Vibration conveying device, control device

Abstract

To provide a vibratory conveyance device which controls a trough to a predetermined vibration angle, and can convey a conveyed object, without detecting a phase of a vibration motor.SOLUTION: On a trough 50 of a vibration conveyance device 100, an acceleration sensor 60 is mounted. A control part 12 provided on the vibration conveyance device 100 calculates a vibration angle estimation value that is an angle when the trough 50 is vibrated on the basis of a physical amount detected by the acceleration sensor 60, and allows first and second inverter circuits 20 and 21 to adjust at least any one of rotation speed of a first vibration motor 30 and rotation speed of a second vibration motor 31 so that the vibration angle estimation value is made close to a target angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for transporting an object by vibrating a trough. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vibration conveying device that vibrates a trough by rotating two vibration motors to convey a conveyed object supplied to the trough. The vibration motor has an eccentric body that is eccentric with respect to the rotation axis, and the rotation of the eccentric body can apply a vibration force to the trough. Patent Document 1 describes that the vibration angle of the trough can be controlled by adjusting the phase at which the mechanical angles of the eccentric bodies of the vibration motors are synchronized using the phase difference detected from the two vibration motors. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 11-511106 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a vibration conveying device, in a configuration in which the vibration angle is controlled using the phase difference of an eccentric body in a vibration motor, for example, a disturbance to the trough may cause a change in the relationship between the phase difference and the vibration angle, and the vibration angle of the trough may not be controlled to a desired angle. In addition, a sensor is required to detect the phase of the vibration motor, which may complicate the configuration of the vibration motor.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to transport a transported object by controlling a trough to a predetermined vibration angle without detecting the phase of a vibration motor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to a vibrating conveying device including a trough that conveys an object to be conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction by vibrating, a vibration motor that applies a vibration force to the trough for vibrating the trough by rotating an eccentric body that is eccentric with respect to a rotation axis, a drive unit that drives the vibration motor to rotate, a control unit that controls the rotation of the vibration motor by the drive unit, and a sensor that is attached to the trough and detects a physical quantity that is at least one of acceleration, speed, and position change caused by the vibration of the trough. The vibration motors included in the vibrating conveying device include at least a first vibration motor and a second vibration motor, and the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor are attached to the trough with their respective rotation axes facing in a horizontal direction that intersects with the conveying direction, and the rotation direction of the rotation axis of the first vibration motor is opposite to the rotation direction of the rotation axis of the second vibration motor. The control unit calculates an estimated vibration angle, which is the angle at which the trough vibrates, based on the physical quantity detected by the sensor, and causes the drive unit to adjust at least one of the rotational speed of the first vibration motor and the rotational speed of the second vibration motor so as to bring the estimated vibration angle value closer to the target angle.

[0007] In the vibration conveying device having the above configuration, the vibration motors that apply a vibration force to vibrate the trough include at least a first vibration motor and a second vibration motor, and the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor are attached to the trough with their rotation axes facing the same direction among directions intersecting the conveying direction. The control unit calculates a vibration angle estimate value, which is an angle when the trough vibrates, based on the physical quantity detected by the sensor. The control unit causes the drive unit to adjust at least one of the rotation speeds of the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor so as to bring the calculated vibration angle estimate value closer to the target angle. As a result, the phase when the eccentric body of the first vibration motor and the eccentric body of the second vibration motor have the same mechanical angle is adjusted based on the vibration angle estimate value calculated from the physical quantity of the trough, and the vibration angle of the trough can be brought closer to the target angle. As a result, the trough can be controlled to a predetermined vibration angle and the conveyed object can be conveyed without detecting the phase of the vibration motor.

[0008] The present invention can be realized in various forms, and in addition to being an invention of a vibrating conveying device, it can also be realized as an invention of a control device applied to a vibrating conveying device. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the trough can be controlled to a predetermined vibration angle to transport the transported object without detecting the phase of the vibration motor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating control of a vibration angle. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for controlling a vibration angle. [Figure 4] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining a method of calculating a vibration angle estimated value. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining a method of calculating a vibration angle estimated value. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a vibration conveying device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a vibration conveying device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (First embodiment) The vibrating conveying device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the direction parallel to the installation surface on which the vibrating conveying device is installed is defined as the horizontal direction D1, and the direction in which gravity is applied is defined as the vertical direction D2. The vertical direction D2 is also a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction D1. In FIG. 1, the right side of the horizontal direction D1 is defined as positive, and the left side as negative. The object to be conveyed by the vibrating conveying device is, for example, powdered or granular material of a predetermined size (food, medicine, materials for industrial products, lime, etc.).

[0012] The vibrating conveying device 100 mainly includes a controller 10, inverter circuits 20 and 21, vibrating motors 30 and 31, a trough 50, an acceleration sensor 60, and a vibration-isolating spring .

[0013] The trough 50 vibrates to transport the transported object in the transport direction D3. The trough 50 is a portion having a concave cross-sectional shape when viewed from either direction D31 or D32 in the transport direction D3. Specifically, the trough 50 has a bottom wall 51 and a pair of side walls 52 extending in the vertical direction D2 from both ends of the bottom wall 51, and the both side walls 52 and the bottom wall 51 form the concave cross-sectional shape.

[0014] In this embodiment, the bottom wall 51 of the trough 50 is held in a direction parallel to the horizontal direction D1 when the vibrating conveying device 100 is stopped, so the conveying direction D3 is parallel to the horizontal direction D1. The conveying direction D3 is a positive direction when the left side D31 is upstream and the right side D32 is downstream, and a negative direction when the right side D32 is upstream and the left side D31 is downstream. In the trough 50, the direction connecting one side wall 52 to the other side wall 52 is also referred to as the width direction. The width direction is a direction parallel to the horizontal direction D1 and perpendicular to the conveying direction D3.

[0015] The trough 50 is installed in a state of being suspended at the installation location via the anti-vibration spring 70. Specifically, the trough 50 has hook portions on both sides in the conveying direction D3, and the hook portions engage one end of the anti-vibration spring 70. The other end of the anti-vibration spring 70 is engaged with an attachment portion (not shown) at the installation location. This allows the trough 50 to be installed in a vibrating manner at the installation location. Alternatively, the vibrating conveying device 100 may have legs that support the anti-vibration spring 70 from below, and the trough 50 may be placed on the anti-vibration spring 70 to hold the trough in a vibrating manner.

[0016] The trough 50 has motor attachment parts 53, which are parts for attaching the vibration motors 30, 31, on the lower surface side of the bottom wall 51 opposite to the surface to which the transported object is supplied. The motor attachment parts 53 are located on both sides of the center of gravity of the trough 50 on the bottom wall 51 of the trough 50 in the transport direction D3. The vibration motors 30, 31 are attached to each motor attachment part 53 with the direction in which the rotation shaft extends facing the direction intersecting the transport direction D3 (i.e., the width direction of the trough). Specifically, the two vibration motors 30, 31 are attached to the motor attachment parts 53 with the direction in which the rotation shaft extends facing the same direction in the width direction.

[0017] Of the two vibration motors, when viewed in the direction in which the tip of the rotating shaft faces (i.e., the direction shown in Figure 1), the vibration motor on the left side D31 of the conveying direction D3 is referred to as the first vibration motor 30, and the vibration motor on the right side D32 of the conveying direction D3 is referred to as the second vibration motor 31.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31 are AC motors, and the rotation shafts have unbalanced weights 32, 33 that are eccentric in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the rotation shaft. Specifically, in the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31, the unbalanced weights 32, 33 are attached to both ends of the rotation shafts that extend in the width direction. As the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 rotate, the unbalanced weights 32, 33 rotate, and a centrifugal force directed outward from the rotation shaft is applied to the trough 50 as an excitation force. In this embodiment, the unbalanced weights 32, 33 are an example of an eccentric body.

[0019] An acceleration sensor 60 is attached between the motor attachment portions 53 of the trough 50 in the conveying direction D3. The acceleration sensor 60 detects changes in acceleration in the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2 associated with vibration of the trough 50 as acceleration detection values ​​A1, A2. Specifically, the acceleration sensor 60 is attached at a position close to the center of gravity of the trough 50 in the horizontal direction D1, and can detect the acceleration of the trough 50 in a state where it is less susceptible to the influence of pitch vibration associated with the vibration of the trough 50. In this embodiment, the values ​​indicated by the acceleration detection values ​​A1, A2 are an example of a physical quantity associated with the vibration of the trough 50.

[0020] The controller 10 includes an operation unit 11 and a control unit 12, and is installed at a location separate from the trough 50. The operation unit 11 is a user interface that receives an operation by an operator and outputs a signal corresponding to the received operation. The operation unit 11 has a power-on button that receives an operation to turn on a main power source (not shown) of the vibrating conveying device 100, a start button that receives an operation to start conveying by the vibrating conveying device 100, and a stop button that receives an operation to stop conveying. In addition, the operation unit 11 may have a change key that receives an operation to change the type of the conveyed object. In this embodiment, the controller 10 is an example of a control device.

[0021] The control unit 12 is a programmable controller including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The control unit 12 receives signals from the operation unit 11 and acceleration detection values ​​A1, A2 detected by the acceleration sensor 60. An output port of the control unit 12 is connected to input ports of the inverter circuits 20, 21.

[0022] The control unit 12 executes the programs stored in the ROM to realize the functions of a command value setting unit 13, a vibration angle calculation unit 14, a deviation calculation unit 15, a correction value calculation unit 16, and a command value correction unit 17. The control unit 12 performs speed control to control the rotation speeds of the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31 to predetermined speed command values ​​by the functions of the above-mentioned units 13 to 17. Specifically, the control unit 12 outputs a first speed command value Ts1 for controlling the rotation speed of the first vibration motor 30 to the first inverter circuit 20, and outputs a second speed command value Ts2 for controlling the rotation speed of the second vibration motor 31 to the second inverter circuit 21. Details of each unit in the control unit 12 will be described later.

[0023] When the rotation of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 is controlled to rotate counterclockwise, the phase of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 is defined in a range from 0° to 360°. On the other hand, when the rotation of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 is controlled to rotate clockwise, the phase of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 is defined in a range from -360° to 0°.

[0024] The first inverter circuit 20 outputs a first drive signal Sg1 to the first vibration motor 30 to rotate the first vibration motor 30 at a rotation speed corresponding to the first speed command value Ts1. The second inverter circuit 21 outputs a second drive signal Sg2 to the second vibration motor 31 to rotate the second vibration motor 31 at a rotation speed corresponding to the second speed command value Ts2. The first and second drive signals Sg1 and Sg2 are pulse signals having a duty ratio corresponding to the first and second speed command values ​​Ts1 and Ts2. In FIG. 1, the first and second inverter circuits 20 and 21 are described as devices different from the controller 10, but the controller 10 may have the first and second inverter circuits 20 and 21.

[0025] The first and second speed command values ​​Ts1 and Ts2 drive the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31 to rotate in opposite directions. When an object is transported from the left side D31 to the right side D32 (i.e., the positive direction) in the transport direction D3, the phase angles of the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are adjusted so that the vibration angle of the trough 50 is in the range of 0° to 90°. On the other hand, when an object is transported from the right side D32 to the left side D31 (i.e., the negative direction) in the transport direction D3, the phase angles of the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are adjusted so that the vibration angle of the trough 50 is in the range of 90° to 180°. When the transport speed is zero, the vibration angle of the trough 50 is set to 90° or 0°.

[0026] Next, the relationship between the vibration angle Yw indicating the vibration direction of the trough 50 and the mechanical angle of the unbalanced weights 32, 33 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 as viewed from the side (i.e., the unbalanced weights 32, 33 side). In the first and second vibration motors 30, 31, the unbalanced weights 32, 33 are attached to both ends of the rotation shaft. However, in FIG. 2, for ease of explanation, only one unbalanced weight is shown in the first and second vibration motors 30, 31. FIG. 2 shows the vibration angle Yw when the transported object is transported in the forward direction. In the first vibration motor 30, the mechanical angle of the unbalanced weight 32 is shown as "Ym1", and in the second vibration motor 31, the mechanical angle of the unbalanced weight 33 is shown as "Ym2".

[0027] Due to the rotation of the unbalanced weights 32, 33, an excitation force F is applied to the trough 50 in a direction of a vibration angle Yw with respect to the excitation point P. Here, the excitation point P is a virtually defined position in the trough 50 where the excitation force F is applied due to the rotation of the unbalanced weights 32, 33. The excitation force F is a composite force obtained by combining the forces generated by the rotation of the unbalanced weights 32, 33. Since the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31 are attached to the trough 50 on both sides of the center of gravity of the trough 50 in the conveying direction D3, the excitation force F can be expressed as a force from the excitation point P that is virtually present between the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31 in the conveying direction D3 with respect to the trough 50.

[0028] When the mechanical angles Ym of the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are synchronized, the directions of the forces generated by the rotation of the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are the same, so the excitation force F is maximized, and the mechanical angle Ym at this time is defined as the vibration angle Yw. In other words, the vibration angle Yw can be said to be the phase at which the excitation force F applied to the trough 50 by the rotation of the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31 is maximized. In this embodiment, the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31 rotate in opposite directions, but the angle is the same because the definitions of the phase ranges are different between clockwise and counterclockwise. On the other hand, when the mechanical angles Ym of the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 differ by 180° on the circular coordinate system shown in FIG. 2, the directions of the forces generated by the rotation of the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are opposite, so the excitation force F is minimized.

[0029] The vibrating conveying device 100 can convey the conveyed object by controlling the vibration angle Yw at an arbitrary angle. For example, when conveying the conveyed object in different drive modes, the vibrating conveying device 100 conveys the conveyed object at the vibration angle Yw corresponding to the drive mode. For example, the "conveying mode", which is an example of the drive mode, is a mode in which the trough 50 is vibrated in the vibrating conveying device 100 with the main purpose of conveying the conveyed object. The "staying mode" is a mode in which the trough 50 is vibrated in the vibrating conveying device 100 with the main purpose of drying the conveyed object. Specifically, in the "staying mode", the vibration angle Yw is increased to slow down the flow speed of the conveyed object compared to the "conveying mode". In addition, the vibrating conveying device 100 can convey the conveyed object by setting the vibration angle Yw according to the type of the conveyed object.

[0030] The controller 10 adjusts the phase at which the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are synchronized, thereby adjusting the vibration angle Yw of the trough 50 to an arbitrary angle. For example, in FIG. 2, the rotation speed of the first vibration motor 30 is slower than the rotation speed of the second vibration motor 31, thereby increasing the mechanical angle Ym at which the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are synchronized within a range of 0° to 90°, and the vibration angle Ywa after adjustment is made larger than the vibration angle Yw before adjustment. On the other hand, the rotation speed of the first vibration motor 30 is faster than the rotation speed of the second vibration motor 31, thereby decreasing the mechanical angle Ym at which the unbalanced weights 32 and 33 are synchronized within a range of 0° to 90°, and the vibration angle Yw can be made smaller than the vibration angle Yw before adjustment.

[0031] In order to adjust the vibration angle Yw to an arbitrary angle, it is conceivable to detect the phase difference between the unbalanced weights 32, 33 in the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 and adjust the vibration angle Yw using the detected phase difference. However, there are cases where the relationship between the phase difference and the vibration angle Yw changes due to disturbance to the trough 50, and the vibration angle Yw after adjustment cannot be controlled to the desired angle command value Ty. In addition, there is a concern that the configuration of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 becomes complicated in order to detect the phases of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 12 controls the vibration angle Yw to the angle command value Ty using the physical quantity of the trough 50 detected by the acceleration sensor 60.

[0032] Next, a procedure for adjusting the vibration angle Yw by the control unit 12 will be described with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5. The process shown in Figure 3 is a process executed by the control unit 12 when an operation to start conveying the conveyed object is accepted via the operation unit 11, and the main body of the process is the control unit 12.

[0033] In step 10 (hereinafter, step is also referred to as S), it is determined whether or not a stop condition is satisfied. For example, the stop condition is satisfied when all drive modes in the vibrating conveying device 100 are completed, or when an operator operates the operation unit 11 to stop the vibrating conveying device 100. If a negative judgment is made in S10, the process proceeds to S11.

[0034] In S11, it is determined whether or not to control the vibration angle Yw. Since the controller 10 executes a program corresponding to each mode on a badge-by-batch basis, when controlling the vibration angle, it is possible to determine the currently executed drive mode. Alternatively, the controller 10 may determine the current drive mode according to the time counted by a counter. If the determination in S11 is affirmative, the process proceeds to S12.

[0035] In S12, the command value setting unit 13 sets a command value for controlling the rotation speeds of the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31. The command value setting unit 13 can set an angle command value Ty, a first speed command value Ts1, and a second speed command value Ts2 for controlling the rotation speeds of the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31, for example, according to the above-mentioned drive mode and the type of the transported object. The angle command value Ty is a target angle for the vibration angle Yw of the trough 50. In this embodiment, the initial value of the first speed command value Ts1 has a rotation direction opposite to that of the second speed command value Ts2, and has the same absolute value.

[0036] In S13, a resultant acceleration A3 indicating the acceleration of the trough 50 is calculated from the acceleration detection values ​​A1 and A2 detected by the acceleration sensor 60. As shown in Fig. 4, the magnitude of the acceleration of the trough 50 in a certain phase can be calculated as the magnitude of a resultant acceleration A3 obtained by combining the acceleration detection value A1 of the trough 50 in the horizontal direction D1 and the acceleration detection value A2 of the trough 50 in the vertical direction D2. Specifically, the magnitude of the resultant acceleration A3 can be calculated using the following (Equation 1). |A3|=(A1 2 +A2 2 ) (1 / 2) … (Formula 1) In this embodiment, one rotation period (=1 / Ts1) of the vibration motor is calculated from the first speed command value Ts1 set in S13. Then, the magnitude of the resultant acceleration A3 in the calculated one period is sequentially obtained.

[0037] In S14, the vibration angle calculation unit 14 calculates the vibration angle estimate value Ye. The vibration angle estimate value Ye is an estimated value of the vibration angle Yw of the trough 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the composite acceleration A3 changes depending on the composite excitation force applied to the trough 50. Here, the vibration angle Yw is the angle when the composite excitation force applied to the trough 50 is at its maximum, so the angle when the absolute value of the composite acceleration A3 is at its maximum is the vibration angle Yw. Therefore, for example, the vibration angle estimate value Ye can be calculated by the following (Equation 2) and (Equation 3) using the acceleration detection values ​​A1 and A2 at the composite acceleration A3 that is maximum among the composite accelerations A3 in one period acquired in S15. Ye = arctan(A2 / A1) … (Equation 2) Ye=180-arctan(A2 / A1) … (Formula 3)

[0038] The above (Equation 2) is a calculation formula for the vibration angle estimated value Ye when the acceleration detection value A1 in the horizontal direction D1 and the acceleration detection value A2 in the vertical direction D2 have the same sign (i.e., in phase), and the vibration angle estimated value Ye is calculated as a value greater than 0° and less than 90°. The above (Equation 3) is a calculation formula for the vibration angle estimated value Ye when the acceleration detection value A1 in the horizontal direction D1 and the acceleration detection value A2 in the vertical direction D2 have different signs (i.e., opposite phase), and the vibration angle estimated value Ye is calculated as a value greater than 90° and less than 180°. In addition to the above (Equation 2) and (Equation 3), the vibration angle estimated value Ye may be calculated using "Ye = arcsin(A2 / A3)" or "Ye = arccos(A1 / A3)".

[0039] In S15, the deviation calculation unit 15 calculates an angle deviation indicating the difference (Ty-Ye) between the angle command value Ty set in S12 and the vibration angle estimate value Ye calculated in S14. The angle deviation is a value indicating how much the calculated vibration angle estimate value Ye deviates from the angle command value Ty.

[0040] In S16, the correction value calculation unit 16 calculates a speed correction value according to the angle deviation calculated in S15. The speed correction value is a correction value for the first speed command value Ts1. The correction value calculation unit 16 calculates the speed correction value by known Proportional-Integral (PI) control so that the corrected first speed command value Ts1 becomes a value that brings the angle deviation closer to zero.

[0041] In S16, the correction value calculation unit 16 may calculate the speed correction value from the angle deviation using well-known P control (proportional control) or PID control instead of PI control.

[0042] In S17, the command value corrector 17 corrects the first speed command value Ts1 by adding the speed correction value calculated in S16 to the first speed command value Ts1.

[0043] In S18, the corrected first speed command value Ts1 is output to the first inverter circuit 20. In S19, the second speed command value Ts2 set by the command value setting unit 13 is output to the second inverter circuit 21. As a result, the rotation speeds of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 are adjusted so that the vibration angle Yw of the trough 50 approaches the angle command value Ty.

[0044] When the process of S19 ends, the process returns to S10. If a negative decision is made in S10, the process proceeds to S11, where it is determined whether or not to control the oscillation angle Yw. If control of the oscillation angle Yw is to be continued, an affirmative decision is made in S11, and the processes of S12 to S19 are executed. As a result, the oscillation angle Yw of the trough 50 is controlled to the angle command value Ty set in S12.

[0045] When S11 is judged as negative, the process proceeds to S18. In this case, in S18, a predetermined first speed command value Ts1 is output to the first inverter circuit 20. In S19, a predetermined second speed command value Ts2 is output to the second inverter circuit 21. As a result, the trough 50 is vibrated to convey the conveyed object without forcibly controlling the vibration angle Yw of the trough 50. In this case, the mechanical angles of the unbalanced weights 32, 33 are synchronized by the pull-in torque generated by the first and second vibration motors 30, 31, and the vibration angle Yw falls within a predetermined angle. Thereafter, when the stop condition of the vibration conveying device 100 is established, S10 is judged as positive, and the process shown in FIG. 3 is terminated.

[0046] The present embodiment described above can provide the following advantages. The vibration conveying device 100 includes an acceleration sensor 60 that detects the acceleration of the trough 50. The control unit 12 calculates an oscillation angle estimate Ye, which is an angle at which the trough 50 vibrates, based on the acceleration of the trough 50 detected by the acceleration sensor 60, and controls the first inverter circuit 20 to control the rotation speed of the first vibration motor 30 so that the calculated oscillation angle estimate Ye approaches the angle command value Ty. As a result, based on the oscillation angle estimate Ye calculated from the physical quantity of the trough 50, the phase at which the unbalanced weight 32 of the first vibration motor 30 and the unbalanced weight 33 of the second vibration motor 31 have the same mechanical angle Ym is adjusted, and the oscillation angle Yw of the trough 50 can be brought closer to the target angle. As a result, the trough 50 can be controlled to a predetermined oscillation angle to convey the conveyed object without detecting the phases of the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31.

[0047] The acceleration sensor 60 calculates a value corresponding to the acceleration detection value A1 indicating the acceleration in the horizontal direction D1 and the acceleration detection value A2 indicating the acceleration in the vertical direction D2 as the vibration angle estimate value Ye. This makes it possible to improve the calculation accuracy of the vibration angle estimate value Ye, and to control the vibration angle Yw of the trough 50 with high accuracy.

[0048] The first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31 are attached to the trough 50 on both sides of the center of gravity of the trough 50 in the conveying direction D3. The acceleration sensor 60 is attached to the trough 50 between the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31 in the conveying direction D3. As a result, the acceleration sensor 60 is attached to a position close to the center of gravity of the trough 50, and can detect the physical quantity due to the composite force in a state where it is less susceptible to the influence of pitch vibration. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the calculation accuracy of the vibration angle estimation value due to the pitch vibration.

[0049] The control unit 12 controls the first inverter circuit 20 to control the rotation speed of the first vibration motor 30 based on the first speed command value Ts1, and controls the second inverter circuit 21 to control the rotation speed of the second vibration motor 31 based on the second speed command value Ts2. The control unit 12 corrects the first speed command value Ts1 based on the difference between the vibration angle estimate value Ye and the angle command value Ty, and controls the first inverter circuit 20 to adjust the rotation speed of the first vibration motor 30 based on the corrected first speed command value so as to bring the vibration angle estimate value closer to the target angle. In this way, the first speed command value is adjusted using the vibration angle estimate value Ye, so that the vibration angle of the trough can be brought closer to the target angle with high accuracy.

[0050] Second embodiment In the second embodiment, the configuration different from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0051] In the first embodiment, the control unit 12 corrects only the first speed command value Ts1 to adjust the vibration angle Yw. Instead of this, the control unit 12 corrects both the first speed command value Ts1 and the second speed command value Ts2 to adjust the vibration angle Yw.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 6, in the control unit 12 according to the present embodiment, the speed correction value calculated by the correction value calculation unit 16 is input to a first command value correction unit 17 and a second command value correction unit 18. The first command value correction unit 17 is the command value correction unit 17 in the first embodiment, and corrects the first speed command value Ts1 by adding the calculated speed correction value to the first speed command value Ts1 for the first vibration motor 30 in S17 of FIG. 3. Also, the second command value correction unit 18 corrects the second speed command value Ts2 by adding the calculated speed correction value to the second speed command value Ts2 for the second vibration motor 31 in S17. Note that the first speed command value Ts1 and the second speed command value Ts2 are in different directions, so that, for example, when the first speed command value Ts1 is corrected to the deceleration side, the second speed command value Ts2 is corrected to the acceleration side.

[0053] 3, the corrected first speed command value Ts1 is output to the first inverter circuit 20. In S19, the corrected second speed command value Ts2 is output to the second inverter circuit .

[0054] In the present embodiment described above, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0055] Third embodiment In the third embodiment, the configuration different from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0056] In the first embodiment, the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 are driven by drive signals from the first and second inverter circuits 20, 21. Instead, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 are driven by drive signals from the first and second servo amplifiers 22, 23.

[0057] The first servo amplifier 22 has a speed difference calculation unit 221 and a drive signal calculation unit 222. The speed difference calculation unit 221 receives the rotation speed signal from the first vibration motor 30 and the first speed command value Ts1 after correction from the control unit 12. In this embodiment, the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31 output rotation speed signals indicating the rotation speeds. The speed difference calculation unit 221 calculates a deviation by subtracting the rotation speed signal from the first speed command value Ts1. The drive signal calculation unit 222 generates a drive signal for the first vibration motor 30 by a known PI control so that the deviation output from the speed difference calculation unit 221 approaches 0. The drive signal Sg3 generated by the first servo amplifier 22 is output to the first vibration motor 30, and drives the first vibration motor 30 at a rotation speed according to the first speed command value Ts1 after correction.

[0058] The second servo amplifier 23 has a speed difference calculation unit 231 and a drive signal calculation unit 232. The speed difference calculation unit 231 receives the rotation speed signal from the second vibration motor 31 and the second speed command value from the control unit 12, and calculates a deviation by subtracting the rotation speed signal from the second speed command value. The drive signal calculation unit 232 generates a drive signal for the second vibration motor 31 by well-known PI control so as to bring the deviation output from the speed difference calculation unit 231 closer to 0. The drive signal Sg4 generated by the second servo amplifier 23 is output to the second vibration motor 31, and drives the second vibration motor 31 at a rotation speed according to the corrected speed command value.

[0059] In the present embodiment described above, even in the configuration in which the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 are driven by the servo amplifiers 22, 23, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0060] (Other embodiments) The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the following modifications are also possible. In each of the above-described embodiments, the vibration angle estimated value Ye is calculated using the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 60 as the physical quantity. Alternatively, the control unit 12 may calculate the vibration angle estimated value Ye using the velocity or displacement in the horizontal direction D1 and the vertical direction D2 of the trough 50. In this case, a velocity sensor for detecting the velocity or a displacement sensor for detecting the displacement is attached to the trough 50. Then, in S13 of FIG. 3, instead of calculating the composite acceleration A3, a composite value of the velocity or displacement associated with the vibration of the trough 50 is calculated. Then, in S14, the vibration angle estimated value Ye may be calculated using the composite value acquired in S13.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the vibrating conveying device 100 conveys the conveyed object by vibrating the trough 50 with two vibration motors. Alternatively, the vibrating conveying device 100 may convey the conveyed object by vibrating the trough 50 with three or more vibration motors.

[0062] The control unit 12 may be a so-called motor controller integrated with the first vibration motor 30 and the second vibration motor 31. In this case, the control unit 12 is not mounted on the controller 10, but is attached to the motor attachment portion 53 of the trough 50 together with the first and second motors 30 and 31.

[0063] In the above-described embodiment, the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31 are AC motors. Alternatively, the first and second vibration motors may be DC motors. In this case, a servo amplifier is provided instead of the inverter circuit, and the servo amplifier outputs a DC voltage drive signal to the first and second vibration motors 30 and 31 in response to a signal output from the controller 10.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 are each disposed below the bottom wall 51 of the trough 50. Alternatively, the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 may each be disposed above the bottom wall 51 of the trough 50. One of the first and second vibration motors 30, 31 may be disposed below the bottom wall 51 of the trough 50, and the other may be disposed above the bottom wall 51 of the trough 50.

[0065] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 12 executes a program stored in the ROM to realize the functions of the command value setting unit 13, the vibration angle calculation unit 14, the deviation calculation unit 15, the correction value calculation unit 16, and the command value correction unit 17. Alternatively, the control unit 12 may include hardware circuits that realize the functions of the above-described units 11 to 17. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10...controller, 12...control section, 20...first inverter circuit, 21...second inverter circuit, 30...first vibration motor, 31...second vibration motor, 50...trough, 60...acceleration sensor, 100...vibration conveying device

Claims

1. a trough that vibrates to transport the object in a predetermined transport direction; a vibration motor that applies a vibration force to the trough to vibrate the trough by rotating an eccentric body that is eccentric with respect to a rotation axis; A drive unit that rotates the vibration motor; A control unit that controls the rotation of the vibration motor by the drive unit; A sensor attached to the trough for detecting a physical quantity that is at least one of an acceleration, a velocity, and a position change caused by vibration of the trough; the vibration motor includes at least a first vibration motor and a second vibration motor, the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor are attached to the trough with their respective rotation shafts facing a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction, and a rotation direction of the rotation shaft of the first vibration motor is opposite to a rotation direction of the rotation shaft of the second vibration motor; The control unit is Calculating an estimated vibration angle, which is an angle at which the trough vibrates, based on the physical quantity detected by the sensor; A vibrating conveying device that causes the driving section to adjust at least one of the rotation speed of the first vibration motor and the rotation speed of the second vibration motor so as to bring the vibration angle estimated value closer to a target angle.

2. The sensor detects a first physical quantity, which is the physical quantity in a horizontal direction, and a second physical quantity, which is the physical quantity in a vertical direction; The vibrating conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit calculates the vibration angle estimated value based on the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity.

3. The first vibration motor and the second vibration motor are attached to the trough on both sides of a center of gravity of the trough in the conveying direction, The vibrating conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor is attached to the trough between the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor in the conveying direction.

4. The control unit is causing the drive unit to control a rotation speed of the first vibration motor based on a first speed command value, and causing the drive unit to control a rotation speed of the second vibration motor based on a second speed command value; correcting the first speed command value based on a difference between the vibration angle estimated value and the target angle; 4. The vibration conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation speed of the first vibration motor is adjusted by the drive unit based on the corrected first speed command value so as to bring the vibration angle estimated value closer to the target angle.

5. A control device applied to a vibration conveying device including a trough that conveys an object in a conveying direction by vibrating, a vibration motor that applies a vibration force to the trough to vibrate the trough by rotating an eccentric body that is eccentric with respect to a rotation axis, and a drive unit that drives the vibration motor to rotate, the vibration motor includes at least a first vibration motor and a second vibration motor, the first vibration motor and the second vibration motor are attached to the trough with their respective rotation shafts facing a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction, and a rotation direction of the rotation shaft of the first vibration motor is opposite to a rotation direction of the rotation shaft of the second vibration motor; calculating an estimated vibration angle, which is an angle at which the trough vibrates, based on a physical quantity associated with the vibration of the trough detected by a sensor, the physical quantity being at least one of an acceleration, a velocity, and a position change of the trough; a control device that causes the drive unit to adjust at least one of the rotation speed of the first vibration motor and the rotation speed of the second vibration motor so as to bring the vibration angle estimated value closer to a target angle.

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