Conveyor

Abstract

To provide a technique of preventing a set of products to be packaged from being conveyed to a packaging step with the arrangement of the set of products being uneven in a manufacturing step of an absorbent article.SOLUTION: A conveyance device of an absorbent article comprises: a counting unit; first movement means which moves the absorbent article to the outside of the counting unit; a first conveyance path which is arranged adjacently to the counting unit and has a first placement surface on which the absorbent article moved by the first movement means is placed; a wall part which restricts movement in the prescribed direction of the absorbent article in the first conveyance path; second movement means which moves the absorbent article moved to the first conveyance path to the outside of the first conveyance path; a second conveyance path which includes a region adjacent to the first conveyance path and includes a second placement surface on which the absorbent article moved by the second movement means is placed and third movement means that moves the absorbent article to a post-step; and an alignment mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying absorbent articles. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been known devices for automating the production of absorbent articles such as disposable diapers (for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses an absorbent article manufacturing device that includes a product forming mechanism, a conveying mechanism, and a counting mechanism. As described in Patent Document 1, in such devices, products are formed by the forming mechanism, conveyed by the conveying mechanism to the counting mechanism, the products are counted by the counting mechanism, and then the products are packaged in predetermined quantities. It is common for such packaging processes to also be automated by the device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-22369 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the manufacturing apparatus described above, after the counting mechanism has counted the products, when the products are transported to a process (specifically, a device) where they are packaged in predetermined quantities, the arrangement of the set of products to be packaged may become irregular. If the set of products is transported to the packaging device while still being arranged irregularly, there is a problem that the packaging will not be performed properly.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a technique for preventing a set of products to be packaged from being transported to the packaging process in a state where the products are misaligned in the manufacturing process of absorbent articles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A conveying mechanism according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a conveying device that conveys a plurality of absorbent articles, a counting unit that counts the absorbent articles and transports them toward a predetermined area, and aligns the absorbent articles in a set of a predetermined number in the thickness direction in the predetermined area; a first moving means for moving the aligned set of absorbent articles from the predetermined area to outside the counting unit; a first conveying path that is disposed adjacent to the predetermined area in a first direction that is one of directions perpendicular on a horizontal plane to the thickness direction of the absorbent articles aligned in the predetermined area, and that includes a first placement surface on which the set of absorbent articles moved by the first moving means is placed; a wall portion that restricts movement of the set of absorbent articles moved to the first transport path in the thickness direction at both ends in the thickness direction; a second moving means for collectively moving the set of absorbent articles moved to the first transport path to an area outside the first transport path on the first direction side; a second conveying path that is provided to include an area adjacent to the first conveying path in the first direction in a plan view, and that includes a second placement surface on which the set of absorbent articles moved by the second moving means is placed, and a third moving means that collectively moves the set of absorbent articles placed on the second placement surface to a subsequent process, The second placement surface of the second transport path is a transport device that is disposed vertically below the first placement surface of the first transport path. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for preventing a set of products to be packaged from being transported to the packaging process with the arrangement of the products misaligned in the manufacturing process of absorbent articles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1]Fig. 1A is a schematic plan view showing an outline of a conveyance device for absorbent articles according to embodiment 1. Fig. 1B is a schematic view illustrating an outline of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Fig. 2A is a first diagram illustrating a transport mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2B is a second diagram illustrating a transport mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. [Figure 3] Fig. 3A is a third diagram illustrating a transport mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3B is a fourth diagram illustrating a transport mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3C is a fifth diagram illustrating a transport mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3D is a sixth diagram illustrating a transport mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. [Figure 4] Fig. 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a conveyor in the absorbent article conveyor according to embodiment 1. Fig. 4B is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of a third conveying path in the absorbent article conveyor according to embodiment 1. [Figure 5] Fig. 5A is a seventh diagram illustrating a transportation mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. Fig. 5B is an eighth diagram illustrating a transportation mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. Fig. 5C is a ninth diagram illustrating a transportation mode of the absorbent article according to embodiment 1. [Figure 6] Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating a first modified example of embodiment 1. Fig. 6B is a first diagram illustrating a transport mode of an absorbent article according to the first modified example of embodiment 1. Fig. 6C is a second diagram illustrating a transport mode of an absorbent article according to the first modified example of embodiment 1. [Figure 7] Fig. 7A is a first diagram illustrating a second modified example of embodiment 1. Fig. 7B is a second diagram illustrating a second modified example of embodiment 1. Fig. 7C is a third diagram illustrating a second modified example of embodiment 1. [Figure 8]Fig. 8A is a first diagram illustrating a third modified example of embodiment 1. Fig. 8B is a second diagram illustrating a third modified example of embodiment 1. Fig. 8C is a third diagram illustrating a third modified example of embodiment 1. [Figure 9] Fig. 9A is a schematic plan view showing an outline of a conveyance device for absorbent articles according to embodiment 2. Fig. 9B is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a monitoring device according to embodiment 2. [Figure 10] Fig. 10A is a first diagram showing an example of an aspect of an absorbent article that is determined to be abnormal by the absorbent article conveying device according to embodiment 2. Fig. 10B is a second diagram showing an example of an aspect of an absorbent article that is determined to be abnormal by the absorbent article conveying device according to embodiment 2. Fig. 10C is a third diagram showing an example of an aspect of an absorbent article that is determined to be abnormal by the absorbent article conveying device according to embodiment 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> 1A is a schematic plan view showing an outline of a conveying device 1 for absorbent articles according to a first embodiment. The conveying device 1 is disposed in a manufacturing line for absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins. This is a mechanism that counts the manufactured absorbent articles, groups a predetermined number of absorbent articles into one set, and transports each set to the packaging process.

[0011] 1B is a simplified model diagram of the absorbent article 100 conveyed by the conveying device 1. As shown in FIG. 1B, the absorbent article 100 has a thickness T, a longitudinal length T, and a lateral length W. The absorbent article 100 can be, for example, a disposable diaper folded into a rectangular shape during the manufacturing process, or a sanitary product individually packaged into a rectangular shape, but does not necessarily have to be rectangular in shape.

[0012] 1A, the conveying device 1 includes a counting unit 10, a first conveying path 20, and a second conveying path 30, and conveys the absorbent articles 100 in the order of the counting unit 10, the first conveying path 20, and the second conveying path 30. Note that the black arrows in FIG. 1A indicate the conveying path of the absorbent articles 100.

[0013] The absorbent articles 100 are manufactured in a manufacturing process, which is a preceding process, by a manufacturing device (not shown), and then carried one by one into the counting unit 10 through a product insertion port 19. The absorbent articles carried to the second conveying path 30 are further carried to a packaging device (not shown), which is a subsequent process.

[0014] (Regarding the counting section) The counting unit 10 includes an endless belt 12, a plurality of guide plates 11 extending horizontally from the endless belt 12, a support member (not shown) that supports the absorbent articles 100, and a counting means (not shown), and counts the absorbent articles 100 and transports them toward the extrusion area 14, where a predetermined number of the absorbent articles 100 are aligned in the thickness direction as a set. The absorbent articles 100 transported to the extrusion area 14 are moved out of the counting unit 10 by a pusher 13, which will be described later.

[0015] The endless belt 12 is driven by a rotary drive unit (not shown) and circulates the substantially rectangular guide plates 11, which are arranged at equal intervals, in a fixed direction. The absorbent article 100 is fed between the two guide plates 11 from the product feed opening 19, and as the endless belt 12 moves the guide plates 11, it is conveyed sandwiched between the two guide plates 11 to the push-out area 14 (see the black arrows in FIG. 1A). At this time, the absorbent article 100 is fed between the two guide plates 11 so that the direction of thickness T is the same as the direction of movement of the guide plates 11, and is conveyed in an upright state with its bottom surface supported by a support member and both sides defined by the longitudinal and width directions supported by the two guide plates 11.

[0016] In the pushing-out region 14, a predetermined number of absorbent articles 100 (e.g., eight in this embodiment) transported into the region are aligned in the thickness direction via guide plates 11 arranged at equal intervals. Then, the pusher 13 pushes the predetermined number of absorbent articles 100 in the pushing-out region 14 as a group toward the first conveying path 20, and the group of absorbent articles 100 moves toward the first conveying path 20. In other words, the pusher 13 corresponds to a first moving means, and moves the absorbent articles 100 toward the first conveying path 20, which is a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the absorbent articles 100 in the horizontal plane.

[0017] After the absorbent articles 100 are moved to the first conveying path 20 in the push-out area 14, each guide plate 11 is moved by the endless belt 12 toward the product insertion port 19, and new absorbent articles 100 are again inserted between the two vacant guide plates 11 at the product insertion port 19. As described above, the counting unit 10 corresponds to a counting machine (counting mechanism) in the manufacturing process of absorbent articles.

[0018] (Regarding the first transport path) The first conveying path 20 is located adjacent to the extrusion area 14 and includes a wall portion 21 that restricts the movement of a set of absorbent articles 100 conveyed to the first conveying path 20 in the thickness direction, a first loading surface 22 (not shown in Figure 1A) that is located on approximately the same plane as the support surface of the absorbent articles 100 by the support member of the counting unit 10, and a moving mechanism described below.

[0019] 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams illustrating how the absorbent articles 100 placed in the push-out area 14 of the counting unit 10 are moved to the first conveying path 20 by the pusher 13. The left side of the dashed line shown in Figures 2A and 2B is the counting unit 10, and the right side is the first conveying path 20. The pusher 13 (not shown in Figure 2) simultaneously pushes out a set of absorbent articles 100 in the direction of the white arrow in Figure 2A, and the set of absorbent articles 100 is conveyed from the counting unit 10 to the first conveying path 20 (see Figure 2B).

[0020] Figures 3A to 3D are explanatory diagrams illustrating the state of the absorbent articles 100 within the first conveying path 20, with Figures 3A and 3B showing the state of a set of absorbent articles 100 as viewed from the conveying direction, and Figures 3C and 3D showing the state of a set of absorbent articles 100 as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0021] The first conveying path 20 is provided with wall portions 21 on both sides of the absorbent articles 100 in the thickness direction (left and right in FIGS. 3A and 3B) to restrict movement of the absorbent articles 100 in the thickness direction. Here, immediately after being moved to the first conveying path 20, each absorbent article 100 is aligned with the other absorbent articles 100 at a distance of at least the thickness of the guide plate 11. FIG. 3A shows a set of absorbent articles 100 in such a state. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, the wall portions 21 on both sides are moved inward (in the direction of the white arrows in FIG. 3B) by an actuator (not shown), and the set of absorbent articles 100 is sandwiched from both sides in the thickness direction, and the absorbent articles 100 are gathered together with no gaps between them. Then, as the wall portions 21 maintain this state, the absorbent articles 100 are placed on the first placing surface 22 in the first conveying path 20, and their movement in the thickness direction is restricted.

[0022] Once the set of absorbent articles 100 has been gathered together as described above, the absorbent articles 100 are then transported toward the second transport path 30 by a moving mechanism including a delivery plate 23 shown in Figures 3C and 3D. The delivery plate 23 is a plate-like member having a width similar to the overall thickness of the set of absorbent articles 100, and is connected to an actuator (not shown).

[0023] When the set of absorbent articles 100 is gathered together by the wall portion 21, as shown in Fig. 3C, the delivery plate 23, which has been waiting above the rear side of the absorbent articles 100 (left side in Figs. 3C and 3D) when viewed from the conveyance direction to the second conveyance path 30, is lowered by an actuator as indicated by the white arrow in Fig. 3C. Then, as shown in Fig. 3D, with the delivery plate 23 positioned behind the absorbent articles 100, the actuator (not shown) moves the delivery plate 23 toward the second conveyance path 30, thereby moving the set of absorbent articles 100 toward the second conveyance path 30. After the set of absorbent articles 100 has been moved to the second conveyance path 30, the wall portion 21 and the delivery plate 23 return to their original state (standby state).

[0024] (Regarding the second transport path) The second conveying path 30 includes a conveying container 31 that stores a set of absorbent articles 100 conveyed from the first conveying path 20, and a belt conveyor 32 that conveys the set of absorbent articles 100 together with the conveying container 31 to a subsequent process. In this embodiment, the second conveying path 30 extends in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the absorbent articles 100 from the first conveying path 20 in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0025] 4A is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the conveyor 31. The conveyor 31 shown in FIG. As shown, the second transport path 30 has a rectangular second loading surface 33 on which the absorbent articles 100 are placed, and wall panels 34 erected from both opposing sides of one of the four sides of the second loading surface 33, and has a generally U-shaped shape that opens upward. The second transport path 30 has a plurality of conveyors 31, which are arranged at intervals on the belt conveyor 32, and each conveyor 31 containing a set of absorbent articles 100 is moved by the belt conveyor 32.

[0026] 4B is a schematic diagram showing a part of the second conveying path 30 and the first conveying path 20 as viewed from the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 1A, illustrating the positional relationship between the first conveying path 20 and the second conveying path 30. As shown in FIG. 4B, the belt conveyor 32 of the second conveying path 30 is provided vertically below the first conveying path 20, and when the conveyor 31 moves to a position adjacent to the first conveying path 20, a difference in height of a predetermined distance D occurs between the first placing surface 22 and the second placing surface 33. Note that there are no particular limitations on the length of the predetermined distance D, but it is desirable that it does not exceed the length of the absorbent articles 100 in the first conveying path 20 in the conveying direction (the widthwise length W in this embodiment).

[0027] Next, the state of the absorbent articles 100 when the set of absorbent articles 100 is transported from the first transport path 20 to the second transport path 30 will be described with reference to Figures 5A to 5C. Figure 5A shows a state in which the set of absorbent articles 100 is transported on the first loading surface 22 by the movement mechanism of the first transport path 20 toward the second transport path 30. As shown in Figure 5A, a predetermined distance D, which is the difference in height between the first loading surface 22 and the second loading surface 33, is shorter than the length of the absorbent articles 100 in the transport direction, i.e., the widthwise length W in this embodiment.

[0028] A set of absorbent articles 100 being transported toward the second conveying path 30 by being pushed from behind by the delivery plate 23 will fall into the second conveying path 30 from the front in the conveying direction (the right side in Figure 5B) due to the difference in height between the first conveying path 20 and the second conveying path 30, as shown in Figure 5B.

[0029] Then, as shown in Fig. 5C, when the movement to the second conveying path 30 is completed and the set of absorbent articles 100 is stored in the conveyor 31, the set of absorbent articles 100 is rotated by 90 degrees, that is, placed on the second loading surface 33 with the side that was previously located in the front in the conveying direction facing downwards. At this time, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 5C, the top sides of the set of absorbent articles 100 become flush, and the set of absorbent articles 100 stored in the conveyor 31 in this state is transported together with the conveyor 31 to a packaging device, which is a subsequent process.

[0030] (Problems with the prior art) Incidentally, when absorbent articles 100 are carried into the counting unit 10 through the product insertion port 19, or while the absorbent articles 100 are being transported while being arranged between the guide plates 11, the distance of the absorbent articles 100 from the endless belt 12 may differ from that of the other absorbent articles 100 (they may become misaligned). In such a state, when the absorbent articles 100 are pushed out into the first transport path 20 by the pusher 13, a situation occurs in which the positions of the ends of a set of absorbent articles 100 in the transport direction are not aligned when they are transported into the first transport path 20.

[0031] Furthermore, among a set of absorbent articles 100 transported to the first transport path 20, the absorbent articles 100 located at both ends in the thickness direction and abutting against the wall portions 21 may move slower in the first transport path 20 than the other absorbent articles 100 in the same set due to friction with the wall portions 21. Furthermore, pressure from both sides by the wall portions 21 may cause some of the absorbent articles 100 to be pushed out in the transport direction. That is, due to the causes described above, a situation occurs in which the set of absorbent articles 100 is arranged in a misaligned state at one end when transported from the first transport path 20 to the second transport path 30.

[0032] In conventional absorbent article conveying devices (conveying mechanisms of manufacturing devices), absorbent articles are conveyed to the packaging process in this irregular state. This causes problems such as, for example, when the absorbent articles are pushed into a bag-shaped package to seal it, a protruding portion of the absorbent article getting caught in the sealed portion, or the protruding absorbent article getting in the way, creating gaps in the sealed portion and resulting in unsealed portions.

[0033] (Effects of this embodiment) In this regard, according to the conveying device 1 of this embodiment, as described above, there is a difference in elevation of a predetermined distance D between the first loading surface 22 of the first conveying path 20 and the second loading surface 33 of the conveyor 31 in the second conveying path 30, so that even if a set of absorbent articles 100 has been conveyed in an uneven state up to that point, the absorbent articles 100 will be aligned flush when stored in the conveyor 31. This makes it possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems from occurring during packaging in the subsequent process.

[0034] (Variation 1) In the first embodiment, only a difference in elevation of a predetermined distance D is provided between the first transport path 20 and the second transport path 30, but the following modifications are also possible. Figures 6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a modification of the transport device according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 6A, in this modification, a vertically movable wall 40 that is movable in the vertical direction is provided at the boundary between the first transport path 20 and the second transport path 30, specifically at the end of the first placement surface 22.

[0035] The vertically movable wall 40 is a generally plate-shaped member extending between one wall portion 21 and the other wall portion 21 of the first conveying path 20, and is normally disposed so that its upper end is flush with the first placement surface 22. The vertically movable wall 40 is movable up and down by an actuator (not shown), and can rise from a normal state and fall from the raised state to the normal state. Here, when raised, the vertically movable wall 40 protrudes vertically upward from the first placement surface 22.

[0036] 6B and 6C, when a set of absorbent articles 100 is transported from the first transport path 20 to the second transport path 30, the vertically movable wall 40 rises at an appropriate timing, thereby assisting the set of absorbent articles 100 to rotate 90 degrees and land on the second placing surface 33. Specifically, when the absorbent articles 100 pass above the vertically movable wall 40, the vertically movable wall 40 is caused to protrude at any position on the rear half side of the absorbent articles 100 in the transport direction, thereby urging the absorbent articles 100 to rotate forward in the transport direction, and the set of absorbent articles 100 can be stored in the conveyor 31 in a more reliable state rotated 90 degrees than if the set of absorbent articles 100 were simply dropped from the first placing surface 22 to the second placing surface 33.

[0037] (Variation 2) Next, another modified example will be described with reference to Figures 7A to 7C. As shown in Figures 7A to 7C, this modified example, like modified example 1, has a vertically movable wall 40 provided at the end of the first placing surface 22. However, this modified example differs from modified example 1 in that the second placing surface 331 is disposed on the same plane as the second placing surface 22, with no difference in elevation. As shown in Figures 7B and 7C, even when there is no difference in elevation between the first placing surface 22 and the second placing surface 331, as in this modified example, by raising the vertically movable wall 40 at an appropriate timing, a set of absorbent articles 100 can be rotated and moved onto the second placing surface 331. Note that in this modified example, by adjusting the protruding force of the vertically movable absorbent article wall 40 and the conveying speed of the delivery plate 23, the absorbent articles 100 are rotated 180 degrees and land on the second placing surface 331, as shown in Figure 7C. By rotating 180 degrees in this way before landing, the lengthwise and widthwise directions of the absorbent article 100 on the first conveying path 20 and the second conveying path 30 can be made to match.

[0038] (Variation 3) 8A to 8C, a further modified example will be described. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, this modified example is similar to modified example 2 in that a vertically movable wall 40 is provided at the end of the first placing surface 22, and the second placing surface 331 is arranged flush with the second placing surface 22. However, in this modified example, the mechanism by which the vertically movable wall 40 aligns the ends of the set of absorbent articles 100 flush is different. Specifically, in this modified example, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, when the delivery plate 23 moves the set of absorbent articles 100 toward the second placing surface 331, the vertically movable wall 40 rises and protrudes in advance, thereby pressing the set of absorbent articles 100 against the vertically movable wall 40. This results in the ends of the set of absorbent articles 100 being flush. 8C, after the vertically movable wall 40 has descended and no longer protrudes from the first loading surface 22, the delivery plate 23 further moves the set of absorbent articles 100 toward the second loading surface 331, thereby completing the movement of the set of absorbent articles 100 to the second conveying path 30 with the ends of the set of absorbent articles 100 aligned flush. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the ends of the set of absorbent articles 100 from becoming uneven due to irregular movements such as bouncing when dropped or rotated.

[0039] <Embodiment 2> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. A conveying device 2 according to this embodiment is obtained by adding an additional component to the conveying device 1 according to the first embodiment, and has a similar configuration to the conveying device 1. Therefore, the same components as those in the conveying device 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0040] Fig. 9A is a schematic plan view showing an outline of a conveying device 2 for absorbent articles according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2A, the conveying device 2 has a configuration generally similar to that of the conveying device 1, and is configured to include a counting unit 10, a first conveying path 20, and a second conveying path 30. The present embodiment differs from the conveying device 1 of embodiment 1 in that a monitoring device 50, an abnormal set pushing means 54, and an abnormal set discharge path 55 are provided adjacent to the second conveying path 30.

[0041] Monitoring device 50 is a device that monitors whether a set of absorbent articles 100 stored in conveyor 31 and conveyed along second conveying path 30 is in an irregular state, and as shown in Fig. 9B, includes height sensor 52 that detects the height (vertical position) of the set of absorbent articles, and control unit 51. Fig. 9B is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of monitoring device 50.

[0042] The control unit 51 can be a computer including, for example, a processor, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, a communication IF (interface), an input / output IF, etc., which are interconnected by a connection bus. The control unit 51 also includes functional modules such as a height information acquisition unit 511, an abnormality determination unit 512, and a discharge instruction unit 513.

[0043] The height information acquisition unit 511 acquires height information of the set of absorbent articles 100 passing in front of the monitoring device 50 from the height sensor 52. The height sensor 52 may be, for example, a laser-based range sensor. The height information acquired by the height information acquisition unit 511 may be the height (i.e., the vertical length) of the set of absorbent articles 100 itself, or may be information indicating that the height of the set of absorbent articles 100 exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0044] The abnormality determination unit 512 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the set of absorbent articles 100 based on information acquired from the height sensor 52. Specifically, if there is an absorbent article 100 that protrudes in the height direction among the set of absorbent articles 100, the set of absorbent articles 100 is determined to be an abnormal set. Figures 10A to 10C show examples of a set of absorbent articles 100 when there is an abnormality. An example of a state is shown below.

[0045] 10A to 10C show a set of absorbent articles 100 stored in a conveyor 31, viewed from the conveying direction of the second conveying path 30. The set of absorbent articles 100 shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C should all be aligned in height along the dashed line in the figure under normal circumstances, but some absorbent articles 100 protrude above the dashed line. If the set is conveyed to a subsequent process in this state, problems may occur during packaging. Therefore, if the height of the set of absorbent articles 100 exceeds a predetermined threshold, i.e., if there is a portion that exceeds the dashed line in FIGS. 10A to 10C, the abnormality determination unit 512 determines that there is an abnormality in the set of absorbent articles 100.

[0046] If the abnormality determination unit 512 determines that an abnormality exists, the discharge instruction unit 513 sends a command signal to the abnormal set extrusion means 54 described below to discharge the set of absorbent articles 100 determined to be abnormal.

[0047] The abnormal set pushing means 54 is a pusher that, when instructed by the discharge instruction unit 513, pushes the target set of absorbent articles 100 toward the abnormal set discharge path 55. As shown in Fig. 9A, the abnormal set discharge path 55 is a path that branches off in a different direction from the normal conveyance path leading to the subsequent process, and the absorbent articles 100 pushed into the abnormal set discharge path 55 by the abnormal set pushing means 54 are discharged from the conveyance path leading to the packaging process.

[0048] According to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, if a set of absorbent articles 100 conveyed to the second conveying path 30 is misaligned in the height direction, it can be discharged without being conveyed to a subsequent process. This makes it possible to prevent the set of absorbent articles 100 from being conveyed in a manner that would cause problems in the packaging process.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the pusher 13 corresponds to the first moving means, the delivery plate 23 and the actuator (not shown) correspond to the second moving means, the belt conveyor 32 corresponds to the third moving means, the monitoring device 50 corresponds to the height information acquiring means and the abnormality determining means, and the abnormal set pushing means 54 and the abnormal set discharge path 55 correspond to the discharge means.

[0050] (Variation) In the second embodiment described above, when the abnormality determination unit 512 determines that there is an abnormality, the set of absorbent articles 100 is discharged from the normal conveyance path by the abnormal set pushing means 54 and the abnormal set discharge path 55, but this is not necessarily the case. Specifically, for example, the abnormal set pushing means 54 and the abnormal set discharge path 55 may be removed from the configuration of the conveyance device 2 according to the second embodiment, and a configuration may be provided in which, when the abnormality determination unit 512 determines that there is an abnormality, the operator is notified of this. Even with this configuration, the operator can recognize the presence of a set of absorbent articles determined to be abnormal, and can manually remove the abnormal set from the normal conveyance path.

[0051] <Other> The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Various modifications and combinations of the present invention are possible within the scope of the technical concept. For example, the configuration of the vertically movable wall 40 according to the modification of the first embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the second embodiment, and the configurations of the embodiments and their modifications may be combined with each other as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the second moving means is the delivery plate 23 and an actuator (not shown). However, instead, the first placement surface 22 may be a belt conveyor. The absorbent articles 100 may be transported to the second transport path 30 by a conveyor 31. In addition, although the second transport path 30 is configured to include a conveyor 31, this is not necessarily required, and the absorbent articles 100 may be placed directly on the belt conveyor 32. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the second transport path 30 extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the absorbent articles 100 from the first transport path 20 in a plan view, but this is not necessarily required. For example, the second transport path may be provided on a straight line in the transport direction of the first transport path in a plan view, and the conveyor may move back and forth, or the second transport path may be configured such that the conveyor moves three-dimensionally like the gondolas of a Ferris wheel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1, 2...Transportation device 10. Counting unit 11. Signboard 12. Endless belt 13 Pusher 14. Extrusion area 19...Product input port 20 First conveying path 21...Wall section 22 First mounting surface 23... Delivery board 30 Second conveying path 31. Conveyor 32 Belt conveyor 33, 331... Second mounting surface 40. Vertically moving wall 50...Monitoring device 54. Abnormal set extrusion means 55 Abnormal set discharge path 100 Absorbent articles D...Predetermined distance T: Thickness V: Vertical length W: Width direction length

Claims

1. A conveying device for conveying a plurality of absorbent articles, a counting unit that counts the absorbent articles and transports them toward a predetermined area, and aligns the absorbent articles in a set of a predetermined number in the thickness direction in the predetermined area; a first moving means for moving the set of aligned absorbent articles from the predetermined area to outside the counting unit; a first conveying path that is disposed adjacent to the predetermined area in a first direction that is one of directions perpendicular on a horizontal plane to the thickness direction of the absorbent articles aligned in the predetermined area, and that includes a first placement surface on which the set of absorbent articles moved by the first moving means is placed; a wall portion that restricts movement of the set of absorbent articles moved to the first transport path in the thickness direction at both ends in the thickness direction; a second moving means for collectively moving the set of absorbent articles moved to the first transport path to an area outside the first transport path on the first direction side; a second conveying path that includes an area adjacent to the first conveying path in the first direction in a plan view, and that includes a second loading surface on which the set of absorbent articles moved by the second moving means is placed, and a third moving means that moves the set of absorbent articles placed on the second loading surface to a subsequent process all at once; an alignment mechanism that aligns the set of absorbent articles so that ends of the set of absorbent articles are flush with each other when the set of absorbent articles moves from the first conveying path to the second conveying path; A conveying device comprising:

2. the alignment mechanism is configured such that a second placement surface of the second transport path is disposed vertically below a first placement surface of the first transport path, When the set of absorbent articles moves from the first conveying path to the second conveying path, the set of absorbent articles rotates by 90 degrees or 180 degrees in the direction of travel and falls from the first loading surface to the second loading surface, so that the ends of the set of absorbent articles are aligned flush on the second loading surface. The conveying device according to claim 1 .

3. the first transport path further includes, as the alignment mechanism, a vertically movable wall portion provided near an end of the first transport path on the first direction side, the vertically movable wall portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction in a plan view and capable of protruding vertically upward from the first placement surface, When the second moving means moves the set of absorbent articles toward the second loading surface, the vertically movable wall portion protrudes vertically upward and pushes up any part of the rear half of the absorbent articles in the first direction, causing the set of absorbent articles to rotate 90 degrees or 180 degrees in the direction of travel and land on the second loading surface, so that the ends of the set of absorbent articles are aligned flush on the second loading surface.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the first transport path further includes, as the alignment mechanism, a vertically movable wall portion provided near an end of the first transport path on the first direction side, the vertically movable wall portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the first direction in a plan view and capable of protruding vertically upward from the first placement surface; the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface are disposed on the same plane, When the second moving means moves the set of absorbent articles toward the second placement surface, the vertically movable wall portion protrudes, thereby pressing the set of absorbent articles against the vertically movable wall portion, and the ends of the set of absorbent articles are aligned flush with each other, After the vertically movable wall portion is accommodated, the second moving means further moves the set of absorbent articles toward the second placement surface, thereby moving the set of absorbent articles into the second conveying path. When moved, the ends of the set of absorbent articles are configured to be flush with each other. The conveying device according to claim 1 .

5. height information acquiring means for acquiring information relating to the vertical length of the set of absorbent articles moved to the second transport path; and an abnormality determination means for determining, when the vertical length of the set of absorbent articles acquired by the height information acquisition exceeds a predetermined threshold, that there is an abnormality in the set of absorbent articles that exceeds the threshold.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The apparatus further includes a discharge means for discharging the set of absorbent articles determined to be abnormal by the determination means from the second conveyance path. The conveying device according to claim 5 .

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