Conveyor rotating device, de-stacking device, stacking device, and washing device

Abstract

To improve stability in rotation operation of various transport tools.SOLUTION: A transport tool rotation device (1) includes: a chuck unit (3) which can sandwich a side surface of a food tray (2) with a first sandwiching part (31) and a second sandwiching part (32) which may change a distance therebetween; and a rotation unit (4) which rotates the chuck unit around a horizontal rotary shaft (42) to move the first sandwiching part and the second sandwiching part from start positions to end positions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a carrier rotation device, a sorting device, a stacking device, and a cleaning device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device for cleaning a passing box. In such a cleaning device, since the posture of the passing box changes before, during, and after cleaning, a mechanism for rotating the passing box is provided.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a transfer device as a mechanism for rotating a passing box after cleaning. However, the transfer device rotates a passing box that has come to a stop by abutting against a stop portion and causes it to fall downward. Such a rotation mechanism has low stability during rotation and may fail in the rotation operation depending on the shape of the object to be cleaned.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention aims to improve the stability in the rotation operation of various carriers including containers such as passing boxes.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a conveying tool rotating device according to one aspect of the present invention is a conveying tool rotating device that rotates a conveying tool about a virtual axis parallel to the bottom surface of the conveying tool, and comprises a chuck unit having a first clamping part and a second clamping part whose distance from each other can be changed, and the first clamping part and the second clamping part capable of clamping the side surface of the conveying tool, and a rotating unit that rotates the chuck unit about a horizontal rotation axis, thereby moving the first clamping part and the second clamping part from a starting position to an ending position along concentric circles centered on the rotation axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the stability of various transport devices, including containers such as returnable boxes, during rotational operation can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a cleaning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the operation of the disassembly device included in the cleaning device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This figure shows the operation of the stacking device included in the washing device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This figure shows the configuration of the main parts of a cleaning device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In the drawings, the direction perpendicular to the ground (installation surface) is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the direction of travel of the conveying tool in the washing device 100 is defined as the X-axis direction. The Y-axis direction is perpendicular to the Z-axis and X-axis.

[0010] (Cleaning device) Figure 1 shows the configuration of the cleaning device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the cleaning device 100 includes a cleaning mechanism 200, a conveyor 9, a stacking device 6, and a stacking device 8.

[0011] The cleaning device 100 is a device for cleaning the containers 2 (conveying equipment). In this embodiment, the containers 2 are assumed to be configured such that when stacked, the stacked containers 2 fit together with each other. However, the conveying equipment according to this disclosure is not limited to containers 2, but may be any stackable conveying equipment, such as a pallet or a so-called shopping basket.

[0012] The conveyor belt 9 transports the food containers 2. The washing mechanism 200 sprays washing liquid onto the food containers 2 being transported by the conveyor belt 9. As a result, the food containers 2 are washed during the process of being transported by the conveyor belt 9.

[0013] The conveyor belt 9 may be positioned 0.9m to 1m above the ground. In this case, the maintainability of the conveyor belt 9 can be improved. However, the height of the conveyor belt 9 is not limited to this.

[0014] (Stage separation device) The stacking separation device 6 is a device for separating stacked boxes 2 with their openings facing upwards. The stacking separation device 6 comprises a conveying tool rotating device 1 and a first support base 5.

[0015] The conveying equipment rotating device 1 rotates the container 2 around a virtual axis 41 (see reference numeral 201 in Figure 2) parallel to the bottom surface of the container 2. The virtual axis 41 is virtual and passes through the center of the rotation axis 42 of the rotating unit 4, which will be described later, and is aligned with the rotation axis 42. The conveying equipment rotating device 1 comprises a chuck unit 3 and a rotating unit 4.

[0016] The chuck unit 3 grips the food container 2. Specifically, the chuck unit 3 includes a first gripping portion 31 and a second gripping portion 32 whose distance from each other can be changed. The chuck unit 3 is capable of gripping the sides of the food container 2 with the first gripping portion 31 and the second gripping portion 32. In this embodiment, the first gripping portion 31 and the second gripping portion 32 are plate-shaped, which makes it easier to grip the sides of the food container 2, but they are not limited to being plate-shaped as long as they can grip the sides of the food container 2. Also, in the example shown in Figure 1, the first gripping portion 31 and the second gripping portion 32 grip the sides of the food container 2 that are parallel to the YZ plane. However, the sides of the food container 2 that are gripped by the first gripping portion 31 and the second gripping portion 32 are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, the sides of the food container 2 that are parallel to the XZ plane.

[0017] The chuck unit 3 comprises a first member 33 on which the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are arranged, and a second member 34 connected to a rotating shaft 42, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are integrally formed with each other and have a substantially L-shape, but are not limited to this.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first clamping portion 31 is fixed to the first member 33, and the second clamping portion 32 is movable relative to the first member 33. The chuck unit 3 is configured so that the distance between the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 can be changed by moving the second clamping portion 32 relative to the first clamping portion 31. This eliminates the need for a movement mechanism to move the first clamping portion 31, thus simplifying the mechanism of the chuck unit 3. However, the chuck unit 3 may be configured so that both the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are movable relative to the first member 33. Alternatively, the second clamping portion 32 may be fixed to the first member 33, and the first clamping portion 31 may be movable relative to the first member 33.

[0019] The rotation unit 4 rotates the chuck unit 3 around the rotation axis 42, moving the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 from the starting position to the ending position along concentric circles centered on the rotation axis 42. Here, the rotation axis 42 means an actual axis extending from the rotation unit 4 in the Y-axis direction (towards the front side of the paper). In this embodiment, the rotation axis 42 is horizontal. The rotation unit 4 rotates the rotation axis 42 by, for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor. The starting position means the position of the blank 2 before the rotation unit 4 performs a rotation operation, where the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 clamp the side surface of the blank 2. The ending position means the position of the blank 2 where, after the rotation unit 4 performs a rotation operation, the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 release the state of clamping the side surface of the blank 2.

[0020] The first support base 5 is a base on which the stacked blanks 2 are placed. The first support base 5 is capable of lifting and lowering operations. The first support base 5 moves the blank 2 located at the uppermost stage among the plurality of placed blanks 2 to a height where it can be clamped by the chuck unit 3 at the starting position. Thereby, without lifting and lowering the conveying tool rotating device 1 in the Z-axis direction, the chuck unit 3 can clamp the blank 2 located at the uppermost stage.

[0021] The conveying tool rotating device 1 is arranged such that the rotation axis 42 is parallel to the bottom surface of the blank 2 when the blank 2 is placed on the first support base 5. In this embodiment, the conveying tool rotating device 1 is arranged such that the rotation axis 42 is approximately at the same height as the conveyor 9 in the Z-axis direction. Thereby, by rotating the chuck unit 3 180 degrees around the rotation axis 42, the blank 2 can be moved so that the blank 2 is placed on the conveyor 9 with the opening facing downwards. However, the arrangement of the conveying tool rotating device 1 is not limited to this.

[0022] The first support base 5 lowers the other food containers 2 while the chuck unit 3 grips the uppermost food container 2 among the multiple food containers 2 placed on it. This allows the uppermost food container 2 to be released from its engagement with the other food containers 2, even if the multiple food containers 2 are fitted together in a way that causes them to overlap deeply.

[0023] The rotating unit 4 moves the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 from the starting position to the ending position while the first support base 5 lowers the other containers 2. This releases the interlocking state of the stacked containers 2, allowing the container 2 located on the top layer to be moved stably.

[0024] Furthermore, depending on the shape of the conveying equipment, it is possible that when the conveying equipment is stacked, the engagement between multiple conveying equipment may be shallow enough not to hinder the rotation of the conveying equipment by the conveying equipment rotating device 1, or there may be cases where the equipment does not engage with each other. In this case, the first support base 5 does not need to lower the other conveying equipment while the chuck unit 3 is gripping the uppermost conveying equipment.

[0025] (Stacking device) The stacking device 8 is a device that stacks the containers 2 placed on the conveyor 9 onto the second support base 7. The stacking device 8 comprises a conveying tool rotating device 1 and the second support base 7. The configuration of the conveying tool rotating device 1 is the same as that of the conveying tool rotating device 1 provided in the aforementioned unstacking device 6.

[0026] The second support base 7 is a platform on which the containers 2, which have been moved on the conveyor belt 9 by the conveying tool rotating device 1, are placed. The second support base 7 is capable of moving up and down. The second support base 7 lowers the uppermost container 2 among those placed on it so that it is lower than the height of the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 at their end positions. The conveying tool rotating device 1 releases the gripping of the container 2 by the chuck unit 3 at the end position of the movement of the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32. This allows the stacking device 8 to stack the containers 2 on the second support base 7. In this embodiment, the second support base 7 moves up and down so that the top surface with the opening of the uppermost container 2 is lower than the bottom surface of the container 2 at its end position. This allows the stacking device 8 to stably stack the containers 2 on the second support base 7.

[0027] (Operation of the stage disassembly device) Figure 2 shows the operation of the plate-unpacking device 6. Reference numeral 201 in Figure 2 indicates the state in which the first support base 5 is being raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction (upper side of the paper). Reference numeral 202 in Figure 2 indicates the state in which the first support base 5 is being raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction (lower side of the paper) at the starting position. Reference numeral 203 in Figure 2 indicates the state in which the food container 2 held by the chuck unit 3 is being rotated. Reference numeral 204 in Figure 2 indicates the end position of the food container 2.

[0028] As shown by reference numeral 201 in Figure 2, the first support base 5 moves the uppermost food container 2 to a height where it is clamped by the chuck unit 3 at the starting position. At this time, the food container 2 is located between the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 in the X-axis direction, and the sides of the food container 2 are not clamped by the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32. Next, by moving the second clamping part 32 relative to the first clamping part 31, the uppermost food container 2 is clamped.

[0029] As shown by reference numeral 202 in Figure 2, the first support base 5 lowers the other food containers 2, except for the one being held by the chuck unit 3. This releases the uppermost food container 2 from its engagement with the other food containers 2. Then, as shown by reference numeral 203 in Figure 2, the rotating unit 4 rotates the food container 2 being held by the chuck unit 3 around the virtual axis 41. Then, as shown by reference numeral 204 in Figure 2, when the food container 2 is rotated 180 degrees around the virtual axis 41, the upper surface of the food container 2 with its opening comes into contact with the conveyor 9. At this point, if the chuck unit 3 releases its grip on the food container 2, the food container 2 can be stably moved onto the conveyor 9.

[0030] As described above, the conveying tool rotating device 1 moves the first gripping part 31 and the second gripping part 32, which are gripping the sides of the container 2, from the starting position to the ending position using the rotating unit 4. When the first gripping part 31 and the second gripping part 32 reach the ending position, the rotation of the container 2 is complete. In other words, the container 2 remains gripped throughout the rotation operation. This improves the stability of the rotation operation of the container 2.

[0031] (Operation of the stacking device) Figure 3 shows the operation of the stacking device 8. Reference numeral 301 in Figure 3 shows the state in which the food container 2 is clamped by the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 at the starting position. Reference numeral 302 in Figure 3 shows the state in which the food container 2, which is clamped by the chuck unit 3, is being rotated. Reference numeral 303 in Figure 3 shows the end position of the food container 2.

[0032] At the start of operation of the stacking device 8, the chuck unit 3 is moved to a position where it does not interfere with the container 2 being transported by the conveyor 9. In this state, the container 2 is transported by the conveyor 9 to a position where it is gripped at the starting position of the chuck unit 3, and the chuck unit 3 is moved to the starting position. In this state, by moving the second gripping part 32 relative to the first gripping part 31, the container 2 placed on the conveyor 9 is gripped by the first gripping part 31 and the second gripping part 32, as shown by reference numeral 301 in Figure 3. As shown by reference numeral 302 in Figure 3, the transport tool rotating device 1 rotates the gripped container 2 by rotating it 180 degrees around the virtual axis 41.

[0033] As shown by reference numeral 303 in Figure 3, the second support base 7 is moved so that the height of the top surface of the gripped box 2, which has an opening, is the same as the height of the conveyor 9, and so that the height of the first gripping part 31 and the second gripping part 32 at the end position is lower than the height of the first gripping part 31 and the second gripping part 32 at the end position. As a result, as shown by reference numeral 303 in Figure 3, the rotated box 2 is stacked on top of the box 2 that was located on the top of the second support base 7. The conveying tool rotating device 1 then releases the grip of the box 2 by the chuck unit 3. This allows the gripped box 2 to be stably stacked on top of the box 2 located on the top of the second support base 7.

[0034] (Effectiveness of the cleaning device) As described above, the washing device 100 is equipped with a stacking device 6. This improves the stability of the rotation operation of the trays 2, and allows the trays 2 stacked on the first support base 5 to be stably placed on the conveyor 9 while being inverted, and then washed by the washing mechanism 200.

[0035] Furthermore, the washing device 100 is equipped with a stacking device 8. This allows the containers 2, which have been washed by the washing mechanism 200, to be stably stacked on the second support base 7 while being inverted.

[0036] As described above, the cleaning device 100 includes both a stacking device 6 and a stacking device 8. This improves the stability of the rotating operation of the containers 2, while allowing the containers 2 stacked on the first support base 5 to be cleaned by the cleaning mechanism and then stacked on the second support base 7. Furthermore, since the stacking device 6 and the stacking device 8 can have the same configuration, the cost of the device can be reduced compared to when they have different configurations.

[0037] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For the sake of clarity, components having the same function as those described in the above embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0038] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the cleaning device 100A according to Embodiment 2. The cleaning device 100A differs from the cleaning device 100 in that it is equipped with a stacking device 8A instead of a stacking device 8. The stacking device 8A differs from the stacking device 8A in that it is equipped with a conveying tool rotating device 1A instead of a conveying tool rotating device 1. Reference numeral 401 in Figure 4 is a side view showing the conveying tool rotating device 1A when the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 are in the starting position. Reference numeral 402 in Figure 4 is a side view showing the conveying tool rotating device 1A when the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 are in the ending position. Reference numeral 403 in Figure 4 is a front view showing the conveying tool rotating device 1A when the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 are in an intermediate position between the starting position and the ending position.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, the conveying tool rotating device 1A is equipped with a chuck unit 3A instead of the chuck unit 3. The chuck unit 3A differs from the chuck unit 3 in that it is equipped with a third member 35 instead of the first member 33. The third member 35 is a rod-shaped member that supports the first member 33 and the second member 34, respectively. The third member 35 causes the heights of the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 relative to the rotation axis 42 (see Figure 1) to differ at the start and end positions of the movement of the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32. In the chuck unit 3, the food container 2 is clamped by one or both of the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 moving together with the third member 35 relative to the second member 34.

[0040] When the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are in the starting position of movement, the third member 35 extends below the rotation axis 42 in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the height of the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 at the starting position is lower than the height of the rotation axis 42.

[0041] When the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are in the end position of their movement, the third member 35 extends above the rotation axis 42 in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the height of the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 at the end position is higher than the height of the rotation axis 42.

[0042] With this type of conveying device rotating device 1A, when the rotating unit 4 rotates the container 2 by 180 degrees, the bottom surface of the gripped container 2 faces the top surface of the container 2 placed on the second support base 7, and the containers 2 can be stacked at a position higher than the rotating shaft 42. The conveying device rotating device 1A can be applied, for example, to a stacking device that stacks containers 2 on a conveyor 9 at a position higher than the conveyor 9.

[0043] Furthermore, the third member 35 is inclined with respect to the Z-axis direction such that when the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are at the start and end positions of movement, the positions of the first clamping portion 31 and the second clamping portion 32 are separated from the rotation axis 42. As a result, the change in the position of the food container 2 in the XY plane before and after rotating the food container 2 is greater compared to the case where the third member 35 is parallel to the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the conveying tool rotating device 1A can rotate and convey the food container 2 simultaneously.

[0044] Furthermore, the washing device 100A may be equipped with a stacking device 1A instead of a stacking device 6 equipped with a conveying device rotating device 1. In this case, the stacking device can stack the containers 2, which are stacked at a position lower than the conveyor 9, onto the conveyor 9. In addition, the cost of the device can be reduced by making the configuration of the stacking device the same as that of the stacking device 8A.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0046] 1. 1A Conveyor tool rotating device Second load (transport equipment) 3. 3A Chuck Unit 4-rotation unit 5 1st support stand 6-stage dismantling device 7 Second support stand 8,8A Stacking device 9 Conveyor 31 First clamping part 32 Second clamping part 41 Rotation axis 42 Virtual Axis 100, 100A cleaning device

Claims

1. A conveying device rotating device that rotates the conveying device about a virtual axis parallel to the bottom surface of the conveying device, A first clamping portion and a second clamping portion whose distance from each other can be changed, The first member on which the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion are arranged, It has a second member connected to a horizontal rotating shaft, The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion can clamp the side surface of the conveying device. A chuck unit in which one end of the first member and one end of the second member are connected at a right angle, A conveying tool rotating device comprising: a rotating unit that rotates the chuck unit around the rotating shaft, thereby moving the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion from a starting position to an ending position along concentric circles centered on the rotating shaft.

2. A conveying tool rotating device according to claim 1, It comprises a first support base that can be raised and lowered, on which the stacked transport equipment is placed, The first support base is a step-unstepping device that moves the uppermost of the transport equipment placed on it to a height at which it is gripped by the chuck unit at the starting position.

3. The first support base lowers the other transport devices while the chuck unit grips the uppermost transport device among the transport devices placed on it. The step-breaking device according to claim 2, wherein the rotating unit moves the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion while the first support base is lowered over the other transporting tool.

4. A conveying tool rotating device according to claim 1, The system includes a second support base that is movable up and down, on which the transport equipment moved by the transport equipment rotating device is placed, The second support base moves the uppermost of the transport devices placed on it so that it is lower than the height of the first and second clamping portions at the end position. The conveying tool rotating device is a stacking device that releases the gripping of the conveying tool by the chuck unit at the end position.

5. At the starting position, the heights of the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion are lower than the height of the rotation axis. The stacking device according to claim 4, wherein the heights of the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion at the end position are higher than the height of the rotating shaft.

6. A cleaning apparatus comprising a step-breaking device according to claim 2 or 3.

7. A washing device comprising the stacking device described in claim 4 or 5.

8. A cleaning apparatus comprising a de-stacking device according to claim 2 or 3, and a stacking device according to claim 4 or 5.

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