Buffer storage and transport means

Abstract

To provide a buffer storage means and a conveying means for storing articles to make up for shortages caused by rejecting defective products in a production line for manufacturing accumulated products. [Solution] The buffer storage means 100 is equipped with a column direction changing means 110, a serial conveying means 120, a missing item detection means 130, and a replenishment means 140. The column direction changing means acquires a column of articles 400 that have been conveyed in parallel upstream, changes the direction of conveyance so that they are conveyed in serial, and delivers them to the serial conveying means. The missing item detection means detects missing items among the articles being conveyed in serial. If a missing item is detected, the replenishment means temporarily suspends the receiving operation, and in the case of an article, performs the receiving operation to fill the empty space caused by the missing item and store the items in an aligned state. Furthermore, the item discharge operation is controlled independently from the receiving operation, so that the missing items can be filled with stored items and discharged downstream regardless of whether the receiving side is in the middle of or has stopped receiving operations.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a buffer storage means for storing items to compensate for shortages that occur in upstream devices. Specifically, the present invention relates to a buffer storage means for supplying stored items to replace shortages so that the number of items supplied downstream does not change even if a shortage occurs due to defective items in an upstream device in a production line that assembles multiple sheet-like items (hereinafter simply referred to as items) into a single accumulated product. The present invention also relates to a conveying means equipped with the buffer storage means.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to a buffer storage means that acquires multiple items from an upstream parallel conveyor, changes the direction of conveyance from parallel to serial, and collects and stores the serially conveyed items in one location, thereby reducing the number of buffer storage means installed and achieving space savings and consolidation of the production line.The present invention also relates to a conveying means in which the buffer storage means is arranged downstream of a parallel conveyor. [Background technology]

[0003] Traditionally, in the pharmaceutical manufacturing field, it has been difficult to shorten the time required to measure the powder contained in a packet with high precision, so production efficiency has been improved to suit the downstream production speed by lining up multiple packet manufacturing machines in parallel and manufacturing packets in parallel.In addition, Article 13 of the Measurement Act (enforced June 17, 2022) requires that the content volume of sealed individually packaged products be displayed on the outside.

[0004] Furthermore, legal amendments made between 2017 and 2019 have added transport measuring instruments such as "automatic capture scales" and "conveyor scales" to the list of specified measuring instruments that are subject to periodic inspection, resulting in stricter management obligations for transport measuring instruments. Therefore, in order to respond appropriately to the legal amendments, sealed products such as packets are required to display the content volume on the outside, and all packets are required to be weighed individually to eliminate defective products that fall outside the measurement tolerance range.

[0005] However, if the shortages caused by the rejection of defective products are not replenished and the products are handed over to downstream processes such as stacking and packaging machines, the number of products transported in each parallel row becomes uneven.To address this issue, production lines have traditionally been equipped with buffer storage devices that store only good products, and in the event of a shortage, good products are replenished from the stock in the buffer storage device, preventing any disruption to downstream production processes.

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses technology for a packet stacking device that can respond to high-speed operation even when a shortage occurs due to the discharge of defective products on a parallel transport line for packets. According to the technology described in this document, a number of replenishment stockers equal to the number of parallel packets are arranged in parallel on the parallel transport line, and the replenishment operation of each replenishment stocker and the number of packets stored in each replenishment stocker are managed individually to prevent the number of packets stacked in the accumulator from becoming uneven.

[0007] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, the number of replenishment stockers and stackers installed is the same as the number of parallel packaged products, which poses the problem of the parallel conveyance line becoming larger and more expensive. Also, because the presence or absence of missing items, the timing of conveying missing items, and the number of missing items vary for each horizontal row, each replenishment stocker needs to be controlled independently, which poses the problem of complex control.

[0008] Patent Document 2 discloses a packaging system technology in which a first conveyor that conveys items in a straight line while removing defective items, a second conveyor (linear conveyor) that adjusts the interval between good items before and after a shortage by speed control, and a pillow packaging machine are arranged in series. According to the technology described in this document, the first conveyor simultaneously picks up multiple items from a stocker before defective items are removed, and while the picked up items are being transported in series, a visual inspection is performed to remove the defective items.

[0009] When a non-defective product is sent from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, each moving body on the second conveyor accelerates while pushing the rear of the non-defective product, and is controlled to decelerate when it catches up with the moving body in front. On the other hand, when a missing product is sent, the moving body waits in the receiving section. In addition, the linear conveyor is installed so that it extends horizontally for a long time so that the non-defective product pushed by the moving body can be sent directly to the pillow packaging machine. In addition, the moving body had to be constantly discharged to prevent the pillow packaging machine from producing empty packages.

[0010] Therefore, in the technology described in Patent Document 2, only one straight section of the circular conveying path can be used for conveying and storing items, which poses the problem of requiring a large installation space in a pharmaceutical production line premised on mass production. Furthermore, because the free space due to stockouts is reduced by driving and controlling each moving body at different speeds, each moving body can only convey one item, which poses the problem of complicated control due to the large number of moving bodies.

[0011] Furthermore, in the technology described in Patent Document 2, when packets are weighed while being transported, they must be transferred one by one to an automatic capture scale or the like while being transported in series, and it is not possible to weigh multiple items in parallel. This reduces the efficiency of inspecting and rejecting defective products, making it difficult to improve production efficiency, and therefore posing the problem that this method is not suitable for pharmaceutical production lines that are premised on mass production. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-022798 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-027812 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a buffer storage means in a production line where articles are transported in parallel on the upstream side, which can replenish shortages that occur on the upstream side and transfer them to the downstream side even with a single buffer storage means, thereby saving space on the entire production line.Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transport means which includes a parallel transporter and a buffer storage means in that order. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The buffer storage means of the first aspect of the present invention is applied to a production line for an integrated product in which sheet-like articles are piled up into a single mass, and is a buffer storage means for storing articles to compensate for shortages that have occurred on the upstream side, and includes a column direction changing means, a serial conveying means, a shortage detection means, and a compensation means, and on the upstream side, the articles are conveyed in parallel with a space between them in the front and rear and separated in a horizontal line direction, the column direction changing means is driven at a desired delivery cycle so as to link the parallel conveying and the operation of the serial conveying means, and acquires a plurality of articles being conveyed in parallel from the upstream side, changes their direction to be in series, and delivers them to the serial conveying means, and the serial conveying means The direction-changed items are conveyed in series, the stockout detection means detects a stockout state in the series of items being conveyed in series, the compensation means comprises an acceptance control means and a discharge control means, the acceptance control means operates in conjunction with the stockout detection means, and if a stockout is detected, the acceptance operation is temporarily stopped and resumed when the next item is received, thereby filling the empty space caused by the stockout when the item is received and rearranging and storing the items in the series, and the discharge control means controls the discharge operation of the items independently from the acceptance operation so that the stockout can be made up for with the stored items and discharged downstream even when the acceptance operation is stopped.

[0015] The articles to be conveyed in parallel on the upstream side may be any articles that are bound together into a single unit on the downstream side, and there are no limitations on their size or shape. In particular, articles whose contents are indicated on the outer packaging sheet, such as packets containing powder or granules, or continuous packets consisting of multiple connected packets, are suitable. Other suitable items include press-through packs (PTP) sheets. It is also preferable to weigh the articles in advance during parallel conveyance and eliminate defective articles, as this eliminates the need for time-consuming weighing in the buffer storage means.

[0016] The column direction conversion means converts the direction of the column of articles from parallel conveyance to serial conveyance when acquiring multiple articles from the upstream side and transferring them to the serial conveyance means. In this application, parallel conveyance means that multiple articles are conveyed side by side in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction. Serial conveyance means that multiple articles are conveyed in a single vertical line along the conveyance direction. All articles conveyed in serial are received by a single supplementary means.

[0017] Because the row of items is converted to serial conveyance before a shortage in the row of items is made up, even if multiple shortages occur in a row of items being conveyed in parallel, the shortages can be made up with just one compensation means. The conversion from parallel conveyance to serial conveyance can be achieved by intersecting the upstream parallel conveyance machine and the serial conveyance means, or by rotating the row of items along a horizontal plane.

[0018] The serial conveying means may be a known finger conveyor or the like. Inspection for defective products may be performed during serial conveyance, but if it is performed during parallel conveyance, where parallel inspection is possible, inspection efficiency can be improved, and production efficiency can also be improved by increasing the speed of serial conveyance faster than that of parallel conveyance. The missing item detection means detects a missing item in the string of serially conveyed items before the items reach the replenishment means. The detection method is not limited, and for example, a known optical sensor or the like may be used to record whether an item has passed over the string over time, and if the difference in detection time is longer than normal, it may be determined that there is a missing item.

[0019] The filling means independently controls the receiving and discharging operations using the receiving control means and the discharging control means. The filling means acquires all items supplied from the serial conveying means using the receiving control means linked to the stockout detection means, and aligns and stores the items so that they can be discharged on a first-in, first-out basis. On the other hand, when a stockout reaches the receiving position, the receiving operation is temporarily stopped and resumed in time with the timing when the next item is sent. In other words, the items are rearranged and stored to fill the empty space created by the stockout.

[0020] The replenishment means adds stored items to the items sent from the serial conveyance means per unit time by the discharge control means, thereby compensating for shortages that occur upstream and discharging them. Furthermore, because the discharge operation of items is controlled separately from the receiving operation, the discharge operation does not need to be stopped even when the receiving operation is temporarily suspended. Therefore, regardless of the number of shortages or the status of the receiving operation, the required number of items can be supplied downstream at a constant speed. Furthermore, because the stored items are realigned at the time of reception, the discharge operation can be easily controlled.

[0021] According to the first aspect of the present invention, multiple items simultaneously acquired from the upstream side are converted from parallel transport to serial transport, and any shortages occurring on the upstream side are replenished with items stored in advance and sent downstream. As a result, even if a shortage occurs on the upstream side where items are transported in parallel due to the removal of defective products, the shortage can be replenished using a single buffer storage means and a specified number of items can be sent downstream. Because the buffer storage means has a simple and consolidated configuration, this has the advantageous effect of not requiring an increase in the size of the production line, compared to the conventional configuration in which a buffer storage means is provided for each parallel transport row.

[0022] A second aspect of the present invention is a buffer storage means for storing items to compensate for shortages that have occurred upstream, the buffer storage means including a column direction changing means, a serial conveying means, a shortage detection means, and a compensation means, the column direction changing means acquiring a plurality of items being conveyed in parallel from the upstream side, changing the direction of the items to a serial direction, and transferring the items to the serial conveying means, the serial conveying means conveying the changed direction items in serial, the shortage detection means detecting a shortage state in the row of items being conveyed in serial, the compensation means including a receiving control means, a discharge control means, and a storage number detection means interlocked with the discharge control means, the receiving control means being operated in conjunction with the shortage detection means, and when a shortage is detected, The receiving operation is temporarily stopped and then resumed when the next item is received, thereby filling the empty space caused by the shortage when the item is received and rearranging the row of items for storage, and the discharge control means controls the discharge operation of items independently from the receiving operation so that the shortage can be made up for with the stored items and discharged downstream even while the receiving operation is stopped, and further, the stored number detection means detects the current number of items stored in the compensation means, and if it is detected that the stored number has fallen below a first threshold at which continuation of discharge is permitted, the discharge control means stops the discharge operation and maintains the stopped state until the number of items stored exceeds a second threshold at which discharge is permitted to be resumed.

[0023] According to the second invention, the current number of stored items is detected by the storage number detection means, and this is linked to the control of the discharge operation. Specifically, when the storage number in the replenishing means falls below a first threshold value at which the discharge of items may continue, only the discharge is stopped and only the acceptance of items continues. Then, when the number of stored items exceeds a second threshold value, the discharge is resumed.

[0024] The case where the number of stacked articles falls below the first threshold occurs when there is a shortage of the number of articles when the downstream device is grouping them into a single batch. The second threshold is not limited to a specific value as long as it is higher than the first threshold, but for example, it may be set to the initial number of articles stored when the production line starts operating. This prevents product defects due to a shortage of articles when the downstream device is grouping them into a single batch.

[0025] A third aspect of the present invention is the buffer storage means of the first aspect, wherein the supplementing means is a circular transport means for articles, the circular transport means comprising a circular band and a transport control means, the circular band comprising a plurality of transport shelves, a receiving section side drive means and a discharging section side drive means, and forming a circular reverse transport path extending vertically, the transport shelves being arranged vertically on the outer periphery of the circular band, the receiving section side drive means and the discharging section side drive means feeding out the circular band to move the transport shelves vertically along the reverse transport path. The transfer control means functions as the receiving control means and the discharge control means, and independently drives and controls the receiving section side drive means and the discharge section side drive means, and when a shortage is detected, it stops only the receiving section side drive means, temporarily suspending the transfer of the transfer shelf on the receiving section side while continuing the transfer of the transfer shelf on the discharge section side, and when an article is sent following the shortage, it re-drives the receiving section side drive means, restarting the transfer of the transfer shelf on the receiving section side, and controlling the transfer so that the transfer shelf is not sent empty.

[0026] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the receiving section drive means and the discharge section drive means, which pay out the rotating band, are independently driven by the transfer control means. Specifically, when a missing item is sent, the transfer control means temporarily stops the transfer of the transfer shelf in the receiving section, controlling the transfer so that the transfer shelf does not move empty. As a result, only non-defective products are aligned and stored on the transfer shelf, which is then transferred sequentially to the discharge section.

[0027] Furthermore, because the discharge section side drive means and the receiving section side drive means are driven independently, the receiving section side and the discharge section side can be operated independently even if the orbiting band is a continuous unit. Specifically, if only receiving is stopped, only the discharge section side of the orbiting band is unwound, shortening the length from the receiving section side to the discharge section side and reducing the number of transfer shelves transferring items. On the other hand, if only discharging is stopped, only the receiving section side of the orbiting band is unwound, increasing the number of transfer shelves transferring items.

[0028] In addition, because the reverse conveying path extends long in the vertical direction, even when a large number of items need to be stored, the installation area of ​​the compensation means is unlikely to become large. This has the advantageous effect of preventing the buffer storage means from becoming large even when applied to a production line with high production efficiency.

[0029] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the buffer storage means of the first aspect, wherein the supplementing means is a linear transport means for circularly transporting the articles, the linear transport means comprising a stator, a plurality of movers, and a drive control means, the stator forms a circular reverse transport path extending long in the vertical direction, an article receiving section is disposed in an upstream vertical section of the reverse transport path, and an article discharge section is disposed in a downstream vertical section, and each of the movers is independently driven by electromagnetic interaction with the stator and is arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. The system is characterized in that it has a plurality of transport shelves with a plurality of conveying shelves, and the space between adjacent transport shelves forms a space for receiving items, and the drive control means functions as the receiving control means and the discharge control means, and when a shortage is detected, it makes the movable element wait at the receiving section until the next item is sent, and when the item is received, it moves the waiting movable element by the height of the receiving space, and when the reception is completed, it drives and controls the movable element to move to the discharge section so that the item can be discharged.

[0030] The stator of the linear conveying means forms a circular reverse conveying path, and the movable element is driven to rotate along the reverse conveying path in the order of an upstream vertical portion, an upper curved portion, a downstream vertical portion, and a lower curved portion. Because the item receiving portion is provided on the upstream vertical portion and the item discharge portion is provided on the downstream vertical portion, it is possible to store items in most of the reverse conveying path, except for the downstream curved portion where the movable element returns from the discharge portion to the receiving portion.

[0031] Furthermore, since one movable element is equipped with multiple transport shelves, the items can be aligned simply by controlling the movement of the movable element by the height of the receiving space each time a non-defective item is received in the receiving section. Furthermore, since one movable element can transport multiple items, the number of movable elements to be controlled can be reduced compared to conventional technology in which one movable element transports one item. Furthermore, if the movable element and the transport shelves are detachable, it is possible to simply replace the transport shelves depending on the size of the items, making the system highly versatile.

[0032] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, most of the stators constituting the linear conveying means can be used for conveying, the number of movers can be reduced, and it is easy to respond to changes in product specifications. As a result, even when applied to a production line with high production efficiency, the buffer storage means does not need to be large, and versatility can be improved, which is an advantageous effect not found in the prior art.

[0033] A fifth aspect of the present invention is a buffer storage means that is applied to a production line for stacking sheet-like articles into a lump, and temporarily stores articles being conveyed and eliminates mismatched combinations due to a shortage occurring upstream, the buffer storage means including a column direction changing means, a serial conveying means, a shortage detection means, and a replacement means, and the articles are conveyed in parallel on the upstream side with a gap between them and separated in a horizontal direction, the column direction changing means being driven at a desired delivery cycle so as to link the parallel conveying with the operation of the serial conveying means, and the buffer storage means acquires a plurality of articles being conveyed in parallel from the upstream side and replaces them in a serial manner. The direction of the items is changed into a line and handed over to the serial conveying means, which then serially conveys the changed direction items in series, the missing item detection means detects a missing item among the items being serially conveyed and identifies the item that pairs with the missing item in a downstream combination process, and the replacement means works in conjunction with the missing item detection means to retrieve the item from the serial conveying means and temporarily store it when the first item that pairs with the missing item is conveyed, and then, when the next item that pairs with the missing item is conveyed, place the temporarily stored item in the position of the missing item and replace the positions of the items so that the two items become a pair.

[0034] According to the fifth invention, the replacement means replaces the positions of the items so that a pair of an item and a missing item does not occur in the downstream process. The method for identifying the missing item and the paired item is, for example, to count the items being transported in series, and if the missing item is an even-numbered item, the previous good item is identified as the paired item, and if the missing item is an odd-numbered item, the good item immediately following the missing item is identified as the paired item. Furthermore, if good items are transported as a pair, they are allowed to pass through as is. This simplifies the structure of the buffer storage means.

[0035] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a conveying means for acquiring articles from an article manufacturing device and conveying them downstream, the conveying means including, in order, a parallel conveying machine and a buffer storage means according to the first to fifth aspects of the invention, the parallel conveying machine having, in order from the upstream side, a defective product inspection means and a defective product discharge means, the defective product inspection means having at least a weighing means out of a visual inspection means and a weighing means, the defective products are identified from the results of weighing the articles, and the defective product discharge means removes the identified defective products from the line of articles being conveyed in parallel by the parallel conveying machine.

[0036] To weigh items while they are being conveyed, the items must be transferred one by one to a conveying weighing device such as an automatic capture scale, and it takes time for the weighing value on the conveying weighing device to stabilize, making it difficult to improve conveying efficiency. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by weighing items in parallel in a parallel conveying machine and eliminating defective items, inspection efficiency and the efficiency of rejecting defective items are improved. Because defective items are removed in advance during parallel conveyance, inspection and rejection of defective items in the buffer storage means can be omitted, thereby speeding up serial conveyance. This has the advantageous effect of making it easier to improve production efficiency even for items that require individual weighing, such as packets.

[0037] The seventh aspect of the present invention is the conveying means of the sixth aspect, characterized in that the row direction changing means positions the end of the parallel conveying machine so that it faces the side of the serial conveying means, making the respective conveying directions perpendicular to each other, and changes the direction from parallel conveying to serial conveying by transferring the row of articles without rotating them.

[0038] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the terminal end of the parallel conveyor is arranged to face the side of the serial conveyor that constitutes the buffer storage means. Therefore, when changing the direction of the row of articles, it is not necessary to rotate it along a horizontal plane, and the articles can be transferred by sliding or dropping, which increases the transfer speed. This simplifies the structure of the row direction changing means and improves production efficiency.

[0039] An eighth aspect of the present invention is the conveying means of the sixth aspect, characterized in that the row direction changing means arranges the parallel conveying machine and the serial conveying means in parallel, and changes the direction from parallel conveying to serial conveying by rotating and transferring the row of articles.

[0040] "Arranged in parallel" means that the conveying directions of the parallel conveyor and the serial conveyor means may be arranged in a straight line, or may be arranged so as to turn back and forth. Alternatively, multiple buffer storage means may be arranged in parallel to change the direction of the articles and distribute them in order. In this case, one parallel conveyor can be shared by two or more buffer storage means. This makes it possible to integrate two or more production lines and consolidate the installation space in a production factory where installation space is limited. [Effects of the Invention]

[0041] According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if only one buffer storage means is provided in a production line including a parallel conveyor, empty feed does not occur in downstream devices. Furthermore, even if a large number of items are being conveyed in parallel, one buffer storage means is sufficient, which provides advantageous effects not found in conventional technologies, such as not increasing the size of the production line and facilitating the control of stockout processing. According to the second aspect of the present invention, only non-defective products can be transferred to downstream equipment at predetermined intervals, which reliably prevents defective products due to insufficient number of products accumulated, and has the advantageous effect of preventing the production line from becoming more complex and larger even if the number of products stored is increased. According to the third aspect of the present invention, even if the number of non-defective products stored is increased, the buffer storage means does not become larger and the control does not become complicated, and it is possible to provide a highly versatile buffer storage means, which is an advantageous effect not available in the prior art. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the number of storages in the buffer storage means is small and the operation frequency is low, so the control and structure are simple.

[0042] The fifth aspect of the present invention has the advantageous effect of making it easier to improve production efficiency even for products that require individual weighing, such as packets. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the structure of the column direction conversion means is simple and production efficiency can be improved. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily introduce the conveying means even in a production factory where installation space is limited. According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, even in a factory with limited installation space, a production line with high production capacity can be installed, thereby improving production efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conveying means including a buffer storage means (Example 1). [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire production line (Example 1). [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a parallel conveying machine (first embodiment). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a column direction conversion means (first embodiment). [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the timing of delivery of an article (first embodiment). [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the device adjustment of the column direction conversion means (Example 1). [Figure 7] 10 shows another specific example of the column direction conversion means (first embodiment). [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a circulating transport means (replenishment means) (Example 1). [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of equipment adjustment of the circulating transfer means (replenishment means) (Example 1). [Figure 10] 1 is an operational flow diagram of the entire production line including the buffer storage means (Example 1). [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an operational flow diagram of a replenishing means (first embodiment). [Figure 12] Specific example of replacement means (Example 2). [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a linear transport means (replenishment means) (Embodiment 3). [Figure 14]10 shows another specific example of the column direction conversion means (Example 4). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] The buffer storage means, which replenishes shortages that occur in the upstream parallel conveyor, is equipped with a column direction changing means, a serial conveying means, a shortage detection means, and a replenishment means. The column direction changing means changes the direction of a column of articles that was being conveyed in parallel to make it a serial conveyance and transfers it to the serial conveying means. The shortage detection means detects a shortage in the column of articles being conveyed by the serial conveying means, and the replenishment means aligns and stores articles supplied from the serial conveying means to fill the empty space caused by the shortage. The shortages are then replenished from the articles stored in the replenishment means, and the number of articles discharged per unit time is set to a specified number and discharged to a downstream device. [Example]

[0045] In Example 1, a conveying means 1 including a buffer storage means 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 11. Here, a specific example is shown in which the article is a packet. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall conveying means. Fig. 1(A) shows a plan view of the entire conveying means, and Fig. 1(B) shows a side view seen from position AA in Fig. 1(A). Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the entire production line and the buffer storage means. Fig. 3 shows a side view of a packet manufacturing apparatus and a parallel conveyor. Fig. 4 shows a side view of the column direction changing means.

[0046] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the timing for transferring a row of articles from the row direction changing means to the serial conveying means. Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating the adjustment of the row direction changing means when the product specifications of the packets are changed from two packets to three packets. Fig. 7 shows a specific example of the row direction changing means dropping packets to transfer them to the serial conveying means. Fig. 8 is a side view of the serial conveying means and the refilling means, and Fig. 9 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the serial conveying means and the refilling means. Fig. 10 shows a flow diagram of the entire production line, and Fig. 11 shows a detailed flow diagram of the refilling means that constitutes the buffer storage means.

[0047] Below, an overview of the overall configuration of the production line will be explained with reference to Figures 1 and 2, and then details of each part will be explained with reference to Figure 3 and subsequent figures as appropriate. The production line is configured by arranging in order a packet manufacturing device as upstream device 200, conveying means 1, and a stacking machine, banding machine, etc. as downstream device 300 (see Figure 1). Conveying means 1 according to the present invention is configured by arranging in order from the upstream side (see the thick arrow in Figure 1) a parallel conveying machine 10 and buffer storage means 100.

[0048] The parallel conveyor 10 is equipped with a defective product inspection means 20 and a defective product discharge means 30, in that order from the upstream side. The defective product inspection means 20 is composed of an imaging camera (see FIG. 3) which is an item appearance inspection means 21, and an automatic capture scale which is an item weighing means 22. The defective product discharge means 30 is provided on a discharge conveyor 31 which works in conjunction with the defective product inspection means 20 to discharge defective products from the parallel conveyor 10. The detailed configuration of the parallel conveyor will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0049] The buffer storage means 100 includes a column direction conversion means 110, a serial conveyance means 120, a stockout detection means 130, and a replenishment means 140, as well as a control means 150 and a storage means 160 that control these means in conjunction with each other (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The control means may be a known central processing unit (CPU) of a general-purpose computer, a PLC (programmable logic controller), or the like. The storage means may be a known HDD, SSD, ROM, or the like that can store pre-designed control information in electronic format.

[0050] The electronic cam 161 is a control signal trajectory for controlling the motion elements of a drive unit such as a servo motor using a set program. The shape of the electronic cam allows the servo motor's movement amount, movement direction, movement speed, etc. to be freely controlled. The electronic cam makes it easy to change the receiving operation of the replenishment means 140 depending on whether the product is good or out of stock. The storage means 160 (see FIG. 2(B)) also stores a first threshold 162 that sets the number of stored products at which discharge can continue, and a second threshold 163 that sets the number of stored products at which discharge can be resumed after the discharge operation has stopped when the number of stored products falls below the first threshold.

[0051] The column direction changing means 110 is disposed to the side of the serial conveying means 120, so that the terminal ends of the parallel conveyors 10 face in a generally L-shape in plan view, and by transferring the column of articles 400 without turning, the conveying direction of the articles is changed from parallel conveyance to serial conveyance (see the bold arrow in FIG. 1(A)). The detailed configuration and transfer operation of the column direction changing means will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

[0052] The stockout detection means 130 is disposed upstream of the replenishing means 140 and above the serial conveying means 120, and detects a stockout state in the serially conveyed row of articles 400 and transmits a detection signal to the replenishing means 140 (see FIG. 1). For example, the stockout detection means may be a well-known optical sensor 131 and signal transmission means 132 (see FIG. 2(B)).

[0053] The compensation means 140 is a circular transport means controlled in conjunction with the missing item detection means 130, and receives the row of articles 400 being transported by the serial transport means 120 one by one, starting from the leading article, and transports the articles in a circular movement while storing them between the receiving section and the discharging section. Then, the articles 401 stored in the compensation means compensate for missing items in the row of articles and are discharged to the downstream device 300 (see Figure 1(B)). The detailed configuration and operation of the compensation means 140 will be described later with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

[0054] Packet manufacturing apparatus 200, which manufactures packets as article 401, feeds the outer packaging sheets for the packets and uses a first heat sealer 201 extending vertically to heat-seal the left and right edges of the overlapped outer packaging sheets to form a cylindrical shape (see FIG. 3(A)). Next, a second heat sealer 202 extending horizontally heat-seals the outer packaging sheets in the crosswise direction to form the bottom of the packet. Next, a predetermined weight of powder or granular material is added by powder or granular material adder 203, and the outer packaging sheet is fed out by the length of one packet, and second heat sealer 202 heat-seals the outer packaging sheet in the crosswise direction to seal the powder or granular material.

[0055] At this time, the bottom of the next packet to be produced is also heat-sealed at the same time. Finally, the packets are cut by cutting means 204 into either single packets or continuous packets. There is no limit to the number of continuous packets, but for pharmaceuticals, two-concatenated packets for morning and evening administration and three-concatenated packets for morning, afternoon, and evening administration are the mainstream. In this example, we will mainly explain the case of two-concatenated packets, and we will also discuss equipment adjustments for three-concatenated packets later.

[0056] The packets 401 separated into double packets are dropped onto the parallel conveyor 10 and conveyed downstream. At this time, the exterior packaging is inspected from both sides using an appearance inspection camera 21 to check for printing or welding defects. Next, in each row of the parallel conveyor 10, the double packets are handed over one by one to an automatic capture scale 22, which checks whether the weight of the powder or granular material actually enclosed is within the tolerance range of the content amount printed on the exterior packaging.

[0057] If a packet 402 is determined to be defective in either the visual inspection or the weighing inspection, it is removed from the parallel conveyor 10 when it reaches the discharge conveyor 31 connected to the automatic capture scale 22. For example, the discharge conveyor can be tilted downward like a damper to remove the packet (see FIG. 3(A)). Packets 401 determined to be non-defective are leveled by the upwardly inclined conveyor 40 connected to the discharge conveyor 31 so that they match the height of the conveying surface of the serial conveyor 10 (see FIG. 3(B)).

[0058] At the terminal position of the parallel conveyor 10, packets 401 are conveyed in parallel by a horizontal conveyor 50. The horizontal conveyor may be of either a continuous conveying type or an intermittent conveying type. This row of packets is transferred from the parallel conveyor 10 to a serial conveying means 120 by a row direction changing means 110. The configuration and operation of the row direction changing means and the adjustment of the equipment to a triple packet will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 7. The row direction changing means preferably obtains a row of articles by suction (see Figures 4 to 6), but is not limited to this and may transfer articles by dropping them (see Figure 7).

[0059] The row direction changing means 110 is equipped with a suction nozzle group 111 that simultaneously picks up the row of articles 400, a means 112 for lifting and lowering the suction nozzle group, and a horizontal movement means 113 (see Figure 2(B) and Figure 4). The suction nozzle group is made up of a plurality of suction nozzles arranged in the transverse direction of the parallel conveyor (see Figure 5). Each suction nozzle evenly picks up both sides of the longitudinal center of the packet. The lifting and horizontal movement means are not limited and may be any known ball screw movement mechanism, air cylinder, or movement mechanism using a servo motor and slide rail, etc.

[0060] The operation of the row direction changing means 110 is preset by the electronic cam described above and controlled by the control means as follows: First, the suction nozzle group 111 waits at suction position α, and when the row of articles 400 is conveyed to suction position α by the parallel conveying machine 10, negative pressure is generated from the tip of each suction nozzle to suction the row of articles (see FIG. 4(A)). Next, the lifting means 112 lifts the row of articles 400 to a height where it does not come into contact with the guide wall 121 of the inline conveying means, and the horizontal moving means 113 slides the row of articles to the delivery position O in the center of the inline conveying means 120 (see the arrow in the same figure).

[0061] Once the array of parallel articles 400 has been transported to the delivery position O in the center of the serial conveying means, the negative pressure in the suction nozzle group 111 is released and the array of articles 400 is handed over to the serial conveying means (see Figures 4(B) and 5(B)). Because the conveying directions of the parallel conveying machine 10 and the serial conveying means 110 are perpendicular to each other, the conveying direction of the array of articles 400 is converted from parallel conveyance to serial conveyance. Once the delivery is complete, the suction nozzle group 111 is returned to the suction position α and placed on standby (see the arrow in Figure 4(C)).

[0062] The delivery cycle of the row of articles is adjusted by an electronic cam to match the moving speed of the push fingers 122 of the serial conveying means (see Figure 5(B)). Specifically, the delivery cycle is adjusted to match the timing when a group of empty push fingers 122 line up at the delivery position O. Therefore, the serial conveying means 110 can be operated in a continuous conveying mode with high conveying efficiency. The row of articles 400 delivered to the conveying surface of the serial conveying means are each pushed out by the push fingers 122 and sent to the supplementing means at the same intervals as when they were delivered (see Figure 5(C)).

[0063] Here, adjustments to the column direction changing means 110 in response to changes in the product specifications of the packets will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6(A) shows a two-packet packet 410, and Figure 6(B) shows a three-packet packet 420. The transfer position for transferring the packets is indicated by "O", and the suction position for the packets is indicated by "α" or "β".

[0064] The serial conveying means 110 has a pair of guide walls 121 standing on either side of the transfer position O to support the left and right edges of the packets to prevent them from tilting. When transferring packets of different product specifications, the pair of guide walls 121 are expanded or contracted equally on the left and right sides of the transfer position O according to the length of the long side of the packets (see the bold arrows in Figure 6). Furthermore, even if the length of the long side of the packets changes, there is no need to adjust the position of the transfer position O. Meanwhile, the suction position is guided by adjusting the travel distance of the horizontal moving means to a position where the suction nozzle can pick up the packets evenly on both sides of their center of gravity.

[0065] Specifically, for the linked packet 410 containing two packets, the movement distance of the suction nozzle group 111 is set to d1, which is the distance from the delivery position O to the suction position α. ​​If the product specifications are changed to the linked packet 420 containing three packets, the setting value of the electronic cam is changed and the movement distance of the horizontal movement means 113 is adjusted to be longer so that the movement distance of the suction nozzle group 111 becomes d2, which is the distance from the delivery position O to the suction position β. This is highly versatile because it can be applied to linked packets of various lengths by simply changing the spacing between the pair of guide walls 121 and the setting of the electronic cam, without having to replace the serial conveying means itself.

[0066] Next, a specific example of the column direction changing means 114 dropping and transferring the PTP sheet 430 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a side view of the column direction changing means 114, the parallel conveying device 10, and the serial conveying means 110. The column direction changing means 114 includes a horizontal plate 115 on which the articles are placed, and an opening / closing means 116 that rotates the horizontal plate downward to open and close it, and may be, for example, a well-known shutter mechanism. The articles 430 are transferred from the parallel conveying device 10 to the horizontal plate 115 (see FIG. 7(B)). Then, the opening / closing means 116 opens the horizontal plate 115 in synchronization with the operating cycle of the pushing fingers 122 of the serial conveying means, causing the column of articles to drop and be transferred (see FIG. 7(C)).

[0067] Next, the configuration and operation of the compensation means that compensates for missing items with stored non-defective items will be explained with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 shows a side view of the compensation means. Figure 8(A) shows the state in which, when a missing item is sent, the receiving operation is stopped on the receiving section side, while the discharge operation continues on the discharge section side. Figure 8(B) shows the state in which the receiving operation has resumed. Figure 8(C) shows the state in which only the discharge operation is stopped, while the receiving operation continues, increasing the number of stored items.

[0068] Here, circulating transfer means 140, which transfers articles along the reverse transfer path, functions as a supplementary means. Circulating transfer means 140 includes a vertically extending, generally rectangular circulating band 141, a generally I-shaped support frame 142 that supports the circulating band, multiple transfer shelves 143, transfer control means 144 (FIG. 2), and two drive means 145, 146 (see FIG. 8). Side guide walls 147 that guide the left and right sides of the articles are erected on both sides of the transfer shelf (see FIG. 9). In FIG. 8, the height of the transfer surface of the inline transfer means is indicated by H, and the height position of the top of the circulating band is indicated by h followed by a subnumber.

[0069] The orbiting belt 141 is a flexibly deformable resin belt with spur-toothed meshing portions on its inner diameter side. The support frame 142 is composed of an upper support frame, a lower support frame, and a vertical shaft, and maintains the orbiting belt 141 in a vertically elongated, approximately rectangular shape. The support frame 142 is raised and lowered to adjust the length of the orbiting belt 141 from the receiving section 148 to the discharging section 149. The transfer shelves 143 protrude horizontally at a predetermined interval from the outer diameter side of the orbiting belt so that the received articles 401 are placed horizontally when the articles 401 are transferred vertically in a circular movement. The space between adjacent transfer shelves is used as an article receiving space.

[0070] The transfer control means 144 (see FIG. 2(B)) functions as a receiving control means and a discharging control means by independently controlling the drive of the receiving section side drive means 145 and the discharging section side drive means 146 in accordance with an electronic cam read from the storage means. Specifically, when receiving non-defective products, the servo motor, which is the receiving section side drive means, is intermittently driven so that the rotating band 141 is fed out by one transfer shelf in accordance with the cycle in which the articles 401 are pushed from the serial conveying means 120 onto the transfer shelf 143. In the following description, the operating cycle in which one transfer shelf is fed out is defined as one cycle.

[0071] On the other hand, in the case of a stockout, the receiving section side drive means 145 is kept stopped in accordance with the electronic cam for stockouts so that the circulating band 141 is not fed out in the receiving section 148, and the feeding of the circulating band is stopped only on the receiving section side (see Figure 8(A)). Then, when the next good product is sent, the receiving operation of the transfer shelf 143 is resumed (see the upward white arrow in Figure 8(B)). In this way, the transfer shelf 143 waiting in the receiving section 148 is kept in a standby state until a good product is received, so the transfer shelf is not sent empty. In other words, even if there is an empty space 123 due to a stockout in the row of articles being transported in series, the empty space is filled when the article is received, and all transfer shelves are aligned so that one article is stored on each.

[0072] The discharge section side drive means 146 is controlled independently from the receiving side drive means 145 by a movement control means. Specifically, the orbiting band 141 is fed in accordance with the discharge electronic cam, and the article 401 placed on the transfer shelf 143 is transferred to the discharge section (see the downward white arrows in Figures 8(A) and 8(B)). The article 401 transferred to the discharge section 149 is removed from the transfer shelf 143 by the discharge finger conveyor 310 and discharged to the downstream device 300, which is a stacker.

[0073] By having the discharge section side drive means 146 maintain a constant payout speed of the circulating belt 141, it is possible to continue to discharge a specified number of articles per unit time downstream regardless of the operating state of the receiving section side (receiving operation in progress / receiving stopped). More specifically, if the payout of the circulating belt 141 on the receiving side is temporarily stopped, the stored articles 401 are discharged downstream in place of the missing articles, and the specified number of articles is discharged downstream.

[0074] At this time, the support frame 142 supporting the orbiting belt 141 is lowered so that the length from the receiving section 148 to the discharging section 149 of the orbiting belt 141 is temporarily shortened (see the downward black arrow in Figure 8(A)). This allows only the transfer shelf 143 on the discharging section side to be sent out toward the discharging section 149, even if the orbiting belt is a continuous piece of material. As a result, the height h of the top of the orbiting belt is temporarily lowered when the height H of the conveying surface of the serial conveying means 120 is used as the reference (see the positions of heights h1 and h2 in Figure 8(B)).

[0075] The circulating transfer means 140 is also equipped with a storage number detection means 170 that operates in conjunction with the transfer control means (see FIG. 2(B)). The storage number detection means 170 detects the number of items stored in the transfer shelf 143 being transferred and determines whether it is below a first threshold (TH1). If it is below the first threshold, the transfer control means 144 temporarily stops the discharge section side drive means 146 from paying out the circulating band 141 (see FIG. 8(C)). At this time, even if the receiving side drive means 145 pays out the circulating band 141, only the support frame 142 that supports the circulating band rises, and the transfer shelf 143 on the discharge section side is not sent out to the discharge section 149 (see the upward open arrow and upward filled arrow in the same figure).

[0076] As a result, the pushing fingers 311 of the finger conveyor 310 simply operate idle, making it impossible to remove articles from the transfer shelf 143, and discharging of articles is temporarily suspended. Then, when the number of articles detected by the storage number detection means reaches or exceeds the second threshold value (TH2), discharging of articles is resumed. The first and second threshold values ​​may be set in advance in accordance with the production capacity of the production line using the input means 170 and display means 180 connected to the buffer storage means 100 (see FIG. 2). For example, the first threshold value may be a value that corresponds to the number of articles to be stacked to form a stack. The second threshold value may be greater than the first threshold value and less than the maximum storage number so as to prevent the transfer shelf from overflowing.

[0077] Furthermore, since the stacker, which is the downstream device 300, cannot produce stacks unless articles are sent, no defective products will be produced due to an insufficient number of stacks even if the stacker is operated idly during the period when the replenishing means is stopped from discharging. Furthermore, taking into consideration the occurrence rate of shortages in the parallel conveyor, it is of course possible to adjust the production efficiency of the downstream device in advance so that the number of items discharged from the buffer storage means to the downstream device per unit time is approximately equal to the number of items acquired from the parallel conveyor.

[0078] Next, adjustments to the circulating transport means 140 in response to changes in product specifications will be described with reference to Figure 9. The width (w1) of the transport shelf 143 is wider than the width of a single packet making up the two-packet chain 410 (see Figure 9(A)). This width w1 allows even a three-packet chain 420 to be placed on the transport shelf 143 up to a position outside the two dividing lines, so there is no need to replace the circulating strip 141 even if the product specifications change (see Figure 9(B)). The pair of side guide walls 147 erected on both sides of the transport shelf 143 can be widened equally on the left and right to match the width (w2) of a two-packet chain to the width (w3) of a three-packet chain.

[0079] Finally, the operational flow of the production line will be briefly explained with reference to the flow diagrams in Figures 10 and 11. To make each step easier to understand, the pre-process on the upstream side of the conveying means is designated S1, and the post-process on the downstream side is designated S2. First, in step 1, articles are manufactured in parallel (S1). In step 100, the conveying means conveys multiple articles in parallel (S100). In step 200, the articles are inspected to determine whether they are good or bad by imaging and weighing (S200).

[0080] In step 300, the discharge conveyor is operated to remove defective products (S300). In step 400, the row of articles is changed in direction from parallel conveyance to serial conveyance by the row direction changing means, and then handed over to the serial conveyance means (S400). In step 500, the changed row of articles is serially conveyed (S500). In step 600, a missing item detection means detects a missing item in the row of articles (S600). In step 700, a replenishment means replenishes missing items and discharges them downstream. In step 2, the stacking machine stacks non-defective articles to the desired number, and the articles are then banded and bound into a single mass by the banding machine (S2).

[0081] The operational flow of the replenishment means will now be described in detail with reference to Figure 11. In the out-of-stock replenishment process (S700), the receiving control process is started by the receiving control means in step 710 (S710). In this step, in order to determine the operation of the electronic cam, information on the out-of-stock state detected in S600 is first obtained, and the replenishment means is made to identify whether the item that has reached the replenishment means is a non-defective item or a non-defective item (S720). If the item is a non-defective item, the process proceeds to step 730, where the electronic cam for the receiving operation when the item is a non-defective item is read from the storage means, and the item is received and aligned and stored (S730).

[0082] On the other hand, if an item is out of stock, the process proceeds to step 740, where the electronic cam for receiving operations when an item is out of stock is read, and the receiving operation is temporarily halted until the next good item is sent (S740). In step 750, discharge control of the received items is initiated (S750). In step 760, a first threshold value (TH1) at which continued discharge is permitted is read from the storage means, and this is compared with the current number of stored items (n items) detected by the storage number detection means (S760). If the storage number n is greater than the first threshold value, the process proceeds to step 770, where items are discharged downstream while the missing item is replenished (S770).

[0083] If the stored number n falls below the first threshold in step 760, the process proceeds to step 780, where the discharge control means temporarily suspends the discharge operation. In step 790, a second threshold (TH2) at which resumption of discharge is permitted is read from the storage means, and the current stored number (n) detected by the stored number detection means is compared with the second threshold (S790). If the stored number n exceeds the second threshold, the process proceeds to step 770, where the discharge operation is resumed. [Example]

[0084] In the second embodiment, the buffer storage means 101 equipped with the replacement means 500 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 shows a side view of the serial conveying means 120, the stockout detection means 130, and the replacement means 500. Figs. 12(A) to 12(D) show side views of the replacement operation of the replacement means. In the second embodiment and subsequent embodiments, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] The replacement means 500 replaces the position of the missing item 403 and the paired item 404 so that the two non-defective items are combined in a downstream stacking machine (not shown). The replacement means 500 is equipped with a suction nozzle 501 capable of suctioning non-defective items, and a means 502 for lifting and lowering the suction nozzle (see FIG. 12(A)). The replacement means is also linked to the missing item detection means 130, and identifies the missing item 403 and the paired item 404. The items are preferably PTP sheets that are stacked in pairs.

[0086] Specifically, the missing item detection means 130 counts the number of missing items in the row of items 400 and the number of items that have passed through. If the missing item is an even-numbered item counting from the beginning, the item immediately preceding missing item 403 is identified as item 404, which pairs with the missing item (see the area surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 12(A)). If the missing item is an odd-numbered item, the item immediately following missing item 405 is identified as item 406, which pairs with the missing item (see the area surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 12(C)). When the first item 404 is transported below the suction nozzle 501, the replacement means 500 generates negative pressure from the tip of the suction nozzle to suction and temporarily store the item 404 (see FIG. 12(B)).

[0087] Then, when the stockout detection means 130 next detects a stockout 405, the transport position information of the stockout 405 is transmitted to the replacement means 500 (see FIG. 12(C)). Then, when the missing pushing finger 122 arrives below the suction nozzle 501, the temporarily stored item 404 is released into the space vacated by the missing item 405, and the positions of the items are replaced so that the two items 404, 406 are combined (see FIG. 12(D)). This prevents a mismatch in which an item and a missing item are combined when two items are stacked in a downstream stacking machine. [Example]

[0088] In the third embodiment, a buffer storage means 102 equipped with a linear conveying means 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13(A) shows a state in which the mover is receiving an article. FIG. 13(B) shows a state in which the mover is waiting due to a shortage. FIG. 13(C) shows a state in which the mover is receiving the next article sent after the shortage. In the third embodiment, the configuration is the same as in the first embodiment except for the linear conveying means, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0089] The linear conveyance means 600 includes a stator 601 that forms a reverse conveyance path, multiple movers 602 that are driven along the stator, and a drive control means 603 that controls the drive of the movers through electromagnetic interaction. The stator 601 has a ring shape that extends long in the vertical direction, and the reverse conveyance path has an elliptical shape. In addition, multiple electromagnets are embedded at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the stator 601. The drive control means 603 switches the magnetic poles of the electromagnets to generate electromagnetic interaction with the movers 602, thereby allowing the stop, running, and speed of the movers to be controlled as desired.

[0090] Here, the article receiving section 604 is disposed at the lower end of the upstream vertical section of the reversing conveying path, and the article discharging section 605 is disposed at the lower end of the downstream vertical section of the reversing conveying path (see FIG. 13(A)). After receiving an article, the mover 602 rises up the upstream vertical section, turns around at the upper curved section, descends down the downstream vertical section to reach the discharging section 605, discharges the article, then turns around again at the lower curved section and returns to the receiving section 604 side. Therefore, most of the reversing conveying path, excluding the lower curved section, can be effectively used as an article storage area, allowing the use of a small linear conveying means.

[0091] Each mover 602 is equipped with multiple transport shelves 606, allowing it to store and transport multiple items simultaneously. The transport shelves 606 are arranged horizontally at a desired interval with the mover 602 at two vertical positions, and the space between adjacent transport shelves forms an item receiving space. Since the items stored in the receiving space are sandwiched between the transport shelves at the top and bottom, even if the mover is turned over at the curved portion on the upper side, non-defective items will not fall off the transport shelves (see Figure 13(B)).

[0092] The operation of the mover 602 is to first align the topmost receiving spaces 607 (hereinafter referred to as the first to fourth receiving spaces from the top) with the conveying height of the serial conveying means 120 and have them wait in the receiving section 604 (see FIG. 13(A)). When the stockout detecting means 130 detects an item, the pushing finger 122 pushes the item into the receiving space a predetermined time after the detection. When a non-defective item is pushed into the first receiving space 607a, the position of the mover 602 is moved upward by the distance of one receiving space (see the upward arrow in FIG. 13(A)).

[0093] By moving the movable element 602 upward, the second receiving space 607b is aligned with the height of the receiving section 604 (see FIG. 13(B)). Here, when the missing item detection means 130 detects a missing item, the receiving operation is stopped until the next item is pushed into the receiving space 607b. In other words, the movable element is not moved, and the second receiving space 607b is made to wait in the receiving section without changing its height position.

[0094] Then, when the stockout detection means 130 detects the next missing item 401, the item is received in the second receiving space 607b, and as with the first receiving space 607a, the mover 602 is moved upward by the distance of one receiving space, and the third receiving space 607c is placed on standby at the same height as the receiving section 604 (see FIG. 13(C)). In this way, when the linear conveying means 600 receives the item 401, the empty space created by the missing item is filled so that there are no empty shelves on the conveying shelf 606, and therefore no empty transport occurs in downstream devices.

[0095] Then, when the mover has received non-defective articles into all of the receiving spaces 607, the drive control means 603 moves the mover toward the discharge section 605, causing the article to be reversed and transported. When the article reaches the discharge section 605, it is removed from the transport shelf 606. Here, the finger conveyor 310 discharges the articles to the downstream device 300 at regular intervals. After discharging the articles, the mover travels along the curved section on the lower side and returns to the receiving section 604 side (see the curved arrow in Figure 13(B)).

[0096] Multiple items may be discharged from the transport shelf 606 simultaneously, or one at a time (see FIG. 13(B)). When multiple items are discharged simultaneously, the items removed from the transport shelf at a lower position are discharged in a stacked state on top of the items removed from the transport shelf at an upper position, and then handed over to the downstream device. In the case of product standards requiring a small number of items to be accumulated, the stacking machine may be omitted from the downstream device 300, and only a strapping machine may be provided. In the case of product standards requiring a large number of items to be accumulated, it goes without saying that a stacking machine and a strapping machine may be used together as downstream devices. [Example]

[0097] In Example 4, the conveying means 2 that distributes and transfers a row of articles to the first buffer storage means 103a and the second buffer storage means 103b in order will be described with reference to Figure 14. All Figures 14 show plan views of the conveying means 2. Figures 14(A) to 14(D) show a series of operations that alternately distribute the row of articles. For ease of understanding, the following description will use the term "first" to refer to the configuration related to the first buffer storage means, and the term "second" to refer to the configuration related to the second buffer storage means.

[0098] The conveying capacity per unit time of the parallel conveyor 10 is approximately twice the replenishment capacity of one buffer storage means 103. The configuration is the same as in Example 1 except for the number of parallel articles. The row direction changing means 700 transfers the row of articles using two suction nozzle groups 701a, 701b and a suction nozzle group rotating means 702 (see Figure 14(A)). Two horizontal rods 703a, 703b protrude from the vertical axis of the rotating means 702, spaced 90 degrees apart. The suction nozzle group 701 is provided at the tip of the horizontal rod 703 so as to be perpendicular to its axial direction.

[0099] The turning means 702 alternately reverses its turning direction, causing the suction nozzle groups 701a and 701b to turn 90 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise, thereby alternately allocating the rows of articles to the first inline conveying means 120a and the second inline conveying means 120b (see Figures 14(B) and 14(C)). The two inline conveying means 120 are arranged parallel to each other with a desired distance between them on either side of the turning means 702.

[0100] The first sorting operation by the column direction changing means 700 first has the first suction nozzle group 701a wait directly above the end of the parallel conveying device 10 and pick up the column of articles 400a that have been conveyed in parallel (see FIG. 14(A)). At this time, the second suction nozzle group 701b is positioned directly above the second serial conveying means 120b. Next, the turning means 72 turns the column of articles 400a that has been picked up by the first suction nozzle group 701a clockwise by 90 degrees along a horizontal plane (see the curved arrow in the same figure).

[0101] The row of articles 400a, which has been rotated 90 degrees clockwise, is changed in direction by the rotation so that it will be transported in a parallel manner, and is transported to a position directly above the first parallel transport means 120a (see Figure 14(B)). Next, the negative pressure of the first suction nozzle group 701a is released, and the row of articles is handed over to the first parallel transport means 120a. Simultaneously with these operations, the second suction nozzle group 701b, which is not currently suctioning articles, rotates to a position directly above the end of the parallel transport device 10, and then picks up the row of articles 400b that has been transported in parallel.

[0102] In the second sorting operation, the row of articles 400b picked up by the second suction nozzle group 701b is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise along a horizontal plane by the rotation means 72 (see the curved arrow in the same figure). The row of articles that has been rotated 90 degrees clockwise is changed in direction by the rotation so that it is transported in a straight line, and is transported to a position directly above the second inline transport means 120b (see Figure 14(C)). Next, the negative pressure of the second suction nozzle group 701b is released, and the row of articles is handed over to the second inline transport means 120b.

[0103] Simultaneously with these operations, the first suction nozzle group 701a rotates to a position directly above the end of the parallel conveying device 10 and picks up the next row of articles 400c that has been conveyed in parallel. By repeating the above allocation operation, the rows of articles can be alternately allocated to the two serial conveying means 120a, 120b (see FIG. 14(D)). Note that the rotation means is not limited to a configuration that reverses the rotation direction, and may rotate in only one direction.

[0104] (others) This embodiment describes the case of packets that require weight inspection, and therefore describes a specific example in which weight measurement is carried out in parallel during parallel transport. However, in the case of items that only require a visual inspection, which requires a short inspection time, inspection and rejection of defective products may be carried out during serial transport. In this embodiment, a stacker has been described as the downstream device, but this is not limiting. For example, a shaping device that corrects uneven distribution of the contents of the packets may be provided. Furthermore, when multiple non-defective products are discharged in a stacked state as in embodiments 1 and 3, the stacker may be omitted and a strapping machine, packing machine, or the like may be provided. Furthermore, when the inventions of embodiments 1 and 3 are applied to PTP sheets, a reversing means may be provided as in Patent No. 6360268 disclosed by the present applicant. The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered limiting. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above description, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1, 2... conveying means, 100, 101, 102, 103... buffer storage means, 10...Parallel conveyor, 20...Defective product inspection means, 30...Defective product discharge means, 21... Appearance inspection means (image capture camera), 22... Weighing means (automatic capture scale) 31...discharge conveyor, 40...uphill conveyor, 50...horizontal conveyor, 110: column direction changing means; 111: suction nozzle group; 112: lifting means; 113... horizontal movement means, 114... column direction changing means, 115... horizontal plate, 116... opening and closing means, 120... inline conveying means, 121... guide wall, 122... pushing finger, 123...empty space, 130...missing item detection means, 131...optical sensor, 132...signal transmission means, 140... Compensation means (circulating transport means), 141... Circulating band body, 142... Support frame, 143...transfer shelf, 144...transfer control means, 145...receiving section side drive means, 146...Discharge section side driving means, 147...Side guide wall, 148...Receiving section, 149...Discharge section, 150...control means, 160...storage means, 161...electronic cam, 162...first threshold, 163...second threshold, 170...Storage number detection means, 171...Input means, 172...Display means, 200...upstream device (packet manufacturing device), 201...first heat sealer, 202... second heat sealer, 203... powder dispenser, 204... cutting means, 300...downstream side device, 310...finger conveyor, 311...pushing finger, 400...article row, 401...article (package), 402...defective item, 403, 405... Missing items, 404, 406... Items 410... 2-packet continuous packet, 420... 3-packet continuous packet, 430... PTP sheet, 500...replacement means, 501...suction nozzle, 502...lifting means, 600...linear conveying means, 601...stator, 602...mover, 603...drive control means, 604...receiving section, 605...discharging section, 606...transport shelf, 607...receiving space, 700: column direction changing means, 701: suction nozzle group, 702: turning means, 703: horizontal rod, α,β…Adsorption position, O…Delivery position

Claims

1. A buffer storage means applied to a production line for stacking sheet-like articles into a mass, for storing articles to compensate for shortages occurring upstream, The system includes a column direction changing means, a serial conveying means, a missing item detecting means, and a supplementing means, On the upstream side, the articles are conveyed in parallel with a gap between them in the front and rear direction and separated in the side-by-side direction, the column direction changing means is driven at a desired transfer cycle so as to link the parallel conveyance with the operation of the serial conveyance means, and acquires a plurality of articles being conveyed in parallel from the upstream side, changes the direction of the articles to be conveyed in series, and transfers them to the serial conveyance means; the in-line conveying means conveys the direction-changed articles in-line, the stockout detection means detects a stockout state in the row of articles being conveyed in series, The supplementing means comprises an intake control means and a discharge control means, The receiving control means is operated in conjunction with the out-of-stock detection means, and when an out-of-stock is detected, the receiving operation is temporarily stopped and resumed when the next item is received, thereby filling up the empty space caused by the out-of-stock when the item is received and rearranging and storing the rows of items, The discharge control means controls the discharge operation of the articles independently from the receiving operation so that the stored articles can be used to make up for shortages and be discharged downstream even when the receiving operation is stopped. A buffer storage means characterized by:

2. A buffer storage means for storing items to compensate for shortages that occur upstream, The system includes a column direction changing means, a serial conveying means, a missing item detecting means, and a supplementing means, the column direction changing means acquires a plurality of articles being conveyed in parallel from the upstream side, changes the direction of the articles to be conveyed in series, and delivers the articles to the series conveying means; the in-line conveying means conveys the direction-changed articles in-line, the stockout detection means detects a stockout state in the row of articles being conveyed in series, The supplementing means comprises a receiving control means, a discharge control means, and a storage number detection means linked to the discharge control means, The receiving control means is operated in conjunction with the out-of-stock detection means, and when an out-of-stock is detected, the receiving operation is temporarily stopped and resumed when the next item is received, thereby filling up the empty space caused by the out-of-stock when the item is received and rearranging and storing the rows of items, the discharge control means controls the discharge operation of the articles independently from the receiving operation so that the stored articles can be used to make up for shortages and be discharged downstream even when the receiving operation is stopped; Furthermore, the storage number detection means detects the current storage number in the compensation means, When it is detected that the storage number has fallen below a first threshold at which continuation of discharge is permitted, the discharge control means stops the discharge operation and maintains the stopped state until the number of articles accumulated exceeds a second threshold value that allows the discharge to be resumed; A buffer storage means characterized by:

3. The supplementary means is a circular transport means for the article, the circulating transport means includes a circulating band and a transport control means; the rotating belt includes a plurality of transfer shelves, a receiving section side drive means, and a discharging section side drive means, and forms a circular reverse conveying path that extends long in the vertical direction; The transfer shelves are provided in a vertical line on the outer periphery of the rotating belt, the receiving section side drive means and the discharge section side drive means unwind the rotating band to rotate the transfer shelf in a vertical direction along the inverting conveying path, the transfer control means functions as the receiving control means and the discharging control means, and independently controls the driving of the receiving section side driving means and the discharging section side driving means; When the shortage is detected, only the receiving section side drive means is stopped to temporarily stop the transfer of the transfer shelf on the receiving section side, while continuing the transfer of the transfer shelf on the discharge section side, When an article is sent after the missing item, the receiving section side drive means is driven again to resume the transfer of the transfer shelf on the receiving section side, and transfer control is performed so that the transfer shelf is not sent empty.

2. The buffer reservoir means of claim 1.

4. The compensation means is a linear conveying means that moves the article in a circular movement, the linear transport means includes a stator, a plurality of movers, and a drive control means; the stator forms a circular reverse conveying path that extends vertically, a receiving section for the article is disposed in an upstream vertical section of the reverse conveying path, and a discharging section for the article is disposed in a downstream vertical section of the reverse conveying path, each of the movable elements is independently driven by electromagnetic interaction with the stator, and the conveying device includes a plurality of conveying shelves arranged in a vertical direction; The space between adjacent transport shelves forms a space for receiving items, the drive control means functions as the receiving control means and the discharging control means, When the missing item is detected, the movable element is made to wait in the receiving section until the next item is sent, When the article is received, the movable element that has been kept on standby is moved by the height of the receiving space, When the receiving is completed, the movable element is driven and controlled to move to the discharge portion so that the article can be discharged.

2. The buffer reservoir means of claim 1.

5. A buffer storage means applied to a production line for stacking sheet-like articles into a mass, which temporarily stores the articles being conveyed and eliminates mismatched combinations caused by shortages occurring upstream, The system includes a column direction changing means, a serial conveying means, a missing part detecting means, and a replacement means, On the upstream side, the articles are conveyed in parallel with a gap between them in the front and rear direction and separated in the side-by-side direction, the column direction changing means is driven at a desired transfer cycle so as to link the parallel conveyance with the operation of the serial conveyance means, and acquires a plurality of articles being conveyed in parallel from the upstream side, changes the direction of the articles to be conveyed in series, and transfers them to the serial conveyance means; the in-line conveying means conveys the direction-changed articles in-line, the missing item detection means detects a missing item among the items being serially conveyed, and identifies an item that pairs with the missing item in a downstream combining process; the replacement means is linked to the out-of-stock detection means, and when an item that is paired with an out-of-stock item is first transported, the replacement means acquires the item from the serial transport means and temporarily stores the item; Next, when an item that is a pair with the missing item is transported, the temporarily stored item is placed at the position of the missing item, and the positions of the items are swapped so that the two items become a pair. A buffer storage means characterized by:

6. A conveying means for acquiring an article from an article manufacturing device and conveying it downstream, A parallel conveyor and a buffer storage means according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the parallel conveyor includes a defective product inspection means and a defective product discharge means in this order from the upstream side, the defective product inspection means includes at least a weighing means among a visual inspection means and a weighing means, and identifies defective products based on the weighing results of the products; the defective product ejection means removes the identified defective product from the row of articles being conveyed in parallel by the parallel conveyor. A conveying means characterized by:

7. the row direction changing means positions the end of the parallel conveyor so as to face the side of the serial conveyor, making the conveying directions of the parallel conveyor perpendicular to each other, and transfers the rows of articles without turning, thereby changing the direction from parallel conveyance to serial conveyance.

7. The conveying means according to claim 6.

8. the row direction changing means arranges the parallel conveyor and the serial conveyor in parallel, and turns and transfers the row of articles, thereby changing the direction from parallel conveyance to serial conveyance; 7. The conveying means according to claim 6.

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