Conveyor

Abstract

To provide a conveyor having an improved alignment function of aligning conveyed articles during conveyance.SOLUTION: A conveyor belt is wound on an upstream end roller, a downstream end roller, and an inclined roller. One end side and the other end side in a width direction are lifted on the center of the conveyor belt by the inclined roller and the other rollers, and thus a trough is formed in the width direction of the conveyor belt to form conveyance surfaces facing each other. Conveyed articles are aligned along the trough of the conveyor belt.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyor, and more particularly to a conveyor having a function of aligning objects being conveyed. [Background technology]

[0002] A conveyor having a function of aligning randomly transported objects is known, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 below. This conventional conveyor has a plurality of rollers arranged in a vertical line in the conveying direction, and aligns the conveyed objects by setting a speed difference between the rollers on the left and right of the area where the conveyed objects are placed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-322059 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, since the above-mentioned conventional conveyor uses a roller conveyor having a plurality of rollers, there is a risk that the alignment of the conveyed objects may be displaced due to the rolling of the rollers. Furthermore, there is a risk that the transported object may slip between the rollers or may not come into contact with the rollers. For this reason, there is a demand for a conveyor with an improved alignment function for aligning the objects being conveyed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve such problems, a conveyor according to claim 1 comprises an upstream end roller, a downstream end roller, an inclined roller, and a conveyor belt, the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller having axes parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt being wound around the upstream end roller and the inclined roller having one roller provided near one end of the conveyor belt in the width direction and another roller provided near the other end of the conveyor belt in the width direction, the conveyor belt being disposed between the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller, the conveyor belt being flexible and the middle part being lifted by the inclined roller. The first roller has an axis inclined to lift one side of the conveyor belt in the width direction, and the second roller has an axis inclined to lift the other side of the conveyor belt in the width direction. The first roller and the second roller face each other at the center of the width direction, creating a conveying surface with a valley formed in the width direction of the conveyor belt. The valley has an angle that gradually increases in a continuous manner in the range from the upstream end roller to the first roller and the second roller, and an angle that gradually decreases in a continuous manner in the range from the first roller and the second roller to the downstream end roller.

[0006] A conveyor according to claim 2 comprises an upstream end roller, a downstream end roller, an inclined roller, and a conveyor belt, wherein the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller have axes parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt is wound around them, the inclined roller is provided near one end of the width direction of the conveyor belt and is disposed between the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller, and the axis is inclined so as to lift the sides of the conveyor belt in the width direction, the conveyor belt has a middle part lifted by the inclined roller, corners are formed in the width direction of the conveyor belt and each conveying surface is formed at each corner, the angle of the corners gradually increases in a continuous manner from the upstream end roller to the inclined roller, and the angle of the corners gradually decreases in a continuous manner from the inclined roller to the downstream end roller.

[0007] (Claim added) It is preferable that a plurality of inclined rollers are provided in the conveying direction of the conveyor belt.

[0008] The conveyor belt comprises two annular bands separated in the width direction and a connecting annular band interposed between the two annular bands, the two annular bands having the same diameter and each having a conveying surface, the connecting annular band forming the bottom or corner of the valley of the conveyor belt, and preferably having the same diameter as the annular bands and greater flexibility than the annular bands.

[0009] Preferably, one of the conveying surfaces has a lower friction resistance than the other of the conveying surfaces. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] With the above-described configuration, the present invention can provide a conveyor with an improved alignment function for aligning objects during transportation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of a conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view seen from the upstream end side. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an inclined roller portion as viewed from the upstream end side. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the conveyor, illustrating only the conveying surface side of the conveyor belt. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the conveyor, showing only the conveying surface side of the conveyor belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A conveyor 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts with the same functions, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] [Basic conveyor configuration] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the conveyor 1 is configured to convey objects 101 that are randomly arranged and whose orientation is not uniform across the width of the upstream conveyor 100, or objects 101 that are tilted relative to the conveying direction, from the upstream conveyor 100. The objects are aligned while being transported downstream, and the aligned objects are transferred to the downstream conveyor 102. This conveyor 1 includes an upstream end roller 2 journaled on the upstream side of a frame F, a downstream end roller 3 journaled on the downstream side of the frame F, an inclined roller 4 disposed between the upstream end roller 2 and the downstream end roller 3, and a conveyor belt 5 wound around the upstream end roller 2, the downstream end roller 3, and the inclined roller 4. The upstream end roller 2 and the downstream end roller 3 are supported by an axis parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt 5, and the wound conveyor belt 5 is switched between conveying operation and returning operation in the conveying direction and the returning direction by the upstream end roller 2 and the downstream end roller 3. In addition, the inclined rollers 4 lift up one and the other widthwise ends of the conveyor belt 5 at the middle of the conveying side, thereby forming a valley d in the widthwise direction of the conveyor belt 5, and conveying surfaces 5a and 5b are created on both sides of this valley d in the widthwise direction.

[0014] The method of driving the conveyor belt 5 is not limited, and examples include a configuration in which the return side of the conveyor belt 5 is sandwiched between rollers from above and below and rotated by driving rotation of the rollers (not shown), or a configuration in which either the upstream end roller 2 or the downstream end roller 3 is driven to rotate (not shown). The frame F is supported by legs, which are omitted in this embodiment.

[0015] [Configuration of Inclined Rollers] The inclined rollers 4 have rollers 40a (upstream side) and 40b (downstream side) arranged near one end (hereinafter referred to as "left") of the conveyor belt 5 in the width direction, and other rollers 41a (upstream side) and 41b (downstream side) arranged near the other end (hereinafter referred to as "right") of the conveyor belt 5 in the width direction (right side in Figure 3), and are arranged between the upstream end roller 2 and the downstream end roller 3. In the following description, the upstream roller 40a will be referred to as the left upstream roller 40a, the downstream roller 40b will be referred to as the left downstream roller 40b, the upstream roller 41a will be referred to as the right upstream roller 41a, and the downstream roller 41b will be referred to as the right downstream roller 41b.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the left upstream roller 40a, the left downstream roller 40b, the right upstream roller 41a, and the right downstream roller 41b are attached to a frame F and rotatably supported by a support a having an angle adjustment function. The left upstream roller 40a and the left downstream roller 40b are supported by a support a with their axes inclined so as to lift the left side of the conveyor belt 5, and the right upstream roller 41a and the right downstream roller 41b are supported by a support a with their axes inclined so as to lift the right side of the conveyor belt 5.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the inclined roller 4 configured in this manner can lift the left and right sides of the conveyor belt 5 at the middle of the conveying side, thereby forming a left-right valley d in the conveyor belt 5, with the left conveying surface 5a on the left side of this valley d and the right conveying surface 5b on the right side facing each other. In addition, the angle of the conveying surfaces 5a, 5b of the conveyor belt 5 can be gradually made acute in a stepless manner from the upstream end roller 2 toward the left upstream roller 40a and the right downstream roller 41a, and the angle of the conveying surfaces 5a, 5b of the conveyor belt 5 can be gradually made obtuse in a stepless manner from the left downstream roller 40b and the right downstream roller 41b toward the downstream end roller 3. Furthermore, the conveyor belt 5 is substantially horizontal in the portion where it is wound around the upstream end roller 2 and the downstream end roller 3, with no valley d.

[0018] It is preferable that the mounting position of the support a relative to the frame F be adjustable. Furthermore, in the illustration, the first roller and the second roller that make up the inclined roller 4 are shown as a pair of two each, but the number of rollers included in this first roller and the second roller is not limited to one pair, and may be one or more pairs of rollers each.

[0019] [Conveyor belt configuration] The conveyor belt 5 is made of a flexible material, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5, it comprises a left annular band (hereinafter referred to as the "left annular band") 50, a right annular band (hereinafter referred to as the "right annular band") 51, and a connecting annular band 52 interposed between the left annular band 50 and the right annular band 51, with the bottom d1 of the valley portion d as the boundary. The left annular band 50 and the right annular band 51 have the same diameter and thickness, but the width of the left annular band 50 is wider than the width of the right annular band 51. The left annular band 50 has a left conveying surface 5a, and the right annular band 51 has a right conveying surface 5b.

[0020] The friction resistance of the outer peripheral surface (the surface that becomes the left conveying surface 5a on the conveying side) of the left annular band 50 is lower than the friction resistance of the outer peripheral surface (the surface that becomes the right conveying surface 5b on the conveying side) of the right annular band 51, making the conveyed item 101 easier to slide on the left conveying surface 5a and less likely to slide on the right conveying surface 5b. The structure that makes it easier for the transported item 101 to slide can be achieved by reducing the frictional resistance of the outer surface of the left annular band 50.For example, possible means include using a material that has low frictional resistance for the left annular band 50, or processing the outer surface of the left annular band 50 to reduce frictional resistance.

[0021] The connecting annular band 52 is made of a flexible material and has the same diameter as the left annular band 50 and the right annular band 51, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and is configured so that the bottom d1 of the valley portion d of the conveyor belt 5 is parallel to the conveying direction. The connecting annular band 52 is thinner than the left annular band 50 and the right annular band 51, and is more flexible than the left annular band 50 and the right annular band 51. The connecting annular band 52 is fitted into recesses 520 formed around the opposing ends of the left annular band 50 and the right annular band 51, and is fixed by means such as adhesive or welding, so that its outer surface is flush with the outer surfaces of the left annular band 50 and the right annular band 51. That is, by reducing the thickness of the connecting annular band 52 that forms the bottom d1 of the valley portion d of the conveyor belt 5, it is possible to make it easier to bend, thereby forming a valley portion d in the conveyor belt 5 that rotates for transporting, with a reliable shape and a small bending diameter at the bottom d1.

[0022] [Conveyor aligning items] Next, the operation of aligning the transported objects by the conveyor 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the conveyor 1 of this embodiment is set at a position where the transported item 101 transported by the upstream conveyor 100 is transferred to the left transport surface 5a of the conveyor belt 5, and the transported item 101 transported by the conveyor 1 is set at a position where it is transferred to the center of the downstream conveyor 102.

[0023] Immediately after the transport of the transported object 101 from the upstream conveyor 100, it is transported to a substantially horizontal portion of the left transport surface 5a of the conveyor belt 5 wound around the upstream end roller 2, as shown in FIGS. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the transferred article 101 is conveyed with its front portion, which is the wide surface of the article 101, resting on the left conveying surface 5a. The objects 101 conveyed one after another slide down the left conveying surface 5a, which gradually increases in angle, toward the right conveying surface 5b, which also gradually increases in angle, and at the intermediate portion where the angle of the valley portion d of the conveyor belt 5 is the highest, the side portions of the objects 101 come into contact with the right conveying surface 5b and are conveyed in an aligned state. Since the bottom d1 of the valley portion d of the conveyor belt 5 is parallel to the conveying direction, the side portion of the conveyed object 101 is positioned and aligned while abutting against the right conveying surface 5b, and is completely aligned when it passes through the left upstream roller 40a and the right upstream roller 41a.

[0024] At this time, the frictional resistance of left conveying surface 5a is made lower than that of right conveying surface 5b to facilitate slippage, so that conveyed object 101 moves smoothly toward right conveying surface 5b. Furthermore, when the conveyor belt 5 rotates, the right conveying surface 5b supports the side portion of the transported item 101, and the transported item 101 can be slid along the left conveying surface 5a, thereby preventing the transported item 101 from shifting during transport and maintaining an aligned state.

[0025] When the aligned transported item 101 passes through the left downstream roller 40b and the right downstream roller 41b, the front portion of the transported item 101 is deposited on the left transport surface 5a, which gradually decreases in angle, and the side portion of the transported item 101 gradually moves away from the right transport surface 5b, which also gradually decreases in angle, so that the transported item 101 is transported only on the left transport surface 5a. At this time, the transported object 101 tries to slide down the left transport surface 5a toward the right transport surface 5b, but even though it is at an obtuse angle, there is a valley d, and the corner of the side portion of the transported object 101 abuts near the bottom d1 of the valley d, so the alignment of the transported objects being transported one after another can be maintained. In addition, since the angle of the left conveying surface 5a on which the front portion of the conveyed item 101 is deposited gradually becomes obtuse, the angle of the conveyed item 101 in the conveying state also gradually becomes obtuse, and the part wrapped around the downstream end roller 3 becomes approximately horizontal, and in this state it can be transferred to the downstream conveyor 102. In other words, the transported items can be transported in a stepless manner so that they gradually become horizontal all the way to the downstream end, so that they can be kept aligned when transferred to the downstream conveyor 102, and all of the transported items 101 can be transferred to the center of the downstream conveyor 102 without any deviation.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, this conveyor 1 can also be configured such that an upstream conveyor 100 (shown by a virtual line) is located to the left of the part where the angle of the valley d is the acutest, and the transported object 101 can be directly transported by sliding it down from diagonally above on the left side into the valley d of the conveyor belt 5. In this case, the transported item 101 slides down toward the right conveying surface 5b, so that the front portion of the transported item 101 rests on the left conveying surface 5a, and the side portion of the transported item 101 abuts against the right conveying surface 5b. Then, the conveyed object 101 transferred to the part of the conveyor belt 5 where the valley d has the most acute angle is conveyed from this part to the downstream end so as to gradually become horizontal in a continuous manner.

[0027] According to the conveyor 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to align the transported objects 101 that are transported in a position that is not uniform and randomly arranged in the width direction of the upstream conveyor 100, or that are transported in a position that is tilted relative to the transport direction, during transport, and it is possible to transport the transported objects 101 while maintaining the aligned state, and it is possible to transport the transported objects 101 to the downstream conveyor 102 in an aligned state. Therefore, it is possible to provide a conveyor 1 with an improved alignment function for aligning the objects during transportation.

[0028] [Conveyor variation 1] Next, a first modification of the conveyor 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The conveyor 1 of this modified example differs only in part from the configuration of the conveyor belt 5, and therefore only the conveying side of the conveyor belt 5 will be illustrated and explained. The conveyor belt 5 has a left annular band 50 and a right annular band 51 with the same width, and a connecting annular band 52 is interposed in the center, so that when the connecting annular band 52 is bent to form a valley portion d, the bottom d1 of the valley portion d is the boundary and the left and right sides are symmetrical. In the case of such a conveyor belt 5, it is assumed that an object 101 to be conveyed is placed and conveyed across both the left conveying surface 5a and the right conveying surface 5b. In this case, by making the frictional resistance of the left conveying surface 5a and the right conveying surface 5b the same, it is possible to prevent the object 101 from shifting during conveyance.

[0029] [Conveyor variation 2] Next, a second modification of the conveyor 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The conveyor 1 of this modified example differs only in part from the inclined rollers 4 and the conveyor belt, and therefore only the conveying side of the conveyor belt 5 will be illustrated and explained. The conveyor 1 has only the left upstream roller 40a and the left downstream roller 40b as the inclined rollers 4, and does not have the right upstream roller 41a and the right downstream roller 41b. The conveyor belt 5 wound around such inclined rollers 4 has its left side lifted by the left upstream roller 40a and the left downstream roller 40b to form an inclined left conveying surface 5a, and a horizontal right conveying surface 5b is formed in the part excluding the left conveying surface 5a. A corner d2 corresponding to the bottom d1 of the valley d in the above embodiment is formed between the inclined left conveying surface 5a and the horizontal right conveying surface 5b. The corners of the transported goods 101 come into contact with the corners d2, so that the transported goods 101 can be aligned. Although the inclined rollers 4 are shown as a pair of two in the drawing, the number of rollers included in the inclined rollers is not limited to one pair, and may be one or more pairs of rollers.

[0030] [Conveyor transport method] In addition to the above-mentioned conveying modes, the conveyor 1 may be configured to align and turn over the transported objects 101 to transport them downstream by changing the angle of the pair of left upstream rollers 40a and left downstream rollers 40b that form the bottom d1 or corner d2 of the valley d in the conveyor belt 5, or the angle of the pair of right upstream rollers 41a and right downstream rollers 41b, or to align and turn up the transported objects 101 that are transported from the upstream side in a lying position to transport them downstream.

[0031] The conveyor 1 of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's techniques as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose, configuration, etc. of each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1: Conveyor 2: Upstream end roller 3: Downstream end roller 4: Inclined roller 5: Conveyor belt 40a: Left upstream roller 40b: Left downstream roller 41a: Right upper flow roller 41b: Right downstream roller 5a: Left conveying surface 5b: Right conveying surface 50: Left annular band 51: Right annular band 52: Connected annular band d: Tanibe d1:bottom d2: Corner

Claims

1. The conveyor belt is provided with an upstream end roller, a downstream end roller, an inclined roller, and a conveyor belt, and the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller have axes parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt is wound around them. The inclined rollers include one roller provided near one end of the conveyor belt in the width direction, and another roller provided near the other end of the conveyor belt in the width direction, and are disposed between the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller, the conveyor belt is flexible, and the middle part is lifted by the inclined roller, and one roller is disposed on one side of the conveyor belt in the width direction. a shaft of one roller is inclined to lift one side of the conveyor belt in the width direction, and a shaft of the other roller is inclined to lift the other side of the conveyor belt in the width direction, the one roller and the other roller face each other at the center in the width direction to form a conveying surface with a valley in the width direction of the conveyor belt, the valley gradually increases in angle in a range from the upstream end roller to the one roller and the other roller, and the angle gradually decreases in angle in a range from the one roller and the other roller to the downstream end roller, The conveyor belt is characterized in that it comprises two annular bands separated in the width direction and a connecting annular band interposed between the two annular bands, the two annular bands having the same diameter and each having a conveying surface with a different friction resistance, the connecting annular band forming the bottom of the valley portion of the conveyor belt, having the same diameter as the annular bands, being thinner than the annular bands, and being highly flexible.

2. a conveyor capable of aligning objects during transport, the conveyor comprising an upstream end roller, a downstream end roller, an inclined roller, and a conveyor belt, the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller having axes parallel to the width direction of the conveyor belt and wound therearound, the inclined roller being provided near one end of the conveyor belt in the width direction and being disposed between the upstream end roller and the downstream end roller, and having an inclined axis so as to lift up the sides of the conveyor belt in the width direction, the conveyor belt having a middle portion lifted up by the inclined roller, corners being formed in the width direction of the conveyor belt and forming conveying surfaces at each of the corners, the angle of the corners gradually increasing in a continuous manner in the range from the upstream end roller to the inclined roller, and the angle of the corners gradually decreasing in a continuous manner in the range from the inclined roller to the downstream end roller; The conveyor belt is characterized in that it comprises two annular bands separated in the width direction and a connecting annular band interposed between the two annular bands, the two annular bands having the same diameter and each having a conveying surface with a different friction resistance, the connecting annular band forming a corner of the conveyor belt, having the same diameter as the annular bands, being thinner than the annular bands, and being highly flexible.

3. 3. The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of inclined rollers are provided in the conveying direction of the conveyor belt.

4. 4. The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein one of the conveying surfaces has a lower friction resistance than the other of the conveying surfaces.

5. 5. A conveyor capable of aligning objects during transport according to claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination of the most acute angle of the valley or corner relative to the horizontal plane is greater than 30 degrees.

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