Tray transfer device

Abstract

This prevents stacked trays from sliding in the front-to-back direction relative to the tray support. [Solution] The moving mechanisms 32 and 33 insert the tray support portion 31 into the recess, move the tray support portion 31 upward to lift the stacked tray T, and move the tray support portion 31 in at least the front-to-back direction while keeping it in that position. The tray support portion 31 has a support arm 311 that extends in the front-to-back direction and is inserted into the recess, and the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311 has an anti-slip portion 3x formed to prevent the stacked tray T from sliding in the front-to-back direction.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a tray transfer device.

Background Art

[0002] Some conventional tray transfer devices transfer and stack a tray group formed by stacking a predetermined number of egg trays containing eggs. Specifically, the tray transfer device includes one that transfers and stacks a tray group from another place such as a conveyor to a mounting table such as a pallet (palletizer), or one that takes out a tray group stacked on a mounting table such as a pallet and transfers it to another place (depalletizer).

[0003] And, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is a tray transfer device that has a head having a plurality of forks and inserts those forks into the lower surface of the tray group and lifts it. Note that the portion where the forks are inserted is, for example, a recess formed between adjacent egg receiving portions on the lower surface of the tray group.

[0004] However, when moving the head with a plurality of forks inserted into the lower surface of the tray group and lifted, the tray group may slide along the extending direction of the forks due to vibrations or inertial forces applied to the tray group. Then, there may be a case where the tray group cannot be accurately arranged at the transfer destination. In addition, there is also a risk that the tray group may slide off the forks, not only wasting eggs but also requiring the production line to be stopped.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Therefore, the present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to prevent stacked trays from sliding in the front-to-back direction relative to the tray support section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In other words, the tray transfer device according to the present invention is a tray transfer device for transferring a stacked tray consisting of a plurality of egg trays stacked on top of each other, comprising: a tray support portion that is inserted into a recess extending in the front-rear direction formed on the lower surface of the stacked tray to support the stacked tray; and a moving mechanism that moves the tray support portion in the front-rear direction and in the up-down direction, wherein the moving mechanism inserts the tray support portion into the recess, moves the tray support portion upward to lift the stacked tray, and moves the tray support portion at least in the front-rear direction while keeping it in that position, wherein the tray support portion has a support arm extending in the front-rear direction that is inserted into the recess, and the upper surface of the support arm is formed with an anti-slip portion that prevents the stacked tray from sliding in the front-rear direction.

[0008] With this tray transfer device, an anti-slip portion is formed on the upper surface of the support arm to prevent the stacked trays from sliding in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, even when the tray support is moved in the front-to-back direction by the moving mechanism, the stacked trays can be prevented from sliding on the support arm and from sliding off the support arm. In particular, when the moving mechanism moves the tray support upward to lift the stacked trays, and then moves the tray support in the front-to-back direction while maintaining that position, the inertial force generated during the front-to-back movement makes the stacked trays prone to sliding on the support arm. In this invention, by providing an anti-slip portion on the upper surface of the support arm, the front-to-back sliding of the stacked trays due to inertial force can be effectively prevented. Furthermore, the present invention eliminates the need for other drive mechanisms, such as tilting the support arm to prevent the stacked trays from sliding off, and prevents the stacked trays from sliding in the front-to-back direction with a simple configuration.

[0009] Preferably, the anti-slip portion has an uneven shape formed on the upper surface of the support arm in a direction that intersects the front-rear direction. With this configuration, the uneven shape formed in a direction that intersects the front-to-back direction increases the coefficient of friction with the underside of the stacked tray, effectively preventing the stacked tray from sliding in the front-to-back direction relative to the support arm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention configured in this way, stacked trays can be made less likely to slip in the front-to-back direction relative to the tray support. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a tray transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the tray transfer device of the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the main parts of the tray transfer mechanism of the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the tray transfer mechanism of the same embodiment. [Figure 5] These are (a) a plan view, (b) a side view, and (c) a perspective view of the support arm of the same embodiment. [Figure 6] (a) A plan view and (b) A side view schematically show the support arm of the same embodiment inserted into the underside of the stacking tray. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing (a) the tray support portion in a state where it has moved forward, and (b) the guide surface in a state where it is in contact with the stacked trays of the same embodiment. [Figure 8] (c) A schematic diagram showing the state in which the tray support part of the same embodiment follows the displacement of the stacked trays, and (d) a state in which the tray support part supports the stacked trays. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the tray support part of the same embodiment has returned to its reference position.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the tray transfer device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, for all the figures shown below, for the sake of clarity, they are schematically drawn with appropriate omissions or exaggerations. For the same components, the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted as appropriate.

[0013] <Configuration of Tray Transfer Device 100> The tray transfer device 100 of the present embodiment is what is called a so-called depalletizer, and it unloads the stacked egg trays T (hereinafter, stacked trays T) from the pallet P on which the stacked trays T are stacked.

[0014] Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the pallet P, a predetermined number of stacked trays T are stacked on each stage. The stacked trays T are arranged in a matrix (grid-like) pattern in the front-rear and left-right directions on each stage. For example, on each stage, three stacked trays T are arranged in the front-rear direction and four stacked trays are arranged in the left-right direction. Also, a divider (partition member) D is arranged between the stacked tray T on the lower stage and the stacked tray T on the upper stage (see FIG. 2).

[0015] This tray transfer device 100 unloads the stacked trays T on each stage in plural (for example, four) divided into plural times (for example, three times) from the pallet P and transfers them to another place such as the tray conveyance unit 2. Also, the tray transfer device 100 can repeat the above operation to load the stacked trays T in plural stages from the pallet P to another place such as the tray conveyance unit 2.

[0016] The stacked tray T of this embodiment is a group of trays in which six plastic egg trays containing eggs are stacked. The egg trays of the stacked tray T have a plurality of egg receiving portions formed in a vertical and horizontal matrix on the upper surface, and a plurality of protruding portions protruding downward corresponding to each of the plurality of egg receiving portions are formed on the lower surface. A columnar space is formed on the lower surface between adjacent egg receiving portions. That is, the lower surface of the tray has a configuration in which concave and convex portions are repeatedly arranged by a plurality of protruding portions. The number of egg receiving portions may be 30 in 5 rows × 6 columns. Note that the tray of the stacked tray T is not limited to a plastic egg tray, and may be other egg trays such as a mold tray.

[0017] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tray transfer device 100 includes a tray transfer unit 2 that transfers the stacked tray T, a tray transfer mechanism 3 that transfers the stacked tray T on the pallet P to the tray transfer unit 2, and a control device 4 that controls the tray transfer unit 2 and the tray transfer mechanism 3.

[0018] The pallet P on which the stacked trays T are stacked is installed on the pallet installation portion 5. The pallet installation portion 5 is provided adjacent to the front of the tray transfer unit 2, for example, on the floor surface. The pallet installation portion 5 also has a mechanism for positioning the installed pallet P.

[0019] The tray transfer unit 2 transfers a plurality of stacked trays T. This tray transfer unit 2 is constituted by, for example, a conveyor. The tray transfer unit 2 of this embodiment extends linearly in the left-right direction. A plurality (here, four) of stacked trays T are collectively transferred to the tray transfer unit 2 by the tray transfer mechanism 3.

[0020] The tray transfer mechanism 3 lifts the plurality of stacked trays T stacked on the pallet P and transfers them to the tray transfer unit 2.

[0021] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the tray transfer mechanism 3 includes a tray support part 31 that is inserted under the stacking tray T to support the stacking tray T, and moving mechanisms 32 and 33 that move the tray support part 31 in the front-rear and up-down directions. The moving mechanisms 32 and 33 in this embodiment move the tray support part 31 linearly in the front-rear and up-down directions, and do not tilt the tray support part 31 itself, nor do they move the tray support part 31 diagonally.

[0022] The tray support section 31 is configured to lift multiple stacked trays T aligned in the left-right direction all at once. In this embodiment, the tray support section 31 can lift four stacked trays T all at once. The tray support section 31 supports the stacked trays T by being inserted into the underside of the bottom tray of the stacked trays T.

[0023] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the tray support section 31 has one or more support arms 311 extending in the front-rear direction that are inserted into the underside of the bottom tray of the stacking tray T, and a support section body 312 on which the multiple support arms 311 are provided. In this embodiment, the tray support section 31 is configured to support each stacking tray T with two support arms 311. The support arms 311 are inserted into recesses extending in the front-rear direction formed on the underside of the bottom egg tray. These recesses are formed on the underside of the bottom egg tray between adjacent egg storage sections and are formed between rows of protrusions arranged in the front-rear direction. The base end of the support arm 311 is provided with a positioning section 313 (see Figure 6) that contacts the side of the egg tray T to position the egg tray T when the support arm 311 is inserted into the recess of the egg tray T. In this embodiment, the positioning section 313 is provided integrally with the support arm 311.

[0024] The moving mechanisms 32 and 33 move the tray support section 31 in the front-rear and up-down directions while maintaining the horizontal position of the support arm 311 (including the state in which it is bent due to the load of the stacked tray T). The moving mechanisms 32 and 33 of this embodiment include a front-rear moving mechanism 32 that moves the tray support section 31 in the front-rear direction and an up-down moving mechanism 33 that moves the tray support section 31 in the up-down direction.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the front-to-back movement mechanism 32 moves the tray support portion 31 in the front-to-back direction relative to the stacking tray T. This front-to-back movement mechanism 32 moves the tray support portion 31 in the front-to-back direction while maintaining the horizontal position of the support arm 311. Specifically, the front-to-back movement mechanism 32 includes a pair of front-to-back guide rails 321 extending in the front-to-back direction, a pair of front-to-back sliders 322 that move along each of the front-to-back guide rails 321 and are equipped with the tray support portion 31, and a front-to-back drive unit 323 that moves each front-to-back slider 322 along each front-to-back guide rail 321.

[0026] The pair of front and rear guide rails 321 are positioned apart in the left-right direction so as not to interfere with the stacking trays T placed on the pallet P. The pair of front and rear guide rails 321 are also provided on a rectangular frame-shaped base member 320.

[0027] Furthermore, the front and rear drive unit 323, as shown in Figure 3 in particular, is of the type of belt drive or chain drive, and includes, for example, a drive-side rotating member 323b driven by a servo motor 323a, a driven-side rotating member 323c, and an endless member 323d wrapped around the drive-side rotating member 323b and the driven-side rotating member 323c. The drive-side rotating member 323b, the driven-side rotating member 323c, and the endless member 323d are provided corresponding to each of the pair of front and rear sliders 322, and the front and rear sliders 322 are fixed to the endless member 323d.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vertical movement mechanism 33 moves the tray support portion 31 vertically relative to the stacked tray T on the pallet P. This vertical movement mechanism 33 moves the tray support portion 31 vertically while maintaining the horizontal position of the support arm 311. Specifically, the vertical movement mechanism 33 extends vertically and has a pair of left and right vertical guide rails 331 provided at the front and rear, a vertical slider 332 that moves along each of the vertical guide rails 331 and is provided with a front and rear movement mechanism 32, and a vertical drive unit (not shown) that moves the vertical slider 332 along the vertical guide rails 331.

[0029] The pair of left and right upper and lower guide rails 331, provided at the front and rear, are positioned around the pallet installation section 5 so as not to interfere with the loading and unloading of pallets P into and out of the pallet installation section 5.

[0030] Furthermore, the vertical drive unit is, for example, a wire lifting type, and includes, for example, an upper rotating member provided at the upper end of the upper and lower guide rails 331, a wire member that is hung on the upper rotating member and to which an upper and lower slider 332 or a front and rear movement mechanism 32 is connected at one end, and an actuator unit that moves one end of the wire member up and down by winding up the other end of the wire member.

[0031] The control device 4 controls the tray transport operation and tray transfer operation of the tray transfer device 100. This control device 4 is a computer having a CPU, internal memory, input / output interface, and AD converter, etc. Based on the program stored in the internal memory, the CPU and peripheral devices work together to perform functions as a transport control unit 41, a transfer control unit 42, etc.

[0032] The transport control unit 41 controls the tray transport unit 2, and when multiple stacked trays T are transferred by the tray transfer mechanism 3, it performs an operation to transport those stacked trays T.

[0033] The transfer control unit 42 controls the tray transfer mechanism 3 and other components, and performs the operation of transferring multiple stacked trays T from the pallet P to the tray transport unit 2. In this embodiment, the transfer control unit 42 performs the tray transfer operation multiple times in succession (for example, three times) at each level. The transfer operation of the stacked trays T is performed by a combination of forward / backward movement and up / down movement of the tray support unit 31. Each time the transfer control unit 42 performs a tray transfer operation, the transport control unit 41 performs an operation to transport the stacked trays T.

[0034] <3x anti-slip parts for stacking tray T> Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the tray transfer mechanism 3 of this embodiment has an anti-slip portion 3x that prevents the stacked tray T, which is lifted by the support arm 311, from sliding in the front-rear direction.

[0035] The anti-slip portion 3x prevents the stacking tray T from sliding in the front-to-back direction on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311. Specifically, the anti-slip portion 3x is formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, as shown in Figure 5.

[0036] As shown in Figure 6, the anti-slip portion 3x is formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, at the portion that contacts the lower surface of the stacking tray T when the support arm 311 is supporting the stacking tray T. In other words, the anti-slip portion 3x is formed on the portion that contacts the lower surface of the stacking tray T when the stacking tray T is positioned by the positioning portion 313. The anti-slip portion 3x shown in Figure 6 is formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, at the tip portion that contacts the lower surface of the stacking tray T. For convenience, in the side view (b) of Figure 6, the egg tray T is shown with a dashed line (two-dot line).

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the anti-slip portion 3x has an uneven shape formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311 in a direction that intersects the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the anti-slip portion 3x has an uneven shape formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, consisting of recesses and / or protrusions formed in the width direction (left-right direction).

[0038] Specifically, the anti-slip portion 3x is constructed by forming a plurality of recesses 311m on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, as shown in Figure 5. Each recess 311m is formed by machining, such as cutting, and is a groove formed over the entire width of the support arm 311. In other words, the anti-slip portion 3x is composed of a plurality of recesses 311m and the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311 between these plurality of recesses 311m.

[0039] The multiple recesses 311m may be formed at equal intervals in the front-to-back direction, or they may be formed regularly or randomly in the front-to-back direction. In other words, the front-to-back spacing (or length) of the recesses 311m and / or protrusions is not limited to those shown in the illustration. The number of repetitions of the recesses and protrusions is also not limited to those shown in the illustration. Furthermore, although the recesses 311m in this embodiment have a V-shaped cross-section, they may have other cross-sectional shapes, such as a rectangular cross-section or a circular arc cross-section.

[0040] In this embodiment, a recess 311m is formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, and no protrusion is formed that extends upward from the upper surface 311a, making it easy to insert the support arm 311 into the recess of the stacking tray T. Furthermore, since the recess 311m is formed over the entire width, the contact area between the lower surface of the stacking tray T and the anti-slip portion 3x is increased, making the stacking tray T even less likely to slip.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the support arm 311 is larger than the front-to-back width of the egg tray T, that is, the length of the support arm 311 is sufficiently long, but the length of the support arm 311 may be shorter than the front-to-back width of the egg tray T. With this configuration, the length of the tray transfer device 100 in the front-to-back direction can be shortened, contributing to the overall compactness of the device. In relation to the displacement tracking function described later, it is preferable that the tip of the support arm 311 is located closer to the base end than the guide portion of the guide member 35.

[0042] <Following for lateral misalignment of stacking tray T (misalignment tracking function)> Furthermore, the tray transfer mechanism 3 of this embodiment is configured such that the tray support portion 31 follows any lateral displacement of the stacked trays T, and can absorb that displacement.

[0043] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the tray transfer mechanism 3 includes a connecting mechanism 34 that connects the tray support portion 31 to the front-rear movement mechanism 32 so that it can slide in the left-right direction, and a guide member 35 provided on the tray support portion 31 and having a guide surface 35x located in front of the tray support portion 31. When the front-rear movement mechanism 32 moves the tray support portion 31 toward the stacking tray T, the guide surface 35x comes into contact with the stacking tray T, and the tray support portion 31 slides in the left-right direction by the connecting mechanism 34.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, the coupling mechanism 34 is provided on the front-rear movement mechanism 32 and includes left and right guide rails 341 that extend in the left-right direction, and left and right sliders 342 provided on the tray support section 31 that slide along the left and right guide rails 341.

[0045] The left and right guide rails 341 are connected to a pair of front and rear sliders 322 in the front and rear movement mechanism 32. The left and right guide rails 341 are, for example, arranged in two parallel pairs vertically. The left and right sliders 342 move along the left and right guide rails 341 and are fixed to the support body 312 of the tray support section 31. These left and right sliders 342 are provided at both the left and right ends of the support body 312.

[0046] Furthermore, the connecting mechanism 34 is further equipped with an elastic member 343 that applies elastic force to the left and right sliders 342 toward a predetermined reference position along the left and right guide rails 341. Here, the predetermined reference position (center position) is the position in which the tray support portion 31 can be inserted into the lower surface of the stacking tray T, which is not misaligned to either the left or right.

[0047] These elastic members 343 are provided on both sides of each left and right slider 342 in the left and right guide rails 341. In other words, elastic members 343 are provided on both sides of each left and right slider 342. As a result, the left and right sliders 342 are balanced by the elastic force applied by the elastic members 343 on both sides, and this position becomes a predetermined reference position (center position).

[0048] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the guide members 35 guide the tray support section 31 to follow the lateral displacement of the stacked trays T. These guide members 35 are provided on the tray support section 31, corresponding to both the left and right sides of the multiple stacked trays T aligned in the lateral direction. Specifically, two guide members 35 are provided, corresponding to the left side of the leftmost stacked tray T and the right side of the rightmost stacked tray T in the stacked trays T aligned in the lateral direction.

[0049] As shown in Figure 3, the guide member 35 has a guide surface 35x formed at its tip. The guide surface 35x is, for example, a flat surface. The left guide member 35 has a left guide surface 35x that slopes to the left as it approaches the tip in a plan view. The right guide member 35 has a right guide surface 35x that slopes to the right as it approaches the tip in a plan view.

[0050] Each guide surface 35x is located in front of the support arm 311. Here, "in front of the support arm 311" refers to the front side in the direction of travel when the support arm 311 moves forward toward the stacking tray T. Therefore, if the stacking tray T is misaligned in the left-right direction, the guide surface 35x will contact the stacking tray T before the support arm 311 as the tray support unit 31 moves toward the stacking tray T.

[0051] Specifically, the left guide surface 35x contacts the front left corner of the leftmost stacking tray T when the stacking trays T aligned in the left-right direction are misaligned to the left, thereby moving the tray support 31 to the left. On the other hand, the right guide surface 35x contacts the front right corner of the rightmost stacking tray T when the stacking trays T aligned in the left-right direction are misaligned to the right, thereby moving the tray support 31 to the right.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the left guide member 35 has a left contact surface 35y located on the base end side of the left guide surface 35x that can contact the left side surface of the leftmost stacking tray T. The right guide member 35 has a right contact surface 35y located on the base end side of the right guide surface 35x that can contact the right side surface of the rightmost stacking tray T. These contact surfaces 35y are flat surfaces extending in the front-rear direction.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, each guide member 35 has an upper plate portion 351 that covers the upper surface of the front and rear sliders 322 of the front and rear movement mechanism 32. Note that Figure 4 shows the left guide member 35. This upper plate portion 351 distributes the load of the stacked tray T to the front and rear sliders 322 when the tray support portion 31 supports the stacked tray T. When the guide member 35 comes into contact with the stacked tray T and slides in the left and right direction, the upper plate portion 351 slides in the left and right direction on the upper surface of the front and rear sliders 322. At this time, in order to facilitate the left and right sliding of the guide member 35, the front and rear sliders 322 are provided with rolling elements 36 such as rollers that come into contact with the lower surface of the upper plate portion 351 of the guide member 35. These rolling elements 36 are rotatably mounted on the front and rear sliders 322.

[0054] <Following motion of tray support part 31 in tray transfer mechanism 3> Next, the tracking operation of the tray support section 31 in the tray transfer mechanism 3 will be explained with reference to Figures 7 to 9. The following example shows the case where stacked trays T aligned horizontally on the pallet P are shifted to the left.

[0055] In this state, when the tray transfer mechanism 3 lifts multiple stacked trays T, the forward / backward movement mechanism 32 and the up / down movement mechanism 33 move the tray support portion 31 in front of the multiple stacked trays T (see Figure 7(a)). At this time, the up / down movement mechanism 33 is set to a first height position in which the position of the tray support portion 31 follows the position of the stacked trays T by the guide surface 35x of the guide member 35. This first height position is a position in which the support arm 311 does not interfere with the divider D.

[0056] The tray support 31, which is set to the first height position, is moved toward the stacking tray T by the forward / backward movement mechanism 32. As a result, the left guide surface 35x of the left guide member 35 of the tray support 31 comes into contact with the front left corner of the stacking tray T (see Figure 7(b)), and as the tray support 31 moves toward the stacking tray T, the tray support 31 slides to the left by the connecting mechanism 34. This causes the tray support 31 to move to the left in accordance with the leftward displacement of the stacking tray T (see Figure 8(c)). At this time, the elastic member 343 on the left side of the left / right slider 342 is elastically deformed and contracted, while the elastic member 343 on the right side of the left / right slider 342 is elastically deformed and extended.

[0057] Subsequently, the vertical movement mechanism 33 lowers the tray support section 31 from the first height position to a second height position in which the support arm 311 of the tray support section 31 is inserted into the underside of the stacked tray T. During this time, the tray support section 31 continues to move to the left in accordance with the leftward displacement of the stacked tray T (see Figure 8(c)). Then, the forward and backward movement mechanism 32 moves the tray support section 31 forward, causing the support arm 311 of the tray support section 31 to be inserted into the underside of the stacked tray T, and the stacked tray T is supported by the support arm 311 of the tray support section 31 (see Figure 8(d)).

[0058] When the stacking tray T is supported by the tray support part 31 and lifted from the divider D, the left and right sliders 342 receive an elastic force from the elastic member 343 on the left side and move to the right side, and the tray support part 31 that slid to the left side returns to a predetermined reference position (center position) (see Figure 9(e)). Because the tray support part 31 returns to a predetermined reference position (center position) in this way, the stacking tray T can then be transferred onto the tray transport unit 2 without any displacement.

[0059] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the tray transfer device 100 of this embodiment, since an anti-slip portion 3x is formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311 to prevent the stacked tray T from sliding in the front-rear direction, when the tray support portion 31 is moved in the front-rear direction by the front-rear movement mechanism 32, in particular, even when the speed is reduced after moving the tray support portion 31 forward by the front-rear movement mechanism 32 and before switching to vertical movement, the stacked tray T can be prevented from sliding on the support arm 311 and the stacked tray T can be prevented from sliding off the support arm 311. Furthermore, in this embodiment, there is no need for another drive mechanism such as tilting the support arm 311 to prevent the stacked tray T from sliding off, and the front-rear sliding of the stacked tray T can be prevented with a simple configuration.

[0060] Furthermore, when the tray support section 31 is moved backward by the forward / backward movement mechanism 32, the positioning section 313 can also prevent the stacked tray T from sliding on the support arm 311.

[0061] In addition, since the anti-slip portion 3x is formed, the width of the support arm 311 can be set to be small. If the width of the support arm 311 is large enough, sufficient frictional force will be generated between the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311 and the lower surface of the egg tray T, and in some cases the anti-slip portion 3x may not be necessary. However, if the width of the support arm 311 can be set to be small by providing the anti-slip portion 3x, there is an advantage in that it becomes easier to insert the support arm 311 into the recess on the lower surface of the stacking tray T.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the anti-slip portion 3x has an uneven shape formed in a direction that intersects the front-rear direction (specifically, in the width direction), which increases the coefficient of friction in the front-rear direction with the lower surface of the stacking tray T, and effectively prevents the stacking tray T from sliding in the front-rear direction relative to the support arm 311.

[0063] <Modified Embodiment of the Invention> However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0064] For example, the tray transfer device 100 may be a palletizer that transfers stacked trays T onto a pallet P from another location, such as a tray transport unit 2. In this case, the tray transport unit 2 is provided with stoppers to align multiple stacked trays T in the left-right direction. These stoppers may cause the stacked trays T to shift left-right. Therefore, the tray transfer device 100 follows the left-right positional shift of the stacked trays T on the tray transport unit 2. Specifically, the tray transfer device 100 performs a follow-up operation using the guide member 35 at a first height position that does not interfere with the stoppers, and then performs a support operation using the tray support unit 31 at a second height position.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the forward / backward movement mechanism 32 was configured to move up and down by the up / down movement mechanism 33. However, a tray support portion 31 may be provided on the up / down slider 332 of the up / down movement mechanism 33, and the up / down movement mechanism 33 may be configured to move forward and backward by the forward / backward movement mechanism 32.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the tracking operation by the guide member 35 was performed at a first height position, and the support operation by the tray support part 31 was performed at a second height position. However, the tracking operation and the support operation may be performed at the same height position.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the tray support portion 31 was configured to return to a predetermined reference position (center position) by the elastic force of the elastic member 343 after supporting the stacked tray T. However, the tray support portion 31 may not return to a predetermined reference position (center position) after supporting the stacked tray T.

[0068] The anti-slip portion 3x in the above embodiment is composed of a recess 311m formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, but it may also be composed of a protrusion formed on the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311. The protrusion may be formed by machining, or it may be made of a different material from the support arm 311. For example, if the support arm 311 is made of metal, an anti-slip portion 3x made of synthetic resin may be attached. The anti-slip portion 3x made of synthetic resin is preferably elastic and can suitably support the stacking tray T according to the shape of the lower surface of the stacking tray T.

[0069] Alternatively, the anti-slip portion 3x may be formed by other surface treatments such as applying a textured finish to the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311, or by applying an anti-slip coating to the upper surface 311a of the support arm 311.

[0070] Furthermore, the anti-slip portion 3x may have a grooved shape that corresponds to the grooved shape of the underside of the stacking tray T. For example, the anti-slip portion 3x may have a grooved shape that fits into a part of the grooved shape of the underside of the stacking tray T.

[0071] The anti-slip portion 3x in the above embodiment may be formed on the base end portion of the support arm 311 within the range that contacts the lower surface of the stacking tray T, or it may be formed on the entire upper surface 311a of the support arm 311.

[0072] The tray transfer device 100 in the above embodiment has a misalignment tracking function that follows the lateral positional misalignment of the stacked trays T, but it may also be a device that does not have a misalignment tracking function.

[0073] Although the tray transfer device 100 in the above embodiment had a tray transport unit 2, it may also have a configuration without a tray transport unit 2.

[0074] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 100...Tray transfer device T... Stacked trays (stacked trays) 31...Tray support section 311... Support arm 311a...Top surface 3x... Anti-slip section 311m···recess 32... Back and forth movement mechanism (moving mechanism) 33. Vertical movement mechanism (movement mechanism)

Claims

1. A tray transfer device for transferring stacked trays, which consist of multiple egg trays stacked on top of each other, A tray support portion is inserted into a recess extending in the front-to-back direction formed on the lower surface of the stacking tray to support the stacking tray, The tray support portion is provided with a moving mechanism that moves it in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The aforementioned moving mechanism inserts the tray support into the recess, moves the tray support upward to lift the stacked tray, and moves the tray support in at least the front-to-back direction while maintaining that position. The tray support portion has a support arm that extends in the front-rear direction and is inserted into the recess, A tray transfer device, wherein the upper surface of the support arm has an anti-slip portion formed thereon to prevent the stacked trays from sliding in the front-to-back direction.

2. The tray transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the anti-slip portion has an uneven shape formed on the upper surface of the support arm in a direction that intersects the front-rear direction.

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