Material handling equipment

Abstract

To collectively convey an arbitrary number of articles in the middle of conveyance.SOLUTION: A front support part 168 of a conveyor shuttle 14 arranged frontward in a conveying direction of an article Pc supports at least a part of a front part of a bottom surface of the article Pc, and further a front surface pressing part 166 presses a front surface Pcf of the article Pc. A rear support part 167 of the conveyor shuttle 14 arranged rearward in the conveying direction of the article Pc supports at least a part of a rear part of the bottom surface of the article Pc, and further a rear surface pressing part 165 presses a rear surface Pcr of the article Pc. Thereby the article Pc is held.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article conveying apparatus for conveying articles.

Background Art

[0002] In Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-525176, a linear conveying apparatus using a linear motor is disclosed as an apparatus for conveying articles. This linear conveying apparatus has a stator of a linear motor in which electromagnets are arranged and a conveying member provided with permanent magnets. A linear motor system is formed by the electromagnets and the permanent magnets. The conveying member has a holder or a corresponding holder, sandwiches a product between the holders and the corresponding holders arranged in the conveying direction, and conveys the product by moving the conveying member.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The conveying member of Patent Document 1 has a configuration for holding the front of the product and a configuration for holding the rear of the product, and each is required one by one. Therefore, it is difficult to convey a plurality of articles together from an arbitrary position. Also, due to such a configuration, it is difficult to convey articles together during conveyance.

[0005] Therefore, the article conveying apparatus of the present invention aims to convey an arbitrary number of articles together during conveyance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the article conveying device of the present invention comprises a conveying rail arranged along the conveying direction of an article, a plurality of conveying shuttles movable along the conveying rail, and a conveying linear motor mechanism for independently moving each of the plurality of conveying shuttles. The conveying shuttle has an article engaging portion and an article support portion arranged below the article engaging portion. The article engaging portion has a rear pressing portion provided at the front in the conveying direction to press the rear surface of the article in the conveying direction, and a front pressing portion provided at the rear in the conveying direction to press the front surface of the article in the conveying direction. The article support portion has a rear support portion arranged in front of the rear pressing portion in the conveying direction to support at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the article, and a front support portion arranged behind the front pressing portion in the conveying direction to support at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the article. The front support portion of the transport shuttle, positioned in front of the transport direction of the article, supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the article, and the front pressing portion presses against the front of the article. The rear support portion of the transport shuttle, positioned behind the transport direction of the article, supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the article, and the rear pressing portion presses against the rear of the article, thereby holding the article.

[0007] In the above configuration, the transport shuttle includes a main body facing the side surface of the transport rail, a roller rotatably disposed on the main body and rotating on the side surface of the transport rail, and an article holding portion extending upward from the main body and having the article support portion and the article engagement portion. The main body has a first surface and a second surface which are end surfaces in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and the transport shuttle is able to move along the rail in the transport direction while the roller is in contact with the side surface of the rail when at least one of the first surface and the second surface faces the side surface of the rail at a predetermined distance, and while the roller is in contact with the side surface of the rail, it is able to move along the rail in the transport direction.

[0008] In the above configuration, there is a first transport route formed by connecting the transport rails in a ring shape, and a second transport route that branches off from the branching point of the first transport route and merges with the first transport route at a different merging point than the branching point. In the first transport route, the outer side surface of the transport rail faces the first surface of the main body of the shuttle. The second transport route has a branching rail that branches off at the branching point, a merging rail that merges at the merging point, and a return rail positioned between the branching rail and the merging rail. At least the inner side surfaces of the branching rail and the merging rail of the second transport route face the second surface of the main body of the shuttle. A portion of the upstream side of the branching rail in the transport direction and a portion of the downstream side of the merging rail in the transport direction are positioned side by side on the outside of the first transport route.

[0009] In the above configuration, multiple transport shuttles can be arranged in a line in the transport direction to transport multiple articles together. The front support portion of the leading transport shuttle in the transport direction supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the leading article, and the front pressing portion presses the front of the leading article. The rear support portion of the last transport shuttle in the transport direction supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the last article, and the rear pressing portion presses the rear of the last article. The front support portion of the intermediate transport shuttle in the transport direction supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the article immediately following it, and the front pressing portion presses the front of the article immediately following it, while the rear support portion supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the article immediately preceding it, and the rear pressing portion presses the rear of the article immediately preceding it.

[0010] In the above configuration, among the multiple transport shuttles lined up in the transport direction, the front support portion of the leading transport shuttle supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the leading article and the front pressing portion presses the front of the leading article; the rear support portion of the last transport shuttle supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the last article and the rear pressing portion presses the rear of the last article; the front support portion of the intermediate transport shuttle supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the immediately following article and the front pressing portion presses the front of the immediately following article; the rear support portion supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the immediately preceding article and the rear pressing portion presses the rear of the immediately preceding article; thereby enabling the multiple transport shuttles to accumulate and transport the multiple articles in the transport direction. The second transport route starts from the branching point and includes an aggregation area where multiple articles are lined up and accumulated in the transport direction. In the aggregation area, a support rail is provided that extends along the branch rail and supports a portion of the bottom surface of the article that is different from the article support portion. At the branching point, the transport linear motor mechanism causes a plurality of transport shuttles, each holding the leading article after aggregation, to enter the second transport route. If the aggregation area includes transport shuttles holding articles that have not yet been aggregated, the mechanism moves the leading transport shuttle to the first transport route and the remaining transport shuttles to the second transport route at the branching point.

[0011] In the above configuration, the transport linear motor mechanism decelerates the transport shuttle that has not yet completed its integration, or accelerates the transport shuttle that has moved from the branching point to the second transport route.

[0012] In the above configuration, the transport shuttle, which is positioned front to back in the transport direction and holds the articles, is movable along the first transport route.

[0013] In the above configuration, the transport shuttles stop in order from the last transport shuttle in the transport direction to the front.

[0014] In the above configuration, the conveying linear motor mechanism includes a plurality of coils arranged on the conveying rail and a magnet arranged on the conveying shuttle.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] The article conveying device of the present invention can convey any number of articles together during the conveying process.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a schematic layout diagram of the article processing device. [Figure 2] It is a functional block diagram of the article processing device. [Figure 3] It is a view seen from the outside of the state where the conveying shuttle holding the article and the single conveying shuttle are moving along the linear rail. [Figure 4] It is a plan view of the conveying shuttle shown in the figure. [Figure 5] It is a view seen from the rear side in the conveying direction of the conveying shuttle. [Figure 6] The figure is a view seen from the rear side in the conveying direction of the conveying shuttle moving on the branch rail of the second conveying route. [Figure 7] It is a plan view showing the state where the conveying shuttle holding the article is moving on the first curved rail. [Figure 8] It is a view seen from the outside of the state where a plurality of articles are being conveyed by a plurality of conveying shuttles. [Figure 9] It is an enlarged view of the branch point. [Figure 10] It is a view seen from the rear side in the conveying direction of the conveying state of the conveying shuttle at the branch point. [Figure 11] It is a plan view showing the branch point at the start of aggregation. [Figure 12] It is a plan view of the conveying shuttle and the articles in the state where the aggregation is completed. [Figure 13] It is a front view seen from the outside of the conveying shuttle and the articles in the state where the aggregation is completed. [Figure 14]This is a front view of the transport shuttle when starting to separate the articles, as seen from the outside. [Figure 15] This is a front view of the transport shuttle when the separation of the articles from the transport shuttle is completed, as seen from the outside.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0017] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, directions are defined based on the article processing apparatus A shown in FIG. 1. In the article transport unit 10 of the article transport apparatus 100 described later, the clockwise direction is defined as the moving direction of the transport shuttle 14 described later, that is, the transport direction Tr. Further, based on the loop of the first transport route 11, the outside Os and the inside Is are defined. Also, in the moving direction of the article Pc, the transport shuttle 14, the box transport shuttle 702, and the box body Bx, the front side and the rear side are defined as follows. The side that reaches the future with respect to the current position is the front side. Conversely, the side that was located in the past with respect to the current position is the rear side. Also, in the article Pc, each surface is defined based on the state of being transported in the article transport unit 10 of the article transport apparatus 100. That is, the surface on the front side in the transport direction Tr is the front surface Pcf, the surface on the rear side is the rear surface Pcr, the surface on the outside is the outer surface PcO, and the surface on the inside is the inner surface PcI. Also, the surface at the bottom of the article Pc is the bottom surface Pct.

[0018] <Article Processing Apparatus A> FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram of the article processing apparatus A. The article processing apparatus A transports a substantially rectangular parallelepiped article (also referred to as an object to be transported) Pc formed of, for example, paper or the like and filled with a liquid-containing substance inside. While transporting, inspections such as the exterior are performed while transporting. Then, while transporting the article Pc that has passed the inspection, an exterior member such as a straw is attached. After that, a predetermined number of articles Pc are accumulated and stored in a box. Then, the box Bx containing the article Pc is carried out to the outside.

[0019] The article processing device A includes an article conveying device 100, an article delivery device 200, an exterior member attachment device 300, an article removal device 400, an article storage device 500, a box supply device 600, an article packaging device 700, and a control device 800.

[0020] <Control device 800> The details of the control device 800 will now be explained. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the item processing device A. As shown in Figure 2, the control device 800 has a processing circuit 801 and a memory circuit 802. The processing circuit 801 is a circuit that processes various types of information and has arithmetic circuits such as a CPU and an MPU. The processing circuit 801 is also connected to the item transport device 100, the item delivery device 200, the exterior component mounting device 300, the item retrieval device 400, the item storage device 500, and the box supply device 600 based on the processing results and controls each of these devices.

[0021] The memory circuit 802 is a circuit that includes or is connected to a storage medium such as semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), portable memory (flash memory, etc.), and a hard disk. The memory circuit 802 may store various programs, such as control programs or processing programs, and, as needed, call a program corresponding to the processing task, and then run the program in the processing circuit 801 to perform the processing. The elements connected to the control device 800 and their control will be explained when describing each element.

[0022] <Material handling device 100> Details of the article conveying device 100 will be described below. Figure 3 is a view from the outside Os showing a conveying shuttle 14 holding an article Pc and a single conveying shuttle 14 moving along a straight rail 13. Figure 4 is a plan view of the conveying shuttle 14 shown in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a view of the conveying shuttle from the rear in the conveying direction Tr. Figure 6 is a view of the conveying shuttle 14 moving along the branch rail 121 of the second conveying route 12, viewed from the rear in the conveying direction. The article conveying device 100 includes an article conveying section 10 including a first conveying route 11 and a second conveying route 12, and a conveying shuttle 14.

[0023] <First transport route 11> The first transport route 11 includes a first straight rail 111, a second straight rail 112, a first curved rail 113, and a second curved rail 114. The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are arranged side by side. In the first transport route 11, the ends of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are connected by the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114, respectively, to form a ring. The first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 have the same structure and are sometimes collectively referred to as rail 13.

[0024] In the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 is positioned on the outer Os surfaces of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 of the first transport route 11. The transport shuttle 14 is then movable along the annular first transport route 11.

[0025] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting short straight rails 13s in the transport direction Tr. The lengths of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 can be changed by changing the number of connected short straight rails 13s.

[0026] Furthermore, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are arc-shaped, but are not limited to this. For example, a part of them may be formed in a curved shape. Also, the curved part is not limited to an arc shape, but may be a so-called clothoid curve shape. It may also be a curve of any other shape. The first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are formed by connecting curved short rails 13c. By preparing curved short rails 13c of different shapes and lengths and combining them according to the loop shape of the item transport section 10, it is possible to accommodate a variety of shapes.

[0027] <Rail 13> The rail 13 includes a main rail 131, a grooved rail 132, and a flat rail 133 (see Figures 3 and 5). The main rail 131 is a cylindrical body with a rectangular cross-section when cut by a plane perpendicular to the transport direction Tr. The main rail 131 can be made of, but is not limited to, certain stainless steels, aluminum, and their alloys.

[0028] The grooved rail 132 is fixed to the upper part of the main rail 131. The grooved rail 132 has grooves 134 recessed from its outer surface in a direction intersecting the transport direction Tr. The grooved rail 132 has two grooves 134. The two grooves 134 are arranged side by side, one above the other.

[0029] The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 can be fixed together by welding, screws, etc., but are not limited to these methods. The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 may also be formed integrally. The groove 134 is located on the outer side Os around the entire circumference of the first transport route 11. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, a gap 135 is formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132.

[0030] The flat rail 133 is fixed to the lower part of the main rail 131. The fixing of the main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 can be done by welding, screwing, etc., but is not limited to these methods. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 may also be formed integrally.

[0031] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting straight short rails 13s, but they may also be formed from a single rail. Similarly, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 may also be formed from a single rail.

[0032] <Second transport route 12> As shown in Figure 1, the second transport route 12 branches off from the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11, turns back, and then merges with the second straight rail 112 of the first transport route 11. As shown in Figure 1, the second transport route 12 has a branching rail 121, a merging rail 122, and a return rail 123.

[0033] The branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 are straight and have the same configuration as the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112, except that the groove 134 is located on the inner side Is. Therefore, a detailed explanation of the similar configuration of the rail 13 is omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

[0034] The rear end of the branch rail 121 in the transport direction Tr is positioned opposite the outer side Os of the front end of the transport direction Tr of the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11. The point where the branch rail 121 and the first straight rail 111 face each other is the branching point P1.

[0035] The front end of the merging rail 122 in the transport direction Tr is positioned opposite the outer side Os of the rear end of the transport direction Tr of the second straight rail 112 of the first transport route 11. The point where the merging rail 122 and the second straight rail 112 face each other is the merging point P2.

[0036] The return rail 123 has the same configuration as the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114. The rear end of the return rail 123 in the transport direction Tr is positioned opposite the inner side Is of the front end of the transport direction Tr of the branch rail 121. Similarly, the front end of the return rail 123 in the transport direction Tr is positioned opposite the inner side Is of the rear end of the transport direction Tr of the merging rail 122.

[0037] <Transport Shuttle 14> Next, we will describe the transport shuttle 14.

[0038] The transport shuttle 14 has a main body 140 and an article holding section 16. The magnet 152 of the transport linear motor mechanism 15 is arranged in the main body 140. The magnet 152 is housed inside the main body 140 and faces the coil 151 arranged on the main rail 131 in a direction intersecting the transport direction Tr.

[0039] The main body 140 of the transport shuttle 14 has a first surface 144 and a second surface 145. The main body 140 also has a protrusion 143. The protrusion 143 fits into a gap 135 formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132. The fit of the protrusion 143 into the gap 135 suppresses displacement of the main body 140.

[0040] Two upper rollers 141 are arranged on the main body 140. The two upper rollers 141 are rotatably supported by the main body 140. More specifically, the upper rollers 141 are rotatably arranged around a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the transport direction Tr and parallel to the outer surface of the rail 13. The two upper rollers 141 are spaced apart in the transport direction Tr and are positioned at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 of this embodiment, the upper roller 141 on the front side of the transport direction Tr (see Figure 3) is positioned on top.

[0041] The main body 140 is equipped with two lower rollers 142. The two lower rollers 142 are rotatably supported by the main body 140. The lower rollers 142 are cylindrical in shape. The two lower rollers 142 are spaced apart in the transport direction Tr and are positioned at different locations in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 of this embodiment, the lower roller 142 on the front side in the transport direction Tr (see Figure 3) is positioned downwards.

[0042] The article holding section 16 is fixed to the upper part of the main body section 140. The article holding section 16 has a holding plate section 161, an article engaging section 162, and an article support section 163. The holding plate section 161 is plate-shaped, positioned inward Is from the main body section 140, and extends upward. The front side of the holding plate section 161 in the transport direction Tr has an inclined surface 164 that slopes inward toward the front. The holding plate section 161 also has a through hole 1611 and recesses 1612 provided at both ends in the transport direction Tr. The recesses 1612 are positioned below the through hole 1611 in the transport direction.

[0043] The article holding portion 16 has two article engaging portions 162, which are fixed to the holding plate portion 161, arranged vertically. One of each article engaging portion 162 is positioned above the holding plate portion 161, and the other passes through the through hole 1611 and protrudes outward from the holding plate portion 161.

[0044] The article engagement portion 162 has a rear pressing portion 165 provided at the front in the conveying direction and a front pressing portion 166 provided at the rear in the conveying direction. The rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166 have a curved shape with the middle portion in the protruding direction bulging in the conveying direction Tr (see Figure 4, etc.).

[0045] The article support section 163 is fixed to the holding plate section 161. The article support section 163 has a rear support section 167 and a front support section 168. The rear support section 167 is positioned in front of the rear pressing section 165 in the transport direction Tr. The front support section 168 is positioned behind the front pressing section 166. The upper surfaces of the rear support section 167 and the front support section 168 are at the same height. The rear support section 167 and the front support section 168 may be formed integrally. The transport shuttle 14 has the shape described above.

[0046] <Transport Linear Motor Mechanism 15> In the article transport device 100, the multiple transport shuttles 14 are each driven independently by a transport linear motor mechanism 15. The transport linear motor mechanism 15 includes multiple coils 151, a magnet 152, and a linear driver 153. The multiple coils 151 are arranged inside the rails 13 that constitute the first transport route 11 and the rails 13 that constitute the second transport route 12.

[0047] The magnet 152 is a permanent magnet and is placed in the main body 140 of the transport shuttle 14. As shown in Figure 5, the magnet 152 is placed inside the main body 140. The main body 140 is made of a material that does not attract magnets. Therefore, the magnetic force of the magnet 152 leaks out of the main body 140. The magnet 152 is positioned so that it can impart magnetic force to the coil 151. The magnet 152 placed in the main body 140 and the multiple coils 151 placed inside the rail 13 form a linear motor.

[0048] The linear driver 153 is connected to each coil 151 (see Figure 2). The linear driver 153 is connected to a power supply circuit (not shown). The linear driver 153 is a circuit that controls the power supplied to the coils 151 and includes circuits such as an arithmetic processing circuit and a power supply circuit that adjusts the voltage and current supplied to each coil 151. Based on instructions from the control device 800, the linear driver 153 supplies the appropriate current to each coil 151.

[0049] The control device 800 can move the transport shuttles 14 independently. Furthermore, the control device 800 can operate multiple transport shuttles 14 individually, as well as synchronously. The control device 800 can also acquire the position of the transport shuttles 14.

[0050] In the transport shuttle 14, the article holding section 16 is positioned above the main body 140. As a result, no components are positioned on the inside of the first surface 144 or the outside of the second surface 145 of the main body 140. Therefore, the radial outer edges of the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 protrude inward (Is) from the first surface 144 and outward (Os) from the second surface 145.

[0051] As a result, in the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer surface Os of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114. In addition, in the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the inner surface of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122. Furthermore, in the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer surface of the return rail 123.

[0052] More specifically, the transport shuttle 14 is movable along the outer edge Os of the rail 13 in the first transport route 11. The main body 140 is attracted to the outer edge Os of the rail 13 in the first transport route 11, for example, by the magnetic force of the magnet 152. The rail 13 may be equipped with an adsorption part made of a metal such as iron to attract the magnet, or it may be attracted by the magnetic force between the iron core provided in the coil 151 and the magnet 152.

[0053] In the first transport route 11, the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the rail 13, so that the first surface 144 of the main body 140 is positioned at a certain distance from the outer surface of the rail 13. In other words, the main body 140 is supported vertically by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that it can move along the outer surface of the rail 13.

[0054] The upper rollers 141 and lower rollers 142 of the transport shuttle 14 are offset vertically from each other, even when the transport shuttle 14 approaches the transport direction Tr. As a result, the upper rollers 141 and lower rollers 142 are less likely to interfere with each other, even when the transport shuttle 14 approaches the transport direction Tr. Therefore, the transport shuttle 14 can be positioned close to the transport direction Tr in the front and rear directions, and can be moved while in close proximity.

[0055] As shown in Figure 6, the transport shuttle 14 is movable along the inner side Is of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 in the second transport route 12. The main body 140 is attracted to the inner surfaces of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 by the magnetic force of the magnet 152 located inside it. The rail 13 may be equipped with an adsorption part made of a metal such as iron to attract the magnet, or it may be attracted by the magnetic force between the iron core provided in the coil 151 and the magnet 152.

[0056] The upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122, so that the second surface 145 of the main body 140 is positioned opposite the inner surfaces of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 with a certain distance between them. In other words, the main body 140 is supported vertically by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that it can move against the inner surfaces of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122.

[0057] With this configuration, the transport shuttle 14 can be branched at branching point P1 and merged at merger point P2 by controlling the coils 151 positioned on the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the branching rail 121, and the merging rail 122. In other words, the transport shuttle 14 can be branched and merged with a simple configuration and simple control.

[0058] In other words, the control device 800 can branch the transport shuttle 14 moving along the first straight rail 111 to either the first curved rail 113 or the branch rail 121 at branching point P1. Also, the control device 800 can have the transport shuttle 14 moving along the merging rail 122 of the second transport route 12 merge with the second straight rail 112 at merging point P2.

[0059] <Holding of item Pc by transport shuttle 14> Next, the holding of the item Pc by the transport shuttle 14 will be described. The item Pc is held from both the front and back of the transport direction Tr by two transport shuttles 14 that are arranged side by side in the transport direction Tr.

[0060] The front support portion 168 of the transport shuttle 14, positioned on the front side of the transport direction Tr, supports the inner front of the bottom surface of the article Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front Pcf of the article Pc. The rear support portion 167 of the transport shuttle 14, positioned on the front side of the transport direction Tr of the article Pc, supports the inner rear of the bottom surface Pct of the article Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear Pcr of the article Pc. At this time, the inner surface PcI of the article Pc is in contact with the holding plate portion 161.

[0061] In this case, if the article Pc is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped filled with a liquid, the front surface Pcf of the article Pc is pressed by the front pressing portion 166, causing the middle portion to be indented. Similarly, the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc is pressed by the rear pressing portion 165, causing the middle portion to be indented. In this way, the indentation of the front surface Pcf and Pcr by the front pressing portion 166 and the rear pressing portion 165, respectively, restricts the movement of the article Pc toward the outside Os. Furthermore, the movement of the article Pc toward the inside Is is also restricted by the contact of the inner surface PcI of the article Pc with the holding plate portion 161. As a result, the article Pc can be firmly held by the two transport shuttles 14. Note that the transport shuttles 14 positioned before and after the article Pc in the transport direction Tr have the same shape.

[0062] Figure 7 is a plan view showing the transport shuttle 14, holding an item Pc, moving along the first curved rail 113. Since the rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166 are both curved and bulge outward, they can appropriately press the front Pcf and rear Pcr of the item Pc even when the protruding direction of the item engaging portion 162 is not parallel. Therefore, the transport shuttle 14 can hold the item Pc even when moving along a curved section such as the first curved rail 113, as shown in Figure 7. The curvature of the curved section in which the transport shuttle 14 can hold the item Pc and move depends on the shape of the rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166.

[0063] Figure 8 is a view from the outside Os showing multiple articles Pc being transported by multiple transport shuttles 14. Figure 8 shows a state in which two articles are held by three transport shuttles 14 arranged in the transport direction Tr. As shown in Figure 8, the front support portion 168 of the front transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the front of the bottom of the front article Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front Pcf of the front article Pc. In addition, the rear support portion 167 of the central transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the rear of the bottom of the front article Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear Pcr of the front article Pc. This holds the front article Pc.

[0064] Furthermore, the front support portion 168 of the central transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr supports the inner front of the bottom of the rear item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front Pcf of the rear item Pc. Also, the rear support portion 167 of the rear transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr supports the inner rear of the bottom of the rear item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear Pcr of the rear item Pc. This holds the rear item Pc. As shown in Figure 8, by arranging three transport shuttles 14 in the circumferential direction, two items Pc can be held. Note that the number of items Pc that can be held is not limited to two, but may be three or more. That is, by preparing the number of transport shuttles 14 equal to the number of items Pc + 1, multiple items Pc can be held.

[0065] In the item processing device A, when the item is on the branch rail 121 of the second transport route 12, multiple transport shuttles 14 can move in the transport direction Tr while holding multiple items Pc. When the item is on the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11, multiple transport shuttles 14 may hold multiple items Pc. Furthermore, when moving from the first transport route 11 to the second transport route 12 at the branch point P1, a predetermined number of items Pc may be grouped together. Grouping one or a small number of items Pc is referred to as aggregation. As shown in Figure 1, in the item transport device 100, an aggregation area Ar1 is set in the portion between the branch point P1 of the branch rail 121 and the item accumulation section 124, which will be described later.

[0066] <Aggregation structure of the second transport route 12> Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the branching point P1. Figure 10 is a view of the transport state of the transport shuttle 14 at branching point P1, seen from the rear side in the transport direction Tr. As shown in Figure 9, at branching point P1, the branching rail 121 is positioned outside Os of the rear end of the transport direction Tr of the first straight rail 111. The first straight rail 111 and the branching rail 121 are positioned parallel to each other.

[0067] As described above, in the item transport section 10, an aggregation area Ar1 is formed along the branch rail 121 from the branch point P1. In the aggregation area Ar1, multiple transport shuttles 14 perform the operation of accumulating multiple items Pc (in this case, four) in the transport direction Tr. An item accumulation section 124 is located behind the transport direction Tr of the aggregation area Ar1.

[0068] In the aggregation region Ar1, a support rail 125 and a guide rail 126 are arranged. The support rail 125 starts from the branching point P1 and is positioned parallel to the branching rail 121 on the inside Is of the branching rail 121. The support rail 125 contacts a portion of the outer surface Os of the bottom surface of the article Pc being transported by the transport shuttle 14, and supports the article Pc. Therefore, the upper surface of the support rail 125 is at approximately the same height as the upper surface of the article support portion 163 of the article holding portion 16.

[0069] The support rail 125 is positioned so that its upper surface coincides with the upper surface of the article stacking section 124. The guide rail 126 contacts the upper part of the side surface of the article Pc to guide the article Pc's transport in the transport direction Tr. The guide rail 126 is a pair of rod-shaped members aligned in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction Tr of the article Pc.

[0070] In the aggregation area Ar1, the article Pc is transported by the transport shuttle 14. At this time, the bottom surface of the article Pc slides against the support rail 125, and the upper part of the side surface of the article Pc slides against the guide rail 126. Therefore, at least the upper surface of the support rail 125 and at least the surface of the guide rail 126 that contacts the side surface of the article Pc are configured to have low friction with the outer surface of the article Pc.

[0071] The support rail 125 is positioned at the same height as the article support section 163 and supports the outer surface Os of the bottom of the article Pc, so it does not interfere with the article holding section 16. On the other hand, the guide rail 126 is in contact with the side of the article Pc. Therefore, it is positioned outside the trajectory Tt of the article Pc moving along the first curved rail 113 so as not to interfere with the article Pc held by the transport shuttle 14 moving along the first curved rail 113.

[0072] Next, the aggregation of items in aggregation area Ar1 will be explained with reference to the drawings. Figure 11 is a plan view showing the branching point P1 at the start of aggregation. Figure 13 is a plan view of the transport shuttle 14 and item Pc in the state after aggregation is complete. Figure 13 is a front view of the transport shuttle 14 and item Pc in the state after aggregation is complete, as seen from the outside Os. Here, we will explain the case where the first transport route 11 is aggregated from a state where one item Pc is transported by two transport shuttles 14 to a state where four items Pc are transported by five transport shuttles 14 at the branching rail 121.

[0073] As shown in Figure 9, the case where no items Pc being aggregated, or in other words, items Pc that have not yet been aggregated, are being transported in the aggregation area Ar1 will be described. At the branching point P1, the control device 800 controls the transport linear motor mechanism 15 so that the transport shuttle 14 holding the items Pc moves from the first straight rail 111 to the branching rail 121. Here, two transport shuttles 14, each holding one item Pc, are moved from the first straight rail 111 to the branching rail 121.

[0074] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, if there are items Pc being aggregated in the aggregation area Ar1, the control device 800 controls the transport linear motor mechanism 15 to move the front transport shuttle 14 along the first curved rail 113. The front transport shuttle 14 detaches from the items Pc. Then, the control device 800 controls the transport linear motor mechanism 15 so that the remaining transport shuttle 14 moves along the branch rail 121.

[0075] This releases the pressure on the front surface Pcf of the article Pc by the front pressing portion 166 of the article engaging portion 162 of the front transport shuttle 14. As a result, the article Pc is released from being held by the transport shuttle 14. As described above, in the aggregation area Ar1, the support rail 125 is positioned from the branching point P1. Therefore, when the front transport shuttle 14 moves to the first curved rail 113 and separates from the article Pc, the outer surface Os of the bottom of the article Pc overlaps with and comes into contact with the support rail 125 both vertically and horizontally.

[0076] As the front transport shuttle 14 moves to the first curved rail 113, the item Pc comes into contact with the rear transport shuttle 14 at its rear Pcr. The bottom surface of the item Pc is supported by the rear support portion 167 and support rail 125 of the rear transport shuttle 14, and the sides of the item Pc are supported by the guide rail 126.

[0077] Then, the item Pc is supported by the rear support section 167, the support rail 125, and the guide rail 126, and is pushed by the rear pressing section 165 of the rear transport shuttle 14 as it moves. In the aggregation area Ar1, the control device 800 accelerates the rear transport shuttle 14. As a result, the item Pc comes into contact with the front pressing section 166 of the transport shuttle 14 that is the last transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr among the transport shuttles 14 that are already moving through the aggregation area Ar1 and are in the process of aggregation. At this time, a part of the front inner surface Is of the bottom of the item Pc is supported by the front support section 168 of the transport shuttle 14 that is located in front. As a result, the item Pc merges with the transport shuttles 14 that are already moving through the aggregation area Ar1 and are in the process of aggregation, and the item Pc is aggregated.

[0078] In this way, at the branching point P1, by moving the front transport shuttle 14 to the first curved rail 113 and the rear transport shuttle 14 along the branching rail 121, multiple transport shuttles 14 can hold multiple items Pc. After holding all items Pc (in this case, 4 items), that is, after aggregation is complete, the control device 800 can transport the aggregated multiple items Pc in the transport direction Tr by moving the transport shuttles 14 in the transport direction Tr while maintaining a constant distance from each other.

[0079] As described above, of the transport shuttles 14 moving along the first straight rail 111, the front transport shuttle 14 is moved to the first curved rail 113, and the rear transport shuttle 14 is moved along the branch rail 121. In this way, a certain number (in this case, 4) of items Pc can be aggregated in the aggregation area Ar1 adjacent to the branch rail 121. Then, multiple transport shuttles 14 with aggregated items Pc can be moved along the branch rail 121.

[0080] In this embodiment, the article transport device 100 was described as having a configuration in which one article Pc is transported in the first transport route 11, then branches off to the second transport route 12, and four articles Pc are consolidated. However, the invention is not limited to this configuration. Multiple articles Pc may be transported in the first transport route 11 and multiple articles Pc may be consolidated. Furthermore, the number of articles Pc to be consolidated is not limited to four.

[0081] Next, the procedure for separating the aggregated items Pc from the transport shuttle 14 is described. Figure 14 is a front view of the transport shuttle 14 as seen from the outside 0s when the separation of items Pc begins. Figure 15 is a front view of the transport shuttle 14 as seen from the outside Os when the separation of items Pc from the transport shuttle 14 is complete.

[0082] The articles Pc, which are aggregated in the aggregation area Ar1 and transported along the branch rail 121, are stopped in an area close to the article accumulation section 124 and are retrieved into the article accumulation section 124 by the article retrieval device 400. When the article retrieval device 400 retrieves the articles Pc, the article engagement section 162 of the transport shuttle 14 releases the articles Pc, separating them from the transport shuttle 14.

[0083] When the transport shuttle 14 holding the item Pc reaches a position adjacent to the item stacking section 124, the control device 800 controls the transport linear motor mechanism 15 to stop the last transport shuttle 14. As a result, the transport shuttle 14, which was holding the front Pcf of the last item Pc in the transport direction Tr, moves away from the last item Pc.

[0084] Then, after the last transport shuttle 14 has stopped for a certain period of time, the transport shuttle 14 immediately preceding it is stopped in the transport direction Tr of the last transport shuttle 14. In this way, by stopping the transport shuttles sequentially starting from the last transport shuttle 14, all items Pc are separated from the transport shuttles 14.

[0085] As described above, by stopping the transport shuttle 14 that is transporting the aggregated items Pc, all items Pc can be separated from the transport shuttle 14 and placed at regular intervals with a simple operation. This allows the item retrieval device 400 to retrieve the aggregated items Pc from the transport shuttle 14. Furthermore, since the transport shuttle 14 that holds the front and rear of the transport direction Tr of the items Pc has the same shape, the number of items Pc to be aggregated can be changed simply by controlling the transport linear motor mechanism 15 by the control device 800. In other words, the number of items Pc to be aggregated can be changed without changing the layout of the item transport unit 10 or the order of the transport shuttles 14. Therefore, a highly versatile item transport device 100 can be provided.

[0086] <Article delivery device 200> As shown in Figure 1, the article delivery device 200 includes an article supply unit 20, an article delivery unit 21, and a transfer lane 22. Articles Pc are transported to the article processing device A by the article supply unit 20 from a preceding process, such as a content filling process. The article supply unit 20 is a conveyor that transports articles Pc that are roughly rectangular in shape. By moving the upper surface of the article supply unit 20 with articles Pc placed on it, articles Pc move along the article supply unit 20. The direction of movement of articles Pc in the article supply unit 20 is referred to as the supply direction Ts.

[0087] The goods supply unit 20 can use a general-purpose conveyor such as a belt conveyor or a top chain conveyor. In this case, the goods supply unit 20 has a supply conveyor 201 using a belt conveyor (see Figure 1, etc.). The supply conveyor 201 of the goods supply unit 20 is connected to a control device 800 and is driven according to instructions from the control device 800. Typically, the supply conveyor 201 is driven to transport goods at a constant speed.

[0088] The article delivery unit 21 is located at the front end of the article supply unit 20 in the conveying direction Tr. The article delivery unit 21 has a plurality of nip rollers 211 arranged in pairs and a transfer lane 22. As shown in Figure 1, the nip rollers 211 are arranged in pairs in a direction perpendicular to the supply direction Ts of the article supply unit 20 and come into contact with the sides of the article Pc (in this case, the inner surface PcI and the outer surface PcO). The surface of the nip rollers 211 is made of a material that increases friction with the surface of the article Pc. In the article delivery unit 21, three pairs of nip rollers 211 are arranged at equal intervals along the supply conveyor 201.

[0089] The nip rollers 211 are rotated by a roller motor 212 (see Figure 2) connected to a control device 800. The control device 800 controls the rotation of the roller motor 212, adjusting the rotation speed of the nip rollers 211. This accelerates and decelerates the article Pc in the supply direction Ts. The article Pc, accelerated and decelerated by the pair of nip rollers 211, then moves to the transfer lane 22.

[0090] The item Pc moves along the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts. The front end of the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts is the transfer section R1. At the transfer section R1, the item Pc is held by a transport shuttle aligned in the supply direction Ts. While being held by the transport shuttle 14, the item Pc is transported along the first transport route 11.

[0091] <Exterior component mounting device 300> The exterior component attachment device 300 is positioned on the outside Os of the article transport section 10 of the article transport device 100 and attaches the exterior component Th to the outer surface PcO of the article Pc (see Figure 3). The exterior component Th is a straw in this case, but is not limited to this. The exterior component attachment device 300 is attached to the outer surface PcO of the article Pc while housed in a resin bag. The exterior component attachment device 300 is positioned on the outside Os of the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11. The exterior component Th is then attached (attached) to the outer surface PcO of the article Pc held by the transport shuttle 14 that moves along the first straight rail 111.

[0092] The exterior component mounting device 300 has an inspection unit 30 and a mounting unit 31. The inspection unit 30 inspects the condition of the article Pc. The inspection unit 30 acquires an image using, for example, an imaging unit (not shown), and determines whether the article Pc is acceptable or not based on the image processing results of the image. If the article Pc is a roughly rectangular container made of paper material, the inspection unit 30 checks the condition of the adhesive part, scorching due to heating during bonding, etc.

[0093] The mounting section 31 has a drive motor 310 (see Figure 2) that drives the device. The exterior member mounting device 300 attaches the exterior member Th to the outer side Os of the moving article Pc by the operation of the drive motor 310.

[0094] As shown in Figure 2, the inspection unit 30 and drive motor 310 of the exterior member attachment device 300 are connected to the control device 800. The control device 800 operates the drive motor 310 so that the exterior member Th is attached only to articles that pass the inspection unit 30. The control device 800 also acquires the position of the transport shuttle 14 based on information from, for example, the linear driver 153. Based on the position of the transport shuttle 14, it drives the drive motor 310. In this way, the control device 800 drives the drive motor 310 in synchronization with the speed of the transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr. As a result, the exterior member Th can be attached while maintaining the movement speed of the transport shuttle 14, i.e., the article Pc.

[0095] The control device 800 acquires the position, or in other words, the moving speed, of the item Pc, and operates the drive motor 310 based on the position of the item Pc. Therefore, even if the item Pc includes items without exterior members Th attached, the transport speed of the item Pc does not need to be reduced. This suppresses a decrease in the production efficiency of the item processing device A.

[0096] Furthermore, items Pc determined to be defective by the inspection unit 30 are transported from the branching point P1 via the first curved rail 113 to the second straight rail 112 while being held in place by the transport shuttle 14. Then, items determined to be defective are collected at a defective item collection unit (not shown) located adjacent to the second straight rail 112. A configuration in which items Pc determined to be defective are collected by dropping them downwards can be adopted, but is not limited to this.

[0097] <Box supply device 600> The box body Bx for storing the item Pc is formed by folding a paper sheet Sh, such as corrugated cardboard. The box body supply device 600 forms the box body Bx by folding and adhesively fixing the sheet Sh. At this time, it forms all surfaces except the side facing the branch rail 121 in the retrieval direction Pu. The side of the box body Bx facing the branch rail 121 is the storage surface for storing the item Pc.

[0098] The box supply device 600 includes a sheet storage section 61, a sheet removal section 62, a molding section 63, a sheet feeding section 64, and a box movement section 65. Sheets Sh are stored in the sheet storage section 61. The sheet storage section 61 is moved by a sheet rail 610. The sheets Sh stored in the sheet storage section 61 are removed by the sheet removal section 62. The sheets Sh are then sent to the molding section 63 by the sheet feeding section 64. In the molding section 63, a portion of the sheets Sh is folded and bonded to form a box Bx with walls other than the wall closest to the article storage section 124. The box Bx formed in the molding section 63 is then sent to the storage area 70s of the article packaging device 700, which will be described later, by the box movement section 65.

[0099] The box supply device 600 is connected to the control device 800. The box supply device 600 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, when the control device 800 confirms that there are no box bodies Bx in the molding unit 63, it operates the sheet removal unit 62 to remove the sheet Sh, and simultaneously operates the sheet feeding unit 64 to send the sheet Sh to the molding unit 63, and operates the molding unit 63 to mold the box body Bx. Then, after the box transport shuttle 702 of the box transport unit 70 (described later) moves to the storage area 70s, the box moving unit 65 is operated to move the box body Bx in the molding unit 63 to the storage area 70s.

[0100] An item accumulation section 124 is provided on the outer side Os of the branch rail 121, adjacent to the branch rail 121. Items Pc that are transported along the branch rail 121 are placed in the item accumulation section 124. Multiple items Pc are temporarily stored in the item accumulation section 124. This operation of gathering multiple items Pc and temporarily storing them is called item accumulation. The item accumulation section 124 has a guide wall section 1241 and a retaining wall section 1242.

[0101] The guide wall 1241 extends along the retrieval direction Pu for removing items. The guide wall 1241 is located in the item stacking section 124 and is movable and fixed in the transport direction. The retaining wall 1242 is located at the rear end of the item stacking section 124 in the retrieval direction Pu and can be hidden below the floor surface 1240 of the item stacking section 124 and can protrude upward.

[0102] <Item retrieval device 400 and item storage device 500> The item retrieval device 400 moves the items Pc, which are lined up in the transport direction Tr, in the retrieval direction Pu, which intersects with the transport direction Tr, and accumulates them in the item accumulation section 124. In the item processing device A, the retrieval direction Pu is outward and perpendicular to the transport direction Tr.

[0103] The article retrieval device 400 has an article pushing portion 41 and an article contact portion 42. The article pushing portion 41 contacts the inner surface PcI of the article Pc, and the article contact portion 42 contacts the outer surface PcO of the article Pc, thereby supporting the article Pc. While maintaining this state of supporting the article Pc, the article pushing portion 41 and the article contact portion 42 move in the retrieval direction Pu. In other words, the article retrieval device 400 moves the accumulated and transported article Pc from the branch rail 121 to the article accumulation portion 124.

[0104] As shown in Figure 2, the item retrieval device 400 is connected to the control device 800. The item retrieval device 400 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the item retrieval device 400 after confirming that the transport shuttle 14 has reached the retrieval position on the branch rail 121. The control device 800 may also operate the item retrieval device 400 based on information other than the position of the transport shuttle 14.

[0105] The item storage device 500 moves a certain number of items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 to the box body Bx. The operation of moving multiple items Pc to the box body Bx together is referred to as item storage.

[0106] The article storage device 500 has a rear contact portion 51, a side contact portion 52, and a front contact portion 53. The rear contact portion 51 contacts the inner surface PcI of the article Pc located in the innermost position Is. The side contact portion 52 contacts the front surface Pcf of the article Pc located at the front end of the article Pc in the transport direction Tr and the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc located at the rear end. The front contact portion 53 contacts the outer surface PcO of the article Pc located in the outermost position Os at the front end.

[0107] The rear contact portion 51, the side contact portion 52, and the front contact portion 53 maintain contact with the outer surface PcO of the outermost article Pc, the front surface Pcf of the frontmost article Pc, the rear surface Pcr of the rearmost article Pc, and the inner surface PcI of the innermost article Pc, while adjacent articles Pc are in contact with each other, and move in the removal direction Pu. As a result, the multiple accumulated articles Pc are housed in the box Bx.

[0108] As shown in Figure 2, the item storage device 500 is connected to the control device 800. The item storage device 500 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the item storage device 500 after confirming that a predetermined number of items Pc have been accumulated in the item accumulation unit 124 based on the operation of the item retrieval device 400. To further explain, the item storage device 500 may be operated after the item retrieval device 400 has moved the items Pc to the item accumulation unit 124 a predetermined number of times and the item retrieval device 400 has retracted. The control device 800 may also operate the item storage device 500 based on the operation information of the item retrieval device 400.

[0109] The article processing device A has one or more article stacking sections 124. Each article stacking section 124 is equipped with one article retrieval device 400 and one article storage device 500.

[0110] The retaining wall portion 55 contacts the front end of the box body Bx in the removal direction Pu, thereby suppressing the movement of the box body Bx when storing the item Pc. The retaining wall portion 55 is movable vertically.

[0111] <Goods packaging device 700> The article processing device A includes an article packaging device 700. The article packaging device 700 packages the articles Pc accumulated in the article accumulation unit 124 into a box Bx. Packaging refers to the operation from the time a predetermined number of articles Pc are placed into the box Bx until the box Bx is completed.

[0112] As shown in Figure 1, the article packaging device 700 includes a box transport unit 70, an article retrieval device 400, an article storage device 500, a box supply device 600, and a box delivery unit 7.

[0113] The box supply device 600 folds the sheet Sh to form a box Bx and supplies the box Bx to the box transport unit 70. The box transport unit 70 is located outside Os of the branch rail 121. The box transport unit 70 has a configuration that utilizes a box linear motor mechanism and includes a linear rail 701 and a box transport shuttle 702.

[0114] In the box transport section 70, the direction in which the linear rail 701 extends is the transport direction of the box Bx, i.e., the box transport direction Tb. At least a portion of the linear rail 701 is arranged parallel to the branch rail 121.

[0115] The box transport shuttle 702 transports the box body Bx in the box transport direction Tb by holding the box body Bx from the front and rear sides and moving in the box transport direction Tb. The box transport unit 70 has box guide rails 76 arranged along the box transport direction Tb (see Figure 1). The box transport unit 70 has multiple box guide rails 76, and the box body Bx is positioned on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. When the box body Bx is transported by the box transport shuttle 702, it is slidably positioned on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. In other words, the box guide rails 76 support the box body Bx from below.

[0116] In the box transport section 70, the box transport shuttle 702 stops in the storage area 70s where the box Bx is received. With the box transport shuttle 702 stopped, the box Bx from the box supply device 600 is sent to the storage area 70s. Then, with the box transport shuttle 702 maintaining its position in the box transport direction Tb, the box transport shuttle 702 transports the box Bx in the box transport direction Tb. The box transport shuttle 702 stops so that the box Bx is positioned in the receiving area 70t adjacent to the item accumulation section 124.

[0117] In the box transport section 70, multiple box transport shuttles 702 are each driven independently by a box linear motor mechanism 72. As shown in Figure 2, the box linear motor mechanism 72 includes multiple coils 721, a magnet 722, and a box transport linear driver 723. The multiple coils 721 are arranged inside the linear rail 701 in the box transport direction Tb. The control device 800 is connected to the box transport linear driver 723, and the control device 800 controls the box transport linear driver 723. As a result, the box transport shuttles 702 move along the linear rail 701. The control device 800 can control each of the box transport shuttles 702 independently.

[0118] The item retrieval device 400 and the item storage device 500 are positioned near the item accumulation section 124. The item retrieval device 400 moves the items Pc transported on the branch rail 121 to the item accumulation section 124 and accumulates the items Pc. The item storage device 500 moves the items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 to the receiving area 70t and stores the items Pc in the box body Bx.

[0119] <Lid folding section 77> The article packaging device 700 has a lid folding section 77 that folds the lid portion of the box body Bx on the article accumulation section 124 side. When the storage of articles Pc is complete, the box closing mechanism 127 closes the door portion of the box body Bx. The door portion is formed integrally with the side wall and is a portion that is folded inward. With the door portion closed, the box body Bx is moved along the box body transport section 70. With the door portion closed, the box body Bx moves to the lid folding section 77. The lid folding section 77 folds the lid portion outward from the door portion and adheres the door portion and the lid portion together to complete the packaging body Cx in which the articles Pc are packed. The lid folding section 77 pushes the lid portion of the box body Bx from below, folding it and adhering the lid portion to the door portion.

[0120] <Box delivery section 7> The box delivery unit 7 is located in the discharge area 70x at the rear end of the box transport unit 70 in the box transport direction Tb. The box delivery unit 7 has an extrusion unit 78. The packaged body Cx completed in the lid folding unit 77 is inspected, and if it passes the inspection, the outer side Os of the packaged body Cx is pushed by the extrusion unit 78 and sent to the OK side (upper in Figure 1). If it fails the inspection, the inner side Is of the packaged body Cx is pushed by the extrusion unit 78 and sent to the NG side (lower in Figure 1). Packaged bodies Cx sent to the OK side are then transported to the next process.

[0121] In the goods processing device A, the inspection of the box delivery unit 7 mainly involves inspecting the box and the condition of the goods Pc inside. The goods Pc themselves have passed inspection by the exterior component mounting device 300. In other words, even if the box delivery unit 7 fails the inspection, the goods Pc inside are often still in good condition. Therefore, even if the packaging Cx is sent to the NG side, the goods Pc inside the packaging Cx are handled in a way that prevents damage.

[0122] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention, as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0123] A. Article Processing Device Bx box body Cx Packaging PC goods Pcf front PCR back side 100 Article conveying device 11. First transport route 111 First straight rail 112 Second straight rail 113 First curved rail 114 Second curved rail 12. Second transport route 121 Branch Rail 122 Merging Rail 123 Return Rail 124 Goods Storage Department 13 rails 131 Main Rail 132 grooved rails 133 Flat rail 134 Groove 135 gap 13c curved short rail 13s Straight Short Rail 14. Transport Shuttle 140 Main body 141 Upper roller 142 Lower roller 143 Convex part 144 Inner self 145 Exterior 15. Conveyor Linear Motor Mechanism 151 coils 152 Magnets 153 Linear Driver 16 Article holding part 161 Holding plate part 1611 Through hole 1612 recess 162 Article engagement part 1611 Through hole 163 Article support part 164 Slope 165 Rear pressing section 166 Front pressing area 167 Rear support section 168 Front support 200 Article delivery device 20 Goods Supply Department 21 Nip Roller 211 Roller Motor 22 Transfer Lane 300 Exterior component mounting device 30 Inspection Department 31 Mounting part 310 Drive motor Th Straw 400 Article removal device 41 Article pressing section 42 Article support part 500 Item storage device 51 Rear pressing portion 52 Side contact portion 600 Box feeding device 61 Sheet storage section 610 Seat Rail 62 Sheet removal section 63 Molding section 64 Sheet feeding section 65 Box moving part Sh Sheet 700 Goods packaging equipment 70 Box transport section 701 Linear Rail 702 Box Transport Shuttle 70s storage area 70t receiving area 7 Box delivery section 800 Control device 801 Processing Circuit 802 Memory circuit

Claims

1. An article conveying unit having conveying rails arranged along the direction of article conveying, A plurality of transport shuttles are arranged on the side of the transport rail and are movable along the transport rail, It has a transport linear motor mechanism that moves each of the multiple transport shuttles independently, The aforementioned transport shuttle is Article engagement portion, It has an article support portion positioned below the article engagement portion, The article engagement portion is, A rear pressing section is provided at the front in the transport direction and presses the rear surface of the article in the transport direction, It has a front pressing section provided at the rear in the transport direction that presses the front surface of the article in the transport direction, The article support portion is, A rear support portion is positioned in front of the rear pressing portion in the transport direction and supports the portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the article that is close to the transport rail in a direction intersecting the transport direction, It has a front support portion that is positioned behind the front pressing portion in the transport direction and supports the portion of the bottom surface of the article that is close to the transport rail in a direction intersecting the front transport direction, The front support portion of the transport shuttle, positioned in front of the transport direction of the article, supports the portion of the bottom surface of the article closest to the transport rail in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and the front pressing portion presses the front surface of the article. The rear support portion of the transport shuttle, positioned behind the transport direction of the article, supports the portion of the bottom surface of the article closest to the transport rail in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and the rear pressing portion presses the rear surface of the article, thereby holding the article. The aforementioned transport shuttle is The main body portion facing the side of the transport rail, A roller is rotatably positioned on the main body and moves by rotating on the side surface of the transport rail, It has an article holding portion that extends upward from the main body portion and has the article support portion and the article engagement portion, The main body has a first surface and a second surface which are end faces in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, The article transport unit is, A first transport route is formed by connecting the aforementioned transport rails in a ring shape, Branching off from the branching point of the first transport route, A second transport route is formed in a U-shape, branching off from the branching point of the first transport route, turning back, and then rejoining the first transport route at a different merging point than the branching point. The second transport route is, A branching rail that branches off at the aforementioned branching point, The merging rails that merge at the aforementioned merging point, It has a return rail positioned between the branching rail and the merging rail, At least the branch rail and the merging rail of the second transport route have sides positioned on the inside of the U-shaped second transport route that face the second surface of the main body of the transport shuttle. A portion of the branch rail on the upstream side in the transport direction and a portion of the merging rail on the downstream side in the transport direction are arranged side by side outside the first transport route. The aforementioned transport shuttle is When moving in contact with the first transport route, the first surface faces the outer side surface of the transport rail, and the roller is able to move in the transport direction while in contact with the outer side surface of the transport rail. An article conveying device that, when moving in contact with the branch rail or merging rail of the second conveying route, has the second surface facing the side of the branch rail or merging rail that faces the outer side of the conveying rail, and the roller is in contact with the side of the branch rail or merging rail that faces the outer side of the conveying rail, and is capable of moving in the conveying direction.

2. Multiple transport shuttles can be arranged in a line in the transport direction to transport multiple articles together. The front support portion of the leading transport shuttle in the transport direction supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the leading article, and the front pressing portion presses the front of the leading article. The rear support portion of the last transport shuttle in the transport direction supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the last article, and the rear pressing portion presses against the rear surface of the last article. The article conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the front support portion of the conveying shuttle in the intermediate part in the conveying direction supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the article immediately following it, the front pressing portion presses the front of the article immediately following it, the rear support portion supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the article immediately following it, and the rear pressing portion presses the rear of the article immediately following it.

3. Among the multiple transport shuttles arranged in the transport direction, the front support portion of the leading transport shuttle supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the leading article and the front pressing portion presses the front of the leading article; the rear support portion of the last transport shuttle supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the last article and the rear pressing portion presses the rear of the last article; the front support portion of the intermediate transport shuttle supports at least a portion of the front of the bottom surface of the article immediately following it and the front pressing portion presses the front of the article immediately following it; the rear support portion supports at least a portion of the rear of the bottom surface of the article immediately preceding it and the rear pressing portion presses the rear of the article immediately preceding it, thereby enabling the multiple transport shuttles to accumulate and transport multiple articles in the transport direction. The second transport route begins from the aforementioned branching point and includes an aggregation area where multiple items are lined up and accumulated in the transport direction. In the aggregation region, a support rail is provided that extends along the branch rail and supports a portion of the bottom surface of the article that is different from the article support portion. The article transport device according to claim 1, wherein at the branching point, the transport linear motor mechanism causes a plurality of transport shuttles holding the leading article after accumulation to enter the second transport route, and when the accumulation area includes transport shuttles holding articles that have not yet been accumulated, the branching point moves the leading transport shuttle to the first transport route and moves the remaining transport shuttles to the second transport route.

4. The article transport device according to claim 3, wherein the transport linear motor mechanism decelerates the transport shuttle that has not yet completed the accumulation, or accelerates the transport shuttle that has moved from the branching point to the second transport route.

5. The article conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the conveying shuttles stop in order from the last conveying shuttle in the conveying direction to the forward conveying shuttles.

6. The aforementioned transport linear motor mechanism is Multiple coils arranged on the aforementioned transport rail, The article conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a magnet arranged on the conveying shuttle.

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