Article alignment and conveying device and article alignment and conveying method

Abstract

The transport path allows for separation of items being transported and stable transport of items, suppressing jamming of items and enabling transport in a desired orientation, thereby preventing damage to items during aligned transport. [Solution] The system comprises a first transport unit in which a first transport path R1 is formed on the upper peripheral edge of a rotor 13 that is rotatable by the drive of a first drive unit 12, and a second transport unit 21 in which the article placement surface of a transport means that is rotatable on the upper peripheral edge of the rotor 13 by the drive of a second drive unit constitutes a second transport path R2 that transfers an article on the first transport path R1 to the article placement surface at a first article transfer position, and then transfers an article on the article placement surface to the first transport path R1 at a second article transfer position, and the first drive unit 12 and the second drive unit 22 are configured to allow arbitrary setting of the speed difference between the first transport path R1 and the second transport path R2.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article alignment and conveyance device and an article alignment and conveyance method that can align arbitrarily inserted articles in a certain posture, separate them from each other, and convey them.

Background Art

[0002] The article alignment and conveyance device shown in Patent Document 1 scrapes up and guides a plurality of arbitrarily inserted articles on a rotation disk arranged obliquely to a conveyance path for delivery disposed at the upper outer side of the rotation disk, and in a state of being aligned in a single row in the conveyance path, corrects or sorts the articles into a desired posture and conveys them to a downstream process. It is an article alignment and conveyance device for this purpose.

[0003] Also, at a filling work site for fillers for articles, etc., as shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3, articles conveyed from the upstream side in an arbitrary posture are corrected to a desired posture using air injection in the middle of the conveyance path, or articles outside the desired posture are excluded from the conveyance path using a pusher such as air injection, an actuator, or a control wheel, and only articles in the desired posture are conveyed to the downstream side in the conveyance direction. An article alignment and conveyance device is used.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In an article alignment and conveying device equipped with a rotating disc as described in Patent Document 1, due to a physical problem in which the peripheral speed of the rotating disc is slower closer to the center of rotation, the articles that are fed in tend to stick together in the center. Therefore, especially when a large quantity of articles are fed in, the distance between the articles when they are guided along the conveying path becomes small, and the articles can get jammed (bridged).

[0006] If the distance between items becomes too short along the transport path, it becomes difficult to target only items that are not in the desired orientation during transport, correct their orientation to the desired orientation, push them off the transport path, slide them onto the rotating disc to remove them, and transport only items in the desired orientation downstream in the transport direction.

[0007] Conventionally, in order to separate items being transported, control wheels or the like were used, as described in Patent Document 3 above. However, this was inefficient because it could destabilize the position of the items due to accidental contact, which could actually cause jams in the transport path.

[0008] Furthermore, if an item is not in the desired orientation, it may be repeatedly blown back onto the rotating disk by air jets or pushed back by air cylinders or the like from the transport path provided on the outer circumference of the rotating disk. This process can damage the item, so it is desirable to reduce the number of times the item is guided from the rotating disk to the transport path and to allow it to be transported to the next process outside the system.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide an article alignment and conveying device and an article alignment and conveying method that, in an article alignment and conveying device equipped with a rotating disc, can separate articles being conveyed along the conveying path and ensure stable conveyance of articles, suppress jamming of articles and enable conveyance in an aligned position as desired, and furthermore, can suppress damage to articles during aligned conveyance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the article alignment and conveying device of the present invention is: A rotor having a rotating disc that is inclined and rotates around a central axis, capable of receiving articles inserted in any orientation, and rotatable by the drive of a first drive unit, wherein a first conveying section has a first conveying path formed on the upper peripheral edge of the rotor, The second transport unit comprises a transport means that is driven by a second drive unit and is capable of running parallel to the first transport path at the upper outer peripheral edge of the rotor, the article placement surface which is the upper surface of the transport means being lifted upward by the rotation of the rotating disc to transfer an article on the first transport path to the article placement surface at a first article transfer position, and then transferring the article on the article placement surface to the first transport path at a second article transfer position, and the second transport unit comprises a second transport unit which constitutes a second transport path, An unloading unit equipped with an unloading means for unloading articles being transported along the first transport path via the second transport path from the article unloading position to outside the system, It has at least the following features: The first drive unit and the second drive unit are configured to allow arbitrary setting of the speed difference between the first transport path and the second transport path.

[0011] According to the article alignment and conveying device of the present invention, by adjusting the drives of the first drive unit and the second drive unit so that the peripheral speed of the second conveying path is slower than the peripheral speed of the first conveying path, it becomes possible to separate the articles when they are returned to the first conveying path at the second article transfer position via the second conveying path.

[0012] Conversely, by adjusting the drives of the first and second drive units so that the peripheral speed of the second transport path is faster than the peripheral speed of the first transport path, it is possible to transport items in close proximity to each other. For example, in the case of items with shapes that make upright transport unstable when transported individually, stable transport can be achieved by transporting them in close proximity, supporting each other.

[0013] Furthermore, the first drive unit and the second drive unit are set such that the peripheral speed of the second transport path is slower than the peripheral speed of the first transport path, and the first transport path between the second article transfer position and the article discharge position is provided with a device for setting the orientation of the transported article to a desired orientation and / or a device for removing articles that are not in the desired orientation from the first transport path.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the article alignment and conveying device of the present invention, all articles in the first conveying path are lifted upward by the rotation of the rotating disc and become targets for alignment. Moreover, since the articles are separated from each other and their orientations are set to a desired orientation, or articles that are not in a desired orientation are removed, errors are reduced, and the efficiency of article alignment and conveying is greatly improved.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention provides an article alignment and conveying method comprising: a first conveying path formed on the outer periphery of a rotor that is inclined and has a rotating disc that rotates around a central axis, and is capable of receiving articles that are inserted in any orientation, and is rotatable by the drive of a first drive unit; and a second conveying path which is composed of an article placement surface of a conveying means that is capable of running parallel to the first conveying path at the upper outer periphery of the rotor, and is arranged so that after being lifted upward by the rotation of the rotating disc and transferring articles on the first conveying path to a first article transfer position, articles on the article placement surface can be transferred to the first conveying path at a second article transfer position, and the first drive unit and the second drive unit are set to adjust so that the peripheral speed of the second conveying path is faster than the peripheral speed of the first conveying path.

[0016] According to the article alignment and conveyance method of the present invention, as described above, by adjusting the driving of the first driving unit and the second driving unit so that the peripheral speed of the second conveyance path is slower than that of the first conveyance path, when the article is returned from the second conveyance path to the first conveyance path, it becomes possible to separate the articles from each other. Conversely, if the driving of the first driving unit and the second driving unit is adjusted so that the peripheral speed of the second conveyance path is faster than that of the first conveyance path, the articles can be conveyed while being close to each other, and it becomes possible to perform alignment conveyance according to the shape and characteristics of the articles.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] As described above, in the article alignment and conveyance device and the article alignment and conveyance method of the present invention, it is possible to separate the articles being conveyed on the conveyance path and to stably convey the articles, suppress the clogging of the articles, and enable conveyance in which the articles are aligned in a desired posture. Furthermore, excellent effects such as suppressing damage to the articles during alignment conveyance can be obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] Plan view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the article alignment and conveyance device of the present invention [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in an embodiment of the article alignment and conveyance device shown in FIG. 1

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] First, an embodiment of the article alignment and conveyance device of the present invention will be described. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 1, the article alignment and conveyance device 1 of the present embodiment includes a first conveyance unit 11 that can receive an article C input in an arbitrary posture and has a rotor 13 that can be rotated by the driving of a first driving unit 12, a second conveyance unit 21 that includes conveyance means 23 that can run parallel to a first conveyance path R1 described later at the outer peripheral edge of the rotor 13 by the driving of a second driving unit 22, and a carry-out unit 31 that includes carry-out means 32 for carrying out the article C being conveyed on the first conveyance path R1 to the outside of the system. In the following embodiments, the article C is assumed to be a cup-shaped container.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor 13 of the first conveying unit 11 horizontally arranges a mortar ball-shaped article storage unit 14 in which a first conveying path R1 for arranging articles C to be conveyed in a row in the circumferential direction is formed at the upper peripheral portion. The rotor 13 is disposed so as to be rotatable counterclockwise around a main shaft 3 erected on a base 2 of the article alignment and conveying device 1 by driving of a motor as the first driving unit 12. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first conveying path R1 is formed as an inclined surface that extends from inside the article storage unit 14 upward to the outside.

[0021] A rotating disk 16 is disposed in the article storage unit 14 in an inclined manner. A groove portion 16a formed by cutting the surface of the rotating disk 16 is formed at the peripheral edge of the rotating disk 16 to primarily place an article C to be conveyed thereon.

[0022] Here, the rotation axis (disk rotation axis) 17 of the rotating disk 16 utilizes the inclination of an inclined surface that constitutes the upper surface of a connecting member 3 disposed at the upper portion of the main shaft 15, and its axis is disposed to be orthogonal to the inclined surface via a plate-shaped motor base 4. The rotating disk 16 is disposed such that the disk rotation axis 17 is located at the center of the back surface, and is disposed to rotate counterclockwise around the disk rotation axis 17 by driving of a motor as a disk driving unit 18 disposed on the motor base 4, similar to the rotor 13. The rotating disk 16 is disposed with its disk surface inclined such that an article C can be transferred between the groove portion 16a of the rotating disk 16 and the upper surface of the first conveying path R1 in the upper region of the inclined surface (the 2 o'clock direction region in FIG. 1). In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral end portion of the rotating disk 16 is disposed adjacent to the inner side of the first conveying path R1 formed as an inclined surface.

[0023] Furthermore, as the conveying means 23 of the second conveying unit 21, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a conveyor 23 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the upper opening of the rotor 13 (in this embodiment, within a range of approximately 60° in both the forward and reverse rotation directions from the upper position (top: 2 o'clock position in Figure 1) of the inclined rotating disc 16, and covering approximately 1 / 3 of the first conveying path R1: the section between the 4 o'clock position and the 11 o'clock position in Figure 1), driven by a motor as the second drive unit 22, which has a circular arc-shaped track in plan view that runs parallel to the first conveying path R1 in the same direction. The upper surface of the conveyor 23 is an article placement surface, and the article placement surface of the moving conveyor 23 constitutes a second conveyor R2 through which the article C, which has been sent to the first conveyor path R1 via the groove 16a by the rotation of the rotating disc 16, is transferred to the article placement surface at a first article transfer position AP (2 o'clock position in Figure 1) where both conveyor paths R1 and R2 are located close together and there is no partition wall between the two conveyor paths R1 and R2, and after being transported along the second conveyor path R2, the article C on this article placement surface is transferred to the first conveyor path R1 at a second article transfer position RP (1 o'clock position in Figure 1) where both conveyor paths R1 and R2 are located close together and there is no partition wall between the two conveyor paths R1 and R2. In other words, the second transport path section 21 receives the article C from the first transport path R1 to the second transport path R2 at the first article transfer position AP, and returns it to the first transport path R1 at the downstream second article transfer position RP.

[0024] Furthermore, the motor as the first drive unit 12 and the motor as the second drive unit 22 are configured to allow arbitrary setting of the speed difference between the first transport path R1 and the second transport path R2. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the peripheral speed of the second transport path R2 is set to be slower than the peripheral speed of the first transport path R1.

[0025] Furthermore, the discharge section 31 is composed of a conveyor, which serves as a discharge means 32 for discharging articles C being transported along the first transport path R1 via the second transport path R2 to the outside of the system from the article discharge position SP (6 o'clock position in Figure 1).

[0026] In this embodiment, devices for setting the orientation of the transported article C to a desired orientation and devices for removing articles C that are not in the desired orientation from the first transport path R1 can be installed in the section between the second article transfer position RP and the article discharge position SP in the first transport path R1. These devices can be known devices as described above. In this embodiment, upstream of the first transport path R1, a device for correcting the orientation of the transported cup-shaped container (article C) so that its bottom rests on the transport surface (equipped with a sensor camera, multiple air jet nozzles to enable air injection from multiple directions, and a control unit that controls the injection of air jets based on the image acquired by the sensor camera) is arranged in the area shown at the 10 o'clock position in Figure 1. Downstream of this, in the area shown at the 8 o'clock position in Figure 1, a device for pushing cup-shaped containers whose final transport orientation is outside the desired orientation away from the first transport path R1 and returning them to the rotor 13 (equipped with a sensor camera, a pusher or air jet nozzle, and a control unit that controls the injection of air jets based on the image acquired by the sensor camera) is arranged (neither device is shown in the diagram, but their operation will be described later).

[0027] Furthermore, components such as gear hubs, washers, and bearings necessary for the smooth rotation of the rotor 13 and the rotating disc 16, as well as guide members and partitions that appropriately guide the transport of the article C, are arranged in the same manner as in a conventional article alignment and transport device 1 having a rotor 13, unless otherwise specified (some are shown in the figure).

[0028] Next, we will explain the method of aligning and conveying articles, which is also the operation of the article alignment and conveying device 1 of the above embodiment. In Figure 1, the correct orientation of the cup-shaped container part C is indicated by a circle with a cross inside, an upside-down orientation by a circle, and a sideways orientation by a square.

[0029] In the article alignment and conveying method of this embodiment, in the article alignment and conveying device 1 described above, the speed difference between the motor as the first drive unit 12 and the motor as the second drive unit 22 is set and adjusted so that the peripheral speed of the second conveying path R2 is slower than the peripheral speed of the first conveying path R1. The motor as the disc drive unit 18 is also driven.

[0030] In this state, a cup-shaped container, which is the item C to be transported, is placed into the item storage section 14 of the rotor 13. The method of placing the item can be by using a hopper of a known configuration, or by placing it in by an operator.

[0031] The cup-shaped container (article) C, placed into the article storage section C of the rotating rotor 13, is scraped up from its inclined surface by the counterclockwise rotation of the rotating disc 16 and pushed outward by centrifugal force, so that it is positioned on the inclined first transport path. Furthermore, by the counterclockwise rotation of the rotor 13, it is sent to the second transport path R2 at the first article transfer position AP, which is at the 2 o'clock position in Figure 1, and placed on the article placement surface of the conveyor 23.

[0032] Then, in the second transport path R2, the cup-shaped containers (articles) C that traveled parallel to the first transport path R1 move downwards at the second article transfer position RP, located at the 1 o'clock position in Figure 1, due to their own weight or, if necessary, guided by guide members, and are transferred back to the first transport path R1. At this time, the speed of the second transport path R2 is adjusted to be slower than that of the first transport path R1, so that when the containers are returned to the empty first transport path R1 at the second article transfer position RP via the second transport path R2, the cup-shaped containers (articles) C at the front and rear are separated. In other words, regardless of whether the orientation of each cup-shaped container (article) C is the desired orientation or not, all cup-shaped containers (articles) C that reach the first transport path R1 via the rotor 13 are separated from the cup-shaped containers (articles) C at the front and rear.

[0033] Then, at the second item transfer position RP, the cup-shaped containers (items) C returned to the first transport path R1 are subjected to a forced posture correction process by a device (not shown) installed between the item discharge position SP and the item discharge position, which corrects the posture of the transported cup-shaped containers C so that their bottoms are placed on the transport surface. Furthermore, a device (not shown) installed downstream pushes cup-shaped containers that are not in the desired posture away from the first transport path R1 and returns them to the item storage section 14 of the rotor 13, performing final sorting. At this time, since the posture is corrected to the desired posture or items that are not in the desired posture are removed while the items C are separated, there is no jamming of items C, and errors (such as the removal of items in the desired posture or the change in posture of items that were in the desired posture) are reduced, and the efficiency of aligned transport of items is greatly improved.

[0034] At this point, any cup-shaped containers (articles) C that are not in the desired orientation will slide back into the article storage section 14 of the rotor 13. However, according to the article alignment and transport method of this embodiment, by first separating all cup-shaped containers guided to the first transport path R1 and then correcting their orientation, the number of cup-shaped containers in the article storage section 14 that are ultimately returned to the rotor 13 can be reduced. Furthermore, by making all cup-shaped containers (articles) C guided to the first transport path R1 the target of separation by guiding them to the second transport path R2, the waiting time for each cup-shaped container (article) C to be picked up by the rotating disc 16 can be shortened. Moreover, since the orientation correction of the separated articles C is performed in an optimal state, the number of cup-shaped containers (articles) C returned from the first transport path R1 to the article storage section 14 of the rotor 13 can be reduced, thus preventing damage to the cup-shaped containers (articles) C.

[0035] Finally, the selected cup-shaped containers (articles) C in the desired orientation are guided from the article discharge position SP located at the 6 o'clock position in Figure 1 to the conveyor, which serves as the discharge means 32, and discharged out of the system.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the bottom of the cup-shaped container (article) C is placed on the transport path in a desired position, the first transport path R1 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes upward from inside the article storage section 14 to the outside. Therefore, when the cup-shaped container (article) C is in a position other than the desired position, such as upside down, its center of gravity is shifted, making stable placement impossible and causing it to roll easily. Thus, it is physically easier and simpler to remove the container by causing it to fall (slide) from the first transport path R1 into the article storage section 14 of the rotor 13.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0038] For example, the items are not limited to cup-shaped containers; they may also be disc-shaped items with a front and back side. In that case, the first transport path may be equipped with a device that can turn the items over, and configured to remove defective items as a final sorting step.

[0039] Furthermore, the second transport unit having a second transport path is not limited to a configuration in which transport is performed by a conveyor, as in this embodiment. For example, a rotating body that rotates concentrically with the rotor may be used as the second transport unit, and the circumference of the rotating body may act as the second transport path.

[0040] Various devices that act on the articles may be installed along the first transport path from the second article transfer position RP to the article discharge position, as needed. Alternatively, no devices may be installed at all. In that case, the article alignment and transport device will operate solely as an article cutting device.

[0041] Furthermore, in the present invention, the first drive unit and the second drive unit are configured to allow arbitrary setting of the speed difference between the first transport path and the second transport path. For example, the drive of the first drive unit and the second drive unit may be adjusted so that the peripheral speed of the second transport path is faster than the peripheral speed of the first transport path. In that case, articles will be transported in close proximity to each other in the first transport path. As mentioned above, in the case of articles with shapes that make upright transport of a single item unstable, stable transport can be achieved by transporting them in close proximity and supporting each other. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1. Article alignment and conveying device 2 bases 3 Connecting members 4 Motor base 11. First Conveyor Unit 12. First drive unit (motor) 13 rotors 14. Storage section for items 15 Spindle 16 Rotating Discs 16a Groove 17. Disc rotation axis 18. Disc drive unit (motor) 21. Second Conveyor Unit 22 Second drive unit (motor) 23. Conveying means (conveyor) 31. Loading section 32. Discharge means (conveyor) R1 First transport route R2 Second transport route AP 1st article transfer position RP 2nd article transfer position SP Goods unloading position C. Item (cup-shaped container)

Claims

1. A rotor having a rotating disc that is inclined and rotates around a central axis, capable of receiving articles inserted in any orientation, and rotatable by the drive of a first drive unit, wherein a first conveying section has a first conveying path formed on the upper peripheral edge of the rotor, The second transport unit comprises a transport means that is driven by a second drive unit and is capable of running parallel to the first transport path at the upper outer peripheral edge of the rotor, the article placement surface which is the upper surface of the transport means being lifted upward by the rotation of the rotating disc to transfer an article on the first transport path to the article placement surface at a first article transfer position, and then transferring the article on the article placement surface to the first transport path at a second article transfer position, and the second transport unit comprises a second transport unit which constitutes a second transport path, An unloading unit equipped with an unloading means for unloading articles being transported along the first transport path via the second transport path from the article unloading position to outside the system, It has at least the following features: The article alignment and conveying device is characterized in that the first drive unit and the second drive unit are configured to allow arbitrary setting of the speed difference between the first conveying path and the second conveying path.

2. The article alignment and conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first drive unit and the second drive unit are set such that the peripheral speed of the second conveying path is slower than the peripheral speed of the first conveying path, and the first conveying path between the second article transfer position and the article discharge position is provided with a device for setting the orientation of the conveyed articles to a desired orientation and / or a device for removing articles that are not in the desired orientation from the first conveying path.

3. A method for aligning and conveying articles, comprising: a first conveying path formed on the outer periphery of a rotor that is inclined and has a rotating disc that rotates around a central axis, capable of receiving articles inserted in any orientation, and rotatable by the drive of a first drive unit; and a second conveying path, which is configured to run parallel to the first conveying path at the upper outer periphery of the rotor by the drive of a second drive unit, and is configured to lift articles on the first conveying path by the rotation of the rotating disc, transfer articles on the first conveying path to a first article transfer position, and then transfer articles on the article transfer surface to the first conveying path at a second article transfer position, wherein the first drive unit and the second drive unit are configured to adjust the settings so that the peripheral speed of the second conveying path is faster than the peripheral speed of the first conveying path.

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