Alignment drop device

Abstract

To provide a device for arraying and falling that is easy to simply carry out adjustment of an endless belt but less apt to become faulty.SOLUTION: A device for arraying and falling 1 comprises one pair of conveyors 2 and an approaching / distancing unit 4 for moving both conveyors 2 closer together or away from each other. By distancing both conveyors 2, a bag body group 10A arrayed in line on both conveyors is fallen down from between both conveyors 2. The conveyor 2 comprises a drive roller 21, a driven roller 22 and an endless belt 27. The approaching / distancing unit 4 comprises a first drive unit 5 that moves the driven roller 22 in a horizontal direction intersecting with a transport direction of the conveyor 2, a second drive unit 6 that moves the drive roller 21 in the horizontal direction intersecting with the transport direction of the conveyor 2, and a belt-tension adjusting mechanism 7 that is allowed to operate the first drive unit 5 to approach to or distance from the second drive unit 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an alignment and dropping device that drops a plurality of transported objects downward while aligning them in a line. [Background technology]

[0002] A commonly known method involves sealing processed food in bags and then passing the bags through a steam heating chamber and a cooling chamber in sequence to sterilize the sealed processed food. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sterilizing / cooling apparatus including a wide first conveyor passing through a sterilization chamber consisting of a steam heating chamber and a cooling chamber. The first conveyor sequentially transports a group of bags, each of which is arranged in a line in the width direction, into the sterilization chamber. An aligning / dropping device is disposed above the first conveyor, aligning the bags in a line and sequentially dropping them onto the first conveyor. The aligning / dropping device includes a pair of second conveyors arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in a horizontal direction intersecting the bag conveyance direction. The second conveyor includes a plurality of guide rollers arranged side by side in the conveyance direction of the second conveyor, an endless belt wound around each guide roller, and a support plate rotatably supporting each guide roller. Rotation of the guide rollers by a drive motor causes the endless belt to move around and transport each bag. Each support plate is rotatable up and down, and when it rotates downward, the second conveyors move away from each other, while when it rotates upward, the second conveyors move closer to each other. A group of bags aligned in a row is carried onto the two second conveyors that are in close proximity, and the second conveyors move away from each other to drop the group of bags downward. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-121822 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conveyors where an endless belt moves around, the tension of the endless belt may need to be adjusted during maintenance, etc., and this is generally done by moving the guide rollers closer to or farther apart using a belt tension adjustment mechanism provided on a support plate that supports each guide roller.

[0005] However, in the case of the conveyor of the aligned dropping device in Patent Document 1, if a belt tension adjustment mechanism is provided on the support plate that supports each guide roller, a large load will be placed on the pivot mechanism of the support plate that moves the second conveyors closer to or farther away from each other. This may result in a risk of malfunction due to deformation or breakage at that location when the second conveyors repeatedly move closer to or farther away from each other.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an alignment and dropping device that is less likely to break down and that allows for easy adjustment of an endless belt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that the mechanism for moving the driven roller around which the endless belt is wound in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction is moved in the conveying direction.

[0008] Specifically, the present invention addresses an aligned dropping device that includes a pair of conveyors arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction of the transported objects, and an approaching / separating unit that moves the two conveyors closer to or apart from each other, and that is configured to drop the transported objects, which are sequentially transported by the two conveyors in the approaching / separating state, in a group of transported objects aligned in a line, from between the two conveyors that have been separated from each other by the approaching / separating unit, in the state of being in a group of transported objects. The following solutions have been taken.

[0009] That is, in a first aspect of the present invention, the conveyor includes a drive roller that is driven to rotate, a driven roller that rotates in accordance with the rotational drive of the drive roller, and an endless belt that is wound around the drive roller and the driven roller and moves in a circular motion in accordance with the rotational drive of the drive roller, and the approaching and separating unit includes a first drive unit that rotatably supports the driven roller and is capable of moving it in a horizontal direction that intersects with the conveying direction of the conveyor, a second drive unit that rotatably supports the drive roller and is capable of moving it in the horizontal direction that intersects with the conveying direction of the conveyor, and whereas the second drive unit or the first drive unit is moved closer to or further away from the second drive unit in the conveying direction. It is characterized by being equipped with a belt tension adjustment mechanism.

[0010] In the second invention, as in the first invention, the conveyor is provided with a guide plate arranged inside the endless belt and guiding the endless belt while sliding against the back surface of the endless belt as it moves around, and the sliding surface of the guide plate that comes into contact with the endless belt is formed with a groove extending along the conveying direction of the conveyor, and the back surface of the endless belt is provided with a first protrusion portion that fits loosely into the groove.

[0011] The third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, a large number of second protrusions extending across the entire width of the endless belt are arranged side by side around the entire circumference of the endless belt on the surface of the endless belt. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the first aspect of the present invention, operating the belt tension adjustment mechanism moves the driven roller and drive roller closer to or farther apart through the operation of the first and second drive units. This allows for easy adjustment of the tension of the endless belt. Furthermore, the drive source that moves the drive roller or driven roller in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveyance direction when dropping conveyed objects from both conveyors does not support the belt tension adjustment mechanism; rather, the belt tension adjustment mechanism supports the drive source. This reduces the load on the drive source even when conveyed objects are repeatedly dropped in an aligned manner, reducing the risk of malfunctions caused by deformation or damage to the drive source. Furthermore, because the first drive unit having the driven roller and the second drive unit having the drive roller are separate, in a conveyor that is long in the conveyance direction, the portions supporting the drive roller and the driven roller are less likely to flex compared to a structure in which the portions supporting the driven roller and the drive roller are integrated. Therefore, there is no need to increase the rigidity of the parts that support the driven roller and drive roller more than necessary, and the section modulus of these parts can be reduced to reduce their weight, which makes it possible to reduce the output of the drive part and make the device low-cost.In addition, because the parts that support the driven roller and drive roller are less likely to flex, the generation of chattering noise and failures due to metal fatigue during operation of the device can be suppressed.

[0013] In the second aspect of the present invention, the guide plate supports the conveying area of ​​the endless belt from below, preventing the conveying area of ​​the endless belt from sagging. Furthermore, when the endless belt rotates, the recessed groove guides the first protrusion in the conveying direction of the conveyed object, thereby stabilizing the circular movement of the endless belt without meandering. Furthermore, when the two conveyors approach or separate, the first protrusion is caught in the recessed groove, so the endless belt moves integrally with the guide plate in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction. Therefore, even when the two conveyors repeatedly move toward or away from each other, the position of the endless belt can be prevented from shifting from the drive roller or driven roller, ensuring stable conveyance of the conveyed object.

[0014] In the third aspect of the present invention, the second protrusions catch on the object placed on the endless belt as the endless belt rotates, preventing the object from slipping in the conveying direction relative to the endless belt, allowing the object to be conveyed efficiently. Furthermore, because the second protrusions extend in the direction in which the conveyors separate, the resistance of the second protrusions to the object placed on the endless belt is reduced when the conveyors separate. Therefore, the endless belt moves more easily relative to the object when the conveyors separate, allowing the object to fall smoothly off the endless belt. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of an aligned dropping device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view of an aligned dropping device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing the state immediately after the group of objects to be transported aligned in a row is dropped downward, following FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature.

[0017] 1 and 2 show a production line equipped with an aligning and dropping device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The aligning and dropping device 1 is used to align flexible bags 10 (carried objects) in which processed food is packaged in a line when they are carried into a freezing chamber (not shown), and is installed upstream of the freezing chamber.

[0018] The alignment and dropping device 1 includes a pair of conveyors 2 that convey each bag 10 linearly in the horizontal direction, and a stand 3 that supports both conveyors 2.

[0019] The conveyor 2 is provided with a drive roller 21 positioned at the downstream end in the conveying direction and a driven roller 22 positioned at the upstream end in the conveying direction, the drive roller 21 being arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0020] Each drive roller 21 is attached to a drive shaft 21a extending horizontally perpendicular to the conveying direction so as to be slidable in its axial direction, and a first guide groove 21b having an approximately trapezoidal cross section and extending in a circular shape in the circumferential direction is formed at approximately the center of the surface of the drive roller 21.

[0021] A first drive motor 21c for starting the conveyor 2 is attached to one end of the drive shaft 21a, and when the first drive motor 21c is driven, both drive rollers 21 are driven to rotate.

[0022] The driven roller 22 is rotatably supported by a support plate 22a, and a second guide groove 22b is formed in the approximate center of the surface of the driven roller 22, extending annularly in the circumferential direction and having a generally trapezoidal cross section.

[0023] Between the driving roller 21 and the driven roller 22 of each conveyor 2, four guide rollers 23 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction.

[0024] In addition, a pair of guide plates 24 each having an L-shaped cross section are disposed between the drive roller 21 and the driven roller 22 of each conveyor 2 at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction.

[0025] The guide plate 24 on the upstream side in the conveying direction is located above the two guide rollers 23 located on the upstream side in the conveying direction, and the guide plate 24 on the downstream side in the conveying direction is located above the two guide rollers 23 located on the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0026] The entire length of the guide plate 24 on the downstream side in the conveying direction is set to be longer than the entire length of the guide plate 24 on the upstream side in the conveying direction.

[0027] The guide plate 24 is in the form of a strip extending in the conveying direction and comprises a first plate 25 with its plate surface facing up and down, and a second plate 26 extending vertically downward from the outer edge of the first plate 25, and a concave groove 25a extending linearly along the conveying direction is formed on the surface of the first plate 25.

[0028] The concave groove 25a of the guide plate 24 located upstream in the conveying direction has one end corresponding to the second guide groove 22b of the driven roller 22, and the other end has an approximately triangular shape in plan view that gradually widens as it approaches the end.

[0029] Furthermore, a support plate 22a is fixedly connected to the second plate 26 of the guide plate 24 located on the upstream side in the conveying direction.

[0030] On the other hand, the concave groove 25a of the guide plate 24 located downstream in the conveying direction has one end corresponding to the first guide groove 21b of the drive roller 21, and the other end has an approximately triangular shape in a plan view that gradually widens as it approaches the end.

[0031] Further, a shaft support portion 21d of the drive roller 21 is connected to the second plate 26 of the guide plate 24 located downstream in the conveying direction.

[0032] An endless belt 27 is wound around the drive roller 21 and the driven roller 22, and the back surface of the endless belt 27 is provided with a first protrusion portion 27a that fits loosely into the concave groove 25a, the first guide groove 21b, and the second guide groove 22b, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, a large number of second protrusions 27b extending across the entire width of the endless belt 27 are arranged side by side around the entire circumference of the endless belt 27 on the surface of the endless belt 27.

[0034] The endless belt 27 moves in a circular motion due to the rotational drive of the drive roller 21, and the surface (sliding surface) of the first plate 25 of the guide plate 24 guides the endless belt 27 while sliding against the back surface of the endless belt 27 that moves in a circular motion.

[0035] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the platform 3 has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view and comprises a support frame 3a with multiple reinforcing frames bridged inside, and four leg frames 3b extending linearly downward from the four corners of the support frame 3a, with the support frame 3a having an elongated shape in the transport direction.

[0036] A moving-close unit 4 that moves the two conveyors 2 closer to or farther away from each other is attached to the support frame 3a.

[0037] The approaching and separating unit 4 is composed of a pair of first drive units 5 corresponding to each guide plate 24 and each driven roller 22 on the upstream side in the conveying direction, a pair of second drive units 6 corresponding to each guide plate 24 and each drive roller 21 on the downstream side in the conveying direction, and a belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 that adjusts the tension state of the endless belt 27.

[0038] The belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 includes a plurality of slide rails 71 extending in the conveying direction of the conveyor 2, and each slide rail 71 is fixed to the support frame 3a.

[0039] A slide frame 72 is attached to the slide rail 71 via a slider 71a that slidably fits onto the slide rail 71, and a block 72a having a screw hole that penetrates in the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 is fixed to the underside of the slide frame 72.

[0040] A screw shaft 73 extending in the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 is threadably engaged with the block 72 a so as to be capable of threadably advancing and retreating, and the screw shaft 73 extends to the outside of the base 3 .

[0041] A rotary handle 74 capable of rotating the screw shaft 73 is attached to the extending end of the screw shaft 73 .

[0042] The belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 is configured to rotate the rotary handle 74 forward or backward to advance or retreat the slide frame 72 in the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 via the block 72a.

[0043] The first drive unit 5 includes a slide mechanism 8 that slides the conveyor 2, and the slide mechanism 8 is located above the slide frame 72.

[0044] The slide mechanism 8 has a pair of guide cylinders 81 attached to the slide frame 72 at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction of the conveyor 2, and both guide cylinders 81 slide the guide plate 24 in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 2.

[0045] Between the two guide cylinders 81, a second drive motor 82 having a drive shaft 82a extending in the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 is disposed, and the drive shaft 82a protrudes from both side surfaces of the second drive motor 82.

[0046] A roughly egg-shaped crank plate 83 is attached to each end of the drive shaft 82a so as to rotate integrally with the drive shaft 82a.

[0047] At an eccentric position of the crank plate 83, one end of a connecting rod 84 extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 is axially supported so as to be rotatable up and down.

[0048] The other end of the connecting rod 84 is supported by the second plate 26 of the guide plate 24 so as to be rotatable up and down.

[0049] The crank plate 83 and the connecting rod 84 form a crank mechanism, and as shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the drive shaft 82a of the second drive motor 82 in the first drive unit 5 is rotated to one side, the guide plate 24 and the driven roller 22 move back and forth horizontally via both crank plates 83 and both connecting rods 84 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 2.

[0050] The second drive unit 6 has a similar structure to the first drive unit 5, and is the same as the first drive unit 5 except that the dimensions of each structure are longer in the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 than those of the first drive unit 5, and that it is the drive roller 21 rather than the driven roller 22 that slides and moves together with the guide plate 24.Therefore, the same components are given the same symbols and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0051] When the rotary handle 74 is rotated forward or backward, the belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 causes the slide frame 72 to thread forward or backward, moving the first drive unit 5 closer to or farther away from the second drive unit 6, thereby adjusting the tension state of the endless belt 27.

[0052] In other words, the belt tension adjusting mechanism 7 is capable of moving the first drive unit 5 closer to or further away from the second drive unit 6.

[0053] The control unit 9 is connected to the first drive motor 21c and each of the second drive motors 82.

[0054] When bag bodies 10 reach the aligned and dropping device 1 from the upstream conveyor 12 located upstream of the aligned and dropping device 1 and drop onto the endless belt 27, the control unit 9 outputs a drive start signal to the first drive motor 21c to rotate the endless belt 27 by an amount corresponding to the dimension of the bag bodies 10 in the conveying direction. In other words, when the bag bodies 10 reach the aligned and dropping device 1 sequentially from the upstream conveyor 12 at predetermined intervals, the endless belt 27 is rotated intermittently to align the plurality of bag bodies 10 in a row at the position straddling both conveyors 2.

[0055] In addition, when the control unit 9 outputs an operation signal to each second drive motor 82 to rotate each drive shaft 82a in one direction, each guide plate 24, each drive roller 21, and each driven roller 22 moves back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 via the crank plate 83 and connecting rod 84, so that both conveyors 2 repeatedly move closer to and away from each other.

[0056] That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 9 operates the crank mechanism of each slide mechanism 8 to separate the two conveyors 2, causing the group of bags 10A aligned in a row on the two conveyors 2 to fall downward from between the two conveyors 2.

[0057] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 is operated, the first drive unit 5 operates to move the driven roller 22 toward or away from the drive roller 21. Therefore, the tension state of the endless belt 27 can be easily adjusted.

[0058] Furthermore, the first drive unit 5, which moves the driven roller 22 in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction when dropping the bag bodies 10 from both conveyors 2, does not support the belt tension adjustment mechanism 7, but rather the belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 supports the first drive unit 5.Therefore, even when the bag bodies 10 are repeatedly dropped in an aligned manner, the load on the first drive unit 5 is reduced, thereby reducing malfunctions caused by deformation or damage to the relevant area.

[0059] Furthermore, because the first drive unit 5 having the driven roller 22 and the second drive unit 6 having the drive roller 21 are separate, when the conveyor 2 is long in the conveying direction, the portions supporting the drive roller 21 and the portions supporting the driven roller 22 are less likely to flex than in a structure in which the portions supporting the drive roller 21 and the driven roller 22 are integrated. This eliminates the need to increase the rigidity of the portions supporting the drive roller 21 and the driven roller 22 more than necessary, and makes it possible to reduce the weight by, for example, reducing the section modulus of the guide plate 24, thereby enabling each guide cylinder 81 to have a low pressure, resulting in a low-cost aligned dropping device 1. Furthermore, because the portions supporting the drive roller 21 and the driven roller 22 are less likely to flex, the occurrence of chattering noise and failures due to metal fatigue can be suppressed during operation of the aligned dropping device 1.

[0060] Furthermore, since the guide plate 24 supports the conveying area of ​​the endless belt 27 from below, it is possible to prevent the conveying area of ​​the endless belt 27 from sagging downward. Furthermore, when the endless belt 27 is rotated, the concave grooves 25a guide the first protrusions 27a in the conveying direction of the bag bodies 10, so that the rotation of the endless belt 27 can be stabilized without meandering.

[0061] Furthermore, when the two conveyors 2 move toward or away from each other, the first protrusions 27a are caught in the recessed grooves 25a, so that the endless belt 27 moves integrally with the guide plate 24 in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction. Therefore, even if the two conveyors 2 repeatedly move toward or away from each other, the position of the endless belt 27 can be prevented from shifting from the drive roller 21 or the driven roller 22, and the conveyance of the bags 10 can be stabilized.

[0062] In addition, as the endless belt 27 moves around, each second protrusion 27b catches on the bag body 10 placed on the endless belt 27, so the bag body 10 does not slip in the conveying direction relative to the endless belt 27, and the bag body 10 can be conveyed efficiently.

[0063] Furthermore, because each second protrusion 27b extends in the direction in which the conveyors 2 are separated, when the conveyors 2 are separated, the resistance of each second protrusion 27b to the bag body 10 placed on the endless belt 27 is reduced. Therefore, when the conveyors 2 are separated, the endless belt 27 can move more easily relative to the bag body 10, allowing the bag body 10 to fall smoothly from the endless belt 27.

[0064] Although the alignment and dropping device 1 of the embodiment of the present invention aligns and drops the flexible bags 10, it may also align and drop other transported objects, such as box-shaped objects.

[0065] Furthermore, the belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 in the embodiment of the present invention is capable of operating the movement of the first drive unit 5 toward or away from the second drive unit 6, but is not limited to this and may have a structure that is capable of operating the movement of the second drive unit 6 toward or away from the first drive unit 5.

[0066] Furthermore, the belt tension adjustment mechanism 7 of the embodiment of the present invention is configured to move the first drive unit 5 closer to or farther away from the second drive unit 6 by using a screw structure that threads the screw shaft 73 forward and backward into the block 72a, but this is not limited to this, and the first drive unit 5 may also be moved closer to or farther away from the second drive unit 6 by using a mechanism such as a rack and pinion, for example.

[0067] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the conveyors 2 toward and away from each other is performed by a cam mechanism, but this is not limiting and the movement may be performed by a slide mechanism such as a cylinder.

[0068] In addition, in the approaching and separating unit 4 of the embodiment of the present invention, the two conveyors 2 are slid by the guide cylinder 81 to move closer to or away from each other, but the two conveyors 2 may also be structured like double doors to move closer to or away from each other. [Industrial Applicability]

[0069] The present invention is suitable for an aligned dropping device that drops a plurality of transported objects downward while aligning them in a line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1. Alignment drop device 2 Conveyor 4 Approach and distance unit 5. First drive unit 6 Second drive unit 7 Belt tension adjustment mechanism 10 Bag body (carried object) 10A Bag group (transferred object group) 21 Drive roller 22 driven roller 24 Guide plate 25a Concave groove 27 Endless belt 27a 1st protrusion 27b 2nd protrusion

Claims

1. An aligned dropping device comprising a pair of conveyors arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction of the objects to be conveyed, and an approaching / separating unit that moves the two conveyors closer to or apart from each other, and configured to drop the objects, which are sequentially conveyed by the two conveyors in the approaching / separating state, downward from between the two conveyors that have been separated from each other by the approaching / separating unit in a state where the objects are aligned in a line, The conveyor includes a drive roller that is driven to rotate, a driven roller that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the drive roller, and an endless belt that is wound around the drive roller and the driven roller and moves in a circular motion in accordance with the rotation of the drive roller, The approaching and separating unit comprises a first drive unit that rotatably supports the driven roller and is capable of moving it in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor, a second drive unit that rotatably supports the drive roller and is capable of moving it in a horizontal direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a belt tensioning adjustment mechanism that moves the second drive unit closer to or farther away from the first drive unit, or the first drive unit closer to or farther away from the second drive unit, in the conveying direction.

2. The aligned dropping device according to claim 1, the conveyor includes a guide plate disposed inside the endless belt and guiding the endless belt while being in sliding contact with the back surface of the endless belt that moves around; A groove extending along the conveying direction of the conveyor is formed on the surface of the guide plate that slides against the endless belt, The alignment and dropping device is characterized in that a first protrusion portion that fits loosely into the concave groove is provided on the back surface of the endless belt.

3. The aligned dropping device according to claim 1 or 2, An aligned dropping device characterized in that a large number of second protrusions extending across the entire width of the endless belt are arranged side by side around the entire circumference of the endless belt on the surface of the endless belt.

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