Item transfer device

Abstract

The present invention provides a simple article transfer device that transfers an upright article placed to the side of a conveyor into a lying position so that the height of the article is aligned with the conveyor's transport direction, or transfers an article placed on a conveyor into an upright position to the side of the conveyor. [Solution] The conveyor 2 is equipped with a moving mechanism 4 that moves the support member 14 in the left-right direction Y and the up-down direction Z between the air above and one side of the conveyor 2. The rotation axis 28 of the motor 27 supported by the support member 14 is tilted with respect to the conveying direction X and left-right direction Y of the conveyor 2, and the mounting surface 34 connected to the rotation axis 28 and the second plane 35 supporting the holding means 40 form a predetermined angle θ1. By rotating the motor 27 so that the rotation angle θ is set according to the predetermined angle θ1, the holding means 40 can be rotated, and consequently the orientation of the tip portion 41a of the holder 41 that holds the article W can be changed simultaneously in the up-down direction Z and the left-right direction Y.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article transfer device that changes the posture of an article to be picked up and transfers the article.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when picking up an article from a loading position arranged on the side of a conveyor and transferring the article to the conveyor, an article transfer device that converts the posture of the article from a standing posture (standing state) to a lying posture (lying down state), or from a lying posture (lying down state) to a standing posture (standing state) is known. For example, in Patent Document 1, an article transfer device is shown in which a robot picks up an article in a standing posture (standing state) from an upright conveyor, changes the orientation of the article so that the height direction of the article is along the conveying direction of a horizontal conveyor, and transfers the article to the horizontal conveyor in a lying posture.

[0003] In this article transfer device, when a holding means in a holding head is rotated around a rotation axis (around a vertical axis) by a single drive source, the rotational force around the rotation axis is transmitted to a bevel gear so as to rotate the holding means around a support axis (around a horizontal axis) in conjunction with this rotation. An adsorber for adsorbing and holding an article is arranged on this holding means. When picking up an article from the upright conveyor, the tip of the adsorber faces the side intersecting the conveying direction of the horizontal conveyor so as to face the standing article. On the other hand, when placing the article on the horizontal conveyor, by a 90° rotation around the rotation axis (around the vertical axis), the adsorber moves from the side of the horizontal conveyor above the conveying surface while rotating 90° around the support axis (around the horizontal axis), and the tip of the adsorber faces downward so as to face the conveying surface of the horizontal conveyor.

[0004] Thus, the article transfer device described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the suction device in the holding means moves around a rotation axis and a support axis, so that an article held in an upright position by the suction device can be transferred in a lying position by changing the orientation of the article so that the height direction of the article is aligned with the conveying direction of the horizontal conveying conveyor. Alternatively, an article placed in a lying position along the conveying direction of the horizontal conveying conveyor can be transferred to the side of the horizontal conveying conveyor in an upright position. In other words, it is advantageous in that it eliminates the need for synchronized control with another device compared to a case in which the article is handed over to another device during the article transfer process and the orientation of the article is changed in the same way. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-219208 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, the article transfer device described in Patent Document 1 is a mechanism that changes the orientation of the holding means by arranging multiple rotating shafts and bevel gears, and therefore cannot necessarily be said to have a simple structure.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide an article transfer device with a simple structure that can transfer an article in an upright position placed to the side of a conveyor to the conveyor in a lying position such that the height direction of the article is aligned with the conveying direction of the conveyor, or transfer an article in a lying position placed on a conveyor with the height direction of the article aligned with the conveying direction of the conveyor to the side of the conveyor in an upright position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the article transfer device of the present invention takes the following measures. First, the invention according to claim 1 transfers an article (W) in an upright position, which is placed on an article placement section (3) located on one side in the left-right direction (Y) intersecting the conveying direction (X) of a conveyor (2) that transports an article (W), to a transport path (5) on the conveyor (2) in a lying position, such that the height direction of the article (W) is aligned with the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2), or transfers an article (W) in a lying position, which is placed on the transport path (5) in a lying position, such that the height direction of the article (W) is aligned with the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2), An article transfer device that transfers an article (W) to the article placement section (3) in an upright position facing the vertical direction (Z) intersecting the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2), comprising: a holding means (40) having a holder (41) for holding the article (W); a support member (14) that supports a motor (27) having a rotating shaft (28) at a position above the conveying path (5) such that the rotating shaft (28) is tilted in the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2) and also tilted in the left-right direction (Y) intersecting the conveying direction (X); and a rotating shaft (27) perpendicular to the rotating shaft (28) of the motor (27) The mounting member (30) has a mounting surface (34) connected to the rotating shaft (28), and a second plane (35) that supports the holding means (40) with the tip (41a) of the holder (41) facing in the direction in which the holder (41) intersects the holding means (40), and the mounting surface (34) and the second plane (35) form a predetermined angle (θ1), and rotates around the rotating shaft (28) together with the holding means (40) by the rotational drive of the motor (27), and supports the support member (14), and the support member (14) is reduced The system includes a moving mechanism (4) that can move in the left-right direction (Y) and the up-down direction (Z) between the air above the conveyor (2) and one side, and a control unit that issues drive commands to the holding means (40) for holding and releasing the article (W) by the holder (41), and also issues rotation drive commands to the motor (27), and further issues a command to the moving mechanism (4) for moving the support member (14), wherein the control unit rotates the motor (27) so that it reaches a rotation angle (θ) set according to the predetermined angle (θ1).The tip (41a) of the holder (41) facing one side is configured to point downward, or the tip (41a) of the holder (41) facing downward is configured to point towards the one side.

[0009] According to the invention of claim 1, the rotation axis (28) of the motor (27) connected to the mounting surface (34) of the mounting member (30) is inclined with respect to the conveying direction (X) and left-right direction (Y) of the conveyor (2), and the mounting surface (34) of the mounting member (30) and the second plane (35) form a predetermined angle (θ1). By rotating the motor (27) to a rotation angle (θ) set according to the predetermined angle (θ1), the holding means (40) can be rotated, and consequently, the orientation of the tip (41a) of the holder (41) that holds the article (W) in the vertical direction (Z) and the left-right direction (Y) can be changed simultaneously. In other words, by rotating a single motor (27) to a rotation angle (θ) set according to the predetermined angle (θ1) and rotating the holding means (40) to the rotation angle (θ), the orientation of the tip (41a) of the holder (41) can be directed downward from one side of the conveyor (2). Alternatively, the tip (41a) of the holder (41) can be directed downwards to one side of the conveyor (2). Thus, it is possible to provide an article transfer device with a simple structure that can transfer an article (W) in an upright position placed to the side of the conveyor (2) to the conveyor (2) in a lying position so that the height direction of the article (W) is aligned with the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2), or transfer an article (W) in a lying position placed on the conveyor (2) to the side of the conveyor (2) in an upright position so that the height direction of the article (W) is aligned with the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2).

[0010] Next, the invention according to claim 2, which is dependent on claim 1, comprises a plurality of rotating mechanisms (16) consisting of the holding means (40), the mounting member (30), and the motor (27), the support member (14) supports the plurality of rotating mechanisms (16) at intervals in the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2), and the control unit is configured to rotate each of the motors (27) so that the tip (41a) of each of the holding devices (41) facing one side faces downward, or to direct the tip (41a) of each of the holding devices (41) facing downward to the one side, so that the rotation angle (θ) is determined from the predetermined angle (θ1).

[0011] According to the invention of claim 2, by providing a plurality of rotating mechanisms (16) consisting of holding means (40), mounting members (30), and motors (27), multiple articles (W) can be held simultaneously, and the multiple articles (W) that are held can be changed in orientation and moved simultaneously. Therefore, the frequency of repeating the process of transferring articles (W) from an upright position to a lying position on the conveyor (2), or transferring articles (W) from a lying position to the side of the conveyor (2) in an upright position can be reduced, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0012] Next, the invention according to claim 3, which is dependent on claim 2, is such that when the moving mechanism (4) moves the support member (14) in the conveying direction (X) of the conveyor (2) at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveyor (2), the holding means (40) releases the holding of the article (W) and places the article (W) on the conveying path (5), or the holding means (40) holds the article (W) that is placed on the conveying path (5) and picks it up.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 3, the moving mechanism (4) moves in sync with the conveyor (2), so that the article (W) held by the holding means (40) can be placed on the transport path (5) on the conveyor (2), or the article (W) placed on the conveyor (2) can be held and picked up, without stopping the conveyor (2). Therefore, the operating time of the device can be shortened, and production efficiency can be improved.

[0014] Next, the invention according to claim 4, which is dependent on any one of claims 1 to 3, is configured such that the moving mechanism (4) is made up of a parallel link robot (4) so ​​that the support member (14) can move freely in the three-dimensional space above the conveyor (2).

[0015] According to the invention of claim 4, by applying a parallel link robot (4) as a moving mechanism for moving the holding means (40), the space of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, it is suitable for a configuration that moves in accordance with the flow of transport on the conveyor (2). Furthermore, when transferring articles (W) to the conveyor (2), it is suitable for a configuration in which the articles (W) are lined up in a row along the transport direction (X) and placed, and also for a configuration in which the articles (W) on the conveyor (2) are placed at equal intervals front to back. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The present invention provides a simple article transfer device that can transfer an article in an upright position placed to the side of a conveyor to the conveyor in a lying position such that the height direction of the article is aligned with the conveying direction of the conveyor, or transfer an article in a lying position placed on a conveyor with the height direction of the article aligned with the conveying direction of the conveyor to the side of the conveyor in an upright position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view showing the entire article transfer device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic plan view of an article transfer device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a side view showing the handle section of an item transfer device. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the second support member and rotation mechanism in the hand section. [Figure 5] This is a view from the transport direction of a means for holding an item in a lying-down position. [Figure 6]It is a perspective view of the mounting member in the hand part. [Figure 7] (A) is a view showing an example in which a temporary cube and a triangular pyramid are set on the mounting member. (B) is a view of the mounting member seen from the direction of the rotation axis, and shows the relationship between the triangle which is the bottom surface of the triangular pyramid and the rotation angle θ. [Figure 8] (A) is a view showing the angle θ1 formed by the first mounting surface and the second plane of the mounting member. (B) is a view showing a triangle in a plane parallel to the second mounting surface. [Figure 9] It is a view showing the flow of the operation of the holding means holding an article. (A) shows the state of the article transfer device when picking up an article from the article placement part. (B) shows the state where the article transfer device is rotating the article. (C) shows the state where the article transfer device places the article on the conveyor.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0018] This embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The article transfer device according to this embodiment is a device that can transfer a standing article W placed on the side of the conveyor 2 to the conveyor 2 in a lying posture such that the height direction of the article W is along the conveyance direction X of the conveyor 2. Here, the conveyance direction X of the conveyor 2 is defined as the front-rear direction X, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction X is defined as the left-right direction Y, and the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction X and the left-right direction Y is defined as the up-down direction Z.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article transfer device includes a conveyor 2 that conveys an article W toward a packaging part (not shown) in a packaging machine, an article placement part 3 disposed on the side in the left-right direction Y of the conveyor 2, and a parallel link robot 4 (moving mechanism) disposed above the conveyor 2.

[0020] The article W according to this embodiment is a food item that is roughly cone-shaped. As shown in Figure 4, if the bottom surface of the cone is considered the upper part Ws of the article W, and the tip on the apex side of the cone is considered the lower end Wt of the article W, then when the article W is in an upright position, the upper part Ws is located above and the lower end Wt is located below. The direction in which the upper part Ws and the lower end Wt of the article W are facing each other in this upright position is the height direction of the article W.

[0021] The conveyor 2 is a belt conveyor and has a conveying surface 5 made of an endless belt. The conveyor 2 conveys an article W placed on the conveying surface 5 in the conveying direction X at a constant speed. The article W is placed on the conveying surface 5 in a lying position so that the height direction of the article W is aligned with the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2, and its lower end Wt faces forward in the conveying direction X. In this embodiment, the article W is placed so that its side surface is in contact with the conveying surface 5. Here, as shown in Figure 9, the "lying position" of the article W is a state in which the article W is tilted horizontally from an upright position [Figure 9(A)] [Figure 9(C)], and includes cases in which the height direction of the article W is aligned with the horizontal direction and in a direction approximating the horizontal direction.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the article placement section 3 is located on one side (for example, the left side) of the conveyor 2 in the left-right direction Y, and includes a plurality of article support sections 7. Each article support section 7 is composed of a plurality of holes formed in a plate-shaped member. The article support sections 7 are arranged in rows at regular intervals along the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2, and multiple rows of holes aligned in the conveying direction X are arranged side by side in the left-right direction Y. With this configuration, the article support sections 7 can accept and support easily tipping, substantially conical articles W in an upright position.

[0023] The moving mechanism supports a support member 14, which will be described later, and can move the support member 14 in the left-right direction Y, at least between the space above and to the left of the conveyor 2, and can also move it in the up-down direction Z. As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, a parallel link robot 4 is provided as the moving mechanism. The parallel link robot 4 comprises a base portion 8 fixed to the ceiling frame, three sets of parallel links 9, a base portion 10, a hand portion 12, and a control unit (not shown). The parallel links 9 have a well-known structure, with each upper end of the parallel links 9 connected to the output shaft of each servo motor, and each lower end of the parallel links 9 connected to the base portion 10. By driving each servo motor, the base portion 10 connected to each lower end of the three sets of parallel links 9 can be moved in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0024] A hand unit 12 is provided at the lower part of the base unit 10 of the parallel link robot 4. This allows the parallel link robot 4 to move the hand unit 12 to any position in a predetermined three-dimensional space. In other words, the hand unit 12 and the support member 14 attached to the hand unit 12 can move freely in the three-dimensional space above each item support unit 7 and above the conveying surface 5. In this embodiment, the base unit 10 can support the hand unit 12 so that it can rotate horizontally, but when transferring an item W, the longitudinal direction of the first support member 21, which will be described later, is maintained in a position that is aligned with the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the hand unit 12 includes a support member 14 that supports the motor 27 at a position above the conveying surface 5 of the conveyor 2, which is the transport path, and a rotating mechanism 16. The support member 14 includes a plate-shaped first support member 21 whose longitudinal direction extends horizontally, and two second support members 22 and a third support member 23 connected to the first support member 21, respectively. The center of the first support member 21 is connected to the base 10. First air cylinders 25 that move back and forth along the longitudinal direction of the first support member 21 are disposed at the upper ends of both ends of the first support member 21 in the longitudinal direction. Each of the second support members 22 has one end in the vertical direction Z connected to the piston of each first air cylinder 25, and the other end hangs down below the first support member 21. The third support member 23 is positioned in the center of the first support member 21 so as to be equidistant from the second support members 22 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first support member 21.

[0026] The second support member 22 can slide in the longitudinal direction of the first support member 21 by the operation of the first air cylinder 25. This allows the distance between the second support member 22 and the third support member 23 to be adjusted. For example, when picking up three articles W in an upright position, the distance between the second support member 22 and the third support member 23 can be narrowed, and after picking up the articles W, the second support member 22 can slide away from the third support member 23 to adjust the distance to correspond to the front-to-back distance between articles W in a lying-down position.

[0027] The second support member 22 and the third support member 23 are each formed by bending, for example, a flat metal plate. For example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second support member 22 has a main body portion 22a and a connecting portion 22b which is connected to a motor 27, which will be described later. The plane of the connecting portion 22b is inclined with respect to the plane of the main body portion 22a. The angle θ2 between the plane of the main body portion 22a and the plane of the connecting portion 22b is set to correspond to the inclination angle of the rotation axis 28 of the motor 27 (see Figure 5). The third support member 23 also has a main body portion 23a and a connecting portion 23b, similar to the second support member 22, and the angle between the plane of the main body portion 23a and the plane of the connecting portion 23b is set to be the same as the angle θ2 between the plane of the main body portion 22a and the plane of the connecting portion 22b in the second support member 22.

[0028] A rotating mechanism 16 is provided on each of the second support members 22 and the third support member 23. In other words, the article transfer device according to this embodiment is equipped with multiple rotating mechanisms 16. The rotating mechanism 16 consists of a motor 27 having a rotating shaft 28, a mounting member 30, and a holding means 40. Servo motors are provided as the motors 27 having a rotating shaft 28 on each of the second support members 22 and the third support member 23. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, each motor 27 is connected to the connection portion 22b of the second support member 22 and the connection portion 23b of the third support member 23, respectively, such that the lower end of the rotating shaft 28 is tilted at a predetermined angle (45° in this embodiment) toward the front in the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2, and also tilted at a predetermined angle (45° in this embodiment) toward one side (left side) perpendicular to the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2.

[0029] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a mounting member 30 is connected to the rotation axis 28 of each motor 27, allowing it to repeatedly rotate around each rotation axis 28. The inclination angle of the rotation axis 28 only needs to be inclined in two directions, the front-to-back direction X and the left-to-right direction Y, and each can be set to an arbitrary inclination angle. The bending angle of the mounting member 30, which will be described later, greatly influences the determination of the rotation angle θ of the motor 27.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6, the mounting member 30 is formed by bending a single metal plate and comprises a first mounting portion 31 and a second mounting portion 32. The first mounting portion 31 has a first mounting surface 34 of a predetermined length L that is connected to the rotation shaft 28 of the motor 27 so as to be perpendicular to the rotation shaft 28 of the motor 27. The first mounting surface 34 is parallel to the planes of the connection portions 22b and 23b and is a surface that faces the planes of the connection portions 22b and 23b. The second mounting portion 32 has a plane (second plane 35) extending from one side of the first mounting surface 34 and a second mounting surface 36 on the back side of that plane that is parallel to the second plane 35. The first mounting surface 34 and the second plane 35 form a predetermined angle θ1 (see Figure 4). In this embodiment, the bending angle of the plate bent from the first mounting surface 34 corresponds to the predetermined angle θ1. The second mounting surface 36 is a flat surface to which the second air cylinder 42 of the holding means 40, which will be described later, is attached.

[0031] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each mounting member 30 is provided with a holding means 40. The holding means 40 has a holder 41 for holding an article W. The holder 41 is composed of a pair of approximately triangular members. As part of the configuration of the holding means 40, a second air cylinder 42 is provided on the second mounting surface 36 of the mounting member 30. Each of the pair of holders 41 is connected to the second air cylinder 42 via connecting members 43. The pair of holders 41 can move closer together and further apart by the operation of the second air cylinder 42, allowing for the holding and release of the article W. With this configuration, the holding means 40 can grip and pick up each article W placed in an upright position on each article support 7 in the article placement section 3 using the pair of holders 41. Furthermore, to prevent damage to the article W being held, the holders 41 are made of elastic material.

[0032] Thus, with the holding means 40 supported by the mounting member 30, the rotation of the motor 27 causes the mounting member 30 and the holding means 40 to rotate together around the rotation axis 28, thereby changing the orientation of the tip portion 41a of the holder 41. Specifically, because the second air cylinder 42 is attached to the second mounting surface 36, the pair of holders 41 extend in a direction perpendicular to the second mounting surface 36 and the second plane 35, and move relatively closer to and further apart along the second mounting surface 36 and the second plane 35. Therefore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the rotation of the motor 27, whose rotation axis 28 is inclined in two directions with respect to the conveying direction X, can change the orientation of the tip portion 41a of each holder 41 between the side in the left-right direction Y perpendicular to the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2 and the downward direction perpendicular to the conveying direction X.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, each holding means 40 has the same structure. That is, the article transfer device is equipped with three sets of holding devices 41. The three sets of holding devices 41 are configured to perform the same operation at the same time to transfer the articles W. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, when a pair of holding devices 41 of each holding means 40 holds one article W at a time from each article support part 7 in the article placement section 3, the tips 41a of all the holding devices 41 face to one side (left side) in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2, and are aligned in a straight line along the extending direction of the first support member 21 below the first support member 21. The pairs of holding devices 41 approach each other horizontally and hold the articles W placed in an upright position on each article support part 7 at the same time.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5 and 9(C), when the pair of holders 41 of each holding means 40 transfer the held article W to the conveying surface 5 of the conveyor 2, all the holders 41 are oriented along the vertical direction. That is, the tips 41a of all the holders 41 face toward the conveying surface 5 of the conveyor 2 and are lined up at regular intervals along the conveying direction X, and the three sets of holders 41 separate from each other in the left-right direction Y perpendicular to the conveying direction X, releasing the article W at the same time. The article W released from being held by each holding means 40 is placed on the conveying surface 5 in a lateral position, with the height direction of the article W aligned in a line along the conveying direction X, and the upper part Ws of the article W facing toward the rear in the conveying direction X.

[0035] The control unit issues drive commands to the holding means 40 for holding and releasing the article W with the holder 41, and also issues rotational drive commands to the motor 27. Furthermore, it issues commands to the parallel link robot 4 to move the support member 14 based on the feed information of the article W obtained from an encoder (not shown) attached to the conveyor 2 and the position information of the article support part 7 that has been stored in advance. Specifically, the control unit issues drive commands to the servo motor, which can move the base 10 connected to the lower ends of each of the three sets of parallel links 9 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The control unit also issues drive commands to the second air cylinder 42 of the holding means 40, which can move the pair of holders 41 closer together or further apart. This operation causes the article W to be held by the pair of holders 41, or the holding of the article W by the holders 41 to be released. The control unit also issues drive commands to rotate the motor 27 in the hand part 12, which rotates the mounting member 30 and the holding means 40 together so that the rotation angle θ is set according to a predetermined angle θ1. Then, the tip 41a of the holder 41 facing left is directed downward, or the tip 41a of the holder 41 facing downward is directed to the left. Furthermore, the control unit issues a command to the first air cylinder 25 for the second support member 22 to move closer to or further away from the third support member 23.

[0036] <Motor rotation angle> The rotating mechanism 16 can change the orientation of the tip 41a of each holder 41 by 90° in both the horizontal and vertical directions by rotating the motor 27 at a set rotation angle θ. That is, the orientation of the tip 41a can be changed by 90° between the left-right direction Y and the front-back direction X, and also by 90° between the up-down direction Z and the front-back direction X. This allows the article W, which is held in an upright position by the holder 41, to be changed to a lying-down position so that it can be released and placed on the transport surface 5.

[0037] The rotation angle θ of this motor 27 can be determined, for example, as follows: [1] As shown in Figure 7(A), a virtual cube D is provided on the mounting member 30. One of the planes of the cube D coincides with the second plane 35 of the mounting member 30, and one side of the cube D touches one end of the first mounting surface 34 (point G). [2] A virtual triangle EFG is formed by connecting two points (E, F) where the other two sides of cube D intersect with the extension of the boundary line between the first mounting surface 34 and the second plane 35. In the triangular pyramid formed by vertex P of cube D and triangle EFG, the lengths of the hypotenuse PE and hypotenuse PF are equal. Figure 7(B) is a view of the first mounting portion 31 from the direction in which the rotation axis 28 extends. [3] As shown in Figures 7(A) and 8(A), a virtual vertical line H is defined that passes through the intersection point (vertex P) of the three sides of cube D that is tangent to the virtual triangle EFG, and is perpendicular to the virtual triangle EFG, and the intersection point Q of the vertical line H and the first mounting surface 34 is defined. This vertical line H is parallel to the rotation axis 28 of the motor 27. [4] As shown in Figures 7(A) and 7(B), the rotation angle θ around the vertical line H is determined when a hypotenuse of a triangular pyramid consisting of a virtual triangle EFG and vertex P is rotated around the vertical line H until the hypotenuse PE of the triangular pyramid reaches the position of the hypotenuse PF. For example, the angle between line segments QE and QF of triangle QEF shown in Figure 7(B) can be considered as the rotation angle θ around the rotation axis 28.

[0038] As shown in Figures 7(B) and 8(A), the length GQ from one end of the first mounting portion 31 to the point (point Q) where the vertical line H intersects is calculated from the length L of the first mounting portion 31 and the angle θ1 between the first mounting surface 34 and the second plane 35 using the following formula.

[0039]

number

[0040] The height PQ from the plane of the first mounting portion 31 to the vertex P of the triangular pyramid can be calculated using the following formula.

[0041]

number

[0042] As shown in Figure 8(B), triangle PEF, formed by the hypotenuse PE, hypotenuse PF, and the extension of the boundary line EF with the second plane 35 in the triangular pyramid, is a right-angled isosceles triangle. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the height PR from the base EF to the vertex P of triangle PEF can be calculated using the following formula.

[0043]

number

[0044] The lengths of the hypotenuses PE and PF of the triangular pyramid can be determined from the Pythagorean theorem in the right-angled isosceles triangle PEF shown in Figure 8(B) by the following formula.

[0045]

number

[0046] As shown in Figures 7(A) and 8(A), the length of the base QF of the right triangle PQF, which consists of the vertical line height PQ, the hypotenuse PF, and the vertex P of the triangular pyramid, can be found using the Pythagorean theorem by the following formula.

[0047]

number

[0048] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, in triangle EFG, which is the base of the triangular pyramid, the angle α between the line segment QR, which is from the center R of the line segment EF connecting the hypotenuses PE and PF to the point Q where it intersects with the perpendicular line H, and the line segment QF can be calculated using the following formula.

[0049]

number

[0050] Substituting equations 1 to 5 into equation 6 above, we obtain the following equation for determining the rotation angle θ around the rotation axis 28.

[0051]

number

[0052] In equation 7, the length L of the first mounting surface 34 disappears, and the predetermined angle θ1 remains.

[0053] In this embodiment, since θ1 = 125°, from equation 7 above, the rotation angle θ ≈ 120.32°. Note that when the angle θ1 and length L of the first mounting surface 34 and the second plane 35 of the mounting member 30 are changed, the rotation angle θ of the motor 27 that can be set is as shown in Table 1.

[0054] [Table 1]

[0055] The angle θ1 (a predetermined angle) between the first mounting surface 34 and the second plane 35 of the mounting member 30 affects the rotation angle θ around the rotation axis 28. However, if the predetermined angle θ1 of the mounting member 30 is the same, the rotation angle θ around the rotation axis 28 remains the same even if the length L of the first mounting portion 31 is changed.

[0056] Next, we will describe the movement of the article transfer device according to the above embodiment, from picking up articles W placed in the article placement section 3 to transferring them to the conveying surface 5 of the conveyor 2. Multiple articles W are supported in an upright position on the article support section 7, as shown in Figure 9(A). Although not shown, the articles W are arranged in rows of six in the conveying direction X, and multiple rows of these articles W are arranged in the left-right direction Y. Articles W placed in the article placement section 3 are picked up, for example, starting with the articles W in the row closest to the conveyor 2, and transferred sequentially to the conveying surface 5. In this embodiment, three articles W are picked up and held alternately from the six articles W arranged in the conveying direction X, and transferred to the conveying surface 5. For example, after the articles W placed on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th article support section 7 from the front are transferred, the articles W placed on the 2nd, 4th, and 6th article support section 7 from the front are transferred.

[0057] Each pair of holders 41 of the holding means 40, with their tips 41a facing left, grips and picks up the articles W lined up in the row of the article placement section 3. That is, they hold three articles W in an upright position together. When articles W are placed on all six article support sections 7 in the row in the transport direction X, three articles W are picked up and held, one at a time. Also, when three articles W remain in the row in the transport direction X, those articles W are picked up and held. Furthermore, when the tips 41a of the holders 41 are facing left, the second plane 35 and the first mounting surface 36 of the mounting member 30 are parallel to the planes of the main bodies 22a and 23a of the second support member 22 and the third support member 23, respectively, when viewed from the transport direction X.

[0058] A drive command from the control unit activates the parallel link robot 4 (movement mechanism), raising each holding means 40 and moving each held item W upward toward the transport surface 5 so that it is aligned with the transport direction X [Figure 9(B)]. Specifically, after each holding means 40 separates from the item placement section 3, a drive command from the control unit activates the first air cylinder 25, causing the front and rear (both sides) holding means 40 to separate from the central holding means 40, widening the distance between each holding means 40. A drive command from the control unit also causes the motor 27 to rotate at a set rotation angle θ. As the motor 27 rotates, each holding means 40 rotates around the rotation axis 28. As a result, the tip 41a of the holding device 41 faces downward, and the held item W assumes a lateral position [Figure 9(C)].

[0059] When each holding means 40 moves above the conveying surface 5 so that each held item W is aligned with the conveying direction X, it moves forward in the conveying direction X at a speed synchronized with the conveying speed of the conveyor 2, and then, by the operation of the parallel link robot 4, it descends [Figure 9(C)]. Subsequently, a drive command from the control unit releases the holding of the item W by each holding device 41, and each item W is placed in a lying position on the conveying surface 5 of the conveyor 2. In this way, when the parallel link robot 4 moves the support member 14 in the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2 at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveyor 2, the holding means 40 releases the holding of the item W and places the item W on the conveying surface 5 (conveying path). As a result, each item W is placed in a line along the conveying direction X on the conveyor 2 and transported at equal intervals front to back.

[0060] After the items W are placed on the transport surface 5, the parallel link robot 4 operates to raise each holding means 40 in response to a drive command from the control unit. Then, while each holding means 40 is moved toward the item placement section 3, each motor 27 rotates in the opposite direction by a set rotation angle θ. As a result, each holding means 40 rotates in the opposite direction around the rotation axis 28 by a set rotation angle θ, and with the tip 41a of each holding device 41 facing to the left, each holding means 40 moves toward the item placement section 3. After the items W in the rightmost column are transferred, the items W in the second column from the right and beyond are also transferred sequentially to the transport surface 5 by repeating the same operation.

[0061] <Effects of the Embodiment> The article transfer device according to the above embodiment has the following effects. (1) The article transfer device has a configuration in which the rotation shaft 28 of the motor 27 connected to the first mounting surface 34 (mounting surface) of the mounting member 30 is inclined with respect to the conveying direction X and left-right direction Y of the conveyor 2, and the first mounting surface 34 of the mounting member 30 and the second plane 35 form a predetermined angle θ1. By rotating the motor 27 to a rotation angle θ set according to the predetermined angle θ1, the holding means 40 can be rotated, and consequently, the orientation of the tip 41a of the holder 41 that holds the article W in the vertical direction Z and the left-right direction Y can be changed simultaneously. That is, by rotating a single motor 27 to a rotation angle θ set according to the predetermined angle θ1 and rotating the holding means 40 to the rotation angle θ, the orientation of the tip 41a of the holder 41 can be directed downward from one side (for example, the left side) of the conveyor 2. Alternatively, the orientation of the tip 41a of the holder 41 can be directed from below to one side (for example, the left side) of the conveyor 2. Therefore, it is possible to provide an article transfer device with a simple structure that can transfer an article W in an upright position placed to the side of the conveyor 2 to the conveyor 2 in a lying position so that the height direction of the article W is aligned with the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2, or transfer an article W in a lying position placed on the conveyor 2 to the side of the conveyor 2 in an upright position so that the height direction of the article W is aligned with the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2. (2) The article transfer device is equipped with multiple rotation mechanisms 16, each consisting of a holding means 40, a mounting member 30, and a motor 27, so that it can hold multiple articles W simultaneously, and can change the orientation of the multiple articles W simultaneously and transfer them. Therefore, the frequency of repeating the process of transferring an article W from an upright position to a lying position on the conveyor 2, or transferring an article W from a lying position to the side of the conveyor 2 in an upright position, can be reduced, thereby improving efficiency. (3) The item transfer device, by having the parallel link robot 4 (movement mechanism) move in sync with the conveyor 2, can place the item W held by the holding means 40 onto the transport surface 5 (transport path) on the conveyor 2, or pick up the item W that has been placed on the conveyor 2, without stopping the conveyor 2. Therefore, the operating time of the device can be shortened, and production efficiency can be improved. (4) The article transfer device can be made more space-saving by using a parallel link robot 4 as a moving mechanism for moving the holding means 40. It is also suitable for a configuration that moves in accordance with the flow of transport on the conveyor 2. Furthermore, when transferring articles W to the conveyor 2, it is also suitable for a configuration in which the articles W are arranged in a line along the transport direction X, and for a configuration in which each article W on the conveyor 2 is placed at equal intervals front to back. (5) The second support member 22 is configured to slide in the longitudinal direction of the first support member 21, thereby allowing the distance between the second support member 22 and the third support member 23 to be adjusted. Therefore, after picking up three articles W in an upright position, the second support member 22 slides away from the third support member 23, thereby changing the spacing of the holding means 40 to correspond to the front-to-back distance between the articles W when the articles W held by the holding means 40 are in a lying position. (6) By taking three articles W in an upright position, placed on the article placement section 3, from the article support section 7, one at a time, the distance between the second support member 22 and the third support member 23 can be approximated to the front-to-back distance when the article W is in a lying position. In other words, the range of adjustment in spacing adjustment can be made smaller.

[0062] <Example of changes> The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the embodiments above, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without altering the essence of the invention. (1) The items W to be transferred by the item transfer device may be, for example, packaged goods such as food, packaged items such as pouches or containers, or folded cartons. (2) The holding means is not limited to a chucking means that holds the article W by sandwiching it from both sides, but may also be a suction means that holds the article W by suction using a suction device. For example, if the article W is a folding carton, a suction means for transferring the folding carton may be used as the holding means. That is, the series of operations from the supply means taking over and holding the folding carton taken out of the magazine by the retrieval means, changing its orientation and transferring it to the transport means, and raising the folding carton into a rectangular tube shape can be realized by rotating the holding means around a single axis of rotation in this embodiment. (3) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which three sets of holders 41 are provided as holding means for holding the article W, but it is also possible to have a configuration in which only one holding means is provided on the hand portion 12. (4) The article transfer device of the above embodiment transfers an article W from the article placement section 3 to the conveyor 2. However, the article transfer device of the present invention also includes a configuration in which an article W in a reclined position placed on the conveyor 2 is held by a holding means and transferred in an upright position to the article placement section 3 located on one side in the left-right direction Y of the conveyor 2. (5) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a parallel link robot 4 was applied as the moving mechanism, but other embodiments are also possible. That is, the moving mechanism should be configured to support the first support member 21 in the hand portion 12 and to move the first support member 21 between the article placement portion 3, which is defined on one side in the left-right direction Y perpendicular to (intersecting) the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2, and the space above the conveyor 2, as well as to move in the up-down direction Z. For example, a configuration in which it is moved up and down and left and right by an actuator that moves linearly is also acceptable. (6) In the above embodiment, the motor 27 was positioned such that the tip of the rotating shaft 28 of the motor 27 faced forward in the conveying direction X of the conveyor 2 and also faced one side (left side) in the left-right direction Y of the conveyor 2. However, the direction in which the rotating shaft 28 tilts can be any direction as long as it is configured to tilt in both the front-back and left-right directions. (7) The motor having a rotating shaft is not limited to a servo motor; other types of motors may also be used. (8) The article placement section is not limited to article support sections that support articles W in an upright position by arranging them in multiple rows and columns. For example, multiple storage spaces in a bucket conveyor that can accommodate articles W may also be used as article placement sections. In this case, the article placement section may move when the article transfer device picks up an article W from the article placement section (or when placing an article W on the article placement section). (9) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the bending angle of the flat plate bent from the first mounting surface 34 of the mounting member 30 corresponds to the angle θ1 between the first mounting surface 34 and the second plane 35 of the second mounting portion 32, but other embodiments are also possible. For example, if the flat plate is bent multiple times from the first mounting surface, the portion of the surface that supports the holder 41 in a direction perpendicular to it is considered the second plane, and the angle θ1 between the first mounting surface and the second plane is set. (10) In the above embodiment, an example of a configuration was shown in which an air cylinder is operated to separate the front and rear (both sides) holding means 40 from the central holding means 40, thereby widening the front-to-back distance of the held article W. However, instead of an air cylinder as the drive source, an electric actuator or the like may be used to change the front-to-back distance of each holding means. Alternatively, a configuration in which the distance of the held article W is not changed may also be used. (11) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the first mounting portion 31 supports the holding means 40 so that the holder 41 is perpendicular to the second plane 35 (i.e., the second plane 35 supports the holding means 40). However, depending on the properties of the article W being handled, the holder 41 may be configured to be tilted at a predetermined angle of approximately 90°. That is, the tip portion 41a of the holder 41 may be directed so that the holder 41 extends in a direction that intersects the second plane 35 at an angle of approximately 90°, and the first mounting portion 31 supports the holding means 40 (the second plane 35 supports it). For example, in the article placement section 3, the tip portion 41a of the holder 41 may be tilted at an angle φ in the vertical direction, and above the conveyor 2, it may be tilted at an angle φ in the conveying direction X, in which case the holding of the article W may be released. In other words, the configuration of the holder tip according to the present invention, which "directs downward" or "directs to one side," also includes the case in which the tip of the holder is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical or horizontal direction. (12) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the mounting member 30 is rotated to a rotation angle θ by rotating the motor 27 by a rotation angle θ. However, the rotation of the mounting member 30 may be restricted by a stopper or torque limiter so that it reaches a rotation angle set according to a predetermined angle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] W: Item X: Conveyor direction Y: Left / right direction Z: Up / down direction θ: Motor rotation angle θ1: Angle between the first mounting surface and the second plane (predetermined angle) 2: Conveyor 3: Item placement section 4: Parallel link robot (movement mechanism) 5: Conveying surface (conveying path) 7: Article support section 8: Base section 9: Parallel link 10: Base 12: Handle 14: Support member 16: Rotation mechanism 21: First support member 22: Second support member 23: Third support member 25: First air cylinder (air cylinder) 27: Motor 30: Mounting member 31: First mounting part 32: Second mounting part 34: First mounting surface (mounting surface) 35: Second plane 36: Second mounting surface 40: Holding means 41: Holder 41a: Tip 42: Second air cylinder

Claims

1. An article transfer device that transfers an article in an upright position, placed on an article placement section designated on one side in the left-right direction intersecting the conveying direction of a conveyor for transporting articles, to a transport path on the conveyor in a lying-down position so that the height direction of the article is aligned with the conveying direction of the conveyor, or transfers an article in a lying-down position, placed on the transport path so that the height direction of the article is aligned with the conveying direction of the conveyor, to an article placement section in an upright position so that the height direction of the article faces in the up-and-down direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor, A holding means having a holder for holding the article, A support member supports a motor having a rotating shaft at a position above the aforementioned transport path, such that the rotating shaft is tilted in the transport direction of the conveyor and also tilted in a left-right direction intersecting the transport direction. A mounting member having a mounting surface perpendicular to the rotation axis of the motor and connected to the rotation axis, and a second plane that supports the holding means with the tip of the holding device facing in the direction in which the holding device intersects the holding means, wherein the mounting surface and the second plane form a predetermined angle, and the mounting member rotates around the rotation axis together with the holding means by the rotational drive of the motor, A moving mechanism that supports the support member and can move the support member in the left-right direction and in the up-down direction, at least between the air above the conveyor and one side. The system includes a control unit that issues drive commands to the holding means for holding and releasing the article by the holding device, as well as a rotation drive command to the motor, and further issues a command to the moving mechanism for moving the support member, The control unit is configured to rotate the motor so that the tip of the holder facing one side is directed downward, or the tip of the holder facing downward is directed towards the one side, so that the rotation angle is set according to the predetermined angle.

2. The system comprises multiple rotation mechanisms, each consisting of the aforementioned holding means, the aforementioned mounting member, and the aforementioned motor. The support member supports the multiple rotating mechanisms at intervals in the conveying direction of the conveyor. The article transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to rotate each of the motors so that the tip of each of the holders facing one side faces downward so that the rotation angle is determined from the predetermined angle, or the tip of each of the holders facing downward faces one side.

3. The article transfer device according to claim 2, wherein when the moving mechanism moves the support member in the conveying direction of the conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveyor, the holding means releases the holding of the article and places the article on the conveying path, or the holding means holds and picks up the article that is placed on the conveying path.

4. The article transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving mechanism is configured by a parallel link robot so that the support member can move freely in the three-dimensional space above the conveyor.

Images