Item delivery device

Abstract

To dispense articles for delivering the articles without decelerating a conveyor shuttle.SOLUTION: An article dispenser 200 dispenses an article to a conveyor shuttle 14 moving in an article conveying part 10. The article dispenser includes an article supply part 20, an article dispensing part 21 for dispensing an article Pc, a transfer lane 22 for moving the article Pc, and a control device 800. The article Pc moving through the transfer lane 22 is held by the conveyor shuttle 14 at a transfer part R1 at a front side end part in a conveying direction of the transfer lane 22. The control device 800 controls the article dispensing part 21 so that the article Pc arrives at the transfer part R1 at a timing when the conveyor shuttle 14 arrives at the transfer part R1 at the same speed as the speed of the conveyor shuttle 14 in the conveying direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article delivery device that delivers an article. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, there is a conveying device that pushes an article being conveyed by a conveyor with a pusher, and slides the article in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveyor, thereby shifting the article widthwise (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-1915 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a configuration in which an article is pushed by a pusher, the article may fall over or change its position. When an article is pushed by a pusher and then transferred to another conveying device, there is a risk that the conveying may become difficult depending on the conveying method of the conveying device.

[0005] Furthermore, when an item is held on a moving object conveying device, if the timing of the item being sent out differs from the timing of the moving object's movement, the speed of the moving object must be reduced to hold the item, which reduces the efficiency of the moving object conveyance.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an article delivery device that delivers articles to a moving body and that can stably and reliably deliver articles without reducing the speed of the moving body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an article delivery device that delivers articles to a transport shuttle traveling along an article transport section. The device includes an article supply section that supplies the articles to the article transport section, an article delivery section that is disposed at the rear end of the article supply section in the article transport direction and delivers the articles, a transfer lane that is disposed along the article transport section and moves the articles in the transport direction, and a control section. The articles traveling along the transfer lane are held by the transport shuttle at a transfer section at the front end of the transfer lane in the transport direction. The control section acquires the position of the transport shuttle and controls the article delivery section based on the position of the transport shuttle so that the articles arrive at the transfer section at the same time as the transport shuttle arrives at the transfer section and at the same speed as the transport shuttle in the transport direction.

[0008] In the above configuration, the transfer lane may move the article in the conveying direction at the same speed as the conveying shuttle.

[0009] In the above configuration, the article delivery section has a plurality of nip rollers arranged in pairs to contact the articles supplied by the article supply section from both sides in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of the articles, thereby moving the articles, and the control section controls the rotation speeds of the plurality of rollers in pairs.

[0010] In the above configuration, the control unit acquires the movement speed of the conveying shuttle and the position of the conveying shuttle up to the transfer section, and can control the rotation speed of the multiple nip rollers so that the items being moved in the item supply section are moved at a speed faster than the movement speed of the conveying shuttle at the transfer section, and then decelerate to the movement speed of the conveying shuttle at the transfer section.

[0011] In the above configuration, the control unit acquires the movement speed of the conveying shuttle and the position of the conveying shuttle to the transfer section, and the control unit calculates the arrival time of the conveying shuttle to the transfer section based on the movement speed of the conveying shuttle and the position of the conveying shuttle to the transfer section at the time the item arrives at the item delivery section, and changes the rotation speed of the nip roller based on the arrival time.

[0012] In the above configuration, the article transport section may include a rail arranged in a loop shape in a plan view, a coil arranged alongside the rail, and a permanent magnet arranged on the transport shuttle.

[0013] In the above configuration, the article supply unit may be a conveyor that places the article on top and transports it in a predetermined direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article delivery device that delivers articles to a moving body, and that can stably and reliably transfer articles without reducing the speed of the moving body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic layout diagram of the article processing apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the article processing apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a view from the outside showing a transport shuttle holding an article and a single transport shuttle moving along a linear rail. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport shuttle shown in the figure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a view of the transport shuttle as seen from the rear side in the transport direction. [Figure 6] The figure shows the transport shuttle moving on the branch rail of the second transport route as viewed from the rear side in the transport direction. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which a transport shuttle carrying an article is moving on a first curved rail. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a view from the outside showing a state in which a plurality of articles are being transported by a plurality of transport shuttles. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the article delivery device. [Figure 10] 10 is a plan view showing a state in which an article has arrived at the article delivery section at a reference timing. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a timing chart showing the position, speed, and article speed of the transport shuttle at a reference timing. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the article has arrived at the article delivery section with a delayed timing. [Figure 13] 10 is a timing chart showing the position, speed, and article speed of the transport shuttle at the delayed timing. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the article has reached the article delivery section at an early timing. [Figure 15] 10 is a timing chart showing the position, velocity and article velocity of the transport shuttle at an early timing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, directions are defined based on the item processing device A shown in FIG. 1. In the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying apparatus 100 (described later), the clockwise direction is the movement direction of the conveying shuttle 14 (described later), i.e., the conveying direction Tr. Furthermore, the outside Os and the inside Is are defined based on the loop of the first conveying route 11. In the movement direction of the item Pc, the conveying shuttle 14, the box conveying shuttle 702, and the box Bx, the front and rear sides are defined as follows: The side that will arrive in the future relative to the current position is the front side. Conversely, the side that was previously located relative to the current position is the rear side. Furthermore, each surface of the item Pc is defined based on the state of the item being conveyed by the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying apparatus 100. That is, the front side in the conveying direction Tr is the front side Pcf, the rear side is the rear side Pcr, the outer side is the outer side PcO, and the inner side is the inner side PcI. The bottom surface of the item Pc is the bottom side Pct.

[0017] <Item processing device A> FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram of an article processing device A. The article processing device A transports an approximately rectangular parallelepiped article (also referred to as a transported object) Pc, which is made of, for example, paper and filled with a liquid. While transporting the article, the exterior packaging is inspected. An exterior component such as a straw is attached to the article Pc that passes inspection. After that, a predetermined number of articles Pc are accumulated and stored in a box. The box Bx containing the articles Pc is then transported to the outside.

[0018] The article processing device A has an article transport device 100, an article sending device 200, an exterior member attaching device 300, an article removing device 400, an article storage device 500, a box supplying device 600, an article packaging device 700, and a control device 800.

[0019] <Control device 800> The control device 800 will now be described in detail. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the article processing device A. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 800 has a processing circuit 801 and a memory circuit 802. The processing circuit 801 is a circuit that processes various types of information, and has arithmetic circuits such as a CPU and an MPU. The processing circuit 801 is also connected to the article transport device 100, article output device 200, exterior member mounting device 300, article removal device 400, article storage device 500 and box supply device 600, and controls each device based on the processing results.

[0020] The storage circuitry 802 is a circuit that includes or is connected to semiconductor memory such as ROM, RAM, portable memory such as flash memory, and storage media such as a hard disk. Various programs such as control programs or processing programs may be stored in the storage circuitry 802, and the program corresponding to the processing may be called as needed, and the program may be run by the processing circuitry 801 to perform the processing. The elements connected to the control device 800 and their control will be explained when explaining each element.

[0021] <Item conveying device 100> The details of the item transport apparatus 100 will now be described. Fig. 3 is a view from the outside Os of a transport shuttle 14 holding an item Pc and a single transport shuttle 14 moving along a linear rail 13. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the transport shuttle 14 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view from the rear side in the transport direction Tr of the transport shuttle. Fig. 6 is a view from the rear side in the transport direction of the transport shuttle 14 moving on the branch rail 121 of the second transport route 12. The item transport apparatus 100 has an item transport section 10 including a first transport route 11 and a second transport route 12, and a transport shuttle 14.

[0022] <First Transport Route 11> The first conveying route 11 has a first straight rail 111, a second straight rail 112, a first curved rail 113, and a second curved rail 114. The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are arranged side by side. In the first conveying route 11, both ends of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are connected by the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114, respectively, to form a loop. The first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 have the same structure, and may be collectively referred to as rail 13.

[0023] In the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 is arranged on the outer surfaces Os of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 of the first transport route 11. The transport shuttle 14 is movable along the circular first transport route 11.

[0024] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting short straight rails 13s in the conveying direction Tr. The lengths of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 can be changed by changing the number of connected short straight rails 13s.

[0025] Furthermore, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are arc-shaped, but are not limited to this. For example, a portion may be curved. Furthermore, the curved portion is not limited to an arc shape, and may be a so-called clothoid curve. Other curved shapes are also possible. The first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are formed by connecting short curved rails 13c. By preparing short curved rails 13c of different shapes and lengths and combining them to match the loop shape of the article conveying section 10, it is possible to accommodate a variety of shapes.

[0026] <Rail 13> The rail 13 has a main rail 131, a grooved rail 132, and a flat rail 133 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). The main rail 131 is a cylindrical body having a rectangular cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr. The main rail 131 can be made of, for example, some stainless steel, aluminum, and alloys thereof, but is not limited to these.

[0027] The grooved rail 132 is fixed to the upper part of the main rail 131. The grooved rail 132 has a groove portion 134 recessed from the outer surface in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction Tr. The grooved rail 132 has two groove portions 134. The two groove portions 134 are arranged next to each other above and below.

[0028] The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 can be fixed together by welding, screws, or the like, but are not limited to these. The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 may also be formed integrally. The groove portion 134 is disposed on the outer side Os around the entire circumference of the first conveying route 11. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a gap 135 is formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132.

[0029] The flat rail 133 is fixed to the lower part of the main rail 131. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 can be fixed together by welding, screws, etc., but are not limited to these. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 may also be formed integrally.

[0030] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting short straight rails 13s, but may be formed from a single rail. Similarly, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 may also be formed from a single rail.

[0031] <Second transport route 12> 1, the second transport route 12 branches off from the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11, turns back, and then merges with the second straight rail 112 of the first transport route 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the second transport route 12 has a branching rail 121, a merging rail 122, and a return rail 123.

[0032] The branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 are straight, and have the same configuration as the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112, except that the groove portion 134 is located on the inner side Is. Therefore, detailed description of the same configuration parts as those of the rail 13 will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

[0033] The rear end of the branch rail 121 in the conveying direction Tr is disposed opposite the outer side Os of the front end of the first straight rail 111 of the first conveying route 11 in the conveying direction Tr. The point where the branch rail 121 and the first straight rail 111 face each other is the branch point P1.

[0034] The front end of the merging rail 122 in the conveying direction Tr is disposed opposite the outside Os of the rear end of the second straight rail 112 of the first conveying route 11 in the conveying direction Tr. The point where the merging rail 122 and the second straight rail 112 face each other is the merging point P2.

[0035] The return rail 123 has the same configuration as the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114. The rear end of the return rail 123 in the conveying direction Tr is arranged opposite the inside Is of the front end of the branch rail 121 in the conveying direction Tr. Similarly, the front end of the return rail 123 in the conveying direction Tr is arranged opposite the inside Is of the rear end of the merging rail 122 in the conveying direction Tr.

[0036] <Transport Shuttle 14> Next, the transport shuttle 14 will be described.

[0037] The transport shuttle 14 has a main body 140 and an article holding section 16. A magnet 152 of the transport linear motor mechanism 15 is disposed in the main body 140. The magnet 152 is housed inside the main body 140 and faces a coil 151 disposed on the main rail 131 in a direction intersecting the transport direction Tr.

[0038] The main body 140 of the transport shuttle 14 has a first surface 144 and a second surface 145. The main body 140 also has a protrusion 143. The protrusion 143 fits into a gap 135 formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132. The protrusion 143 fits into the gap 135, thereby preventing the main body 140 from shifting.

[0039] Two upper rollers 141 are arranged on the main body 140. The two upper rollers 141 are rotatably supported on the main body 140. More specifically, the upper rollers 141 are arranged to be rotatable around a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr and parallel to the outer surface of the rail 13. The two upper rollers 141 are spaced apart in the conveying direction Tr and arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 of this embodiment, the upper roller 141 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the conveying direction Tr is arranged at the top.

[0040] Two lower rollers 142 are arranged in the main body 140. The two lower rollers 142 are rotatably supported by the main body 140. The lower rollers 142 are cylindrical. The two lower rollers 142 are spaced apart in the conveying direction Tr and are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 of this embodiment, the lower roller 142 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the conveying direction Tr is arranged at the bottom.

[0041] The article holding portion 16 is fixed to the upper part of the main body portion 140. The article holding portion 16 has a holding plate portion 161, an article engagement portion 162, and an article support portion 163. The holding plate portion 161 is plate-shaped and is positioned inward Is from the main body portion 140, extending upward. The front side of the holding plate portion 161 in the conveying direction Tr has an inclined surface 164 that slopes inward toward the front. The holding plate portion 161 also has a through hole 1611 and recesses 1612 provided on both ends in the conveying direction Tr. The recesses 1612 are positioned below the through hole 1611 and aligned in the conveying direction.

[0042] The article holding portion 16 has two article engaging portions 162, which are arranged vertically and fixed to the holding plate portion 161. One of each article engaging portion 162 is disposed above the holding plate portion 161, and the other passes through a through-hole 1611 and protrudes outward Os beyond the holding plate portion 161.

[0043] The article engaging portion 162 has a rear pressing portion 165 provided at the front in the conveying direction and a front pressing portion 166 provided at the rear in the conveying direction. The rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166 have curved surfaces with intermediate portions in the protruding direction bulging in the conveying direction Tr (see FIG. 4, etc.).

[0044] The article support portion 163 is fixed to the holding plate portion 161. The article support portion 163 has a rear support portion 167 and a front support portion 168. The rear support portion 167 is arranged forward of the rear pressing portion 165 in the conveying direction Tr. The front support portion 168 is arranged rearward of the front pressing portion 166. The upper surfaces of the rear support portion 167 and the front support portion 168 are at the same height. The rear support portion 167 and the front support portion 168 may be formed integrally. The conveying shuttle 14 has the shape shown above.

[0045] <Transport Linear Motor Mechanism 15> In the article transport device 100, the multiple transport shuttles 14 are each independently driven by a transport linear motor mechanism 15. The transport linear motor mechanism 15 has multiple coils 151, magnets 152, and linear drivers 153. The multiple coils 151 are arranged inside the rails 13 that form the first transport route 11 and inside the rails 13 that form the second transport route 12.

[0046] The magnet 152 is a permanent magnet and is arranged in the main body 140 of the transfer shuttle 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the magnet 152 is arranged inside the main body 140. The main body 140 is made of a material that is not attracted to a magnet. Therefore, the magnetic force of the magnet 152 leaks outside the main body 140. The magnet 152 is arranged so that it can mutually apply magnetic force to the coils 151. The magnet 152 arranged in the main body 140 and the multiple coils 151 arranged inside the rail 13 form a linear motor.

[0047] The linear driver 153 is connected to each coil 151 (see FIG. 2). The linear driver 153 is connected to a power supply circuit (not shown). The linear driver 153 is a circuit that controls the power supplied to the coils 151, and includes circuits such as a processing circuit and a power supply circuit that adjusts the voltage and current supplied to each coil 151. The linear driver 153 supplies an appropriate current to each coil 151 based on instructions from the control device 800.

[0048] The control device 800 can independently move the transfer shuttles 14. The control device 800 can operate multiple transfer shuttles 14 individually and also synchronously. The control device 800 can also acquire the position of the transfer shuttles 14.

[0049] In the conveying shuttle 14, the article holding portion 16 is disposed above the main body portion 140. As a result, no components are disposed inside the first surface 144 or outside the second surface 145 of the main body portion 140. As a result, the radial outer edges of the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 protrude inward Is from the first surface 144 and outward Os from the second surface 145.

[0050] As a result, on the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer sides Os of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114. Also, on the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122. Also, on the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer surface of the return rail 123.

[0051] More specifically, the transport shuttle 14 is movable along the outer side Os of the rail 13 on the first transport route 11. The main body 140 is attracted to the outer side Os of the rail 13 on the first transport route 11 by, for example, the magnetic force of a magnet 152. The rail 13 may be provided with an attraction part made of a metal such as iron that attracts the magnet, or the transport shuttle 14 may be attracted by the magnetic force between the magnet 152 and an iron core provided in the coil 151.

[0052] In the first conveying route 11, the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the rail 13, so that the first surface 144 of the main body 140 is disposed at a fixed distance from the outer surface of the rail 13. In other words, the main body 140 is supported by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that it can move vertically on the outer surface of the rail 13.

[0053] In the transport shuttle 14, the upper rollers 141 and the lower rollers 142 arranged in the transport direction Tr are offset vertically. Therefore, even when the transport shuttle 14 approaches each other in the transport direction Tr, the upper rollers 141 or the lower rollers 142 are unlikely to interfere with each other. Therefore, the transport shuttle 14 can be arranged close to each other in the transport direction Tr and can move in a close state.

[0054] 6, the transport shuttle 14 is movable along the inner side Is of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 on the second transport route 12. The main body 140 is attracted to the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 by the magnetic force of a magnet 152 disposed inside. The rail 13 may be provided with an attraction portion made of a metal such as iron that attracts the magnet, or the transport shuttle 14 may be attracted by the magnetic force between the magnet 152 and an iron core provided in the coil 151.

[0055] The upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122, so that the second surface 145 of the main body 140 is disposed opposite the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 at a certain distance. In other words, the main body 140 is supported by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that the top and bottom of the main body 140 can move on the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122.

[0056] With this configuration, the transport shuttle 14 can branch off at the branch point P1 and merge at the junction point P2 by controlling the coils 151 arranged on the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the branch rail 121, and the merging rail 122. In other words, the configuration is simple and the transport shuttle 14 can be branched and merged with simple control.

[0057] That is, the control device 800 can cause the transport shuttle 14 traveling on the first straight rail 111 to branch off to either the first curved rail 113 or the branch rail 121 at the branch point P1. In addition, the control device 800 can cause the transport shuttle 14 traveling on the merging rail 122 of the second transport route 12 to merge with the second straight rail 112 at the merging point P2.

[0058] <Holding of item Pc by transport shuttle 14> Next, a description will be given of how the article Pc is held by the transport shuttles 14. The article Pc is held from the front and rear in the transport direction Tr by two transport shuttles 14 arranged side by side in the transport direction Tr.

[0059] The front support portion 168 of the conveying shuttle 14, which is arranged at the front side in the conveying direction Tr, supports the inside of the front part of the bottom surface of the item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the item Pc. The rear support portion 167 of the conveying shuttle 14, which is arranged at the front side in the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc, supports the inside of the rear part of the bottom surface Pct of the item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc. At this time, the inner surface PcI of the item Pc comes into contact with the holding plate portion 161.

[0060] Here, when the article Pc is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped filled with a liquid content, the front surface Pcf of the article Pc is pressed by the front surface pressing portion 166, causing a depression in the middle portion. Similarly, the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc is pressed by the rear surface pressing portion 165, causing a depression in the middle portion. In this way, the front surface Pcf and Pcr are pressed and depressed by the front surface pressing portion 166 and the rear surface pressing portion 165, respectively, thereby restricting movement of the article Pc toward the outside Os. Furthermore, the inner surface PcI of the article Pc comes into contact with the holding plate portion 161, thereby restricting movement of the article Pc toward the inside Is. This allows the two conveying shuttles 14 to firmly hold the article Pc. The conveying shuttles 14 arranged before and after the conveying direction Tr of the article Pc have the same shape.

[0061] 7 is a plan view showing the state in which the conveying shuttle 14 holding the article Pc is moving on the first curved rail 113. Because the rear surface pressing portion 165 and the front surface pressing portion 166 each have a generally curved shape that bulges outward, they can appropriately press the front surface Pcf and rear surface Pcr of the article Pc even when the protruding directions of the article engaging portions 162 are not parallel. Therefore, the conveying shuttle 14 can hold the article Pc even when moving on a curved portion such as the first curved rail 113 shown in FIG. 7. Note that the curvature of the curved portion along which the conveying shuttle 14 can move while holding the article Pc varies depending on the shapes of the rear surface pressing portion 165 and the front surface pressing portion 166.

[0062] FIG. 8 is a view from the outside Os showing a state in which multiple items Pc are being transported by multiple transport shuttles 14. FIG. 8 shows a state in which two items are being held by three transport shuttles 14 lined up in the transport direction Tr. As shown in FIG. 8, the front support portion 168 of the transport shuttle 14 at the front in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the front part of the bottom of the front item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the front item Pc. In addition, the rear support portion 167 of the transport shuttle 14 at the center in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the rear part of the bottom of the front item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the front item Pc. This holds the front item Pc.

[0063] Furthermore, the front support portion 168 of the conveying shuttle 14 at the center in the conveying direction Tr supports the inside of the front portion of the bottom of the rear-side item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the rear-side item Pc. The rear support portion 167 of the conveying shuttle 14 at the rear in the conveying direction Tr supports the inside of the rear portion of the bottom of the rear-side item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the rear-side item Pc. This holds the rear-side item Pc. As shown in FIG. 8, by arranging three conveying shuttles 14 in the circumferential direction, two articles Pc can be held. Note that the number of articles Pc that can be held is not limited to two, and may be three or more. In other words, by providing one more conveying shuttle 14 than the number of articles Pc, multiple articles Pc can be held.

[0064] In the item processing device A, when on the branch rail 121 of the second conveying route 12, multiple conveying shuttles 14 can move in the conveying direction Tr while holding multiple items Pc. Note that when on the first straight rail 111 of the first conveying route 11, multiple conveying shuttles 14 may also hold multiple items Pc. Also, when moving from the first conveying route 11 to the second conveying route 12 at branch point P1, a predetermined number of items Pc may be grouped together. Grouping one or a small number of items Pc together is referred to as "aggregating." Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, in the item conveying device 100, a collection area Ar1 is set in the section between branch point P1 of the branch rail 121 and an item accumulation section 124, which will be described later.

[0065] <Article delivery device 200> As shown in FIG. 1, the item delivery device 200 has an item supply section 20, an item output section 21, and a transfer lane 22. Items Pc are transported by the item supply section 20 from a previous process, such as a storage item filling process, into the item processing device A. The item supply section 20 is a conveyor that transports items Pc having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. When the items Pc are placed on the upper surface of the item supply section 20, the upper surface is moved, causing the items Pc to move along the item supply section 20. The direction in which the items Pc move in the item supply section 20 is referred to as the supply direction Ts.

[0066] The item supply unit 20 can use a general transport conveyor such as a belt conveyor or a top chain conveyor. Here, the item supply unit 20 has a supply conveyor 201 that uses a belt conveyor (see FIG. 1, etc.). The supply conveyor 201 of the item supply unit 20 is connected to a control device 800 and is driven in accordance with instructions from the control device 800. Typically, the supply conveyor 201 is driven so as to be able to transport items at a constant speed.

[0067] The article output section 21 is arranged at the front end of the article supply section 20 in the conveying direction Tr. The article output section 21 has a plurality of nip rollers 211 arranged in pairs and a transfer lane 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the nip rollers 211 are arranged in pairs in a direction perpendicular to the supply direction Ts of the article supply section 20, and come into contact with the side surfaces (here, the inner surface PcI and the outer surface PcO) of the article Pc. The surface of the nip rollers 211 is formed from a material that provides high friction with the surface of the article Pc. In the article output section 21, three pairs of nip rollers 211 are arranged side by side at equal intervals along the supply conveyor 201.

[0068] The nip roller 211 is rotated by a roller motor 212 (see FIG. 2) connected to the control device 800. The rotation of the roller motor 212 is controlled by the control device 800, and the rotation speed of the nip roller 211 is adjusted. This causes the article Pc to accelerate or decelerate in the supply direction Ts. Then, the article Pc, which has been accelerated or decelerated by the paired nip rollers 211, moves to the transfer lane 22.

[0069] The item Pc moves on the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts. The front end of the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts is the transfer section R1. At the transfer section R1, the item Pc is held by conveying shuttles lined up in the supply direction Ts. The item Pc is conveyed along the first conveying route 11 while being held by the conveying shuttle 14.

[0070] <Details of the article delivery device 200> 9 is an enlarged plan view of the article delivery device 200. As shown in FIG. 9, the front end of the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts is close to the front end of the second curved rail 114 in the conveying direction Tr. In other words, the portion near the front end of the second curved rail 114 in the conveying direction Tr to which the transfer lane 22 is close is the transfer section R1. As described above, the article Pc moves from the transfer lane 22 to the first conveying route 11 at the transfer section R1 and is held by the conveying shuttle 14.

[0071] In the article delivery device 200, the article Pc may be accelerated by the nip rollers 211. At this time, if the speed of the pair of nip rollers 211 varies, the direction in which the article Pc is delivered by the nip rollers 211 will vary. If the delivery direction varies, there is a risk that the conveying shuttle 14 will not be able to hold the article Pc accurately. For this reason, in the article delivery device 200, a guide bar 23 that guides the article Pc in the correct direction is arranged ahead of the nip rollers 211 in the supply direction Ts.

[0072] The guide bar 23 comes into contact with the upper part of the side of the item Pc that faces in a direction intersecting the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc moving on the transfer lane 22. This prevents deviation of the direction in which the item Pc is sent out by the nip roller 211. It also prevents the item Pc from tipping over in a direction intersecting the supply direction Ts.

[0073] In the transfer section R1, the inside side Is of the front end of the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts is arranged with a gap so as not to come into contact with the item support portion 163 of the conveying shuttle 14. When the item Pc moves from the transfer lane 22 to be held by the conveying shuttle 14, the rear support portion 167 of the front conveying shuttle 14 supports the bottom surface Pct of the item Pc. Therefore, it is preferable that the transfer lane 22 be set at the same height as or slightly higher than the upper surface of the item support portion 163. The height of the upper surface of the transfer lane 22 relative to the item support portion 163 is set to a level that does not adversely affect the item Pc and the contents contained therein when the item Pc moves to the upper surface of the item support portion 163.

[0074] In the item supply section 20, items Pc are transported by a supply conveyor 201. The supply conveyor 201 carries in items Pc from outside. The timing of supply of items Pc carried in from outside may not be constant, as it depends on the operation of equipment located upstream. Furthermore, in the item transport device 100, the movement of each transport shuttle 14 can be controlled individually. However, in order to perform stable processing over a long period of time and maintain processing efficiency, it is preferable to operate the transport shuttles 14 according to a fixed schedule.

[0075] In such a case, one possible method is to accumulate the items Pc on the supply conveyor 201 and send out the items Pc in accordance with the timing of the transport shuttle 14. In this method, the transport shuttle 14, which is not holding the items Pc, moves through the item transport section 10. This reduces the transport efficiency of the items Pc. In addition, the items Pc may stagnate on the supply conveyor 201. If the items Pc stagnate on the conveyor, there is a risk that the items Pc may fall over or fall off the supply conveyor 201. Therefore, the item sending device 200 is controlled so that the items Pc that arrive at the item supply section 20 are sent out immediately.

[0076] Therefore, the article delivery device 200 delivers the articles Pc supplied from the outside at varying timing in accordance with the transport shuttle 14, which moves at a constant speed and at a constant timing. Specifically, the article delivery device 200 of this embodiment adjusts the delivery speed of the articles Pc based on the position of the transport shuttle 14 when delivering the articles Pc.

[0077] The article output section 21 has three pairs of nip rollers 211 arranged side by side in the conveying direction. In the article output section 21 of this embodiment, the three pairs of nip rollers 211 are arranged at equal intervals in the supply direction Ts, but this is not limited to this. The intervals between the nip rollers 211 do not have to be constant. Furthermore, the number is not limited to three pairs, and may be two pairs, four pairs or more. Alternatively, the number may be one pair. The greater the number of nip rollers 211, the more precisely the speed of the articles Pc can be adjusted. The articles Pc are accelerated and decelerated by the rotation of the nip rollers 211.

[0078] The transport shuttle 14 (here, the front transport shuttle 14F) holding the item Pc from the front side in the transport direction Tr causes the item Pc to reach the transfer section R1 when it reaches the front receiving point R11 in front of the transfer section R1. As a result, the front end of the bottom surface Pct of the item Pc that has reached the transfer section R1 in the transport direction Tr is supported by the upper surface of the front support portion 168 of the front transport shuttle 14F. In addition, the front surface Pcf of the item Pc that has reached the transfer section R1 comes into contact with the front pressing portion 166 of the front transport shuttle 14F.

[0079] Just before the item Pc reaches the transfer section R1, the transfer shuttle 14 (referred to here as the rear transfer shuttle 14R) holding the item Pc from the rear side in the conveying direction Tr is accelerated. Then, the item Pc reaches the rear receiving point R12 at the same time as it reaches the transfer section R1. As a result, the rear end of the bottom surface Pct of the item Pc that has reached the transfer section R1 in the conveying direction Tr is supported by the upper surface of the rear support portion 167 of the rear transfer shuttle 14R. In addition, the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc that has reached the transfer section R1 comes into contact with the rear surface pressing portion 165 of the rear transfer shuttle 14R.

[0080] In this way, at the transfer section R1, the front support section 168 of the front conveying shuttle 14F and the rear support section 167 of the rear conveying shuttle 14R support the bottom surface Pct of the item Pc. At the same time, the front surface pressing section 166 of the front conveying shuttle 14F presses the front surface Pcf of the item Pc, and the rear surface pressing section 165 of the rear conveying shuttle 14R presses the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc. As a result, the item Pc is held by the front conveying shuttle 14F and the rear conveying shuttle 14R.

[0081] An inclined surface 164 is provided on the front side of the holding plate portion 161 in the conveying direction Tr. This makes it less likely that the holding plate portion 161 will interfere with the item Pc when the rear conveying shuttle 14R holds the item Pc at the rear receiving point R12 at the front end portion of the second curved rail 114 in the conveying direction Tr. As a result, the item Pc sent out by the item sending device 200 can be smoothly held by the two conveying shuttles 14F, 14R.

[0082] This makes it possible to send the article Pc to the transfer section R1 in accordance with the conveying shuttle 14, which moves at regular intervals (timing). Also, by moving in the conveying direction Tr while maintaining the relative positions of the front conveying shuttle 14F and the rear conveying shuttle 14R in the conveying direction Tr, the front conveying shuttle 14F and the rear conveying shuttle 14R can move along the first conveying route 11 while holding the article Pc.

[0083] Here, the timing of sending out the item Pc by the item sending device 200 will be explained with reference to the drawings. Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the state in which the item Pc has arrived at the item sending section 21 at the reference timing Tm1. Fig. 11 is a timing chart showing the position and speed of the transport shuttle 14 and the speed of the item Pc at the reference timing Tm1. Fig. 10 shows a simplified transport shuttle 14.

[0084] In the timing chart shown in FIG. 11, the horizontal axis represents time. The top line represents the distance from the reference position St1 of the front conveying shuttle 14F holding the item Pc. The middle line represents the speed of the front conveying shuttle 14F. The bottom line represents the change in the speed at which the nip rollers 211 send out the item Pc. The three pairs of nip rollers 211 are described as the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c, arranged in that order in the supply direction Ts. The transfer lane 22 of this embodiment is configured to forcibly move the item Pc in the supply direction Ts by a power source (not shown) driven by the control device 800.

[0085] 11, at the reference timing Tm1, the item Pc reaches the first nip roller 211a of the item delivery device 200 at time T1 when the front conveying shuttle 14F reaches the reference position St1. As described above, the item delivery device 200 immediately delivers the item Pc that has arrived. In other words, the item Pc is delivered from the first nip roller 211a at time T1 when the front conveying shuttle 14F is at the reference position St1.

[0086] In other words, when the item Pc starts to be sent by the item sending section 21, the front conveying shuttle 14F is at the reference position St1. As shown in FIG. 11, the movement speed of the front conveying shuttle 14F is a constant speed V1, and the distance of the front conveying shuttle 14F from the reference position St1 increases proportionally over time. The movement distance of the front conveying shuttle 14F from the reference position St1 to the front receiving point R11 is defined as L1. The distance traveled by the front conveying shuttle 14F between time T1 and receiving time T2 is the distance L1.

[0087] At time T1, the item Pc comes into contact with the first nip roller 211a. At this time, the item Pc is assumed to stop temporarily. The control device 800 accelerates the item Pc using the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c. The item Pc is then sent from the third nip roller 211c to the transfer lane 22. The conveying speed of the item Pc by the transfer lane 22 is speed V1. In other words, the item Pc is accelerated to speed V1 by the third nip roller 211c. The item Pc reaches the transfer lane 22 at time T2.

[0088] Although FIG. 11 shows an example in which the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c linearly accelerate the article Pc, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0089] The conveyance distance of the item Pc in the transfer lane 22 is constant, and the speed V1 is constant during this time. In other words, the time required for the item Pc to reach the transfer section R1 after being placed in the transfer lane 22 is constant. Therefore, the control device 800 controls the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c so that the item Pc arrives at the transfer lane 22 at time T2.

[0090] Thus, at reference timing Tm1, the front conveying shuttle 14F is at reference position St1 at time T1 when the article delivery section 21 starts the delivery operation of the article Pc. In other words, the control device 800 determines that reference timing Tm1 has occurred when the conveying shuttle 14 is at reference position St1 when the article delivery device 200 starts delivering the article Pc. At this time, the control device 800 operates the three pairs of nip rollers 211 so that the article Pc changes speed in the same way as the timing chart shown in FIG.

[0091] The control device 800 may store information on the rotational speeds of each pair of nip rollers 211 as a database in the memory circuitry 802. The rotational speed database may be prepared for each timing. The processing circuitry 801 may also calculate the rotational speed of the nip rollers 211 based on the position of the transport shuttle 14 when the article Pc is sent out.

[0092] Next, we will explain the case where an item Pc is sent out from the item sending device 200 at delay time Tm2, ​​which is later than the reference time Tm1. Fig. 12 is a plan view showing the state where the item Pc has arrived at the item sending section 21 at delay time Tm2. Fig. 13 is a timing chart showing the position and speed of the transport shuttle 14 and the speed of the item Pc at delay time Tm2. In Fig. 13, the change in speed of the item Pc caused by the nip roller 211 at the reference time Tm1 is shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 13, the supply conveyor 201 may be uneven in the supply of the items Pc. Furthermore, the timing of the supply of the items Pc may be delayed from the expected timing (reference timing Tm1 shown in FIG. 11, etc.). For example, at delayed timing Tm2, ​​as shown in FIG. 13, the items Pc are sent to the first nip roller 211a at time T11, which is later than time T1. As described above, the conveying shuttle 14 operates at a constant timing and conveying speed. The conveying shuttle 14 moves at a speed V1, and at time T1, the conveying shuttle 14 reaches the reference position St1.

[0094] Also, at time T11, the transport shuttle 14 reaches the delay position St2, which is closer to the previous receiving point R11 than the reference position St1. The distance from the first nip roller 211a to the transfer point R1 is constant. The time from time T11 to time T2 is shorter than that at the reference timing Tm1. Therefore, the item delivery device 200 increases the transport speed of the item Pc at the delay timing Tm2 compared to the reference timing Tm1.

[0095] More specifically, the first nip roller 211a starts to send out the item Pc at time T11, and the item Pc reaches the transfer lane 22 at speed V1 at time T2. To achieve this, the first nip roller 211a accelerates the item Pc more rapidly than at reference timing Tm1. The first nip roller 211a increases the speed of the item Pc to speed V2, which is faster than speed V1, by time T12 when the item Pc reaches the second nip roller 211b.

[0096] The second nip roller 211b then operates to maintain the item Pc at speed V2. The item Pc then reaches the third nip roller 211c at speed V2 at time T13. The third nip roller 211c decelerates the item Pc from speed V2 to speed V1. The item Pc then reaches the transfer lane 22 at time T2 at speed V1.

[0097] The control device 800 starts sending out the item Pc at the first nip roller 211a at time T11. Then, the control device 800 causes the item Pc to reach the transfer lane 22 at speed V1 at time T2. This allows the control device 800 to cause the item Pc to reach the transfer section R1 at speed V1 at time T2. As a result, the item Pc is held by the conveying shuttle 14 at the transfer section R1 at time T2.

[0098] At delay timing Tm2, ​​the article Pc reaches speed V2 (>V1) by the time it reaches the second nip roller 211b, and the second nip roller 211b maintains the speed V2 of the article Pc. However, control of the speeds of the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 13. It is sufficient that the speeds of the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c can be controlled so that the article Pc reaches the transfer lane 22 at time T2 at speed V1.

[0099] Next, a case will be described in which the article Pc is sent from the article sending device 200 at early timing Tm3, which is earlier than the reference timing Tm1. In Fig. 14, the change in speed of the article Pc caused by the nip roller 211 at the reference timing Tm1 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 15.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 15, the timing of supply of the item Pc may be earlier than the expected timing (reference timing Tm1 shown in FIG. 11, etc.). For example, at early timing Tm3, as shown in FIG. 15, the item Pc is sent to the first nip roller 211a at time T10, which is earlier than time T1. As described above, the conveying shuttle 14 operates at a constant timing and conveying speed. The conveying shuttle 14 moves at a speed V1, and at time T1, the conveying shuttle 14 reaches the reference position St1.

[0101] Furthermore, at time T10, which is before time T1, the transport shuttle 14 reaches the early position St3, which is farther from the previous receiving point R11 than the reference position St1. The distance from the first nip roller 211a to the transfer point R1 is constant. The time from time T10 to time T2 is longer than at the reference timing Tm1. Therefore, at the early timing Tm3, the item delivery device 200 slows the transport speed of the item Pc compared to the reference timing Tm1.

[0102] More specifically, the delivery of the article Pc from the first nip roller 211a is started at time T10, and the article is delivered from the third nip roller 211c at time T3. Therefore, the first nip roller 211a accelerates the article Pc with a change amount similar to that at the reference timing Tm1. The first nip roller 211a increases its speed to a speed V3 slower than the speed V1 by the time it reaches the second nip roller 211b at time T14. After that, the second nip roller 211b operates to maintain the article Pc at the speed V3. Then, the article Pc reaches the third nip roller 211c at the speed V3 at time T15. The third nip roller 211c accelerates the article Pc from the speed V3 to the speed V1. After that, the article Pc reaches the transfer lane 22 at the speed V1 at time T2.

[0103] The control device 800 starts the delivery of the article Pc with the first nip roller 211a at time T10. Then, the article Pc at the speed V1 reaches the transfer lane 22 at time T3. Thereby, the control device 800 causes the article Pc at the speed V1 to reach the transfer section R1 at time T2. Thereby, the article Pc that reaches the transfer section R1 at time T2 is held by the transfer shuttle 14.

[0104] At the early timing Tm3, before reaching the second nip roller 211b, the speed is increased to the speed V3 (<V1), and the speed V3 of the article Pc is maintained by the second nip roller 211b. However, the control of the speeds of the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 15. It is only necessary to control the speeds of the first nip roller 211a, the second nip roller 211b, and the third nip roller 211c so that the article Pc reaches the transfer lane 22 at the speed V1 at time T3.

[0105] As described above, the article delivery device 200 adjusts the speed of the articles Pc delivered by the multiple pairs of nip rollers 211. This allows the articles Pc to be delivered without changing the movement pitch of the transport shuttle 14 moving in the article conveying section 10, even if the supply pitch, speed, or timing of the articles Pc supplied from the article supply section 20 is off.

[0106] In the article delivery device 200 of this embodiment, the distance from the first nip roller 211a to the transfer section R1 is always constant. Therefore, the speed of the article Pc adjusted by the multiple pairs of nip rollers 211 can be determined so that the result of integrating the speed over time from the time delivery by the first nip roller 211a begins to time T3 becomes constant.

[0107] The time until time T13 is determined by the position of the conveying shuttle 14 at the time when the article Pc is created by the first nip roller 211a. There is a correlation between the speed condition of the article Pc over time and the position of the conveying shuttle 14 at the time when the article Pc is sent out by the first nip roller 211a. Therefore, the control device 800 determines the rotational speed of each pair of nip rollers 211 from a calculation formula or database that correlates the position of the conveying shuttle 14 (e.g., position relative to the reference position St1) at the start of the operation of sending out the article Pc by the article sending device 200.

[0108] In this embodiment, the transfer lane 22 is configured to forcibly move the items Pc in the supply direction Ts using power, but this is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the inertial force of the items Pc assists the movement of the items Pc in the supply direction Ts, like a roller conveyor, may be used. In this manner, the items Pc decelerate in the transfer lane 22. In this case, the control device 800 controls the nip roller 211 at the last stage in the supply direction Ts to send the items Pc out at a speed higher than speed V1 so that the speed becomes V1 at the transfer section R1. By controlling in this manner, the items Pc can be transferred without changing the movement pitch of the conveyor shuttle 14, as described above.

[0109] <Exterior member mounting device 300> The external member attaching device 300 is disposed on the outside Os of the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying apparatus 100, and attaches an external member Th to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc (see FIG. 3). Here, the external member Th is a straw, but is not limited to this. The external member attaching device 300 is attached to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc while it is housed in a resin bag. The external member attaching device 300 is disposed on the outside Os of the first straight rail 111 of the first conveying route 11. Then, the external member attaching device 300 attaches (attaches) the external member Th to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc held by the conveying shuttle 14 moving along the first straight rail 111.

[0110] The exterior component mounting device 300 has an inspection unit 30 and a mounting unit 31. The inspection unit 30 inspects the condition of the item Pc. For example, the inspection unit 30 acquires an image using an imaging unit (not shown) and determines whether the condition of the item Pc is acceptable based on the image processing results of the captured image. If the item Pc is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped container made of a paper base material, the inspection unit 30 checks the condition of the adhesive joints, whether there is any scorching due to heating during bonding, etc.

[0111] The attachment unit 31 has a drive motor 310 (see FIG. 2) that drives the device. The external member attachment device 300, by operation of the drive motor 310, attaches the external member Th to the side surface of the outside Os of the moving article Pc.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection unit 30 and drive motor 310 of the outer packaging member attachment device 300 are connected to a control device 800. The control device 800 operates the drive motor 310 so that outer packaging members Th are attached only to articles that have passed the inspection unit 30. The control device 800 also acquires the position of the transport shuttle 14, for example, based on information from a linear driver 153. The control device 800 drives the drive motor 310 based on the position of the transport shuttle 14. This causes the control device 800 to drive the drive motor 310 in synchronization with the speed of the transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr. As a result, the outer packaging member Th can be attached while maintaining the movement speed of the transport shuttle 14, i.e., the article Pc.

[0113] The control device 800 acquires the position of the article Pc, in other words, the moving speed, and operates the drive motor 310 based on the position of the article Pc, so even if an article Pc without an exterior member Th is included, the conveying speed of the article Pc does not need to be reduced. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the production efficiency of the article processing device A.

[0114] Note that an item Pc determined to be a defective item by the inspection unit 30 is conveyed from the branch point P1 via the first curved rail 113 to the second straight rail 112 while being held between the conveying shuttles 14. The item determined to be a defective item is then collected by a defective item collection unit (not shown) arranged close to the second straight rail 112. The item Pc determined to be a defective item can be collected by dropping it downward, but this is not a limitation.

[0115] <Box supply device 600> The box body Bx for storing the items Pc is formed by folding a paper sheet Sh such as cardboard. The box body supply device 600 forms the box body Bx by folding and gluing the sheet Sh. At this time, surfaces other than the surface on the branch rail 121 side in the take-out direction Pu are formed. The surface of the box body Bx on the branch rail 121 side is a storage surface for storing the items Pc.

[0116] The box body supplying device 600 has a sheet accumulation section 61, a sheet removal section 62, a forming section 63, a sheet feeding section 64, and a box body moving section 65. Sheets Sh are accumulated in the sheet accumulation section 61. The sheet accumulation section 61 is moved by sheet rails 610. The sheets Sh accumulated in the sheet accumulation section 61 are removed by the sheet removal section 62. The sheets Sh are then sent to the forming section 63 by the sheet feeding section 64. In the forming section 63, a portion of the sheet Sh is folded and glued to form a box body Bx having walls other than the wall portion closer to the article accumulation section 124. The box body Bx formed in the forming section 63 is then sent to a storage area 70s (described later) of the article packing device 700 by the box body moving section 65.

[0117] The box body supply device 600 is connected to a control device 800. The box body supply device 600 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, when the control device 800 confirms that there are no box bodies Bx in the forming unit 63, it operates the sheet take-out unit 62 to take out the sheet Sh, and operates the sheet feeding unit 64 to feed the sheet Sh to the forming unit 63, which then operates the forming unit 63 to form the box body Bx. Then, after a box conveying shuttle 702 (described later) of the box body conveying unit 70 moves to the storage area 70s, it operates the box body moving unit 65 to move the box body Bx in the forming unit 63 to the storage area 70s.

[0118] An article stacking section 124 is provided adjacent to the branch rail 121 on the outer side Os of the branch rail 121. Articles Pc transported along the branch rail 121 are placed in the article stacking section 124. Note that multiple articles Pc are temporarily stored in the article stacking section 124. The action of gathering and temporarily storing multiple articles Pc in this manner is referred to as accumulating articles. The article stacking section 124 has a guide wall section 1241 and a retaining wall section 1242.

[0119] The guide wall 1241 extends along the removal direction Pu in which the articles are removed. The guide wall 1241 is arranged in the article stacking section 124 and is movable in the conveying direction and can be fixed in place. The retaining wall 1242 is arranged at the rear end of the article stacking section 124 in the removal direction Pu, and can be hidden below the floor surface 1240 of the article stacking section 124 and can protrude upward.

[0120] <Item take-out device 400 and item storage device 500> The item take-out device 400 moves the items Pc lined up in the conveying direction Tr in a take-out direction Pu that intersects with the conveying direction Tr, and accumulates them in the item accumulation section 124. In the item processing device A, the take-out direction Pu is outward and perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr.

[0121] The article takeout device 400 has an article rear pushing portion 41 and an article abutment portion 42. The article rear pushing portion 41 supports the article Pc with the article Pc being in contact with the inner surface PcI of the article Pc and the article abutment portion 42 being in contact with the outer surface PcO of the article Pc. In this way, the article rear pushing portion 41 and the article abutment portion 42 move in the takeout direction Pu while maintaining the article Pc being supported. In other words, the article takeout device 400 moves the accumulated and transported articles Pc from the branch rail 121 to the article accumulation portion 124.

[0122] As shown in Fig. 2, the article pickup device 400 is connected to a control device 800. The article pickup device 400 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the article pickup device 400 after confirming that the transport shuttle 14 has reached the pickup position on the branch rail 121. Note that the control device 800 may operate the article pickup device 400 based on information other than the position of the transport shuttle 14.

[0123] The item storage device 500 moves a certain number of items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 together into a box body Bx. The operation of moving a plurality of items Pc together into a box body Bx is referred to as storing items.

[0124] The item storage device 500 has a rear contact portion 51, a side contact portion 52, and a front contact portion 53. The rear contact portion 51 contacts the inner surface PcI of the item Pc arranged at the innermost side Is. The side contact portion 52 contacts the front surface Pcf of the item Pc arranged at the front end of the item Pc in the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc and the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc arranged at the rear end. The front contact portion 53 contacts the outer surface PcO of the item Pc arranged at the outermost side Os of the front end.

[0125] The rear contact portion 51, the side contact portion 52, and the front contact portion 53 move in the removal direction Pu while maintaining contact with the outer surface PcO of the outermost article Pc, the front surface Pcf of the frontmost article Pc, the rear surface Pcr of the rearmost article Pc, and the inner surface PcI of the innermost article Pc, with adjacent articles Pc in contact with each other. As a result, the accumulated multiple articles Pc are stored in the box body Bx.

[0126] As shown in FIG. 2, the item storage device 500 is connected to the control device 800. The item storage device 500 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the item storage device 500 after confirming that a predetermined number of items Pc have been accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 based on the operation of the item takeout device 400. To explain further, the item takeout device 400 may move the items Pc to the item accumulation section 124 a predetermined number of times, and then operate the item storage device 500 after the item takeout device 400 has retracted. Note that the control device 800 may operate the item storage device 500 based on operation information of the item takeout device 400.

[0127] The article processing device A has one or more article stacking units 124. Each of the article stacking units 124 has one article take-out device 400 and one article storage device 500 disposed therein.

[0128] The pressing wall portion 55 comes into contact with the front end of the box body Bx in the take-out direction Pu, and suppresses movement of the box body Bx when storing the article Pc. The pressing wall portion 55 is movable up and down.

[0129] <Item Packaging Device 700> The item processing device A has an item packing device 700. The item packing device 700 packs items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 into a box body Bx. Note that packing refers to the operation from storing a predetermined number of items Pc into the box body Bx until the box body Bx is completed.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 1, the article packing apparatus 700 has a box body transport section 70, an article take-out device 400, an article storage device 500, a box body supply device 600, and a box body send-out section 7.

[0131] The box body supply device 600 folds the sheet Sh to form a box body Bx, and supplies the box body Bx to the box body conveying section 70. The box body conveying section 70 is disposed on the outer side Os of the branch rail 121. The box body conveying section 70 has a configuration that utilizes a box body linear motor mechanism, and has a linear rail 701 and a box conveying shuttle 702.

[0132] In the box transport section 70, the direction in which the linear rail 701 extends is the transport direction of the box Bx, that is, the box transport direction Tb. At least a part of the linear rail 701 is arranged parallel to the branch rail 121.

[0133] The box conveying shuttle 702 holds the box body Bx from the front and rear sides in the box conveying direction Tb and moves in the box conveying direction Tb to convey the box body Bx in the box conveying direction Tb. The box conveying section 70 has box guide rails 76 arranged along the box conveying direction Tb (see FIG. 1). The box conveying section 70 has multiple box guide rails 76, and the box body Bx is arranged on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. When conveyed by the box conveying shuttle 702, the box body Bx is slidably arranged on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. In other words, the box guide rails 76 support the box body Bx from below.

[0134] In the box conveying section 70, the box conveying shuttle 702 is stopped in a storage area 70s that receives the box Bx. With the box conveying shuttle 702 stopped, the box Bx is sent from the box supply device 600 to the storage area 70s. Then, while the box conveying shuttle 702 maintains its front and rear orientation in the box conveying direction Tb, the box conveying shuttle 702 conveys the box Bx in the box conveying direction Tb. The box conveying shuttle 702 stops so that the box Bx is placed in a receiving area 70t adjacent to the item stacking section 124.

[0135] In the box transport section 70, the multiple box transport shuttles 702 are each independently driven by a box linear motor mechanism 72. As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the box linear motor mechanism 72 has multiple coils 721, magnets 722, and a box transport linear driver 723. The multiple coils 721 are arranged inside the linear rail 701 in the box transport direction Tb. The control device 800 is connected to the box transport linear driver 723 and controls the box transport linear driver 723. This causes the box transport shuttles 702 to move along the linear rail 701. The control device 800 can independently control each of the box transport shuttles 702.

[0136] The item take-out device 400 and the item storage device 500 are arranged near the item accumulation section 124. The item take-out device 400 moves the items Pc transported on the branch rail 121 to the item accumulation section 124 and accumulates the items Pc. The item storage device 500 stores the items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 in a box Bx that has been moved to the receiving area 70t.

[0137] <Flip-over part 77> The item packaging device 700 has a lid folding unit 77 that folds the lid portion of the box body Bx on the item accumulation unit 124 side. When the storage of the items Pc is complete, the box body Bx closes the door portion of the box using a box closing mechanism 127. The door portion is formed integrally with the side wall and is a part that can be folded inward. The box body Bx is moved along the box body conveying unit 70 with the door portion closed. The box body Bx with the door portion closed moves to the lid folding unit 77. The lid folding unit 77 folds the lid portion toward the outside of the door portion and bonds the door portion and lid portion together to complete a package Cx in which the items Pc are packed. The lid folding unit 77 presses the lid portion of the box body Bx from below, folding it and bonding the lid portion to the door portion.

[0138] <Box delivery section 7> The box body output section 7 is arranged in an output area 70x at the rear end of the box body conveying section 70 in the box conveying direction Tb. The box body output section 7 has a push-out section 78. The package Cx completed by the lid folding section 77 is inspected, and if it passes the inspection, the outside Os of the package Cx is pushed by the push-out section 78 and it is sent to the OK side (upper side in Figure 1). If it fails the inspection, the inside Is of the package Cx is pushed by the push-out section 78 and it is sent to the NG side (lower side in Figure 1). The package Cx sent to the OK side is sent to the next process.

[0139] In the item processing device A, the inspection at the box body output section 7 mainly inspects the boxes and the state of the items Pc inside. The items Pc themselves have passed the exterior member mounting device 300. In other words, even if an item fails the inspection at the box body output section 7, the items Pc contained therein are often acceptable products. Therefore, even when the package Cx is sent to the NG side, the package Cx is handled so as not to damage the items Pc inside the package Cx.

[0140] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. Furthermore, various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0141] A. Material handling equipment Bx box body Cx packaging PC goods Pcf front PCR back side PcI inner surface PcO external surface Pct bottom 100 Item transport device 11 First Transport Route 111 First straight rail 112 Second straight rail 113 First curved rail 114 Second curved rail 12 Second Transport Route 121 Branch Rail 122 Merging Rail 123 Return Rail 124 Goods Collection Section 1240 floor 1241 Guide wall 1242 Wall 13 Rail 131 Main Rail 132 grooved rail 133 Flat Rail 134 Groove 135 Gap 13c curved short rail 13s straight short rail 14 Transport Shuttle 140 Main body 141 Upper roller 142 Lower Roller 143 Convex 144 Inside 145 Exterior 15. Linear motor transport mechanism 151 Coil 152 Magnet 153 Linear Driver 16 Article holding part 161 Holding plate part 1611 Through hole 1612 recess 162 Item engagement part 163 Article support part 164 Slope 165 Rear pressing part 166 Front pressure part 167 Rear support 168 Front support 200 Article delivery device 20 Goods Supply Department 201 Supply Conveyor 21 Goods sending section 211 Nip roller 211a First nip roller 211b Second nip roller 211c Third nip roller 212 Roller motor 22 Transfer Lane 300 Exterior component mounting device 30 Inspection Department 31 Mounting part 310 Drive motor Th straw 400 Article removal device 201 42 Item contact part 500 Item storage device 51 Rear contact part 52 Side abutment 53 Front abutment part 600 Box feeding device 61 Sheet accumulation unit 62 Sheet removal section 63 Molding section 64 Sheet feeding section 65 Box moving part Sh sheet 700 Item Packaging Equipment 70 Box transport section 701 Linear Rail 702 Box Transport Shuttle 70s storage area 70t receiving area 7 Box delivery section 72 Box Linear Motor Mechanism 721 Coil 722 Magnet 723 Box transport linear driver 800 Control Device 801 Processing Circuit 802 Memory circuit

Claims

1. An article delivery device that delivers articles to a transport shuttle that moves through an article transport section, an article supply unit that supplies the articles to the article conveying unit; an article delivery section disposed at a rear end of the article supply section in a conveying direction of the articles and delivering the articles; a transfer lane arranged along the article conveying section to move the article in the conveying direction; a control unit; The article moving in the transfer lane is held by a transport shuttle at a transfer section at a front end of the transfer lane in a transport direction, The control unit acquires the position of the conveying shuttle and, based on the position of the conveying shuttle, controls the item sending unit so that the item arrives at the transfer section at the same time as the conveying shuttle arrives at the transfer section and at the same speed as the speed of the conveying shuttle in the conveying direction.

2. The article delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein the transfer lane moves the article in the conveying direction at the same speed as the conveying shuttle.

3. The article sending unit includes: a plurality of pairs of nip rollers that contact the articles supplied by the article supply unit from both sides in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the articles to move the articles; The article delivery device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls the rotation speeds of the plurality of nip rollers.

4. the control unit acquires a moving speed of the transport shuttle and a position of the transport shuttle up to the transfer section, The article delivery device described in claim 3, wherein the rotational speed of the multiple nip rollers can be controlled so that the articles moved in the article supply section are moved at a speed faster than the moving speed of the conveying shuttle at the transfer section, and then decelerated to the moving speed of the conveying shuttle at the transfer section.

5. the control unit acquires a moving speed of the transport shuttle and a position of the transport shuttle up to the transfer section, The control unit calculates the arrival time of the conveying shuttle to the transfer section based on the moving speed of the conveying shuttle and the position of the conveying shuttle to the transfer section at the time the item arrives at the item delivery section, and changes the rotation speed of the nip roller based on the arrival time.

6. The article transport unit includes: a rail that is arranged in a loop shape in a plan view; a coil arranged alongside the rail; The article delivery device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a permanent magnet disposed on the transport shuttle.

7. 7. The article delivery device according to claim 6, wherein the article supply unit is a conveyor that places the article on top and transports it in a predetermined direction.

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