Thin workpiece alignment and supply device

Abstract

To provide a novel aligning-feeding device for thin sheet type work-piece which can finally be fed to a next process in an accurate alignment posture although it is presupposed that an initial feeding operation of a thin sheet type work-piece such as a packaging bag is done manually, even if an individual work-piece in a development state becomes unaligned after being fed.SOLUTION: An aligning-feeding device M of the present invention includes a deployment arrangement device 1, a work-piece situation determination device 2, a relay conveyance device 3 and an alignment and conveyance device 4. A work-piece W sent by the relay conveyance device 3 to a delivery end on the deployment arrangement device 1 is sucked and held, and taken out in response to a command signal from the work-piece situation determination device 2, and is conveyed to a predetermined position on the alignment and conveyance device 4 in an appropriate alignment posture. After that, the sucking and holding of the work-piece W is released, and the work-piece W is sent to a next process side by moving a conveyor belt 42 which is a conveyance surface forward in the alignment and conveyance device 4 while sucking and holding the work-piece W on the conveyor belt 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an alignment and feeding device for thin-leaf workpieces, which is suitable as a device for laying the workpiece, or packaging bag, flat and feeding it to the next process in an appropriate aligned position prior to filling the contents, for example, in a flat-folded packaging bag for packaging contents such as pellet-like supplements or medicines. [Background technology]

[0002] The packaging forms for various supplements, medicines, foods, etc. require airtightness and the ability to protect the contents, and for example, packaging bags in which aluminum is laminated or vapor-deposited onto a thermoplastic resin sheet are widely used. In order to supply such packaging bags, they must be supplied one by one to the filling device in an aligned state (posture) prior to filling with the contents. In many cases, flat-folded packaging bags are closely stocked vertically in a magazine, and are taken out one by one from the end of the magazine using a suction arm or the like, and sent to a predetermined position (filling zone). This type of configuration is convenient when the production lot is large or when the packaging bag itself can be folded flat into a completely thin leaf shape (flat shape), but it is not necessarily an appropriate method when the production lot is small or when frequent changeover of the production type is required.

[0003] This is not necessarily appropriate, particularly when dealing with packaging bags with small production lots and parts that have zippers on them, and in many cases workers have had to manually stack the packaging bags flat, shifting them as they go, and set them in the supply device. Naturally, this type of work is inefficient, and manual packaging of bags is limited to skilled workers, leaving room for improvement in terms of production management. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-290432 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-272626 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6851667 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made taking into consideration the above-mentioned background, and has as its objective the development of a new device for aligning and feeding thin-leaf workpieces, which is based on the assumption that the initial feeding (preparatory feeding) of workpieces such as packaging bags is done manually, but which enables the individual packaging bags in an unfolded state after this preparatory feeding to ultimately be fed to the next process in an accurately aligned posture (positioned posture), even if they do not necessarily assume a constant posture and may assume an irregular posture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] First, the alignment and supply device for thin workpieces according to claim 1 is An apparatus for supplying thin workpieces to a next process in an aligned state from a state in which the workpieces are prepared and supplied in an unaligned state, comprising: This device includes a deployment device, a workpiece status determination device, a relay transport device, and an alignment transport device. The spreading and arranging device includes a spreading conveyor for slowly conveying the workpieces in a spread state, and the spreading conveyor has a sending end facing a transfer start portion of the aligning and conveying device; The work status determination device captures an image of the status of the work transported to the sending end of the unfolding conveyor from above, detects the status of the work placement posture at least at the sending end, determines the movement trajectory of the relay transport device based on the detection result, and outputs a predetermined movement command signal. The relay conveying device is provided with a suction head for suctioning and holding each workpiece conveyed to the delivery end of the spreading conveyor, and is configured so that the suction head can move three-dimensionally between the spreading and placing device and the aligning and conveying device, Furthermore, the alignment and conveying device has a suction hole provided on the conveying surface for suction-holding the workpieces placed on the alignment and conveying conveyor, The relay conveying device adsorbs and holds the work on the deployment device in accordance with a command signal from the work status determination device, removes it, and transports it to a predetermined position on the alignment conveying device in an appropriate aligned position.The adsorption and holding of the work is then released, and the alignment conveying device sucks and holds the work on the conveyor belt, which is the conveying surface, while advancing the conveyor belt, thereby sending the work to the next process.

[0007] The thin workpiece alignment and supply device according to claim 2 has, in addition to the requirements of claim 1, The slow transport of the spreading conveyor in the spreading and placing device is characterized in that it is configured to transport the work placed on the conveyor, which is the transport surface, to the sending end while repeating forward movement and backward slight movement.

[0008] The thin workpiece alignment and supply device according to claim 3 has, in addition to the features of claim 1 or 2, The relay transport device is characterized in that a suction head for suctioning and holding a workpiece is provided at the working end of a manipulator.

[0009] The thin workpiece aligning and feeding device according to claim 4 is OR 2 In addition to the requirements listed above, The relay transport device is characterized in that a plurality of devices are provided, each of which transports the workpiece to a different position relative to the aligning transport device.

[0010] The thin workpiece aligning and feeding device according to claim 5 is OR 2 In addition to the requirements listed above, The alignment and conveying conveyor in the alignment and conveying device intermittently moves the workpieces placed on the conveyor which serves as the conveying surface, and is characterized in that the workpieces are transferred by the relay conveying device while this intermittent movement is stopped. The above problems are solved by the configurations described in each claim. Effect of the Invention

[0011] First, according to the invention described in claim 1, even if the workpieces are prepared and fed irregularly to the aligning and conveying device, they can be ultimately fed to the next process in an accurately positioned state. According to the present invention, the aligning and conveying conveyor in the aligning and conveying device is provided with suction holes on the conveying surface that suck and hold the workpieces, so that the workpieces can be held in a fixed position on the conveying surface. Therefore, even if the workpieces are light, the workpieces will not bounce or fly away due to vibrations when the aligning and conveying conveyor is driven, and the position of the workpieces can be reliably maintained continuously during conveyance. Furthermore, the workpieces can be transferred in a position appropriate for the subsequent process (for example, a process of filling the contents), and smooth filling operations in the subsequent process can be achieved.

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 2, the unfolding conveyor does not simply move forward, but repeats forward movement and slight backward movement to transport the workpieces to the sending end, so that even if the workpieces are supplied in a bundled lump state to the starting point of the conveyance of the unfolding conveyor, the bundled state of the workpieces is gradually loosened during the slight backward movement, and the overlapping area between the workpieces can be reduced during the conveyance. Therefore, the workpieces can be effectively separated by the conveyance by such an unfolding conveyor, and can be in a nearly unfolded state at the sending end. Furthermore, by configuring the unfolding conveyor to be retractable, even if a workpiece deviates from the imaging zone at the output end of the unfolding conveyor by overshooting it, the unfolding conveyor can be retracted to return the workpiece to the appropriate imaging position, and the posture of the workpiece before it is transferred to the alignment and conveying device can be accurately determined.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 3, the specific configuration of the relay transport device that transfers the workpieces from the deployment device to the alignment transport device is made practical. Also, the relay transport device is configured such that the suction head that holds the workpieces is provided at the working end of the manipulator, so that thin and lightweight workpieces can be transferred reliably.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 4, multiple relay transport devices are provided, each of which transfers the workpiece to a different position on the alignment transport device, thereby shortening the takt time and enabling the workpieces to be aligned in a fixed posture in a shorter time.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 5, since the workpieces are transferred while the intermittently moving aligning and transporting conveyor is stopped, the workpieces can be placed (transferred) in more accurate positions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an aligning and feeding device of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the delivery end of a deployment device. [Figure 2-1] 1 is a perspective view of an intermediate transport device that transfers workpieces from the deploying device to the aligning transport device near the output end of the deploying device, the intermediate transport device being viewed from the aligning transport device side. FIG. [Figure 2-2] 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the periphery of a suction head that suction-holds and transfers a workpiece when the relay transport device transfers the workpiece; FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the aligning and feeding device of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4A is a cross-sectional view (side cross-sectional view) taken along line AA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a mode of transport of the workpieces by the deployment device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view (planar cross-sectional view) taken along line BB in FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a suction holding form of the workpiece in the alignment and conveying device, and FIG. 4B is a plan view showing an example of a conveying posture that the workpiece can take at the sending end of the deployment device. [Figure 6]FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram (chart) showing an example of a transfer mode to an aligning and conveying device when two manipulators are used as an intermediary conveying device. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the outline of an example of a filling device (a device for filling contents into packaging bags, which are works) that can be installed as a next process of the aligning and feeding device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The embodiment described below is a preferred example of the mode for carrying out the present invention, but it is possible to make appropriate modifications to this embodiment within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. EXAMPLES

[0018] The thin workpiece aligning and feeding device M (hereinafter simply referred to as aligning and feeding device M) of the present invention will be described below. The aligning and feeding device M comprises a spreading and placing device 1, a work status determining device 2, a relay conveying device 3, and an aligning and conveying device 4, and is provided with a downstream device, for example, a filling device 5. The aligning and feeding device M of the present invention targets thin works, for example, flat-folded packaging bags, and supplies them in an appropriate aligned position to the next process, for example, a filling process equipped with the above-mentioned filling device 5.

[0019] First, the target workpiece W will be described. The work W is, for example, a packaging bag for filling with pellet-like or granular supplements or medicines, or paste-like food ingredients, and this packaging bag is made of packaging material such as a thermoplastic resin sheet laminated with aluminum foil or vapor-deposited with aluminum, depending on the required functionality. The workpieces W to be supplied to the alignment and supply device M of the present invention are flat-folded (flat) works, but are not limited to simple flat-folded works. Specifically, when a container has an opening and closing zipper and is aligned and stored in a bundle, the zipper part is thick and the bottom part and other parts are thin, as shown in FIG. 4(a), which makes mechanical processing relatively difficult during transportation, but in the present invention, even such a shape can be treated as the workpiece W. In this way, in the present invention, packaging bags that are relatively difficult to mechanically process can be used as the workpiece W, and it goes without saying that a workpiece with a simple flat-folded shape can be treated even more easily. In addition, the "thin-leaf-shaped workpiece" described in this specification is a general term for workpieces W that have a simple flat-folded shape when placed, as well as workpieces W with zipper parts and other parts formed to be thick in parts, and is a general term for workpieces W that have an overall flat shape when placed flat.

[0020] The aligning and feeding device M of the present invention will now be described. As shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the alignment and supply device M has a frame F as a structural strength member, and is provided with a deployment device 1, a work status determination device 2, a relay conveyor device 3, and an alignment and conveyor device 4 on the frame F. In the illustrated embodiment, two of these devices are provided in parallel as an example, so that one or both of them can be operated depending on the takt time required by the downstream filling device 5 (see FIG. 7) or depending on switching when different types of work W with different sizes are targeted. Therefore, the combination of the deployment device 1, the work status determination device 2, the relay conveyor device 3, and the alignment and conveyor device 4 may be such that one of the devices is used and two of the other devices are used, or all of the devices are used in one or multiple units.

[0021] Next, each of the devices constituting the aligning and feeding device M will be further explained. First, the deployment apparatus 1 will be described. The developing and arranging device 1 is a device for preparing and supplying the target workpieces W to the aligning and conveying device 4, and is a device that supplies the workpieces W in a bundled state (so-called clump state) of about 10 to 20 sheets stacked on top of each other from the front side of the developing and arranging device 1, as shown in FIG. 4(a), for example. Here, it is preferable that the overlapping of the workpieces W is loosened during the conveyance by the developing and arranging device 1. In other words, it is preferable that the workpieces W are conveyed so that the above-mentioned bundled state is loosened during the conveyance by the developing and arranging device 1 and the height of the bundled workpieces gradually decreases, and for example, FIG. 4(b) illustrates this state. However, it is not necessary to completely eliminate the overlapping of the workpieces W at the conveyance end (sending end) of the developing and arranging device 1, and it does not matter if the overlapping of the workpieces W is large at the sending end of the developing and arranging device 1 (it does not matter if the workpieces W appear to be in a bundled state in appearance) as long as the conveyance posture of each workpiece W can be clearly imaged by the workpiece status determination device 2 described later. Of course, even in such a transport form, the workpieces W are loosened from the initial supply state of the bundle by transport by the spreading and placing device 1, and therefore, in this specification, it is referred to as the "spreading and placing (device)". In other words, "spreading" refers to spreading out a bundle of workpieces W that was originally in a lump shape in the transport direction, but is not necessarily limited to a state in which all of the initial overlaps of the workpieces W have been eliminated. For this reason, the workpieces W in a spread state refer to a state in which at least the overlaps between the workpieces are smaller than in the initial supply state.

[0022] The developing and arranging device 1 is provided with a flat belt-like developing conveyor 11, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, for example, and in this embodiment, two are arranged side by side as described above. Each developing conveyor 11 can be provided with a partition plate, and the width dimensions of the partition plate may be the same for both, or may be different for both to easily receive works W of different specifications. Of course, each developing conveyor 11 may be a belt divided according to each partition plate, or may be a single flat belt over the entire width. Incidentally, in this specification, the developing conveyor 11 is defined as the front side where the worker OP is shown in the figure, and the opposite side is defined as the back side. Furthermore, a control panel 13 is provided in the vicinity of the developing conveyor 11.

[0023] In addition, the unfolding conveyor 11 does not simply move the workpieces W placed thereon forward, but transports the workpieces W to the delivery end of the unfolding conveyor 11 while repeating, for example, forward movement, backward slight movement, forward movement, backward slight movement, etc. This is because the backward slight movement can effectively loosen the workpieces W supplied in a bundle. Here, the backward slight movement refers to moving the workpieces W backward by a transport length shorter than the transport length in which the workpieces W were sent to the delivery end side by the forward movement. Of course, if the workpieces W supplied in a bundle can be loosened during transport, it is not necessarily necessary to combine the backward movement with the forward movement. Specifically, it is also possible to perform forward movement in a small section intermittently. In this case, the workpieces W supplied in a bundle can be mainly loosened at the time of stopping the intermittent movement, that is, the forward movement divided into a short section. The "slow transport" described in the claims is a general term including the repetition of forward movement and backward slight movement, and forward intermittent movement divided into a small section, and in other words, it refers to transport that can loosen the workpieces W supplied in a bundle along with the transport of the workpieces W.

[0024] Next, the workpiece status determination device 2 will be described. The workpiece status determination device 2 is a device that individually images the workpieces W that have been loosened into a nearly spread-out state at the sending end of the spreading and placing device 1. As shown in, for example, Figs. 1, 2-1, 2-2, 4, and 5 above, this workpiece status determination device 2 has a CCD camera 21 as a main component, and the imaging zone 21Z of the CCD camera 21 is set at least on the far side of the spreading and placing device 1, in other words, at the sending end which is the part closest to the aligning and conveying device 4 (the conveying start part). The image data of the workpiece W obtained in the imaging zone 21Z is then sent in a binary form from the imaging data input device 22 to the data processing device 23, and is further processed by the signal output device 24 and output as a signal indicating the operating status of the relay conveying device 3 described next (see Figure 4(a)).

[0025] 1(b), for example, a work detection sensor 25 is provided at the sending end of the unfolding conveyor 11 to detect the leading end of the work W in the sending direction. This work detection sensor 25 is a sensor for detecting that the work W transported by the unfolding conveyor 11 has passed the imaging zone 21Z at the sending end and deviated from there, and when this is detected, a command to move the unfolding conveyor 11 backward is transmitted, and the over-passed work W is returned to the imaging zone 21Z (for example, the center of the imaging zone 21Z). Therefore, even if the posture of the work W is not constant at the sending end of the unfolding conveyor 11 and goes beyond the imaging range of the CCD camera 21, the work W can be returned to the appropriate imaging position, and the posture of the work W can be accurately determined when transferring it to the alignment and conveying device 4. In this way, it is preferable to configure the unfolding conveyor 11 so that it can move backward as well as forward. With such a configuration, not only can the work W supplied to the unfolding conveyor 11 in a bundle be effectively loosened (unfolded) during transport, but also any work W that has passed the imaging zone 21Z can be returned to the appropriate imaging position.

[0026] Next, the intermediary transport device 3 will be described. The relay conveying device 3 is a device that transfers the workpieces W one by one from the deploying and arranging device 1 (the sending end of the deploying conveyor 11) to the transfer start part of the aligning and conveying device 4. As an example, as shown in Fig. 1(a), Fig. 2-1, and Fig. 5(a) above, this relay conveying device 3 is provided on each side of the sending end of the deploying conveyor 11 (two in total), and is composed of a manipulator 31, also called an articulated robot, for example. 2-2, for example, two downward-facing suction heads 32 are provided in parallel at the working end of the manipulator 31. That is, in this embodiment, the workpiece W transported to the delivery end of the spreading conveyor 11 is sucked and held by the suction head 32 provided at the working end of the manipulator 31, and then the arm of the manipulator 31 is moved three-dimensionally to transfer it to the transport start part of the aligning and transporting device 4.

[0027] Furthermore, although the workpieces W transported to the output end of the unfolding conveyor 11 have some of the overlap eliminated, as shown in Figure 5(c), they are not all aligned in a uniform posture. Therefore, in the present invention, the planar posture of the workpieces W is imaged using the previously described work status determination device 2, and the workpieces W are corrected (corrected) to a uniform posture during transfer by the relay conveying device 3, and when they are transferred onto the alignment conveying device 4, all of the workpieces W are aligned in a uniform posture. Incidentally, the relay transport device 3 does not necessarily need to use the manipulator 31. In other words, since the relay transport device 3 only needs to move the suction head 32 in three-dimensional directions, it is of course acceptable to use a form that moves linearly in the XYZ directions instead of the manipulator 31.

[0028] Next, the aligning and conveying device 4 will be described. The aligning and conveying device 4 is a device that conveys the workpieces W, which have been transferred in a fixed aligned position, to the next process, for example, a process for filling the contents P, while maintaining that position. As shown in Fig. 2-1 and Fig. 5(a) above as an example, this aligning and conveying device 4 has aligning and conveying conveyors 41 installed in two parallel rows, for example, and the side on which the conveying starts faces the sending end of the unfolding conveyor 11 of the unfolding and placing device 1 as described above. The aligning and transporting conveyor 41 is configured such that, for example, a flat belt-shaped belt conveyor runs supported on a conveyor belt support base 43. Here, as shown in Fig. 5(b) as an example, the conveyor belt support base 43 has suction grooves 44 formed on the upper surface supporting the conveyor belt 42 of the aligning and transporting conveyor 41, and a large number of suction holes 45 are also arranged in the conveyor belt 42 constituting the transport surface, so that even when the conveyor belt 42 is running, the workpieces W being transported are sucked and held by the conveyor belt 42 while the suction holes 45 are communicating with the suction grooves 44.

[0029] With this configuration, the workpieces W placed on the alignment conveyor 41 are transported to the next process while being firmly suction-held by the conveyor belt 42, which is the transport surface. Therefore, the posture of the workpieces W does not change during transport. This type of suction-holding transport is particularly effective when the workpieces W are light in weight, because if the workpieces W are light in weight, the workpieces W are likely to move due to vibrations caused when the alignment conveyor 41 is driven, and there is a concern that the posture of the workpieces W placed on the conveyor may change. In other words, with this type of suction-holding transport, even if the workpieces W are light in weight, it is possible to prevent the workpieces W from bouncing or flying away due to vibrations caused when the alignment conveyor 41 is driven, and the aligned posture of the workpieces W can be reliably maintained continuously during transport. Therefore, the workpieces W can be transported in an appropriate aligned posture to the next process, such as the subsequent filling process, and smooth filling operations in the next process can be achieved. In order to suck, hold and transport the workpiece W by the suction grooves 44 and suction holes 45, as an example, a suction blower 46 is installed below the alignment transport conveyor 41, as shown in FIG. 2-1, and suction action is performed from here through appropriate piping.

[0030] An example of the components of the present invention has been described above, and the filling device 5 at the downstream stage connected to the aligning and feeding device M will now be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 7, the filling device 5 holds the workpiece W on a turntable 51 while carrying out appropriate processing, and includes, for example, a printing zone 52, a bag-opening zone 53, a filling zone 54, and a sealing zone 55. The printing zone 52, as shown in the schematic diagram of Fig. 7, prints an appropriate manufacturing date or expiration date. The following bag-opening zone 53 opens at least the upper part of the work W, which has been fed in a flat-folded state, for example by a suction cup. The filling zone 54 supplies appropriate contents P from a hopper 56 above to the work W, and fills the contents P into the packaging bag, which is the work W. The sealing zone 55 heat-seals the opening above the work, and of course it is also preferable to seal while filling with nitrogen gas or vacuum suction, for example, during this time.

[0031] The present invention has the basic structure as described above, and the workpieces W are aligned and supplied as follows. (1) Deployment and placement process In this spreading and arranging process, for example, an operator OP manually supplies the workpieces W, which are, for example, flat-folded packaging bags, onto the spreading conveyor 11. In this operation, for example, a certain number of workpieces W are bundled together and sequentially arranged in series from the front, or the workpieces W may be stacked one on top of the other while being shifted slightly, so to speak, by manually supplying them. While operating the spreading conveyor 11 in this state, the workpieces W supplied to the spreading conveyor 11 are moved from the front to the back. At this time, the spreading conveyor 11 slowly transports the workpieces W to the front side. That is, since the spreading conveyor 11 transports the workpieces W to the sending end while repeating, for example, forward movement and backward slight movement, the workpieces W supplied onto the spreading conveyor 11 are gradually loosened from the bundled state at the time of preparation supply, and become in a state in which they can be taken out one by one by the relay transport device 3 at the sending end.

[0032] (2) Work status judgment process Thereafter, prior to the operation of the suction head 32 in the relay conveying process, a control mode is determined in a work status determination process to control its movement. In this process, the CCD camera 21 arranged above the spreading conveyor 11 captures an image of the work W at the sending end side of the spreading conveyor 11, i.e., the rear side, and the posture, etc. of the work W at the most sending end is appropriately determined. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(c) as an example, when the posture (planar posture) of the work W is irregular, the situation is captured and sent to the image data input device 22 as shown in FIG. 4(a), for example, and the posture is determined to control the movement of the manipulator 31 and the suction head 32 of the relay conveying device 3. That is, in this process, when a situation is detected in which the work W is somewhat tilted in a plan view, for example, the CCD camera 21 detects the deflection state and detects a position where the suction center of the suction head 32 captures the center (center) of the work W.

[0033] In addition, since the conveying posture of the workpiece W is not necessarily constant at the sending end of the unfolding conveyor 11, it is assumed that, for example, the workpiece W conveyed to the sending end, especially the leading end in the feed direction, may pass over the imaging zone 21Z and deviate from it. In such a case, the workpiece detection sensor 25 detects the above-mentioned overshoot, and then the unfolding conveyor 11 is appropriately retreated, and the overshooting workpiece W is returned to an appropriate imaging position, for example, the center of the imaging zone 21Z, and the status of the workpiece W is accurately detected.

[0034] (3) Relay transport process As a result of the state (planar posture) of the workpiece W being determined in the previous process, the suction head 32 of the relay transport device 3 approaches the workpiece W to be transferred, faces above the center position of the workpiece W, and then lowers the suction head 32 to suction and hold the workpiece W. At this time, the workpiece W is held by the suction head 32 with the center position of the workpiece W and the center position of the suction head 32 substantially aligned. Then, the suction head 32 rotates (horizontally rotates) according to the deflection state of the workpiece W, and sets the correct orientation for aligning and supplying. Then, the workpiece W is transferred to a predetermined position above the aligning and conveying conveyor 41 in the aligning and conveying device 4, and then the suction head 32 is lowered to place the workpiece W on the aligning and conveying conveyor 41.

[0035] (4) Alignment and supply process When receiving the transfer of the relay conveyor 3, the aligning conveyor 41 stops once and receives the workpiece W at its predetermined position. At this time, the suction of the suction head 32 of the relay conveyor 3 is released, and in the aligning conveyor 41, the suction hole 45 on the belt surface is subjected to a negative pressure suction action, so that the workpiece W is reliably suctioned and held on the aligning conveyor 41. Therefore, during the transfer of the workpiece W by the aligning conveyor 41, the lightweight, thin-leaf-like workpiece W is held so as not to move inadvertently. In this way, the workpiece W is placed on the aligning conveyor 41, and as described above, the relay conveyor 3 has two manipulators 31, which are arranged to sequentially place the workpiece W on the aligning conveyor 41 without gaps, for example, according to a chart as shown in FIG. 6.

[0036] 6 shows that the workpieces W are transferred by two manipulators 31 (indicated as "Robot 1" and "Robot 2" in the figure), and Robot 1 is set to always place the workpieces W in the third area from the transfer start part of the aligning conveyor 41, while Robot 2 is set to always place the workpieces W in the first area from the transfer start part of the aligning conveyor 41. The aligning conveyor 41 stops once every 1.2 seconds, and at that time, Robot 1 and Robot 2 alternately place the workpieces W on the aligning conveyor 41. As time passes (for example, after 1.2 seconds x 6 = 7.2 seconds), the workpieces W, which are regulated in an aligned position, are arranged on the aligning conveyor 41 with almost no gaps.

[0037] In this embodiment, two rows of the aligning conveyor 41 are provided, but it is also possible to have only one row, and the other row (aligning conveyor 41) may be used as a spare supply conveyor in case of supplying the workpieces W by completely manual supply, for example. Of course, it is also possible to further shorten the overall takt time by further adding manipulators 31. The work W aligned and supplied in this manner is reliably supplied in a fixed position to the filling device 5 which performs the next filling process, and as it moves on the turntable 51 that constitutes the filling device 5 as described above, the required printing and opening are performed, and the contents P are filled and sealed.

[0038] Other Examples It goes without saying that the aligning and feeding device M of the present invention is not limited to such packaging bags, but can be used to feed other appropriate thin sheet-like materials and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] M Alignment and supply device W work F Frame P Contents OP Operator 1 Deployment arrangement device 2 Work status determination device 3. Relay transport equipment 4. Alignment and transport device 5 Filling equipment 11 Expanding conveyor 13. Control Panel 21 CCD camera 21Z Imaging Zone 22 Imaging data input device 23 Data Processing Device 24 Signal output device 25 Workpiece detection sensor 31 Manipulator (multi-joint robot) 32 Suction head 41 Alignment conveyor 42 Conveyor Belt 43 Conveyor belt support base 44 Suction groove 45 Suction hole 46 Suction Blower 51 Turntable 52 Printing Zone 53 Opening Zone 54 Filling Zone 55 Seal Zone 56 Hopper

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying thin workpieces to a next process in an aligned state from a state in which the workpieces are prepared and supplied in an unaligned state, comprising: This device includes a deployment device, a workpiece status determination device, a relay transport device, and an alignment transport device. The spreading and arranging device includes a spreading conveyor for slowly conveying the workpieces in a spread state, and the spreading conveyor has a delivery end facing a transfer start portion of the aligning and conveying device; The work status determination device captures an image of the status of the work transported to the sending end of the unfolding conveyor from above, detects the status of the work placement posture at least at the sending end, determines the movement trajectory of the relay transport device based on the detection result, and outputs a predetermined movement command signal. The relay conveying device is provided with a suction head that suctions and holds each workpiece conveyed to the sending end of the spreading conveyor, and is configured to be able to move the suction head three-dimensionally between the spreading and arranging device and the aligning and conveying device; Furthermore, the alignment and conveying device has a suction hole provided on the conveying surface for suction-holding the workpieces placed on the alignment and conveying conveyor, This is an alignment and supply device for thin workpieces, characterized in that the relay transport device adsorbs, holds, and removes the workpieces on the deployment device in accordance with a command signal from the work status determination device, and transports them to a predetermined position on the alignment and transport device in an appropriate aligned position, after which the adsorption and holding of the workpiece is released, and the alignment and transport device advances the conveyor belt, which is the transport surface, while adsorbing and holding the workpiece on it, thereby sending the workpiece to the next process.

2. The alignment and supply device for thin workpieces as described in claim 1, characterized in that the slow transport of the unfolding conveyor in the unfolding and placement device is configured to transport the workpieces placed on the conveyor serving as the transport surface to the discharge end by repeating forward movement and backward slight movement.

3. 3. The apparatus for aligning and feeding thin workpieces according to claim 1, wherein the relay transport device is configured such that a suction head for suctioning and holding the workpieces is provided at the working end of a manipulator.

4. 3. The thin workpiece aligning and feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said relay transport devices are provided, each of said relay transport devices transporting the workpieces to a different position relative to said aligning and feeding device.

5. An alignment and supply device for thin workpieces as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the alignment and conveying conveyor in the alignment and conveying device intermittently moves the workpieces placed on the conveyor serving as the conveying surface, and the workpieces are transferred by the relay conveying device while the intermittent movement is stopped.

Images