Article integrating device

Abstract

To provide an article accumulator adapted to prevent the occurrence of great line pressure on an article supply conveyor while suppressing the positional collapse of an article on an arraying conveyor.SOLUTION: An article accumulator 10 comprises: an article supply conveyor 12 that supplies an article M; an article arraying conveyor 14 that receives articles M in units of a predetermined number from the article supply conveyor 12 and arrays and accumulates the articles M while carrying them; a transfer device 16 that transfers the articles M on the article supply conveyor 12 in units of the predetermined number onto the article arraying conveyor 14; and a takeout device 18 that takes the articles M accumulated on the article arraying conveyor 14 out of the article arraying conveyor 14. The transfer device 16, when transferring the articles M onto the article arraying conveyor 14, shifts transfer positions P1-P5 downstream by a predetermined distance each time transferring the predetermined number of articles M onto the article arraying conveyor 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article stacking device that transfers a predetermined number of articles from an article supply conveyor to a lateral article alignment conveyor and stacks articles in a predetermined row and a predetermined column on the article alignment conveyor.

Background Art

[0002] Containers continuously conveyed in a single row on an article supply conveyor are blocked by a stopper and accumulated in a predetermined number in the accumulation section of the article supply conveyor. Then, the accumulated predetermined number of containers are sequentially pushed out by a pusher to a predetermined position on a laterally continuously running article alignment conveyor, thereby accumulating and aligning containers in a predetermined row and a predetermined column on the article alignment conveyor (Patent Document 1). However, in the article stacking and aligning device of Patent Document 1, until the containers aligned on the alignment conveyor are taken out, the containers accumulated in the accumulation section on the article supply conveyor cannot be pushed out to the alignment conveyor, and a large line pressure is applied to the containers in the accumulation section. As a result, the containers may be deformed or the rows may collapse, and the processing capacity also decreases.

[0003] In response to such a problem, an article stacking device has been proposed in which an alignment conveyor is divided into a first accumulation conveyor on the upstream side and a second accumulation conveyor on the downstream side (Patent Document 2). In the article stacking device, as soon as the accumulation of articles in the first accumulation conveyor is completed, the accumulated articles are quickly moved to the second accumulation conveyor. The articles are taken out from the alignment conveyor at the second accumulation conveyor. That is, when the accumulation of articles in the first accumulation conveyor is completed, the first accumulation conveyor is immediately emptied, so that the articles accumulated on the article supply conveyor can be pushed out to the first accumulation conveyor almost simultaneously when the accumulation is completed. This prevents the generation of line pressure in the article supply conveyor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] In the configuration of Patent Document 2, although the generation of line pressure on the article supply conveyor can be prevented, when transferring articles from the first integrated conveyor to the second integrated conveyor at high speed, the acceleration and deceleration during the transfer and the transfer between the first integrated conveyor and the second integrated conveyor may cause the posture of the articles to collapse, resulting in a failure to remove the articles.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to prevent the generation of large line pressure in the article supply conveyor while suppressing the collapse of the posture of the articles in the alignment conveyor. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0007] An article integrating device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an article supply conveyor for supplying articles, an article alignment conveyor for receiving articles in units of a predetermined number from the article supply conveyor and aligning and integrating the articles while conveying them, transfer means for transferring articles on the article supply conveyor onto the article alignment conveyor in units of the predetermined number, and take-out means for taking out the articles integrated on the article alignment conveyor from the article alignment conveyor. The transfer means Holding the article on the article supply conveyor Holding the article on the article supply conveyor transfers articles onto transfer position transfer position the article alignment conveyor which is such that the transfer position which is such that the transfer position and, each time a predetermined number of articles are transferred onto the article alignment conveyor, is is moves them downstream set in the conveyance direction of the article alignment conveyor set in the conveyance direction of the article alignment conveyor by a fixed distance to be to be which is characterized.

[0008] An article integrating device according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, after transferring a specified number of articles onto the article alignment conveyor, the article alignment conveyor is stopped until the articles are taken out by the take-out means.

[0009] The third article integrating device of the present invention includes an article supply conveyor for continuously supplying articles, an article alignment conveyor for receiving articles in a predetermined number as a unit from the article supply conveyor and aligning and integrating the articles while conveying them, transfer means for transferring articles on the article supply conveyor to the article alignment conveyor in a predetermined number as a unit, and taking-out means for taking out the articles integrated on the article alignment conveyor from the article alignment conveyor. In the article integrating device, a specified number of when a prescribed number of articles are transferred onto the article alignment conveyor, the article alignment conveyor stops after conveying the articles integrated on the article alignment conveyor to the take-out position. While the article alignment conveyor is stopped, the articles integrated at the take-out position are taken out by the taking-out means, and at the same time, by the transfer means The transfer means holds the article on the article supply conveyor and transfers the article, the leading article row is of the article supply conveyor transferred to the first transfer position, and the subsequent article rows are transferred to the second transfer position upstream of the first transfer position. This is the gist of the present invention. upstream in the conveyance direction of the article alignment conveyor at the take-out position conveyance direction of the article alignment conveyor

Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the generation of a large line pressure in the article supply conveyor while suppressing the collapse of the posture of the articles in the alignment conveyor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of an article stacking device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the article stacking device of FIG. 1.

[0013] The article stacking device 10 includes an article supply conveyor 12 that continuously conveys articles M in a single row, an article alignment conveyor 14 that is arranged adjacent to the side of the article supply conveyor 12, sequentially receives articles M in units of a predetermined number from the article supply conveyor 12, and aligns and stacks articles M in a predetermined row and a predetermined column (a specified number), a transfer device 16 that transfers a predetermined number of articles on the article supply conveyor 12 to the article alignment conveyor 14 all at once, and an article take-out device 18 that takes out a specified number of articles M stacked on the article alignment conveyor 14 all at once.

[0014] The article M is, for example, a covered round cup container, and is supplied to the upstream side of the article supply conveyor 12 at a predetermined interval from an introduction conveyor 20 via a supply wheel 22. The article supply conveyor 12 runs continuously at a constant speed, for example, and a movement restricting member 13 is arranged on the downstream conveying surface. The movement restricting member 13 is movable along the conveying direction by an endless chain 13A arranged along the conveying direction of the article supply conveyor 12. While contacting the leading article M and restricting its movement, it moves at a constant speed slightly slower than the conveying speed of the article supply conveyor 12 toward the downstream side of the article supply conveyor 12. As a result, the articles M supplied at a predetermined interval are brought closer to each other as they move downstream and are conveyed on the article supply conveyor 12. Note that a plurality of movement restricting members 13 are provided at predetermined intervals on the endless chain 13A, for example, and are inserted from below into the gaps between the articles M supplied at a predetermined interval from the supply wheel 22 at the upstream end of the supply wheel 22. The endless chain 13A is circulated so as to divide the rows of the articles M by the number of articles (a predetermined number, for example, 10) that the transfer device 16 transfers at one time, and the movement restricting member 13 engages with the leading article M of each divided row.

[0015] The upstream end of the article alignment conveyor 14 is arranged adjacent to the side of the article supply conveyor 12, and its conveying direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the article supply conveyor 12. The transfer device 16 is arranged above the article supply conveyor 12 and the article alignment conveyor 14 so as to be able to move back and forth between them on the downstream side of the article supply conveyor 12. The transfer device 16 includes a suction head 24 capable of sucking the top surfaces (lids) of a predetermined number (10 in FIG. 1) of articles M accumulated on the downstream side of the article supply conveyor 12 by the movement restricting member 13. That is, the articles M on the article supply conveyor 12 are sucked by the suction head 24 in units of a predetermined number and transferred to the article alignment conveyor 14.

[0016] Each suction head 24 is held at the lower end of a vertically arranged lifting rod 26, and the lifting rod 26 is lifted and lowered by a lifting mechanism 28A driven by a lifting motor 28. Further, the lifting mechanism 28A is held on a guide rail 30 arranged along the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor 14 and can reciprocate in the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor 14 by driving of a motor 30A. Furthermore, the guide rail 30 is held on a guide rail (not shown) arranged along the conveying direction of the article supply conveyor 12 and can reciprocate in the conveying direction of the article supply conveyor 12 by driving of a second motor (not shown). In FIG. 2, the state where the suction head 24 sucking the article M is lowered and the article M is placed on the article alignment conveyor 14 (solid line) and the state where the suction head 24 is lifted and moved onto the article supply conveyor 12 (dashed line) are depicted.

[0017] On the article supply conveyor 12, the article M adsorbed by the suction head 24 is lifted by the elevating mechanism 28A and moved onto the article alignment conveyor 14 along the guide rail 30 by the motor 30A. Then, it is lowered by the elevating mechanism 28A and placed and released at a predetermined transfer position (described later) on the article alignment conveyor 14. When adsorbing the article M on the article supply conveyor 12, since the article M is being moved by the article supply conveyor 12, the transfer device 16 drives the second motor to move the suction head 24 in the conveying direction following the article M. Also, when the transfer of the article M to the article alignment conveyor 14 is completed, the suction head 24 is returned to its original position and the same process is repeated.

[0018] The article take-out device 18 collectively takes out a specified number (10 rows × 10 columns, a total of 100 in this embodiment) of articles M accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14 and transfers them to a container C placed on a container placement section 32 adjacent to the downstream side of the article alignment conveyor 14. The article take-out device 18 is arranged across the upper part of the article alignment conveyor 14 and the container placement section 32 and includes a guide rail 18A along the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor 14. A slider 18B that slides along the guide rail 18A is attached to the guide rail 18A, and the slider 18B reciprocates on the guide rail 18A by the drive of the motor 18C.

[0019] Further, the slider 18B is provided with a vertically extending lifting rod 34 that is lifted and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and a suction disk 36 is attached to the lower end of the lifting rod 34. The suction disk 36 can adsorb the top surfaces (lids) of a prescribed number of articles M stacked on the article alignment conveyor 14 respectively. When the article pickup device 18 adsorbs the articles M stacked on the article alignment conveyor 14, it lifts the suction disk 36 by the lifting mechanism and moves it above the container placement portion 32 by the motor 18C. The moved suction disk 36 is then lowered by the lifting mechanism and places and releases a prescribed number of articles M into the container C placed on the container placement portion 32. The suction disk 36 that has released the article M is returned to its original position by the driving of the lifting mechanism and the motor 18C, and the same process is repeated. In FIG. 2, the state where the suction disk 36 is lowered on the article alignment conveyor 14 and adsorbs the top surface of the article M is shown by a solid line, and the state immediately before the suction disk 36 that has adsorbed the article M is moved and lowered onto the container placement portion 32 is shown by a dashed line.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the container placement portion 32 is composed of a plurality of rotating rollers 32A arranged at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor 14. The container C placed on the container placement portion 32 and containing a prescribed number of articles M is transferred to the opposite side of the article alignment conveyor 14 by the rotation of the rotating rollers 32A and moved to the adjacent container stacking portion 38. Note that the container stacking portion 38 is also composed of a plurality of rotating rollers 38A arranged at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor 14.

[0021] On the one hand, the container C is supplied from a container supply unit 40 arranged adjacent to the side of the container placement unit 32 as shown in FIG. 1. The container supply unit 40 sequentially supplies the container C using a container supply device 40A as shown in FIG. 2. The container supply device 40A is composed of a plurality of parallel plate members that can reciprocate along the gap of the rotating roller 32A and can move up and down. When supplying the container, the upper side of the plate member is raised to a position higher than the rotating roller 32A, and the container C in the container supply unit 40 is placed on the plate member and moved onto the rotating roller 32A. Then, the plate member is lowered until its upper side is at a position lower than the rotating roller 32A. As a result, the container C is placed on the rotating roller 32A, and the plate member is returned to the container supply unit 40. When the container C on the container placement unit 32 is discharged to the container stacking unit 38, the same process is repeated.

[0022] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the article transfer operation of the transfer device 16 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing schematic side views of the article supply conveyor 12 and the article alignment conveyor 14 arranged in time series, and shows a state in which a predetermined number of rows of articles M on the article supply conveyor 12 are sequentially transferred onto the article alignment conveyor 14 for alignment and accumulation. In FIG. 3, for the sake of convenience, the state when five rows (A) to (E) of the articles M are accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14 is shown.

[0023] FIG. 3(a) shows the state immediately after the first article row (A) is transferred to the article alignment conveyor 14 by the transfer device 16. At this time, the first article row (A) is transferred to the first transfer position P1 near the upstream end of the article alignment conveyor 14. The article alignment conveyor 14 is stopped while the first article row (A) is being transferred from the article supply conveyor 12 to the article alignment conveyor 14, and is transferred downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 simultaneously with the transfer of the first article row (A).

[0024] Fig. 3(b) shows the state immediately after the second article row (B) that had been accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 in Fig. 3(a) was transferred to the second transfer position P2 of the article alignment conveyor 14 by the transfer device 16. While the second article row (B) was being accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12, the first article row (A) was transferred downstream by a certain distance by the article alignment conveyor 14. The second transfer position P2 is set such that the second article row (B) transferred to the article alignment conveyor 14 is adjacent to the trailing edge of the moved first article row (A).

[0025] Fig. 3(c) shows the state immediately after the third article row (C) that had been accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 in Fig. 3(b) was transferred to the third transfer position P3 of the article alignment conveyor 14 by the transfer device 16. While the third article row (C) was being accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12, the first and second article rows (A), (B) were transferred downstream by a certain distance by the article alignment conveyor 14. The third transfer position P3 is set such that the third article row (C) transferred to the article alignment conveyor 14 is adjacent to the trailing edge of the moved second article row (B).

[0026] Similarly, Fig. 3(d) shows the state immediately after the fourth article row (D) that had been accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 in Fig. 3(c) was transferred to the fourth transfer position P4 of the article alignment conveyor 14 by the transfer device 16. While the fourth article row (D) was being accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12, the first, second, and third article rows (A), (B), (C) were transferred downstream by a certain distance by the article alignment conveyor 14. The fourth transfer position P4 is set such that the fourth article row (D) transferred to the article alignment conveyor 14 is adjacent to the trailing edge of the moved third article row (C).

[0027] Fig. 3(e) shows the state immediately after the fifth article row (E) that had been accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 in Fig. 3(d) was transferred to the fifth transfer position P5 of the article alignment conveyor 14 by the transfer device 16. In Fig. 3, the fifth article row (E) is the last article row to be transferred and accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14. Similar to before, while the fifth article row (E) is being accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12, the first, second, third, and fourth article rows (A), (B), (C), (D) are transferred downstream by a certain distance by the article alignment conveyor 14. The fifth transfer position P5 is set such that the fifth article row (E) transferred to the article alignment conveyor 14 is adjacent to the trailing edge of the transferred fourth article row (D).

[0028] At this time, the article alignment conveyor 14 is stopped, and the top surfaces of the respective articles M of the first to fifth article rows (A) to (E) are adsorbed and held by the adsorption head 24. Then, the first to fifth article rows (A) to (E) accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14 are taken out from the article alignment conveyor 14 by the article take-out device 18, and during that time, the next first article row (A) accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 is transferred to the first transfer position P1. Then, the article alignment conveyor 14 is restarted, and the same process is repeated. In Fig. 3(e), the position at the first transfer position P1 of the first article row (A) to be transferred next is shown by a dashed line.

[0029] Incidentally, until the article alignment conveyor 14 stops, the article alignment conveyor 14 runs at a constant speed. Therefore, when each of the first to fifth article rows (A) to (E) is transferred onto the article alignment conveyor 14, the previously transferred article row moves downstream by a fixed distance (predetermined distance) from each transfer position. As a result, each time an article row is transferred, the transfer position moves downstream by the predetermined distance. Thus, when the transfer of the last article row (here, the fifth article row (E)) onto the article alignment conveyor 14 is completed, at least an empty space for one row required for the next article row transfer is formed at the upstream end (the first transfer position P1) of the article alignment conveyor 14. This ensures a space for transferring articles onto the article alignment conveyor 14 after accumulating a specified number of articles thereon until the articles are taken out by the taking-out means 18. Therefore, it is possible to stop the article supply conveyor 12 with a stopper and prevent the generation of a large line pressure.

[0030] In this embodiment, an empty space for one row is formed at the upstream end of the article alignment conveyor 14. However, when more time is required for the taking-out means 18 to take out the articles, it is also possible to control the speed of the article alignment conveyor 14 and the transfer position by the transfer device 16 so that empty spaces for two or more rows are formed. Also, in this embodiment, until the article alignment conveyor 14 stops, the article alignment conveyor 14 runs at a constant speed. However, the article supply conveyor 12 may be intermittently conveyed each time a specified number of articles are accumulated thereon and transferred onto the article alignment conveyor 14.

[0031] With reference to FIG. 4, the article transfer operation in the transfer device 16 according to the second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment corresponds to the case where the time required for the taking-out means 18 to take out the articles is longer than that in the first embodiment. Incidentally, it is common to the first embodiment in that a space for transferring articles is ensured on the article alignment conveyor 14 after accumulating a specified number of articles thereon until the articles are taken out by the taking-out device 18.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram arranging schematic side views of the article supply conveyor 12 and the article alignment conveyor 14 in time series, showing a state where a row of a predetermined number of articles M on the article supply conveyor 12 is sequentially transferred onto the article alignment conveyor 14 for alignment and accumulation. In FIG. 4, for the sake of convenience, a state where five rows (A) to (E) of the articles M are accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14 is shown.

[0033] FIG. 4(a) shows a state immediately after the first article row (A) is transferred onto the article alignment conveyor 14 by the transfer device 16. At this time, the article alignment conveyor 14 is stopped, and the first article row (A) is transferred to the first transfer position Q1 separated by one article from the upstream end of the article alignment conveyor 14. Further, on the downstream side of the article alignment conveyor 14, the article rows (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) aligned and accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14 in the previous transfer operation are waiting for being taken out by the article take-out device 18.

[0034] FIG. 4(b) shows a state immediately after the article rows (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) aligned and accumulated on the downstream side of the article alignment conveyor 14 in FIG. 4(a) are taken out by the article take-out device 18 and the running of the stopped article alignment conveyor 14 is restarted. At this time, the second article row (B) accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 is transferred to the second transfer position Q2 of the article alignment conveyor 14 by the transfer device 16. The second transfer position Q2 is set such that the second article row (B) transferred to the article alignment conveyor 14 is adjacent to the trailing edge of the first article row (A) transferred to the first transfer position Q1. When the second article row (B) is transferred to the transfer position Q2, the first and second article rows (A), (B) are transferred downstream by one article (the first predetermined distance) by the article alignment conveyor 14.

[0035] Figure 4(c) shows the state immediately after the third article row (C), which had been accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 in Figure 4(b), was transferred by the transfer device 16 to the second transfer position Q2 of the article alignment conveyor 14. When the third article row (C) is transferred to the second transfer position Q2, the first, second, and third article rows (A), (B), and (C) are transferred downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 by one article (the first predetermined distance).

[0036] Similarly, Figure 4(d) shows the state immediately after the fourth article row (D), which had been accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 in Figure 4(c), was transferred by the transfer device 16 to the second transfer position Q2 of the article alignment conveyor 14. When the fourth article row (D) is transferred to the transfer position Q2, the first, second, third, and fourth article rows (A), (B), (C), and (D) are transferred downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 by two articles (the second predetermined distance).

[0037] Figure 4(e) shows the state immediately after the fifth article row (E), which had been accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 in Figure 4(d), was transferred by the transfer device 16 to the first transfer position Q1 of the article alignment conveyor 14. In Figure 4, the fifth article row (E) is the last article row to be transferred and accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14. When the fifth article row (E) is transferred, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth article rows (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E) are transferred downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 by two articles (the second predetermined distance).

[0038] After this, the state returns to the state of Figure 4(a). That is, the article alignment conveyor 14 is stopped, the top surfaces of the respective articles M of the first to fifth article rows (A) to (E) are adsorbed and held by the suction head 24, and the next first article row (A) accumulated on the article supply conveyor 12 is transferred to the first transfer position Q1. Further, as shown in Figure 4(b), when the second article row (B) is transferred to the second transfer position Q2, the first to fifth article rows (A) to (E) accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14 are taken out from the article alignment conveyor 14 by the article take-out device 18, and the article alignment conveyor 14 is restarted. Thereafter, the processes in Figure 4(c) and below are repeated in the same manner.

[0039] According to the article transfer operation of the second embodiment, when the article alignment conveyor 14 is stopped to take out the articles M aligned and accumulated on the article alignment conveyor 14, at least two empty spaces required for transferring the next article row are formed on the upstream side of the article alignment conveyor 14. In the second embodiment, although the transfer distances by the article alignment conveyor 14 are different after transferring the first article row (A) to the third article row (C) and after transferring the fourth article row (D) and the fifth article row (E), the article alignment conveyor 14 is intermittently conveyed within the same required time.

[0040] In the second embodiment, after transferring the article row (the fourth article row (D)) before the last article row to the second transfer position Q2, the first, second, third, and fourth article rows (A), (B), (C), (D) are conveyed downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 by two articles (Fig. 4(d)), and after transferring the last article row (the fifth article row (E)) to the first transfer position Q1, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth article rows (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) are conveyed downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 by two articles (Fig. 4(e)).

[0041] However, instead of the operations in Figs. 4(d) and (e), as shown in Figs. 5(d) and (e), after transferring the article row (the fourth article row (D)) before the last article row (E) to the second transfer position Q2, the first, second, third, and fourth article rows (A), (B), (C), (D) are conveyed downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 by one article, and after transferring the last article row (the fifth article row (E)) to the second transfer position Q2, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth article rows (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) are conveyed downstream by the article alignment conveyor 14 by three articles (the third predetermined distance). That is, the transfer position and the transfer distance can be changed as required.

[0042] As described above, according to the article stacking device of the present embodiment, unlike Patent Document 2, even if the article alignment conveyor is not divided into two conveyors and articles are not moved at high speed between the two conveyors, until the stacking of the previous group of articles on the article alignment conveyor is completed, a space can be provided on the upstream side of the article alignment conveyor to receive the first article row of the next group. Thereby, while suppressing the collapse of the posture of the articles on the alignment conveyor, it is possible to prevent the generation of a large line pressure on the article supply conveyor.

[0043] Further, in the present embodiment, the article row is transferred to the article alignment conveyor by the transfer device without stopping the article supply conveyor, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the article supply conveyor is stopped when holding the article row.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the round cup container has been described as an example, but the shape of the container is not limited to this, and the article may be other than a container. However, it is particularly effective for articles with a shape such as a tapered shape that is likely to collapse in posture.

[0045] In the present embodiment, the articles are supplied in a single row from the supply conveyor, but a configuration in which the articles are supplied in a plurality of rows may be adopted, or a configuration in which a plurality of supply conveyors are arranged in parallel may be adopted. When the articles are supplied in a plurality of rows, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a plurality of article rows are simultaneously transferred to the alignment conveyor by the transfer device.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the transfer device sucks the top surface of the article to transfer the article, but the transfer device is not limited to this. For example, a pusher that pushes the article row out from the side toward the alignment conveyor may be used.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0047] 10 Article stacking device 12 Article supply conveyor 14 Article alignment conveyor 16 Transfer device (transfer means) (A)~(E) First to fifth article rows M Article P1 to P5, the 1st to 5th transfer positions

Claims

1. An article stacking device comprising: an article supply conveyor for supplying articles; an article alignment conveyor for receiving articles from the article supply conveyor in units of a predetermined number, aligning and stacking the articles while conveying them; transfer means for transferring articles on the article supply conveyor to the article alignment conveyor in units of the predetermined number; and take-out means for taking out the articles stacked on the article alignment conveyor from the article alignment conveyor. The transfer means holds the articles on the article supply conveyor and transfers the articles to a transfer position on the article alignment conveyor, and the transfer position is set downstream in the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor by a predetermined distance each time the predetermined number of articles are transferred onto the article alignment conveyor. An article stacking device characterized by the above.

2. The article stacking device according to claim 1, wherein after a specified number of articles are stacked on the article alignment conveyor, the article alignment conveyor is stopped until the articles are taken out by the take-out means.

3. An article stacking device comprising: an article supply conveyor for continuously supplying articles; an article alignment conveyor for receiving articles from the article supply conveyor in units of a predetermined number, aligning and stacking the articles while conveying them; transfer means for transferring articles on the article supply conveyor to the article alignment conveyor in units of the predetermined number; and take-out means for taking out a specified number of articles stacked on the article alignment conveyor from the article alignment conveyor. The transfer means holds the articles on the article supply conveyor and transfers the articles. When a specified number of articles are transferred onto the article alignment conveyor, the article alignment conveyor conveys the articles stacked thereon to a take-out position and then stops. While the article alignment conveyor is stopped, the articles stacked at the take-out position are taken out by the take-out means, and the leading article row on the article supply conveyor is transferred by the transfer means to a first transfer position upstream in the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor at the take-out position, and the subsequent article row is transferred to a second transfer position upstream in the conveying direction of the article alignment conveyor at the first transfer position. An article stacking device characterized by the above.

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