged from the chute 56 can be collected and fed back into the feeder, for example, so that the adherends can be used without waste. Furthermore, since the area where the air is blown is sandwiched between the partition walls 52, the ejected air does not diffuse, allowing the NG adherend to be moved efficiently and the trajectory toward the shooter 56 to be stabilized.

[0032] The alignment and conveying device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a stack elimination section 10 and a sorting section 50, and is therefore able to eliminate stacked adherends while continuously supplying only adherends in the desired orientation to the labeler, thereby greatly contributing to efficient labeling of such adherends.

[0033] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it is possible to change the combination of components, make various modifications to each component, or delete components, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0034] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the partition wall of the sorting unit is transparent. This has the advantage that the sorting operation can be confirmed, but this is not essential and the partition wall may be opaque.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which two blowers are provided below the plate has been shown, but instead, one blower may be provided with different air volumes for each region.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the plate and conveying shaft are shared by the unstuck unit and the sorting unit, but this is not essential. For example, the unstuck unit and the sorting unit may each have their own plate, conveying shaft, and drive system, and the adherends may be transferred at the boundary. In such a configuration, only the position of the conveying shaft for sorting may be known.

[0037] The adherends that are targets of the aligning and conveying device according to the present invention are not limited to those having a cylindrical appearance as shown in the embodiment. In other words, since the above-described unstuck operation is possible as long as the adherend does not have a relatively large flat surface on the outer periphery, the device can also be suitably applied to columnar adherends having an elliptical or polygonal (e.g., polygons with hexagons or more sides) cross section that satisfies this requirement. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Alignment and conveyance device 2 sprockets (drive parts) 10. Unstuck section 11 Conveyor shaft 12 conveyor chain 21 Plate 50 Sorting Department 51 Imaging device 52 Bulkhead 53 First Blower 54 Second Blower 55 Third blower (exhaust blower) 56 Shooter Sb adherend

Claims

1. An alignment and conveyance device that is disposed upstream of a labeler and supplies columnar adherends to the labeler, a stack elimination unit that eliminates the stacked state of the adherends; a sorting section that is provided downstream of the stack elimination section and that detects the adherends that are not oriented in a desired manner and discharges them out of the conveying path; Equipped with The stack resolution unit and the sorting unit are a plate defining the track of the transport path; a plurality of conveying shafts attached to the conveyor chain at equal intervals and arranged along the plate; a drive unit that drives the conveyor chain, The adherend is configured to be able to enter between two adjacent conveying shafts, The plate is In the stack elimination section, the stack elimination section is arranged so as to have an uphill slope toward the downstream side, The sorting unit has a plurality of air blowing ports penetrating in the thickness direction, The sorting unit is an imaging unit for acquiring an image of the adherend; a blower that blows air from the air outlet, When it is determined based on the image that the orientation of the adherend is different from the setting, air is blown from the blower to eject the adherend out of the conveyance path. Alignment conveying device.

2. The angle of the uphill slope in the stuck elimination section is 60° or more and 80° or less. The alignment and conveyance device according to claim 1 .

3. The sorting unit has partition walls on the upstream side and downstream side of the air outlet, and the blower blows air between the partition walls. The alignment and conveyance device according to claim 1 .

4. the same plate and the same conveying shaft are arranged from the stack elimination unit to the sorting unit, and the plate and the same conveying shaft are shared by the stack elimination unit and the sorting unit. The alignment and conveyance device according to claim 1 .

5. The sorting unit is a shooter into which the discharged adherend is dropped; and an exhaust blower that blows air toward the chute. The alignment and conveyance device according to claim 1 .

6. A method for aligning and conveying columnar adherends using the aligning and conveying device according to claim 2, comprising: The distance between the outer peripheral surfaces of two adjacent conveying shafts is set to 1.5 times or less the radial dimension of the adherend, The distance between the conveying shaft and the plate is set so that the central axis of the conveying shaft and the central axis of the adherend are at the same height. Alignment conveying method.

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