Item handling equipment

Abstract

To enable performing high-speed weighing and keep the height low.SOLUTION: In an article processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment, a plurality of hoppers 12 are disposed in a circular shape and each of the hoppers 12 causes an article 100 received from an upstream side to stay temporarily and then discharges the article toward a discharge opening 20 on a downstream side. Each of the hoppers 12 includes: a body portion 12A; a slide portion 12B provided on a downstream side of the body portion 12A, and having a slide surface 120 extending continuously from the body portion 12A; a gate 12C provided on the body portion 12A to switch between a first state where the gate causes the article 100 to stay in the body portion 12A and a second state where the gate releases the staying of the article 100 to cause the article 100 to slide down from the body portion 12A. The slide portion 12B has a length L or an angle A with respect to a horizontal direction H along which the article 100 slides down the slide surface 120, takes off from a downstream end portion 120E, freely falls in a space S where the slide surface 120 does not exist, and then reaches the discharge opening 20, in the second state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known an article processing device having a structure in which articles discharged from a hopper slide down a chute and flow to a discharge opening (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-21609 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there was a problem that prolate spheroidal objects such as baby carrots, gummy candies, and sausages, like rugby balls, bounce randomly inside the chute, which became a bottleneck when performing high-speed weighing.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an article processing apparatus that can perform weighing at high speed and can keep its height low. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An article processing device in one embodiment has a plurality of hoppers arranged in a circle, each of which temporarily stores articles received from upstream and then discharges them toward a discharge opening on the downstream side, and each of the hoppers has a main body portion, a sliding portion provided downstream of the main body portion and having a sliding surface extending continuously from the main body portion, and a gate provided on the main body portion for switching between a first state in which the articles are stored in the main body portion and a second state in which the articles are released from the storage and allowed to slide down from the main body portion, and the sliding portion has a length or angle relative to the horizontal that allows the articles to slide down the sliding surface, then take off from the downstream end, and fall freely through a space where the sliding surface does not exist, reaching the discharge opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article processing apparatus that can perform weighing at high speed and can keep its height low. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an article processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hopper 12 of the article processing device 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a leg portion 60 of the article processing device 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between the hopper 12 and the legs 60 of the article processing device 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sliding surface 120 in the sliding portion 12B of the hopper 12 of the article processing device 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the side cover 13 of the hopper 12 of the article processing device 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the interior of the main body 12A of the hopper 12 of the article processing device 1 according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are designated by identical or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional ratios and the like may differ from those of the actual parts. Therefore, specific dimensions and the like should be determined with reference to the following description. Furthermore, parts in the drawings may have different dimensional relationships and ratios. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0010] (First embodiment) An article processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0011] In this embodiment, we will explain an example in which the article processing device 1 is a weighing device configured to measure the mass value of an article using a Roberval mechanism, but the present invention is not limited to such a case.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of pool hoppers 11, a plurality of weighing hoppers 12, and a discharge chute 30.

[0013] The pool hoppers 11 temporarily store the articles supplied from the troughs (not shown). Gates (not shown) are provided below the pool hoppers 11, and by opening and closing the gates, the articles (weighed items) stored in the pool hoppers 11 are discharged into the weighing hoppers 12 provided below the gates.

[0014] For example, such articles are prolate spheroid food articles such as baby carrots, gummy candies, sausages, etc., such as rugby balls. However, articles are not limited to these.

[0015] The weighing hoppers 12 temporarily store the articles discharged by the pool hoppers 11. Gates 12C (described later) are provided below the weighing hoppers 12, and the articles stored in the weighing hoppers 12 are discharged to a discharge opening 20 downstream of the weighing hoppers 12 by opening and closing the gates 12C.

[0016] Here, it is assumed that the plurality of pool hoppers 11 and the plurality of weighing hoppers 12 are arranged in a circle.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the plurality of weighing hoppers 12 includes a main body portion 12A, a sliding portion 12B, and a gate 12C.

[0018] The sliding portion 12B is provided on the downstream side of the main body portion 12A and has a sliding surface 120 that extends continuously from the main body portion 12A.

[0019] Gate 12C is provided in main body 12A and switches between a first state in which articles 100 are retained in main body 12A and a second state in which articles 100 are released from the retained state and allowed to slide off from main body 12A. Gate 12C is a gate that opens and closes inward relative to article processing device 1.

[0020] Here, as shown in Figure 1, in the second state described above, the sliding portion 12B has a length L or an angle A with respect to the horizontal direction H, through which the item 100 takes off from the downstream end 120E after sliding down the sliding surface 120, falls freely through the space S where the sliding surface 120 does not exist, and reaches the discharge opening 20.

[0021] That is, in the article processing device 1 according to this embodiment, the length L of the sliding surface 120 is made longer than in conventional article processing devices in order to allow the articles 100 to fall without contacting the chute 30 as much as possible.

[0022] Furthermore, in the article processing device 1 according to this embodiment, in order to keep the height low, the angle A with respect to the horizontal direction H is smaller than in conventional article processing devices.

[0023] The space S indicates a path connecting the downstream end 120E of the sliding portion 12B and the discharge opening 20, and there is nothing in this path (space S) that prevents the article 100 from freely falling.

[0024] With this configuration, the item 100 can freely fall from the sliding surface 120 through the space S to reach the discharge opening 20, thereby suppressing bouncing within the chute 30 and enabling high-speed weighing.

[0025] Furthermore, with this configuration, the angle A relative to the horizontal direction H is small, so that the height of the article processing device 1 can be kept low.

[0026] 1, the chute 30 may be arranged around the discharge opening 20, separated from the hopper 12 in the vertical direction V by a space S where no sliding surface 120 exists.

[0027] Here, as shown in Figure 1, in a side view of the article processing device 1, the left and right side ends 30E of the chute 30 may be located between the boundary B between the main body portion 12A and the sliding portion 12B and the downstream end 120E of the sliding portion 12B.

[0028] With this configuration, the left and right side ends 30E of the chute 30 are positioned outside the downstream end 120E of the sliding section 12B, thereby preventing the items 100 from spilling outside the chute 30 as much as possible.

[0029] Furthermore, with this configuration, the left and right side ends 30E of the chute 30 are positioned inside the boundary B between the main body portion 12A and the sliding portion 12B, so that the above-mentioned space S can be secured, thereby improving cleaning and workability.

[0030] Furthermore, with this configuration, a conventional size chute is no longer necessary, and it is only necessary to prepare a chute 30 of the minimum necessary size, thereby reducing costs.

[0031] Also, as shown in Figure 1, the item processing device 1 of this embodiment may have a main body 50 to which multiple pool hoppers 11 and multiple weighing hoppers 12 are attached, and multiple legs 60 attached to the main body 50.

[0032] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the plurality of leg portions 60 may have a first portion 60A extending outward from the main body 50 and a second portion 60B extending downward from the first portion 60A.

[0033] The first portion 60A may be configured to rise upward as it extends outward.

[0034] With this configuration, the length of the second section 60B can be shortened, and the height of the article processing device 1 can be reduced.

[0035] Furthermore, with this configuration, the height of the article processing device 1 can be kept low while ensuring the rigidity of the legs 60.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the downstream end 120E of the sliding portion 12B may be located below the lower surface 60A1 of the first portion of the leg portion 60.

[0037] Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the first portion 60A may extend outward beyond the downstream end 120E of the sliding portion 12B, and the second portion 60B may extend downward beyond the downstream end 120E of the sliding portion 12B.

[0038] According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the article 100 falling from the downstream end 120E of the sliding portion 12B from colliding with the underside 60A1 of the first portion of the leg portion 60.

[0039] 5, the sliding surface 120 may have a shape that slopes downward from the outer side O toward the center portion C in the width direction W. For example, the sliding surface 120 may have a V-shape as shown in FIG.

[0040] In the article processing device 1 according to this embodiment, the angle A of the sliding surface 120 with respect to the horizontal direction H is small, which reduces the sliding properties of the article 100 due to friction between the article 100 and the side surface 121B and side cover 13 described below. Therefore, by using this configuration, it is possible to reduce the friction between the article 100 and the side surface 121B and side cover 13 described below, thereby improving the sliding properties of the article 100.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 6, the sliding portion 12B may have side covers 13 standing upright from at least a part of both side edges 120S of the sliding surface 120.

[0042] Here, the sliding portion 12B may have side covers 13 along the entire length of both side edges 120S of the sliding surface 120, or may have side covers 13 at both side edges 120S of the sliding surface 120 near the boundary B2 between the gate 12C and the sliding portion 12B.

[0043] The height of the side cover 13 may be constant, or as shown in Fig. 6, the height of the side cover 13 in the vicinity of the boundary B1 between the gate 12C and the sliding portion 12B may be higher than the height of the side cover 13 in other portions.

[0044] The side cover 13 may be formed by extending the side surface 121B (see FIG. 7) of the main body portion 12A, or may be provided as a separate body from the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A.

[0045] According to this configuration, the article 100 can be prevented from falling outward from both side edges 120S of the sliding surface 120.

[0046] 7, the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A may be embossed. Here, the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A may have an area X where the embossing is not performed near the boundary B1 between the gate 12C and the sliding portion 12B.

[0047] Here, the region X may be generated by flattening a part of the embossment on the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A or by welding a flat plate to flatten it.

[0048] In the article processing device 1 of this embodiment, the angle A of the sliding surface 120 relative to the horizontal direction H is small, which increases the possibility that the article 100 will get caught on the embossment on the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A, resulting in a state known as a bridge state.

[0049] According to this configuration, by providing the area X in the vicinity of the boundary B1 between the gate 12C and the sliding portion 12B where such a bridge state is most likely to occur, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of such a bridge state.

[0050] 6, the side cover 13 may be embossed. Here, the side cover 13 may have an area where the embossing is not performed near the boundary B1 between the gate 12C and the sliding portion 12B.

[0051] According to this configuration, similar to the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A, the occurrence of the bridge state described above can be suppressed.

[0052] As shown in Figure 7, the length L1 of the width direction W of the conveying surface 121A of the item 100 near the boundary B1 between the gate 12C and the sliding portion 12B may be formed to be longer than the length L2 of the width direction W of the conveying surface 121A of the item 100 in the portion upstream of the boundary B1.

[0053] That is, conveyance surface 121A for article 100 may have an inverse tapered shape (a shape that widens at the end) in which the length in width direction W increases from upstream to downstream within main body portion 12A.

[0054] With this configuration, even if the item 100 gets caught on the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A somewhere on the conveying surface 121A of the item 100, the length in the width direction W of the conveying surface 121A of the item 100 increases as it moves downstream, making it easier for the item to slip off the side surface 121B of the main body portion 12A, thereby preventing the occurrence of the above-mentioned bridge state.

[0055] Here, similar to the sliding surface 120, the conveying surface 121A of the article 100 may have a shape that slopes downward from the outer side O in the width direction W toward the center portion C.

[0056] The article processing device 1 according to this embodiment is capable of high-speed weighing and can also be made low in height.

[0057] Although the present invention has been described in detail using the above-described embodiments, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present invention can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description in this specification is intended to be illustrative and explanatory and does not have any limiting meaning on the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1...Item processing equipment 12...Hopper 12A...Main body 12B…Sliding part 12C...Gate 13...Side cover 20…Discharge opening 30...Shoot 50...Main unit 60...legs 60A...Part 1 60B…Part 2 100… items 120…slip surface

Claims

1. An article processing apparatus having a plurality of hoppers arranged in a circle, each of which temporarily stores articles received from an upstream side and then discharges the articles toward a downstream discharge opening, Each of the hoppers comprises: a main body; a sliding portion provided downstream of the main body portion and having a sliding surface extending continuously from the main body portion; a gate provided in the main body portion and switching between a first state in which the article is retained in the main body portion and a second state in which the retained article is released and the article is allowed to slide down from the main body portion; a chute disposed around the discharge opening, separated from the hopper in the vertical direction by a space in which the sliding surface does not exist; In the second state, the sliding portion has a length or an angle relative to the horizontal direction that allows the item to take off from the downstream end after sliding down the sliding surface, fall freely through a space where the sliding surface does not exist, and reach the discharge opening.

2. The article processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a side view of the article processing apparatus, the left and right side ends of the chute are located between the boundary between the main body and the sliding portion and the downstream end of the sliding portion.

3. a main body to which the plurality of hoppers are attached; a plurality of legs attached to the body; Each of the plurality of legs comprises: a first portion extending outwardly from the body; The article processing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a second portion extending downward from the first portion.

4. The article processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a downstream end of the sliding portion is located below a lower surface of the first portion of the leg portion.

5. The article processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sliding surface has a shape that slopes downward from the outer side toward the center in the width direction.

6. The article processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sliding portion has side covers that stand up from at least a portion of both side edges of the sliding surface.

7. The side surface of the main body is embossed, The article processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the side surface of the main body has an area where the embossing is not performed near the boundary between the gate and the main body.

8. The side cover is embossed, The article processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the side cover has an area where the embossing is not performed near the boundary between the gate and the sliding portion.

9. An item processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the widthwise length of the item conveying surface near the boundary between the gate and the sliding portion is longer than the widthwise length of the item conveying surface in the portion upstream of the boundary.

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