CN114560272A

CN114560272A - Method for controlling posture of conveyed article and conveying system

Info

Publication number: CN114560272A
Application number: CN202111318980.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赤岩诚; 山本笃史; 神户祐二
Original assignee: DAISHIN CO LTD
Current assignee: DAISHIN CO LTD
Priority date: 2020-11-27
Filing date: 2021-11-09
Publication date: 2022-05-31
Also published as: JP7481046B2; KR20220074733A; TW202220916A; JP2023063408A

Abstract

The invention provides a method for controlling the posture of a conveyed object and a conveying system using the method, which can improve the reliability of the posture control of the conveyed object more than the prior art; the present invention relates to a method for controlling the attitude of a transported object by blowing an air flow to the transported object on a transport path while the transported object is being transported in a transport direction along the transport path, wherein the attitude of the transported object is changed by floating the transported object on the transport path with a first air flow and rotating the floating transported object on the transport path with a second air flow.

Description

Method for controlling posture of conveyed article and conveying system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the posture of a conveyed article and a conveying system.

Background

Conventionally, as a transport device such as a feeder, a transport device configured to transport a transport object such as an electronic component while aligning the transport object in a predetermined posture is known. In such a conveyor device, the attitude of the conveyed material on the conveyance path is identified by the appearance measurement, and the conveyed material having an improper attitude is excluded from the conveyance path or is rotated to change its attitude in such a manner that the air flow is blown to the conveyed material on the basis of the identification result, thereby unifying the attitude of the conveyed material.

Further, there is known a method of controlling the posture of a conveyed article in which, in order to change the posture of the conveyed article, the conveyed article conveyed in an improper posture on a conveyance path is turned into a posture in which the conveyed article is turned by an air flow, and the conveyed article is merged with an original conveyance line composed of the conveyed article which does not need to be turned, thereby unifying the postures of the conveyed articles (see patent document 1 below). In this case, in order to reliably turn the transported object, a step is often formed on the transport path, and the transported object that has received the air flow is reliably rotated in a state of being locked by the step. As a method for changing the posture of the transported object, various methods have been proposed, such as a method for changing the posture of the transported object in a lateral sliding manner by applying an air flow to the bottom of the transported object (see patent document 2 below), a method for rotating the transported object by air flows in both right and left directions (see patent document 3 below), and the like.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-264430

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. Hei 7-228332

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open publication No. Hei 10-053320

Disclosure of Invention

However, in most cases, since the area of the bottom surface of the conveyance object facing the conveyance surface of the conveyance path is large, it is necessary to turn the conveyance object over with a large airflow pressure, and therefore, it is difficult to adjust the airflow pressure so as to prevent the conveyance object from being unable to turn over due to insufficient airflow pressure or from rotating excessively due to excessive airflow pressure. As a method for solving the above-described problem, there is also a problem that the transport object is easily turned over by providing a step in the turning direction as described above, but since a large air pressure is still required at the start of the first rotation operation for turning over the transport object, the difficulty of adjusting the air pressure is still unchanged, and thus the reliability of changing the posture of the transport object cannot be obtained.

Further, in the conventional method, since the conveyed material moves to the side of the original conveying path portion in the width direction when it is reversed, it is necessary to join the reversed conveyed material to the original conveying line composed of the conveyed material that does not need to be reversed, and in this case, there is a problem that the conveying posture is disturbed by the changed posture of the reversed conveyed material due to the conveyed materials before and after the original conveying line, or the changed posture of the conveyed materials before and after the original conveying line. In particular, in recent conveying apparatuses, since a large amount of fine conveyance objects are required to be conveyed, it is difficult to join the reversed conveyance objects with the original conveyance lines conveyed at high speed and high density, and the above problem is also serious. Further, when the reversed transport object is merged with the original transport row on the circular groove-shaped transport path, a certain transport distance is required to match the transport postures of the transport rows, and therefore a certain transport path length is required in the transport direction for controlling the transport postures of the transport object, which causes a problem that the transport apparatus is difficult to be compact.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the posture of a conveyed object and a conveying system using the method, which can improve the reliability of the posture control of the conveyed object compared to the conventional methods.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a method of controlling the attitude of a conveyed article according to the present invention is a method of controlling the attitude of the conveyed article by blowing an air flow to the conveyed article on a conveyance path while conveying the conveyed article in a conveyance direction along the conveyance path, wherein the attitude of the conveyed article is changed by floating the conveyed article on the conveyance path by a first air flow and rotating the floated conveyed article on the conveyance path by a second air flow. In this way, since the conveyance object is floated by the first air flow on the conveyance path and the floated conveyance object is rotated by the second air flow, the conveyance object is less likely to interfere with the conveyance surface of the conveyance path when the posture of the conveyance object is changed, and the conveyance posture can be changed more reliably.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the transported object returns to the transport path when the transported object is no longer subjected to the first airflow after the transported object changes its posture by the rotation of the second airflow at the position floated by the first airflow. In particular, it is preferable that the transported object returns to a position in the width direction on the transport path corresponding to the transport position before floating when the transported object is no longer subjected to the first air flow. In this way, since it is not necessary to merge the conveyance line with the original conveyance line after the conveyance object is inverted in the width direction and moved sideways as in the conventional case, it is possible to avoid the posture confusion caused by the conveyance objects in the front and rear directions or the posture confusion of the conveyance objects in the front and rear directions. Therefore, the conveyance posture of the conveyed material conveyed at high speed and high density can be controlled without any trouble. Further, the length in the conveying direction for unifying the conveying postures can be reduced, and therefore, the conveying apparatus can be configured compactly.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a conveyed article discriminating portion is provided in a predetermined region in the conveying direction of the conveying path; and a conveyance posture control unit configured to control whether or not to select a conveyance posture of the conveyance object or a control mode according to a result of the discrimination of the conveyance object determined by the conveyance object discrimination unit. In this case, it is preferable that the transported object discrimination unit acquires an image of the transported object and discriminates the transported object by processing the image. In this case, the presence or absence of the first air flow and the second air flow is preferably determined for each transported object based on the discrimination result. Further, it is further preferable that the first air flow is continuously generated in the transport position control unit; the presence or absence of the second air flow is determined for each of the transported objects that reach the transport position control unit based on the discrimination result. In this way, since the first air flow is continuously generated in the conveyance position control unit, all the conveyed objects can be floated by the conveyance position control unit, and therefore, the time required for preparation of control of the conveyance position can be reduced, and the conveyance position can be quickly controlled depending on whether or not position control is required for each conveyed object. Further, by continuously generating the first air flow, it is possible to suppress instability such as variation in the floating posture (inclination angle with respect to the horizontal) of the transported object due to variation in the start time or the end time when the first air flow is intermittently generated.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a conveyance position control unit that generates a first air flow and a second air flow is provided, and the conveyance position control unit captures an image indicating a floating position or a rotating position of the conveyance object by using an imaging means, and controls the intensity of at least one of the first air flow and the second air flow based on the floating position or the rotating position detected by processing the image. In this way, by controlling the intensity of the air flow based on the image indicating the floating posture or the rotating posture of the transport object, the transport posture of the transport object can be reliably controlled.

Next, a conveying system according to the present invention includes: a conveyance path for conveying a conveyance object; a first air flow blowing unit that floats the conveyance object by blowing a first air flow to the conveyance object on the conveyance path; and a second air flow blowing unit that rotates the conveyance object by blowing a second air flow to the conveyance object that has floated by the first air flow. In the present invention, the first air-stream blowing means and the second air-stream blowing means are not limited to the method of controlling the attitude of the transported object, and may be used when the transported object is excluded from the transportation path or distributed.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyance path has a first conveyance surface and a second conveyance surface, and the second conveyance surface has a predetermined angle with respect to the first conveyance surface so that the conveyance object can be disposed between the second conveyance surface and the first conveyance surface; the second conveyance surface is configured to ascend with distance from the first conveyance surface. In this case, it is preferable that the transported object be separated from the first transport surface by the first air flow and floated. Further, it is preferable that the transported substance be floated along the second transport surface by the first air flow. In this way, the conveyance object is separated from the first conveyance surface and floats up along the second conveyance surface, and the conveyance object is separated from the first conveyance surface by the first air flow, so that the conveyance object is less likely to be disturbed by the first conveyance surface and is easily rotated, and the conveyance object floats up along the second conveyance surface, so that the stability of the conveyance object when floating up and the reproducibility of the floating position can be improved, and therefore, the conveyance posture of the conveyance object can be controlled more reliably. In this case, the second conveying surface is preferably an inclined surface. Here, the inclination angle of the second conveying surface is preferably in the range of 20 degrees to 70 degrees, and more preferably in the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees. Typically most preferably in the range of 40 degrees to 50 degrees. By setting the angle of the conveying surface within the above range, it is possible to achieve both stability and reproducibility of the floating state of the conveyed object, avoidance of interference of the conveying surface with the conveyed object in the floating state, and ease of rotation of the conveyed object.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the first air flow blowing means includes a first air ejection port that opens on the first conveyance surface. Preferably, the second air-flow blowing means includes a second air-jet port that opens on the second conveyance surface. In this case, it is further preferable that the second air injection port is formed at a position (height) corresponding to a position where the transported object is floated along the second transport surface by the first air flow. Further, it is preferable that the first air injection port is formed in a range longer than the second air injection port in the transport direction. Further, it is preferable that the first gas injection port includes a portion disposed at a position upstream of the second gas injection port with respect to the conveyance path.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the transport apparatus further comprises a transport attitude control section set in a predetermined region in a transport direction on the transport path; the first air flow blowing unit is configured to continuously generate the first air flow in the conveyance posture control section; the second air-flow blowing unit is configured to generate the second air flow for each of the conveyed articles that reach the conveyance attitude control section. On the other hand, the first air-flow blowing unit may be configured to generate the first air flow for each of the transported objects in the transport-posture control unit.

In the present invention, it is preferable that: a conveyed article discrimination unit that discriminates the conveyed article to be controlled by a conveyance posture control unit configured to generate the first air flow and the second air flow; and a conveyance posture control unit that performs control of a conveyance posture or selection of a control mode in the conveyance posture control unit, based on a result of the discrimination of the conveyance object in the conveyance object discrimination unit. In this case, it is preferable that the conveyed article identification means acquires an image of the conveyed article in a conveyed article identification unit set upstream of the conveyance posture control unit, and identifies the conveyed article by processing the image.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the air flow control unit further includes an air flow control unit configured to capture an image showing a floating posture or a rotating posture of the transported object by using an imaging unit in a transport posture control unit configured to generate the first air flow and the second air flow, and to control an intensity of at least one of the first air flow and the second air flow based on the floating posture or the rotating posture detected by processing the image.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the first air stream blowing unit includes: a first air supply channel for supplying an air flow; the first blowing channel is communicated with the first gas supply channel and faces the first gas jet; and a first exhaust portion that communicates with the first air supply passage and the first blowing passage and constitutes an air flow discharge path different from the first blowing passage. Here, it is preferable that an angular difference between an air supply direction of the first air supply passage and a blowing direction of the first blow passage is smaller than an angular difference between the air supply direction and an exhaust direction of the first exhaust portion. Further, it is preferable that a cross-sectional ventilation area of the first blowing passage is smaller than a cross-sectional ventilation area of the first exhaust portion. Further, the first air supply duct, the first blowing duct, and the first air discharge portion are preferably formed on the facing surfaces of the base block and the first block (by a groove structure or the like on at least one surface).

Further, it is preferable that the second air flow blowing means includes: a second air supply channel for supplying an air flow; a second blowing passage communicating with the second gas supply passage and facing the second gas ejection port; and a second exhaust portion communicating with the second air supply passage and the second blowing passage and constituting an air flow discharge path different from the second blowing passage. Here, it is preferable that an angular difference between the air supply direction of the second air supply passage and the blowing direction of the second blowing passage is smaller than an angular difference between the air supply direction and the air discharge direction of the second air discharge portion. Further, it is preferable that a cross-sectional air area of the second blowing passage is smaller than a cross-sectional air area of the second exhaust portion. Further, the second air supply passage, the second blowing passage, and the second exhaust portion are preferably formed on the facing surfaces of the base block and the second block (by a groove structure or the like on at least one surface).

(effect of the invention)

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for controlling the attitude of a transported object and a transport system using the method, which can improve the reliability of the attitude control of the transported object by reducing the airflow pressure required for the attitude control of the transported object compared to the conventional method. In particular, when the attitude of the conveyed article can be directly controlled on the conveyance path, the conveyance attitude can be changed without taking out the conveyed article from the conveyance line, and therefore, the conveyed article does not need to be merged with the original conveyance line, and the conveyance attitude can be prevented from being disordered. Further, the conveyance posture of the conveyed material conveyed at high speed and high density can be controlled without any trouble. Further, since the length in the conveying direction for unifying the conveying postures can be reduced, the conveying apparatus can be configured compactly.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a vibratory conveying apparatus constituting an embodiment of a conveyed object arraying system for realizing an arraying method of conveyed objects according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the vibratory delivery apparatus.

Fig. 3 (a) is a front view of the transported object of this embodiment, and (b) is a side view.

Fig. 4 (a) to (d) are explanatory views showing examples of the posture control mode of the conveyed article CA in the conveyance posture control unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 (a) to (d) are explanatory views showing other configuration examples of the conveyance posture control unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 (a) to (d) are explanatory views showing an example of the steps of the posture control mode during conveyance in the conveyance posture control unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 (a) to (f) are explanatory views showing another example of the procedure of the posture control mode at the time of conveyance in the conveyance posture control unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 (a) to (d) are explanatory views showing steps of a combination example of posture control modes at the time of conveyance in the plurality of conveyance posture control units according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an arrangement example of a plurality of conveyance attitude control units according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the entire configuration of the control system according to this embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a simplified flowchart showing a simplified control procedure of the entire operation program of the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view schematically showing an airflow supply path according to a different embodiment.

Fig. 13 (a-1) shows a case where the transported object is transported with a space from the second transport surface, (b-1) shows a case where the transported object is transported in a state of being close to or in contact with the second transport surface, (a-2) and (b-2) are diagrams showing a floating position of the transported object in a conventional structure without an airflow stabilizing structure, and (a-3) and (b-3) are diagrams showing a floating position of the transported object when an airflow stabilizing structure according to different embodiments is used.

(symbol description)

A 10 … conveyance system, a 100 … vibration type conveyance device, a 101 … setting seat, a 102 … support seat, a 110 … conveyance object supply portion, a 112 … hopper, a 120 … first conveyance portion (feeder), a 130 … second conveyance portion (linear feeder), a 132 … vibration body, a 132t … conveyance path, a 132S (132S1-132S4), a 132S '… conveyance attitude control portion, a 132ta … first conveyance surface, a 132tb … second conveyance surface, an OP1 … first air jet, an OP2 … second air jet, a 132tp … upstream side conveyance path portion, a 132ts … conveyance path portion for screening, a CA … conveyance object, a CAx … whole column direction axis, a L … length, a W … width, a H … height, J1, J2, a J2' 2 air flow, a 132tc 685 4 conveyance holding surface, a 132Ba2 base block, a 132Ba2 support surface, a b 132Bc 2 support surface, a 2b, a 132b, a 2b, a 132S2 second air flow, a 2b, a 132S 2b, a, PAc2 … blowing channel, PAe1, PAe2 … exhaust channel

Detailed Description

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, a vibration type conveying apparatus constituting a conveying system according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. The vibration type conveying device 100 includes a conveyed object supply unit 110 provided on a mounting base 101, a first conveying unit 120 that conveys a conveyed object supplied from the conveyed object supply unit 110, and a second conveying unit 130 that conveys the conveyed object supplied from the first conveying unit 120. The first and

second conveyors

120 and 130 are provided with exciters, and are attached to the support base 102 provided on the installation base 101 via vibration absorbing materials (coil springs or the like) for vibration isolation. The conveyed material supply unit 110 includes a drive unit 111 and a hopper 112 attached to the drive unit 111, and outputs the conveyed material on the hopper 112 to the first conveying unit 120.

The first conveyance unit 120 is a so-called bowl feeder including a rotary exciter 121 and a bowl-shaped vibrating body 122 mounted on the rotary exciter 121. The vibrator 122 includes a conveying path 122t that rises spirally from the inner bottom, and the conveyed material supplied to the inner bottom is aligned while gradually rising along the conveying path 122t by the rotational vibration applied from the rotary exciter 121.

The second conveyance unit 130 is a so-called linear feeder including a linear exciter 131 and

linear vibrators

132 and 133 mounted on the linear exciter 131. Here, the vibrator 132 includes a linear supply conveyance path 132t connected to the exit end of the conveyance path 122 t. The vibrator 133 includes a conveyance path 133t extending parallel to the conveyance path 132t, and the conveyance path 133t is a conveyance path for receiving the conveyance object excluded from the conveyance path 132t, conveying the conveyance object in a direction opposite to the conveyance path 132t, and returning the conveyance object to the inside of the vibrator 122 for collection.

The conveyance path 132t is provided with conveyance position control sections 132S1 to 132S 4. These conveyance attitude control units 132S1 to 132S4 are parts for controlling the conveyance attitude of the conveyed article CA based on the discrimination result of the conveyed article CA by the conveyed article discrimination unit described later. Specifically, the conveyance position control units 132S1 to 132S4 are configured to be able to change a conveyance position of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 132t to another conveyance position selected from a plurality of different conveyance positions that can be assumed on the conveyance path 132 t.

As shown in fig. 3, the conveyance object CA according to the present embodiment is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The transport object CA in the example of the figure includes external electrodes OE1 and OE2 on the outside at both ends, and a main body CAB is provided between the external electrodes OE1 and OE 2. As described later, an appropriate posture identifying mark may be displayed on the main body CAB. In the illustrated example, the direction of the axis CAx in the alignment direction (which coincides with the longitudinal direction in the illustrated example) of the conveyance object CA is the alignment direction toward the conveyance direction F of the conveyance path 132t in the normal conveyance posture. However, the posture discrimination mark is not particularly required if the standard conveyance posture of the conveyance object CA is only required to be directed in the conveyance direction F along the alignment direction axis CAx, but when there is a difference between four rotation postures of the conveyance object CA around the alignment direction axis CAx or two front and rear postures corresponding to the front and rear directions of the alignment direction axis CAx, and if neither rotation posture or front and rear posture is the standard conveyance posture, the posture discrimination mark is attached to the main body CAB to discriminate the postures.

Fig. 4 shows a method or a mode of controlling the posture of the conveyance object CA in the conveyance posture control units 132S1 to 132S4 (hereinafter, simply referred to as "conveyance posture control unit 132S"). As shown in fig. 4 (a), the conveyance path 132t has a first conveyance surface 132ta and a second conveyance surface 132tb, and a predetermined angle corresponding to the conveyance object CA is provided between the first conveyance surface 132ta and the second conveyance surface 132tb, and the conveyance object CA can be disposed between the first conveyance surface 132ta and the second conveyance surface 132tb by the angle. In the illustrated example, the first conveying surface 132ta and the second conveying surface 132tb are both flat surfaces, and the predetermined angle is 90 degrees. In general, it is preferable that the first conveying surface 132ta and the second conveying surface 132tb both have inclination angles θ and θ with respect to the horizontal plane

Is provided. In the case of the illustrated embodiment,

degree, but theta and

preferably in the range of 20 degrees to 70 degrees, more preferably in the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees. For example, the angle θ is 30 degrees,

and (4) degree. Most preferably in the range of 40 degrees to 50 degrees. These angle ranges are set to satisfy both stability of the floating state of the transported object CA, which is the inclination angle, avoidance of interference of the first transport surface 132ta with the rotation operation of the transported object CA secured based on the floating height, and ease of rotation of the transported object CA

The smaller the size, the more stable the avoidance and the ease of rotation of the transported object CA are the inclination angle

The larger the more easily avoided and the easier the rotation. Otherwise, from the sameFrom the viewpoint, it is preferable that the inclination angle θ of the first conveyance surface 132ta is equal to or smaller than the inclination angle θ of the second conveyance surface 132tb

The first conveying surface 132ta is provided with a first air outlet OP1, and the first air outlet OP1 is connected to a breather pipe constituting an air flow supply means and connected to an air flow source such as a gas cylinder or a compressor, not shown, via a switching valve such as an electromagnetic valve. The second conveyance surface 132tb is provided with a second air outlet OP2, and the second air outlet OP2 is also connected to a breather pipe constituting an air flow supply means and connected to an air flow source such as a gas bomb, a compressor, or the like, not shown, via a switching valve such as an electromagnetic valve. The conveyance object CA is conveyed from the upstream side of the conveyance path 132t in the form shown in fig. 4 (a). When the transport attitude of the transport object CA is to be changed when the transport attitude reaches the transport attitude control section 132S provided with the first air port OP1 and the second air port OP2, the transport object CA is floated on the transport path 132t by the air flow J1 applied from the first air port OP1 as shown in fig. 4 (b). In this case, the floating direction of the transported object CA may be any direction as long as the height of the transported object CA increases as a result. However, in order to improve the stability of the transported object CA, it is preferable to float along the second transport surface 132tb as in the illustrated example. In the illustrated example, the direction of the air flow J1 is also the direction along the second conveyance surface 132 tb. The first air ejection ports OP1 are opened on the first conveyance surface 132ta, and particularly preferably opened at the lowest position of the first conveyance surface 132ta as shown in the illustrated example. In particular, in order to reliably obtain the floating state of the transported object CA, it is preferable that the first air ejection port OP1 is formed in a shape extending in the transport direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of fig. 4) so that a range in which the transported object CA is in the floating state extends in the transport direction.

When the transported object CA is in a floating state as shown in fig. 4 (b), the transported object CA rotates as shown in the drawing because the upper portion of the transported object CA is subjected to the airflow pressure by the airflow J2 generated from the second air outlet OP2 as shown in fig. 4 (c). The position of the air flow J2 is preferably set to contact the upper part of the transported object CA in a floating state, so that the transported object CA can be easily and reliably rotated. Therefore, the position of the second air ejection opening OP2 is also preferably set at a high position not corresponding to the conveyance object CA at the normal conveyance position shown in fig. 4 (a). On the other hand, in order to easily and reliably rotate the transported object CA, the position of the air flow J2 may be set so as to contact the lower portion of the transported object CA in a floating state, or may be set so as to contact the front portion or the rear portion of the transported object CA. In these cases, the second air ports OP2 are also formed at positions corresponding to the respective setting positions.

In this case, as shown in fig. 4 (c), the transported object CA preferably directly rotates at the floating position shown in fig. 4 (b). In the illustrated example, the conveyed article CA is rotated 90 degrees around the alignment direction axis CAx. When the airflow J1 is no longer received, the conveyance object CA is again arranged on the conveyance path 132t in the posture rotated by 90 degrees about the alignment direction axis CAx and conveyed downstream, as shown in fig. 4 (d). Further, the opening position of the second air ports OP2 is preferably a position overlapping the opening range of the first air ports OP1 in the conveying direction F. Further, the opening range of the first air ejection port OP1 is preferably formed from a position on the upstream side of the opening position of the second air ejection port OP 2. Further, when both the gas ejection ports OP1 and OP2 are opened on the respective conveyance surfaces 132ta and 132tb, the opening edge on the front side in the conveyance direction F is preferably chamfered or rounded as in the case of the second gas ejection port OP2 shown in fig. 6 to 8.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the transport attitude other than the above-described example shown in fig. 4. First, in the example shown in fig. 5 (a), unlike the example shown in fig. 4, the first air ejection ports OP1 are not opened at the lowest position of the first conveyance surface 132ta, but are opened at positions slightly above the lowest position. However, the opening position of the first air outlet OP1 is set within a range facing the conveyance object CA when the conveyance object CA is conveyed on the conveyance path 132 t. The position of the second air outlet OP2 is the same as that in fig. 4, and the rotating direction of the transported object CA is the same as that in fig. 4 as indicated by the broken line.

In the example shown in fig. 5 (b), the first conveying surface 132ta and the second conveying surface 132tb are shifted left and right with respect to the same conveying direction, and the rotating direction of the conveyed article CA shown by the broken line is set to the opposite direction. In this example, the positions of the first air outlet OP1 and the second air outlet OP2 are the same as those shown in fig. 4, except that the left and right positions of the conveyance path 132t are reversed. In the example shown in fig. 5 (c), in the example where the left-right position and the structure are reversed, the opening position of the first air ejection port OP1 is set at a position slightly shifted upward from the lowest position, instead of the lowest position, as in the example shown in fig. 5 (a).

In the example shown in fig. 5 (d), the case where the first air ejection ports OP1 are made to open at the bottom between the first conveying surface 132ta and the second conveying surface 132tb, instead of opening on the first conveying surface 132ta is shown. As described above, the first air ports OP1 may be located at any position as long as the air flow J1 applied from the first air ports OP1 can float the conveyed object CA on the conveyance path 132 t. In this example, the second gas ejection ports OP21 are provided on the first conveying surface 132ta, and the second gas ejection ports OP22 are provided on the second conveying surface 132 tb. In this way, the rotation direction of the conveyance object CA can be selected according to which of the second air ports OP21, OP22 the air flow J2 is blown from.

Fig. 6 (a) to (d) show the mode of changing the conveyance posture in the conveyance posture control unit 132S during conveyance of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 132t according to the first embodiment of the present embodiment. Corresponding to the transport attitude control section 132S configured as described above, the transport object discrimination section ME1 is provided on the upstream side thereof, and the transport object passage detection section ME2 is provided on the downstream side thereof. In the present embodiment, for example, the conveyance posture of the conveyance object CA is detected by processing the image of the conveyance object CA disposed in the conveyance object recognition unit ME1, and it is recognized whether or not the conveyance posture is the standard conveyance posture. For example, as shown in fig. 6 (a), if the conveyance object CA0 disposed at the lower right in the drawing is assumed to have a normal conveyance posture with the posture identifying mark MK provided on the main body CAB of the conveyance object CA, no air flow is blown to the conveyance object CA 0. On the other hand, since the transport object CA1 with the posture identifying mark MK disposed on the right side is not in the standard transport posture, as shown in fig. 6 (b), the air flow J1 is ejected from the first air outlet OP1, and the transport object CA1 is floated. Then, as shown in fig. 6 (c), the conveyance object CA1 is rotated about the alignment direction axis CAx by blowing an air flow J2 from the second air nozzle OP2 to the conveyance object CA1 in a floating state. Then, as shown in fig. 6 (d), when air flow J1 is stopped, article CA1 assumes the standard conveying posture, descends onto conveying path 132t, and is conveyed downstream while maintaining this posture.

In this embodiment, when the discrimination result by the conveyed article discrimination section ME1 based on the image is different from the OK judgment (NG judgment) indicating the standard conveyance posture, the airflows J1, J2 are blown from the first air port OP1 and the second air port OP2, but as long as the discrimination result is the OK judgment indicating the standard conveyance posture, the airflows J1, J2 are not blown. Therefore, after the conveyance posture of the preceding conveyance object CA is changed by blowing the air flows J1 and J2 to the conveyance object CA whose conveyance posture has been changed, when the conveyance posture of the next conveyance object CA is determined to be the standard conveyance posture (OK determination), the air flows J1 and J2 need to be stopped. At this time, when the preceding transport object CA is detected from the image of the transport object passage detection section ME2, the posture change is completed, and the preceding transport object CA is separated from the transport posture control section 132S, so that the air flows J1 and J2 can be stopped. When it is determined that the next conveyance object CA is not in the standard conveyance posture (NG determination), the continuous blowing air flows J1 and J2 may be maintained. At this time, the first air stream J1 may be continuously blown, and the second air stream J2 may be generated according to the arrival timing of the conveyance object CA.

The acquisition of the image by the conveyed article discriminating unit ME1, the processing and discrimination of the image, the passage detection processing by the conveyed article passage detecting unit ME2, the control of the conveying posture control unit 132S based on the discrimination result or the passage detection result, and the like are executed in accordance with the operation program shown in fig. 11 by processing the image acquired by the conveying system 10 shown in fig. 10 including the vibrating conveyor 100 by the inspection processing unit DTU. An example of the conveyance system 10 will be described below.

The conveying system 10 includes the vibrating-type conveying device 100 including the first conveying unit 120 as a feeder and the second conveying unit 130 as a linear feeder as described above. In the conveying system 10 of the present embodiment, the conveyed object CA on the conveying path 132t of the second conveying unit 130 is detected from the captured image GPX, and inspection and determination are performed with the detected image portion as a target. Here, the transport system 10 of the present embodiment includes not only the corresponding parts of the method for controlling the attitude of the transported object in the transport system having the configuration according to the present invention, but also various inspection parts, a discrimination part, a screening part, a reversing part, an excluding part, and the like for the transported object in addition to the corresponding parts. In the present invention, the configuration not limited to the vibrating conveyor can be applied to various types of conveyors that convey the conveyed article CA along the conveying path. Further, the vibrating type conveying device is not limited to the combination of the first conveying unit 120 as the feeder and the second conveying unit 130 as the linear feeder, and may be used in other types of conveying devices such as a circulating type feeder. Further, in the above combination, the inspection, the discrimination, the screening, the inversion, the removal, and the like of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 132t of the second conveyance unit 130 as the linear feeder are not limited to the inspection, the discrimination, the screening, the inversion, the removal, and the like of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 122t of the first conveyance unit 120 as the feeder.

The first conveyance unit 120 as a feeder is driven and controlled by a controller CL 12. The second conveying unit 130 as a linear feeder is driven and controlled by the controller CL 13. The controllers CL11 and CL12 drive the vibration units (including an electromagnetic driver, a piezoelectric driver, or the like) of the first conveying section 120 as a feeder or the second conveying section 130 as a linear feeder in an alternating current manner, and vibrate the conveying

bodies

122 and 132 so as to move the conveyed objects CA on the conveying paths 122t and 132t in the predetermined conveying direction F. Further, the controllers CL12 and CL13 are connected to an inspection processing unit DTU having an image processing function as a main body of the conveyance control system via an input/output circuit (I/O).

When a predetermined operation input (debug operation) is made to an arithmetic processing unit MPU (hereinafter described processing unit) that executes an operation program (hereinafter described) via an operation input device SP1, SP2, or the like (hereinafter described) such as a mouse, the controllers CL12, CL13 stop the driving of the vibrating conveyor 100 in accordance with the operation program. At this time, the image measurement process in the inspection processing unit DTU is also stopped, for example, according to the above-described operation program. The debugging operation and the operation of each part corresponding to the debugging operation will be described in detail later.

The inspection processing unit DTU is configured with an arithmetic processing unit MPU (microprocessor) of a personal computer or the like as a core, and in the illustrated example, the arithmetic processing unit MPU is configured with a central processing unit CPU1, a CPU2, a cache memory CCM, a memory controller MCL, a chip set CHS, and the like. The inspection processing unit DTU is provided with image processing circuits GP1 and GP2 for performing image processing, and the image processing circuits GP1 and GP2 are connected to cameras CM1 and CM2 as imaging units CM, respectively. The image processing circuits GP1, GP2 are connected to the image processing memories GM1, GM2, respectively. The outputs of the image processing circuits GP1 and GP2 are also connected to the arithmetic processing unit MPU, and process the image data of the captured image GPX obtained from the cameras CM1 and CM2, and transmit an appropriate processed image (for example, image data in an image area GPY described later) to the arithmetic processing unit MPU. The main memory MM stores an operation program of the conveyance control system in advance. When the inspection processing unit DTU is activated, the operation program is read out and executed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU. In the main memory MM, image data of a captured image GPX or an image area GPY to be subjected to image measurement processing described later by the arithmetic processing unit MPU is stored.

The inspection processing unit DTU is connected to display devices DP1 and DP2 such as a liquid crystal monitor or operation input devices SP1 and SP2 via input/output circuits (I/O). The display devices DP1 and DP2 display, in a predetermined display mode, the image data of the captured image GPX or the image area GPY processed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU, the result of the image measurement processing, that is, the result of the conveyance object detection processing or the conveyance discrimination processing at each location such as the conveyance object passing detection processing with respect to the image of the conveyance object passing detection unit ME2, in addition to the conveyance object discrimination processing with respect to the image of the conveyance object discrimination unit ME 1. The display function is not limited to the case of actually conveying the conveyed material, and functions also when reading and reproducing the past data as described later. Further, by operating the operation input devices SP1 and SP2 while viewing the screens of the display devices DP1 and DP2, processing conditions such as various operation commands and setting values can be input to the arithmetic processing unit MPU.

In the present embodiment, as schematically shown in fig. 10, two cameras CM1, CM2, two image processing circuits GP1, GP2, two image processing memories GM1, GM2, two display devices DP1, DP2, two operation input devices SP1, SP2, and the like are provided, but the case of providing two configurations in this manner is an example, each configuration may be provided singly, and each configuration may be provided with three or more.

Next, as a premise for configuring the embodiment shown in fig. 6 or the embodiments shown in fig. 7 to 9 described later, the processing contents of the inspection processing unit DTU and the settings of the conveyed article discriminating unit and the conveyed article passage detecting unit for processing the image of the conveyed article discriminating unit ME1 or the conveyed article passage detecting unit ME2 will be described. In the present embodiment, since it is necessary to perform the conveyance object discrimination processing by the image processing in the conveyance object discrimination unit ME1 for the captured image GPX or the image area GPY obtained as described above and to perform the conveyance object passage detection processing by the image processing in the conveyance object passage detection unit ME2, it is necessary to detect the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path from the image data in the conveyance object discrimination unit ME1 or the conveyance object passage detection unit ME 2. Therefore, all the conveyance objects CA passing through the conveyance path 121 must be captured in the conveyance object discrimination section ME1 or the conveyance object passage detection section ME2 in any one of the captured image GPX and the image area GPY. Accordingly, as constraints on the conveyance speed Vs and the shooting interval Ts of the conveyed article CA, the conveyed article identifying section ME1 or the conveyed article passing detecting section ME2 must satisfy at least the following conditions.

In the present embodiment, the cameras CM1 and CM2 continuously perform imaging in a predetermined imaging cycle set in advance, and transmit the image data in the captured image GPX or the image area GPY to the arithmetic processing unit MPU via the image processing units GP1 and GP2 in the imaging cycle. In the arithmetic processing unit MPU, the image data in the conveyed article discrimination unit ME1 or the conveyed article passing detection unit ME2 among the image data transmitted is processed as described above using the memory RAM for arithmetic processing, and the conveyed article discrimination processing or the conveyed article passing detection processing is performed. However, in the present embodiment, instead of providing a separate trigger sensor or searching for a predetermined shape pattern of the conveyed object CA from the image data of the conveyed object CA in a predetermined area and generating an internal trigger when the shape pattern is detected, the image capturing is continuously performed in a predetermined image capturing period by introducing an external trigger indicating a predetermined image capturing period or by outputting a trigger signal of a predetermined period from the arithmetic processing unit MPU to the cameras CM1 and CM 2. Therefore, if it is desired to determine the entire conveyed object CA conveyed on the conveyance path 132t without omission, it is necessary to include the entire conveyed object CA in the conveyed object discrimination section ME1 or the conveyed object passage detection section ME2 in any captured image GPX or image area GPY.

Therefore, when the imaging cycle is Ts [ sec ], the length of the transport object CA in the transport direction F is L [ mm ], and the transport speed of the transport object CA is Vs [ mm/sec ], the range LD in the transport direction F of the transport object recognition unit ME1 or the transport object passage detection unit ME2 is set to the following expression (1) so that the images of all the transport objects CA are always included in the transport object recognition unit ME1 or the transport object passage detection unit ME2 of any one image data.

LD≥L+β＝L+Ts·Vs…(1)

For example, when the length L of the conveyance object CA in the conveyance direction F is 0.6[ mm ], the conveyance speed Vs is 50[ mm/sec ], and the imaging period Ts is 1[ msec ], L is 0.6[ mm ], β is 0.05[ mm ], and LD is 0.65[ mm ]. When the imaging period Ts is set to 0.5[ msec ], L is 0.6[ mm ], β is 0.025, and LD is equal to or greater than 0.625[ mm ].

In fact, since the transport speed of the transport object CA varies from one location to another or with the passage of time, it is preferable to set the entire or a part of the transport object CA to be captured in the image data twice or more, preferably three times or more. In general, LD is set so that the following expression (2) is satisfied in image data captured n (n is a natural number) or more times.

LD≥L+n·β＝L+n·Ts·Vs…(2)

In the present embodiment, n is set to a range of 3 to 7. This is because, when n is small, the possibility that the conveyance object CA is missed due to the variation in the conveyance speed is high, and conversely, when n is large, the load of the image processing is increased. Generally, the natural number n is preferably in the range of 1 to 10. In the present embodiment, the image processing time is generally about 150 μ sec to 300 μ sec. The imaging interval Ts is about 500[ mu sec ] to 840[ mu sec ].

Next, the flow of the overall operation program of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a schematic flowchart of processing executed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU of the inspection processing unit DTU in accordance with an operation program. When the operation program is started, the image capturing and image measuring processes described above are started, and the vibration type conveying devices 100 (the first conveying unit 120 as a feeder and the second conveying unit 130 as a linear feeder) are started to be driven by the controllers CL12 and CL 13. Then, when the debug setting corresponding to the debug operation is OFF, the image measurement process is executed on the captured image GPX or the image area GPY, and when the discrimination result of the conveyance object discrimination process based on the image of the conveyance object discrimination unit ME1 is OK determination, the image measurement process of the next captured image GPX or the image area GPY is directly performed as long as the debug operation is not performed. On the other hand, with respect to the transport object CA which is determined to be in an improper posture from the images captured by the cameras CM1, CM2, and the like, the transport posture is controlled by the transport posture control unit 132S by the air flow J1 of the first air port OP1 and the air flow J2 of the second air port OP2, and the posture of the transport object CA is reversed on the transport path 132 t. Note that, when the passage of the transport CA through the transport attitude control section 132S is detected by the image processing in the transport passage detection section ME2, the identification process of determining whether or not the transport CA is in a defective or improper attitude by the transport removal section for removing the transport CA from the transport path 132t by the blowing air flow or the like is also performed in the same manner as described above. In this way, by controlling the conveyance posture of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 132t, only the conveyance object with the changed conveyance posture is supplied to the downstream side in an aligned state.

When the debugging operation is performed halfway and the debugging setting is turned ON, the program (routine) is removed, the drive of the vibration type conveying device 100 is stopped, and the image measurement processing is also stopped. Then, when an appropriate operation is performed in this state, the image file can be selected as described above. At this time, the selected and displayed image file is an image file containing a plurality of shot images GPX or image areas GPY recorded in the previous operation mode. If the image file is directly selected and an appropriate operation is performed, the mode is shifted to a re-execution mode. In this mode, the display, detection, and determination of the image can be performed again from the image file in which the control operation that has been performed has been recorded. That is, when a defect occurs in the inspection, determination, and control of the conveyed object CA of the vibratory conveying apparatus 100, in order to eliminate the defect, the image measurement process is first executed again based on the past image data, and the problem of the image measurement process is detected. If the problem is found, the setting content (set value) of the detection or judgment can be changed or adjusted accordingly, and the image measurement process can be re-executed again on the past image data to confirm the result of the adjustment or improvement work. Then, when an appropriate recovery operation is performed, the debug setting is recovered to OFF, the image measurement processing is restarted, and the driving of the vibratory conveying device 100 is restarted. In addition, the screen of the display device is restored to the display screen of the operation mode.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the discrimination or detection is performed by processing the image obtained by the triggerless image acquisition method using the transport object discrimination unit ME1 and the transport object passing detection unit ME2, which are the measurement areas, but the present invention is not limited to such transport object discrimination processing and the like, and the transport object discrimination processing and the like may be performed by processing the image obtained at the timing corresponding to the trigger signal by a sensor or the like.

Next, referring to fig. 7, a mode of changing the conveyance posture in the conveyance posture control unit 132S during conveyance of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 132t according to the second embodiment of the present embodiment is shown. In the second embodiment, regardless of the result of discrimination of the conveyance object CA by the image processing of the conveyance object discrimination section ME1, the air flow J1 is continuously (constantly) blown from the first air nozzle OP1, and all the conveyance objects CA conveyed on the conveyance path 132t are floated. In this way, since all the transported objects CA are set to the floating state in the transport attitude control section 132S, whether or not the transport attitude is changed according to the determination result depends on whether or not the air flow J2 is generated from the second air port OP 2.

As shown in fig. 7 (a), the article CA2 is temporarily lifted by the air flow J1, but because it assumes the normal conveyance posture, the article CA is conveyed to the downstream side by the conveyance posture control unit 132S while descending without the air flow J2, in the original conveyance posture. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 7 (b), since the transport object CA3 does not assume the normal transport posture after temporarily becoming floating by the air flow J1, the transport object CA3 is rotated by the air flow J2 generated from the second air injection port OP2 as shown in fig. 7 (c), changed to the normal transport posture as shown in fig. 7 (d), and then passed through the transport posture control unit 132S and lowered to be transported toward the downstream side. Further, as shown in fig. 7 (e), the conveyance object CA4 is floated by the air flow J1 in the conveyance position control unit 132S, but is determined to be in the normal conveyance position, and therefore, passes through the conveyance position control unit 132S in the original position, descends, and is conveyed downstream.

In the second embodiment, since the air flow J1 is continuously (constantly) generated and all the transported objects CA are floated by the transport attitude control section 132S, instability in the position or attitude of the transported objects CA due to switching of the presence or absence of the air flow J1 can be avoided. Further, (the intensity or the distribution of) the air flow J1 can be stabilized, and therefore, the position or the posture of the floating or the lowering of the transport object CA can be easily controlled. In order to improve the stability of the floating state of the conveyance object CA, the first air injection ports OP1 preferably have a longer range in the conveyance direction F than the second air injection ports OP 2. In general, it is preferable to extend from a position on the upstream side of the second air outlet OP2 to a position before or after the position of the second air outlet OP 2. At this time, it is further preferable that the intensity (airflow pressure) of the airflow J1 be gradually increased in the conveyance direction F, and gradually decreased after being made constant. Further, since the stability of the floating state of the transport object CA can be improved as described above, the stability, the accuracy of change, and the reproducibility of the change (rotation) of the transport posture of the transport object CA by the air flow J2 can be further improved.

In the present embodiment, the supply pressure of the air flow J1 is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 1.0 times, and particularly preferably in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 times, the supply pressure of the air flow J2. This is because the purpose of the air flow J1 is to float the transport object CA, and the main purpose is not to actively move such as changing the transport attitude, and the floating state of the transport object CA becomes unstable when the air flow J1 is too strong. Further, since the supply pressure of the air flow J1 determines the floating position (height) of the transported object CA, it is necessary to adjust the relationship between the second air outlet OP2 and the floating position to be uniform. That is, the floating position of the transported object CA floated by the air flow J1 must be a position where it is easily rotated by the air flow J2 generated from the second air outlet OP 2. When the conveyance posture of the conveyance object CA is changed, it is preferable to combine the air flow J1 and the air flow J2. At this time, it is preferable that the rotational torque applied to the transported object CA by the air flow J1 acts in the same direction as the rotational torque applied to the transported object CA by the air flow J2, so that the transported object CA is not only rotated by the air flow J2 but also is promoted to rotate by the air flow J1. For example, each of the air flows J1 and J2 shown in fig. 4 functions to rotate the conveyance object CA about the alignment direction axis CAx in the same rotational direction (clockwise direction in the example of the figure).

In addition, the opening range of the first air ejection port OP1 is preferably set to be wide to a certain extent in the width direction of the opening range (the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction F) within the range of the width W at the time of conveyance of the conveyed object CA, in order to improve the stability or reproducibility of the floating state of the conveyed object CA. The opening range of the second air outlet OP2 is set in consideration of the stability and reproducibility of the posture change form (rotation operation) of the transported object CA.

Fig. 8 shows a mode of changing the conveyance posture in the conveyance

posture control units

132S and 132S' during conveyance of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 132t according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, a plurality of conveyance posture control portions are set in the conveyance direction F. The conveyance

posture control units

132S and 132S 'show an example in which the air flow J1 is generated all the time as in the second embodiment, but the air flow J1 may be generated only when the conveyance posture needs to be changed according to the determination result of the conveyed object determination units ME1 and ME 1' as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the upstream conveyance position control unit 132S 'is configured to reversely rotate the conveyance object CA by generating an air flow J2' that reversely rotates the conveyance object CA in opposition to the air flow J2 of the downstream conveyance position control unit 132S. The conveyance

position control units

132S and 132S' may be disposed on both the upstream and downstream sides. In this way, of the four rotational postures a-D of the conveyance object CA about the alignment direction axis CAx, any one of the conveyance posture B changeable by the normal rotation and the conveyance posture D changeable by the reverse rotation with respect to the standard conveyance posture a can be changed to the standard conveyance posture a at once by the posture change (rotation by 90 degrees).

Next, referring to fig. 9, a mode of changing the conveyance posture in the conveyance posture control units 132S1 to 132S4 during conveyance of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 132t according to the fourth embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, in the conveyance path portion 132tp on the upstream side, since the bottom surface portion 132tpb is configured to have a large width, the conveyance object CA is conveyed in a state including a lateral attitude in which the alignment direction axis CAx is directed in the width direction of the conveyance path portion 132 tp. Then, the conveying path portion 132ts of which the width of the bottom surface portion 132tsb is reduced is provided. In the conveyance path portion 132ts, the conveyance object CA in the above-described lateral posture falls by its own weight and is excluded from the conveyance path 132 t. As a result, only the conveyance object CA having the alignment axis CAx facing the conveyance direction F is conveyed in the conveyance path portion 132 ts.

The conveyance path portion 132ts is a conveyance portion for sorting the conveyance object CA, and is provided with conveyance attitude control portions 132S1 to 132S4 corresponding to the conveyance object discrimination portions ME11 to ME 14. The conveyance object discrimination sections ME11, ME12, ME13, and ME14 detect the conveyance postures a-D of the conveyance object CA around the alignment direction axis CAx in the same manner as described above, and discriminate whether or not the conveyance postures a are the standard conveyance postures a. The conveyance position control units 132S1, 132S2, and 132S3 can rotate the conveyance objects CA in conveyance positions B to D other than the standard conveyance position a by 90 degrees. In this case, the direction of rotation may be the above-described normal rotation or reverse rotation, and it is sufficient if the three conveyance posture control units 132S1 to 132S3 are configured so that all of the conveyance objects CA in any of the conveyance postures B to D can be finally changed to the standard conveyance posture a.

In the final conveyance posture control unit 132S4, all the conveyance objects CA having conveyance postures a that are not standard are excluded from the conveyance path portion 132 ts. The elimination destination is the conveyance path 133t for collection. In the conveyance attitude control section 132S4, the conveyance object CA that has not been changed to the standard conveyance attitude a due to a certain attitude change error in the upstream-side conveyance attitude control sections 132S1 to 132S3, the conveyance object CA that has been changed to the standard conveyance attitude a temporarily but is then conveyed on the conveyance path section 132ts, or the conveyance object CA in the lateral attitude is excluded, and only the conveyance object CA in the standard conveyance attitude a is conveyed toward the downstream side.

In the transport path portion 132ts, the transport object CA can be discriminated by imaging the plurality of transport object discriminating portions ME11-ME14 with the camera CM and performing image processing on the respective images, but the transport object CA may be discriminated by imaging the entire plurality of transport object discriminating portions ME11-ME14 with one camera CM and processing the respective portions of the entire image.

Further, an air flow control means may be provided which adjusts the supply pressure, supply timing, supply time, and the like of the air flow J1 or the air flow J2 based on the image of the floating state or the rotating state of the transported object CA acquired by the image acquisition method according to the present embodiment, and controls so that the optimal floating state or the rotating state can be obtained. The air flow control unit may adjust only one of the air flows J1 and J2, or may adjust both of the air flows J1 and J2. In particular, as described above, the air flow J1 may need to be adjusted to a value that is very weak compared to the conventional art, and may need to be adjusted minutely and finely to stabilize the floating state of the transported object CA, and therefore, it is preferable to configure the adjusting means that can precisely control the flow rate adjusting valve provided in the supply path of the air flow.

In the present embodiment, since the conveyance object CA is separated from the first conveyance surface 132ta by the first air flow J1 and floated on the conveyance path 132t, and the floated conveyance object CA is rotated by the second air flow J2, interference with the first conveyance surface 132ta of the conveyance path 132t is less likely to occur when the posture of the conveyance object CA is changed, and the conveyance posture can be changed more reliably. In particular, by floating the conveyance object CA along the second conveyance surface 132tb, the floating state of the conveyance object CA can be stabilized, particularly when the second conveyance surface 132tb is inclined.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the second air flow is brought into contact with the transported object CA in a state of being floated by the first air flow, whereby the transported object can be rotated even at a lower air flow pressure than in the conventional case, and the transport posture can be changed. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the air flow strength adjustment range to a high level to prevent a failure in changing the posture of the conveyed object, and therefore the possibility of an obstacle due to excessive air flow strength can be reduced. Further, by expanding the intensity adjustment range of the air flow that can appropriately control the posture of the conveyed object, the reliability of the posture control of the conveyed object can be improved. Here, the adjustment of the intensity of the air flow includes, for example, adjustment of the air flow pressure, adjustment of the air flow volume, or adjustment of the blowing time of the air flow.

Further, in the present embodiment, after the attitude of the conveyance object CA is changed by the rotation of the second air stream J2 at the position floated by the first air stream J1, the conveyance object CA is returned to the conveyance path 132t when no longer receiving the first air stream J1, and preferably returned to the position in the width direction corresponding to the conveyance position before floating on the conveyance path 132t when no longer receiving the first air stream J1. Accordingly, since it is not necessary to merge the conveyance line with the original conveyance line after the conveyance object is inverted in the width direction and moved to the side as in the conventional art, it is possible to avoid the confusion of the posture of the conveyance object CA before and after the conveyance object CA, or the confusion of the posture of the conveyance object CA before and after the conveyance object CA. Therefore, the conveyance posture of the conveyance object CA conveyed at high speed and high density can be controlled without any trouble. Further, since the length of the conveying direction F for unifying the conveying postures can be reduced, the conveying apparatus can be configured compactly.

Next, a different embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 12 and 13. Note that the configuration of the conveyance path 132t according to this embodiment is denoted by the same reference numerals in the sense that the conveyance path 132t according to the other embodiments described above can be appropriately replaced and used.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view schematically showing an airflow stabilizing structure employed in a different embodiment. In the present embodiment, a vibration base (groove) of a vibration type conveying apparatus is provided with: a base block 132Ba including support surfaces 132Ba1 and 132Ba2 disposed on one side and the other side in a back-to-back manner in an inclined posture; a first block 132Bb fixed to a supporting surface 132Ba1 on one side of the base block 132 Ba; and a second block 132Bc fixed to the supporting surface 132Ba2 on the other side of the base block 132 Ba. The first block 132Bb is provided with a first conveyance surface 132ta of the conveyance path 132 t. The second block 132Bc is provided with a part of the second conveying surface 132tb of the conveying path 132 t. However, a portion of the second conveying surface 132tb located below a second gas ejection port OP2 described later is formed by an upper portion of the supporting surface 132Ba1 of the substrate block 132 Ba. The first conveying surface 132ta and the second conveying surface 132tb are adjacent to each other with an angular difference therebetween (90 degrees in the illustrated example), thereby constituting a conveying path 132 t.

Further, a conveyance holding surface 132tc is provided at a lower portion which is a part of the first conveyance surface 132ta, and the conveyance holding surface 132tc is formed in a concave shape as a whole adjacent to the upper end of the support surface 132Ba1, and is formed in a concave curved surface shape on the side away from the support surface 132Ba 1. A first air ejection port OP1 is opened at a lower end position of the conveyance holding surface 132tc (a position adjacent to the support surface 132Ba 1). In addition, a second gas ejection opening OP2 is opened between the supporting surface 132Ba1 and the second conveying surface 132 tb. After the conveyed article CA floated by the air flow blown from the first air nozzle OP1 is rotated (turned) by the air flow blown from the second air nozzle OP2 to be changed to a different posture, the conveyance holding surface 132tc guides the conveyed article CA to smoothly return to the original conveyance position along the concave curved surface.

In this embodiment, the first air supply path PAs1 provided in the base block 132Ba is opened in the support surface 132Ba1, and the first blowing path PAc1 communicating with the first air supply path PAs1 and the first exhaust path PAe1 communicating with the first air supply path PAs1 are constituted by the support surface 132Ba1 and the groove formed in the facing surface of the first block 132Bb facing the support surface 132Ba 1. The first blowing path PAc1 opens at the first air ejection port OP1, and ejects a part of the air flow supplied from the first air supply path PAs1 to the conveyance path 132 t. The first exhaust passage PAe1 discharges the remaining part of the airflow supplied from the above-described first air supply passage PAs 1. The first exhaust duct PAe1 is formed in a ventilation duct shape in the illustrated example, but may be a simple gap as long as it is configured to be able to exhaust the airflow. Here, the air supply direction of the first air supply duct PAs1 and the blowing direction of the first blowing duct PAc1 are inclined to each other, and have an angular difference of about 45 degrees in the clockwise direction in the illustrated example. The air supply direction of the first air supply duct PAs1 and the air discharge direction of the first air discharge duct PAe1 are inclined to each other, and in the illustrated example, an angle difference of about 135 degrees is provided in the counterclockwise direction. Further, the blowing direction of the first blowing passage PAc1 and the exhaust direction of the first exhaust passage PAe1 are opposite directions. In addition, the first blowing passage PAc1 has a smaller air flow cross-sectional area than the first air supply passage PAs 1. Here, the air flow cross-sectional area of the first air supply passage PAs1 is larger than the air flow cross-sectional area of either the first blowing passage PAc1 or the first exhaust passage PAe 1. Here, it is preferable that the three ventilation channels merge (connect) at one position. In this case, the first air supply passage PAs1 is preferably connected to the first exhaust passage PAe1 side having a larger cross-sectional air flow area than the first blowing passage PAc 1.

The second air supply path PAs2 provided in the second block 132Bc is open to the support surface 132Ba2 of the base block 132Ba, and the second blow path PAc2 communicating with the second air supply path PAs2 and the second exhaust path PAe2 communicating with the second air supply path PAs2 are formed by the support surface 132Ba2 and the grooves formed in the facing surface of the second block 132Bc facing the support surface 132Ba 2. The second blowing path PAc2 opens at the second air ejection port OP2, and ejects a part of the air flow supplied from the second air supply path PAs2 to the conveyance path 132 t. The second air discharge passage PAe2 discharges the remaining part of the air flow supplied from the above-described second air supply passage PAs 2. The second exhaust duct PAe2 is formed in a ventilation duct shape in the illustrated example, but may be a simple gap as long as it is configured to be able to exhaust the airflow. Here, the air supply direction of the second air supply passage PAs2 and the blowing direction of the second blowing passage PAc2 are inclined to each other, and have an angular difference of about 45 degrees in the clockwise direction in the illustrated example. The air supply direction of the second air supply duct PAs2 and the air discharge direction of the second air discharge duct PAe2 are inclined to each other, and in the illustrated example, an angle difference of about 135 degrees is provided in the counterclockwise direction. In the present specification, the "angle difference" refers to an angle (absolute value) at which the direction of the airflow changes. Further, the blowing direction of the second blowing passage PAc2 and the exhaust direction of the second exhaust passage PAe2 are opposite directions. In addition, the second blowing passage PAc2 has a smaller cross-sectional air flow area than the second exhaust passage PAe 2. Here, the air flow cross-sectional area of the second air supply passage PAs2 is larger than the air flow cross-sectional area of either the second blowing passage PAc2 or the second exhaust passage PAe 2. Here, it is preferable that the three ventilation channels merge (connect) at one position. In this case, the second air supply passage PAs2 is preferably connected to the second exhaust passage PAe2 side having a larger cross-sectional air area than the second blowing passage PAc 2.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the arrangement of the conveyance objects CA on the conveyance path 132 t. In the present embodiment, the conveying path 132t is repeatedly reciprocated obliquely upward in the conveying direction by the exciting mechanism of the vibrating conveyor, and the conveyed article CA is moved along the conveying path 132 t. At this time, the conveyance object CA may reach the conveyance attitude control unit in a state of being separated from the second conveyance surface 132tb as shown in fig. 13 (a-1), or may reach the conveyance attitude control unit in a state of being brought close to or into contact with the second conveyance surface 132tb as shown in fig. 13 (b-1). This is because, in the vibrating conveyor, the conveyed article CA is conveyed while repeating a cycle of abutting against the first conveying surface 132ta or the second conveying surface 132tb of the conveying path 132t and pushing the conveyed article CA obliquely forward to fly in the air, and therefore, the position of the conveyed article CA during conveyance is deviated in the conveying path 132 t.

However, in the absence of the air flow stabilizing structure of the present embodiment, when the transported object CA takes the state shown in fig. 13 (a-1) as described above, the transported object CA is floated up to the position corresponding to the second air injection port OP2 as shown in fig. 13 (a-2) by the air flow J1 blown from the first air injection port OP 1. On the other hand, when the transported object CA is in the state shown in fig. 13 (b-1), the transported object CA is floated by the air flow J1 blown from the first air nozzle OP1 to a position higher than the position corresponding to the second air nozzle OP2 as shown in fig. 13 (b-2). This is because, as shown in fig. 13 (b-1), since the gap between the transported object CA and the second transport surface 132tb is small or does not exist, the air flow J1 rarely escapes through the gap, and the air flow pressure to which the transported object CA is subjected is increased as compared with the case of fig. 13 (a-2).

The above-described variation in the height at which the conveyed article CA is floated by the air flow J1 is also caused by a change in the position of the conveyed article CA in the conveying direction with respect to the first air injection port OP1, a change in the distance between the conveyed article CA and the first conveying surface 132ta, and a change in the conveying posture (e.g., an inclined posture) of the conveyed article CA.

However, in the present embodiment having the air flow stabilizing structure, as described above, in the first air flow blowing unit, since the air flow discharge path formed by the first exhaust duct PAe1 exists, and the internal pressure of the first blowing duct PAc1 changes due to the change in the air flow pressure generated between the air flow J1 and the conveyed article CA by the change in the position or posture of the conveyed article CA in the conveyance path 132t, the air flow resistance of the first blowing duct PAc1 changes, and therefore, the increase and decrease of the air flow flowing from the first air supply duct PAs1 to the first blowing duct PAc1 and the increase and decrease of the air flow flowing to the first exhaust duct PAe1 change so as to have inverse correlation, respectively. Therefore, the change in the air flow pressure received by the conveyance object CA by the air flow J1 blown from the first air jet port OP1 is absorbed and relaxed by the air flow discharge path. As a result, as shown in fig. 13 (a-3) and (b-3), substantially the same floating height of the transported object CA can be obtained in both of the cases (a-1) and (b-1) of fig. 13.

Further, usually, an airflow adjusting means such as an unillustrated on-off valve or flow rate adjusting valve is provided upstream of the first air supply passage PAs 1. In this case, since the air pressure or the flow rate of the first blowing path PAc1 is increased or decreased by the adjustment operation amount of the air flow adjusting means, the pressure or the flow rate of the air flow J1 blown from the first air outlet OP1 is finally increased or decreased. At this time, the adjustment operation amount increases or decreases not only the air pressure or the flow rate of the first blowing path PAc1 but also the air pressure or the flow rate of the first exhaust path PAe 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, compared to the conventional configuration, the rate of change of the air pressure or the flow rate of the air flow J1 blown from the first air outlet OP1 with respect to the adjustment operation amount becomes smaller. That is, since the adjustment sensitivity of the airflow adjusting means for the airflow J1 of the first air outlet OP1 is low, the adjustment operation becomes easy, and the air pressure or the flow rate of the airflow J1 can be adjusted more accurately and stably than before. In particular, since the air flow J1 needs to be precisely adjusted and set in order to float the transported object CA to a position (height) corresponding to the second air ejection port OP2, the adjustment operation is difficult, and since the stability of the position (height) is easily affected by external factors (e.g., pressure fluctuations of the compressed air source or the flow rate adjustment valve), the presence of the air flow discharge path is important and effective. Here, it is preferable that the air stream J1 is always (continuously) blown in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. In this case, the correspondence or stability with respect to the position or posture of the transported object CA is more important than the transient characteristics of the air flow J1.

Further, since the air flow can be preferentially supplied to the first blow passage PAc1 by making the angle difference between the blowing direction of the first blow passage PAc1 and the air supply direction of the first air supply passage PAs1 smaller than the angle difference between the exhaust direction and the air supply direction of the first exhaust passage PAe1, the supply pressure of the air flow J1 can be further easily ensured and stabilized. Further, by making the air flow cross-sectional area of the first blowing passage PAc1 smaller than the air flow cross-sectional area of the first exhaust passage PAe1, it is possible to easily and quickly transmit the change in the air pressure of the first blowing passage PAc1 to the first air supply passage PAs1 side, and to improve the air flow discharging action of the first exhaust passage PAe1, so it is possible to improve the stability of the air pressure or the flow rate of the air flow J1, and also to improve the stability of the air flow action with respect to the transported object CA. Further, since the amount of change in the air pressure or the flow rate of the air flow J1 with respect to the predetermined adjustment operation amount can be further reduced, the adjustment of the air flow J1 can be further facilitated, and the air pressure or the flow rate can be highly accurately adjusted.

On the other hand, the second air flow blowing unit that blows the air flow J2 from the second air outlet OP2 in the present embodiment also has an air flow stabilizing structure having the second air supply passage PAs2, the second blowing passage PAc2, and the second exhaust passage PAe2, as described above. Therefore, basically, the airflow J2 for rotating (inverting) the transported object CA is also stabilized in the airflow pressure received by the transported object CA, and the deviation is reduced, as well as the adjustment of the air pressure or the flow rate by the airflow adjustment mechanism is facilitated, and the adjustment can be made highly accurate and stabilized. However, unlike the air flow J1, the air flow J2 blown from the second air ejection port OP2 cannot always flow out continuously, and is controlled to be opened and closed by an open/close valve or the like provided on the upstream side of the second air supply passage PAs 2. Therefore, regarding the transient responsiveness controlled by the switch, by providing the airflow discharge path constituted by the second exhaust duct PAe2, when the airflow supplied to the second air supply duct PAs2 is stopped, the air pressure in the second blowing duct PAc2 is easily discharged, and therefore, the pressure of the airflow J2 can be rapidly reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneously blowing the air flow J2 also to the conveyance object in the normal posture, which is conveyed next to the conveyance object CA rotated (turned) by the action of the air flow J2. Further, an action effect by making the angle difference of the blowing direction of the second blowing passage PAc1 and the air supply direction of the second air supply passage PAs2 smaller than the angle difference of the air discharge direction and the air supply direction of the second air discharge passage PAe2, and an action effect by making the air cross-sectional area of the second blowing passage PAc2 smaller than the air cross-sectional area of the second air discharge passage PAe2 are the same as those of the first air stream blowing unit.

The method of controlling the conveyance posture and the conveyance system according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described examples, and various modifications may be added without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the first conveying surface 132ta and the second conveying surface 132tb of the conveying path 132t both have flat surfaces, but the conveying path 132t may have a conveying surface having a concave curved surface or a convex curved surface, or may have an integrated concave groove structure or the like instead of a plurality of conveying surfaces.

In the above embodiment, the air flows J1 and J2 are generated from the air ejection ports OP1 and OP2 that open on the conveyance surface of the conveyance path 132t, but the air flow may be generated from a portion other than the conveyance surface, for example, from an air flow pipe. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the rotational posture of the transport object CA about the alignment direction axis CAx is changed has been described, but the present invention can be applied to the case where another mode of changing the transport posture is realized, for example, the front and rear postures of the transport object CA are changed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the conveyance posture is changed in a fixed manner by the conveyance posture control unit has been described, but the conveyance posture may be selected from a plurality of control manners of the conveyance posture and executed. For example, the following may be configured: the intensity or time of the air flow is set in advance to any one of a plurality of angles at which the rotation angle of the conveyance object CA can be set to 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees, and the conveyance posture is changed at the selected rotation angle according to the determination result.

In the above-described airflow stabilizing structure, by providing the airflow discharge path formed by the exhaust paths PAe1 and PAe2 in the middle of the airflow introduction path formed by the air supply paths PAs1 and PAs2 and the blow paths PAc1 and PAc2, it is possible to suppress the variation in the pressure of the airflow due to the presence or absence of the transported object CA at the first air outlet OP1 or the second air outlet OP2, or the position or posture of the transported object CA. That is, even if the outflow resistance of the air flow changes depending on the presence or absence of the transported object on the first air outlet OP1 or the second air outlet OP2, or the position or posture of the transported object, the pressure change (change in the ventilation resistance) of the blowing passages PAc1, PAc2 caused by the change is absorbed and relaxed by the relative change between the amount of the air flow supplied from the air supply passages PAs1, PAs2 to the blowing passages PAc1, PAc2 and the amount of the air flow discharged to the exhaust passages PAe1, PAe 2. Therefore, the airflow pressure to which the transported object CA is subjected is stabilized by the airflow. Further, although the air flow adjusting means such as the on-off valve or the flow rate adjusting valve is provided on the upstream side of the air supply passages PAs1 and PAs2, when the air supply passages PAs1 and PAs2 are adjusted by the air flow adjusting means, the degree of change in the pressure or the amount of the air flow with respect to the predetermined adjustment operation amount is relatively small by providing the air flow discharge path constituted by the exhaust passages PAe1 and PAe2, and thus there is an advantage that the flow rate adjustment becomes easy. Further, when the supply air flow is stopped in the supply air passages PAs1, PAs2, the air pressure in the blowing passages PAc1, PAc2 is rapidly reduced by the air flow discharge path, and therefore the air flows J1, J2 can be rapidly stopped, and therefore the possibility of erroneous posture control of the following normal conveyance object CA can be reduced. By adopting the above-described airflow stabilizing structure, it is possible to greatly reduce a mistake in controlling the attitude of the transported object CA due to the airflow.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the attitude of a conveyed article, wherein the attitude of the conveyed article is controlled by blowing an air flow to the conveyed article on a conveyance path while the conveyed article is being conveyed in the conveyance direction along the conveyance path,

the attitude control method for the transported object is characterized in that,

the conveyance object is floated by a first air flow on the conveyance path, and the floated conveyance object is rotated by a second air flow on the conveyance path, thereby changing the posture of the conveyance object.

2. The conveyance object attitude control method according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance object attitude control unit is configured to control the attitude of the conveyance object,

the conveyance object is rotated by the second airflow at the position floated by the first airflow to change the posture, and then returned to the conveyance path when no longer receiving the first airflow.

3. The conveyance object attitude control method according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance object attitude control unit is configured to control the attitude of the conveyance object,

when the first air flow is no longer applied to the conveyed material, the conveyed material returns to a position in the width direction on the conveyance path corresponding to the conveyance position before floating.

4. The method of controlling the attitude of a transported object according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

a conveyed object discriminating portion is provided in a predetermined region in a conveying direction of the conveying path;

a conveyance posture control unit configured to change a conveyance posture of the conveyance object in accordance with a result of the discrimination of the conveyance object determined by the conveyance object discrimination unit.

5. The conveyance object attitude control method according to claim 4, wherein the conveyance object attitude control unit is configured to control the attitude of the conveyance object,

the presence or absence of the first air flow and the second air flow is determined for each transported object based on the discrimination result.

6. The conveyance object attitude control method according to claim 4, wherein the conveyance object attitude control unit is configured to control the attitude of the conveyance object,

the first air flow is continuously generated in the transport attitude control section;

the presence or absence of the second air flow specifies each of the transported objects that reach the transport position control unit.

7. A transport system is characterized by comprising:

a conveyance path for conveying a conveyance object;

a first air flow blowing unit that floats the conveyance object by blowing a first air flow to the conveyance object on the conveyance path; and

a second air-flow blowing unit that rotates the conveyance object by blowing a second air flow to the conveyance object that has floated by the first air flow.

8. The delivery system of claim 7,

the conveyance path has a first conveyance surface and a second conveyance surface, and the second conveyance surface has a predetermined angle with respect to the first conveyance surface so that the conveyance object can be disposed between the second conveyance surface and the first conveyance surface;

the second conveyance surface is configured to ascend with distance from the first conveyance surface;

the transported object is separated from the first transport surface by the first air flow and floated.

9. The delivery system of claim 8,

the conveyed material is floated along the second conveying surface by the first air flow.

10. The delivery system of claim 9,

the second conveying surface is an inclined surface.

11. The conveying system according to any one of claims 8 to 10,

the first air flow blowing unit includes a first air ejection port that opens on the first conveyance surface.

12. The conveying system according to any one of claims 8 to 10,

the second air flow blowing unit includes a second air jet port that opens on the second conveyance surface.

13. The conveyance system according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising:

a conveyed article discrimination unit that discriminates the conveyed article to be controlled by a conveyance posture control unit configured to generate the first air flow and the second air flow; and

and a conveyance posture control unit that performs control of a conveyance posture or selection of a control mode in the conveyance posture control unit, based on a result of the discrimination of the conveyance object in the conveyance object discrimination unit.

14. The delivery system of claim 13,

the conveyed article identification unit acquires an image of the conveyed article in a conveyed article identification unit set upstream of the conveyance attitude control unit, and identifies the conveyed article by processing the image.

15. The conveying system according to any one of claims 7 to 10,

the first air flow blowing unit includes:

a first air supply channel for supplying an air flow;

the first blowing channel is communicated with the first gas supply channel and faces the first gas spraying port; and

and a first exhaust part communicated with the first air supply channel and the first blowing channel and constituting an air flow exhaust path different from the first blowing channel.

16. The delivery system of claim 15,

an angle difference between an air supply direction of the first air supply passage and a blowing direction of the first blowing passage is smaller than an angle difference between the air supply direction and an exhaust direction of the first exhaust portion.

17. The delivery system of claim 15,

the first blow passage has a cross-sectional ventilation area smaller than that of the first exhaust portion.

18. Conveying system according to any one of claims 7 to 10,

the second air flow blowing unit includes:

a second air supply channel for supplying an air flow;

a second blowing passage communicating with the second gas supply passage and facing the second gas ejection port; and

and a second exhaust part communicating with the second air supply passage and the second blowing passage and constituting an air flow discharge path different from the second blowing passage.