JP2001163440A - Cargo sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cargo sorter capable of accurately and speedily sorting cargoes carried at small intervals on a conveyor. SOLUTION: A distributing part is provided with (A) a main rod 11 for forming a first recessed part 11a on an outer peripheral surface and imparting rotational driving force, (B) a control rod 10 for forming a second recessed part 12a on the outer peripheral surface and moving in the left direction or the right direction to the main rod 11 and (C) a round belt 13 hooked on the first recessed part 11a and the second recessed part 12a with prescribed tensile force and driven by rotational driving force of the main rod 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a baggage sorting apparatus used in a baggage conveying path by a conveyor, and more particularly, to a baggage capable of sorting a baggage which flows continuously at a small interval on a conveyor. The present invention relates to a sorting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, there has been used a baggage sorting apparatus having a sorting unit for sorting a baggage flowing on a conveyor to the left or right. For example, on pages 96 to 101 of "Labor-Saving and Automation", a technical magazine related to material handling, April, 1991, as a sorting device for luggage, a "push sorter" of a horizontal push type and a "max sorter" of a raised type are used. , A trolley-type “peace sorter”, a side-pressing type “portable sorter”, a tilt-type “tray sorter”,
An electromagnetic "hanger sorter" and the like are described.

On the other hand, the technology closest to the present invention is as follows.
There is an invention described in JP-A-9-142623. FIG. 11 shows a branch structure of the roller conveyor.
The two right and left straight rollers 102 are rotatably held by the two side rails 103. Eleven branch rollers 105 are held between the rectilinear rollers so as to be swingable about a fulcrum 107. Each branch roller 105 is also rotatable about a central axis. The branch roller 105 is held by the connecting rod 106 so as to make the same swinging motion. The rod of the branch cylinder 104 is connected to the left end branch roller 105. FIG.
The state where the branch cylinder 104 is driven is shown. When the branch cylinder 104 is driven, the eleven branch rollers are similarly slanted, and the load conveyed on the branch roller 105 is sorted leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction.

[0004]

However, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-142623 has the following problems. (1) Since the eleven branch rollers are simultaneously swung, the distance between the packages must be longer than the attachment length of at least the eleven branch rollers, and there is a problem that the processing performance of the branch per unit time is inferior. Was. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the total amount of courier services has increased due to the spread of courier services and the like. On the other hand, it has been difficult to cope with a branching conveyor which is a conventional sorting apparatus as described in JP-A-9-142623.

(2) In addition, a large gap is provided between the straight-moving roller and the branch roller in order to swing the eleven branch rollers, and there is a risk of falling from the gap when a small load is conveyed. Was. (3) In the conveyor of FIG. 10, only the luggage can be branched to the left, and another similar conveyor is required to branch to the right. Therefore, there is a problem that the length of the conveyor required for branching becomes long. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a large number of branches have been required when branching home delivery packages. At that time, the conventional branching device has a problem that the length of the conveyor is very long and a wasteful space is required. Recent courier services sometimes deal with small packages, which has become a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a baggage sorting apparatus capable of accurately and speedily sorting baggage conveyed on a conveyor at small intervals.

[0007]

The bag sorting apparatus according to the present invention has the following configuration. (1) A luggage sorting device having a sorting unit for sorting left or right luggage flowing on a conveyor,
The distributing part includes (A) a main rod having a first concave portion formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof and being provided with a rotational driving force, and (B) a second rod formed on an outer peripheral surface.
A control rod having a recess formed therein and moving leftward or rightward with respect to the main rod, and (C) a first tension and a second depression are applied with a predetermined tension to the control rod and driven by a rotational driving force of the main rod. Belt. (2) In the baggage sorting apparatus described in (1), the control rod itself is movable leftward and rightward,
It is selectively moved leftward or rightward.

When the control rod is positioned at the center, the load moves straight because the elastic belt is parallel to the traveling direction of the load. When the control rod is moved leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction, the load is sorted leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction because the elastic belt has an angle leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction. When the control rod is moved rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction, the load is sorted rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction because the belt has an angle rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction.
At this time, since only the elastic belt between the main rod and the control rod has an angle, it is sufficient to control the control rod immediately before the luggage that needs to be sorted. If it is longer than the distance, sorting is possible. Instead of using an elastic belt, a mechanism for taking belt tension may be provided as the belt.

(3) In the baggage sorting apparatus described in (1) or (2), the elastic belt is an elastic belt. If an elastic belt is used as the belt, no other mechanism for taking belt tension is required, so that the apparatus can be made compact and the cost can be reduced. As the elastic belt, a round belt, a triangular belt, or the like can be used. When the control rod is moved leftward or rightward, the elastic belt is twisted. Here, if a round belt or a triangular belt is used as the elastic belt, even if the belt is twisted, the transport of the load is not affected. In addition, since elastic belts such as round belts and triangular belts are deformed as a whole, there is little local deformation even if they are repeatedly twisted, so that baggage can be stably sorted over a long period without plastic deformation. Can be.

[0010] (4) The luggage flowing on the conveyor is
Claims 1. A luggage sorting apparatus having a sorting unit for sorting left or right, comprising: (A) a rotating shaft for holding a plurality of rollers; and (B) a plurality of rollers for a predetermined angle with respect to a flow direction of a conveyor. It has a tilting control member. When the plurality of rollers are held perpendicular to the rotation axis, the load moves straight. When the plurality of rollers are held such that the downstream end face is inclined leftward and the upstream end face is inclined rightward, the load is sorted leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction. When the plurality of rollers are held such that the downstream end face is inclined rightward and the upstream end face is inclined leftward, the load is sorted rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction. At this time, since only the plurality of rollers have an angle, the inclination angles of the plurality of rollers need only be controlled immediately before the luggage that needs to be sorted. Is possible.

(5) In the baggage sorting apparatus described in (4), the plurality of rollers are fixed to the rotating shaft, a ring part rotatably held by the core part, and A transmission member fixed to the rotation shaft and transmitting a rotational driving force to the ring portion. (6) In the baggage sorting apparatus described in (4) or (5), the control member has a comb shape, and a tip portion of the comb has a cam follower that abuts the ring portion to tilt the ring portion. It is characterized by. Since the ring part is rotatably held on the core part and the ring part is tilted by contacting the cam follower provided at the tip of the comb, the plurality of ring parts can be synchronized and tilted, so that The directions of the conveying forces are synchronized, and the packages can be sorted smoothly.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a baggage sorting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 3 to FIG. 3 are diagrams showing main components of the package sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 shows a straight-ahead state, FIG. 2 shows a left-side branch state, and FIG. 3 shows a right-side branch state. In FIG. 1, the main rod 1
In FIG. 1, seven concave portions 11a are formed. Recess 1
1a is a semicircular groove. The control rod 10 is formed with seven concave portions 12a. The recess 12a is a semicircular groove. The configuration of the control rod 10 is shown in a sectional view in FIG. The control rod 10 is configured such that a roller 12 is fixedly provided on the outer periphery of a rod shaft 14 which is a central shaft. Seven concave portions 12 a are formed on the outer periphery of the roller 12.

Both sides of the rod shaft 14 are held by a bearing 15 on a conveyor frame 15 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the axial direction. The left end of the rod shaft 14 in FIG. 4 extends to the outside of the conveyor frame 15. A rack portion is formed in the extension portion, and the rack portion is housed in the gear box 17. The gear box 17 is fixed to the conveyor frame 16. The gear box 17 is provided with a motor 18. A pinion is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 18, and the pinion is engaged with the rack of the rod shaft 14. Therefore, when the motor 18 rotates, the rod shaft 14 moves in the left-right direction in FIG. Main rod 11
A round belt 13 having a circular cross section is hung with a predetermined tension on each of the concave portion 11a and the concave portion 12a of the control rod.

FIG. 5 is a partial view of a luggage sorting conveyor using the luggage sorting apparatus. A first right conveyor 23 that branches to the right at a first branch point with respect to the main conveyor 25;
The first left side conveyor 21 branched to the left side at the first branching point is connected. Downstream of the main conveyor 25, a second right conveyor 24 that branches right at a second branch point and a second left conveyor 22 that branches left at a second branch point are connected. . At the first branch point and the second branch point, control rods 1 each serving as a cargo sorting device are provided.
0 and a main rod 11 are provided.

Next, the operation of the luggage sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described. In the baggage sorting apparatus attached to the first branch point and the second branch point, when the control rod 10 is located at the same position in the left-right direction as the main rod 11, the seven round belts 13 move as shown in FIG. It is parallel to the conveyor frame 16. At this time, since the driving force given to the load by the round belt 13 is parallel to the conveyor frame 16, the load is
And move in parallel. That is, go straight. Next, the first
A case where a load is branched to the first left conveyor 21 at a branch point will be described. Immediately before the leading end of the load enters the main rod 11, the control rod 10 facing the main rod is moved to the left. That is, the control rod 10 is moved leftward by driving the motor 18 to rotate the pinion attached to the output shaft and linearly moving the rack in the gearbox to the left. As shown, the control rod 10 is moved leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction. As a result, the round belt 13 has an angle to the left with respect to the straight traveling direction as shown in FIG.
Is distributed to the left with respect to the straight traveling direction. And
As time elapses, the state shown by the imaginary line at B, that is, the state where the vehicle has moved onto the first leftward conveyor 21, is branched leftward.

Similarly, a case where the load is branched to the first right conveyor 23 at the first branch point will be described. Immediately before the leading end of the load enters the main rod 11, the control rod 10 facing the main rod is moved rightward. That is, the control rod 10 is moved rightward by driving the motor 18 to rotate the pinion attached to the output shaft, and moving the rack linearly rightward in the gear box. As shown, the control rod 10 is moved rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the round belt 13 has an angle to the right with respect to the straight traveling direction, so that the load A is sorted rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction. Then, as time elapses, the vehicle is transferred to the first right conveyor 23, and is branched leftward.

At this time, the main rod 11 and the control rod 10
Since only the round belt 13 between them has an angle, the control rod 10 can be controlled immediately before the luggage that needs to be sorted. If the distance between the luggage is greater than the distance between the main rod and the control rod, the sorting is performed. Is possible. That is, FIG.
After the baggage C shown in FIG.
If the control rod 10 is sequentially moved to the left or right when entering the vehicle, the luggage can be branched to the left or right. Since the branching method at the second branching point is the same as that at the first branching point, detailed description is omitted.

As described above, according to the baggage sorting apparatus of the first embodiment, the sorting unit is constituted by (A) the first concave portion 11a formed on the outer peripheral surface and the main rod provided with the rotational driving force. 11, (B) a control rod 10 having a second concave portion 12a formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof and moving leftward or rightward with respect to the main rod 11, and (C) a first concave portion 11a and a second concave portion 12a. The main rod 1
Since it has the round belt 13 driven by one rotational driving force, it is possible to quickly branch and sort the load left or right only by moving the control rod left or right. At this time, the main rod 11 and the control rod 10
Since only the round belt 13 has an angle between the main rod 11 and the control rod 1, the control rod 10 may be controlled immediately before the luggage that needs to be sorted.
If the distance is greater than or equal to 0, sorting is possible. By reducing the distance between the packages, the sorting processing capability of the packages can be increased. Also, because there is no need for a conventional gap between the straight conveyor and the branch section,
Small articles can be reliably transported and branched. In addition, the baggage sorting device can be made compact.

Further, since the control rod 10 itself is movable leftward and rightward and is selectively moved leftward or rightward, the mechanism is simple, and no extra space is required. The whole device can be made compact and the cost can be reduced. In addition, round belt 1
When the control rod 10 is moved leftward or rightward, the round belt 13 does not affect the transportation of the load even if the round belt 13 is twisted. Further, since the round belt 13 is entirely deformed, even if it is repeatedly twisted, there is little local deformation, so that the baggage can be stably sorted over a long period without plastic deformation.

Next, a cargo sorting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6 to 8 show the main components of the baggage sorting apparatus according to the present invention. 6 shows a straight-ahead state, FIG. 7 shows a left-side branch state, and FIG. 8 shows a right-side branch state. FIG.
3 shows a detailed view of the direction changing mechanism. A rotating shaft 31 rotated by a drive source (not shown) is supported by the conveyor body. The rotating shaft 31 holds a plurality of rollers 30 (seven rollers are shown). On the upstream side of the rotating shaft 31 of the main body conveyor, a control comb rod 32 is held so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor, that is, in the left-right direction. The control comb rod 32 is movable in the left-right direction by a pneumatic cylinder (not shown). A comb portion 32a is formed on the control comb rod 32, and a distal end of the comb portion 32a has a cam follower 3a.
2 is held rotatably

Next, the mounting structure of the plurality of rollers 30 will be described with reference to FIG. A core portion 34 is fixed to the rotating shaft 31. The ring part 37 is rotatably held by the core part 34. An engagement pin 36 is fixedly provided on a side surface of the ring portion 37. On the other hand, on the rotating shaft 31,
A transmission pin 35 as a transmission member is fixedly provided. When the transmission pin 35 is engaged with the engagement pin 36, the rotational force of the rotating shaft 31 is transmitted to the ring portion 37.

When the control comb rod 32 is in the state shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of rollers 30 are in a parallel relationship with the conveyor frame and move the load straight. Control comb rod 32
However, when in the state of FIG. 7, the plurality of rollers 30 have their downstream end surfaces inclined leftward and the upstream end surface inclined rightward with respect to the conveyor frame. Thus, the plurality of rollers 30
Is held, the luggage is sorted leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction. When the control comb rod 32 is in the state of FIG. 8, the plurality of rollers 30 have their downstream end surfaces inclined rightward and their upstream end surfaces inclined leftward with respect to the conveyor frame. By holding the plurality of rollers 30 in this manner, the load is sorted rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction.

FIG. 10 is a partial view of a luggage sorting conveyor using the luggage sorting apparatus. For the main conveyor 37,
First right conveyor 38 that branches right at the first branch point
And a first left conveyor 3 that branches to the left at a first branch point
9 are connected. On the downstream side of the main conveyor 37, a second branch point branches rightward at a second branch point.
The right conveyor 40 is connected to a second left conveyor 41 that branches to the left at a second branch point. Each of the first branch point and the second branch point includes a rotating shaft 3 serving as a baggage sorting device.
A plurality of rollers 30 and a plurality of control comb rods 32 are provided.

Next, the operation of the cargo sorting apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. When the plurality of rollers 30 are held perpendicular to the rotation shaft 31, the plurality of rollers 30 are parallel to the conveyor frame, as shown in FIG. At this time, since the driving force applied to the load by the plurality of rollers 30 is parallel to the conveyor frame, the load moves parallel to the conveyor frame. That is, go straight. Next, a case where the load is branched to the second left conveyor 41 at the second branch point will be described. When the plurality of rollers 30 are held such that the downstream end face is inclined leftward and the upstream end face is inclined rightward, the load is sorted leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction. Immediately before the leading end of the load enters the plurality of rollers 30, the control comb rod 3 facing the plurality of rollers 30 is used.
Move 2 to the right. That is, the pneumatic cylinder is driven to move the control comb rod 32 linearly rightward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of rollers 30 are held such that the downstream end faces are inclined rightward and the upstream end faces are inclined leftward. As a result, the luggage is sorted leftward with respect to the straight traveling direction. Then, as time passes, as shown by a virtual line I in FIG. 10, the vehicle is transferred to the second left side conveyor 41, and is branched leftward.

Similarly, a case where the load is branched to the first right conveyor 38 at the first branch point will be described. Multiple rollers 3
If 0 is held such that the downstream end face is inclined rightward and the upstream end face is inclined leftward, the load is sorted rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction. Immediately before the leading end of the load enters the plurality of rollers 30, the control comb rod 32 facing the plurality of rollers 30 is moved to the left. That is, the pneumatic cylinder is driven to move the control comb rod 32 linearly to the left. Thereby, as shown in FIG.
The plurality of rollers 30 are held such that the downstream end surface is inclined leftward and the upstream end surface is inclined rightward. As a result, the load is sorted rightward with respect to the straight traveling direction. Then, as shown by the imaginary line G in FIG. 10, as the time elapses, the vehicle is transferred to the first rightward conveyor 38 and branched rightward.

As described above, according to the baggage sorting apparatus of the second embodiment, the sorting unit includes (A) the rotating shaft 31 that holds the plurality of rollers 30 and (B) the plurality of rollers 3.
0 has a control comb rod 32 which is a control member for tilting the control comb 32 at a predetermined angle with respect to the flow direction of the conveyor, so that the cargo can be quickly moved left or right only by moving the control comb rod 32 left or right. Can be branched and sorted. At this time, since only the plurality of rollers 30 have an angle, the plurality of rollers 30 are located immediately before the luggage that needs to be sorted.
Since the inclination angle of 0 may be controlled, sorting is possible if the distance between packages is equal to or greater than the roller width. By reducing the distance between the packages, the sorting processing capability of the packages can be increased. Also, because there is no need for a conventional gap between the straight conveyor and the branch section,
Small articles can be reliably transported and branched. In addition, the baggage sorting device can be made compact.

Further, since the ring portion 37 rotatably held by the core portion 34 is brought into contact with the cam follower 33 provided at the tip of the comb portion 32a, the ring portion 37 is inclined, so that a plurality of ring portions 37 are provided. Can be easily synchronized and tilted, so that the direction of the conveying force applied to the load is synchronized,
Baggage can be sorted smoothly.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various applications are possible. For example, in the first embodiment, a round belt is used as the elastic belt,
A belt in which a spherical member is formed on the lower surface of a triangular belt or a flat belt may be used as the elastic belt. Further, even if a belt which is not an elastic body is used, the same applies if a tension mechanism is separately provided. For example, in the present embodiment, a motor and a cylinder are used to move the control member left and right, but other driving parts such as a solenoid may be used.

[0029]

According to the luggage sorting apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a luggage sorting apparatus having a sorting unit for sorting left and right loads on a conveyor, wherein the sorting unit comprises: (A) an outer peripheral surface; (B) a control rod having a second recess formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof and moving leftward or rightward with respect to the main rod; Since the first concave portion and the second concave portion have a belt that is hung with a predetermined tension and is driven by the rotational driving force of the main rod, the load can be moved only by moving the control rod left or right. It can be branched and sorted quickly to the left or right. At this time, since only the elastic belt between the main rod and the control rod has an angle, it is sufficient to control the control rod immediately before the luggage that needs to be sorted. If the distance is longer than the distance, the distribution is possible.

According to the baggage sorting apparatus of the present invention,
What is claimed is: 1. A luggage sorting apparatus having a sorting unit for sorting left and right loads on a conveyor, wherein the sorting unit comprises: (A) a rotating shaft holding a plurality of rollers;
(B) Since there is a control member for inclining the plurality of rollers at a predetermined angle with respect to the flow direction of the conveyor, the baggage can be quickly branched to the left or right only by moving the control member right or left. Can be sorted. At this time, since only a plurality of rollers have an angle, it is only necessary to control the inclination angle of the plurality of rollers immediately before the luggage that needs to be sorted. It is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a first state diagram showing a configuration of a baggage sorting apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a second state diagram illustrating the configuration of the package sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a third state diagram illustrating the configuration of the package sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a baggage sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a configuration of a sorting conveyor provided with the package sorting apparatus of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a first state diagram illustrating a configuration of a baggage sorting apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a second state diagram showing the configuration of the baggage sorting apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a third state diagram showing the configuration of the baggage sorting apparatus according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a baggage sorting apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a configuration of a sorting conveyor provided with a package sorting apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional baggage sorting apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Control rod 11 Main rod 11a 1st recess 12a 2nd recess 13 Round belt 17 Gear box 18 Motor 30 Roller 31 Rotating shaft 32 Control comb rod 33 Cam follower 34 Core part 37 Ring part

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A luggage sorting apparatus having a sorting unit for sorting left and right luggage flowing on a conveyor, wherein the sorting unit has a first recess formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof and is provided with a rotational driving force. A main rod, a second concave portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface, and a control rod that moves leftward or rightward with respect to the main rod; and a first tension is applied to the first concave portion and the second concave portion with a predetermined tension, A belt driven by a rotational driving force of a main rod. 2. The luggage sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control rod itself is movable leftward and rightward, and is selectively moved leftward or rightward. Baggage sorting device. 3. The baggage sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the belt is an elastic belt. 4. A package sorting device having a sorting unit for sorting left and right loads flowing on a conveyor, wherein the sorting unit includes: a rotating shaft holding a plurality of rollers; A luggage sorting apparatus comprising a control member inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the flow direction of the conveyor. 5. The luggage sorting device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of rollers are a core fixed to the rotating shaft, a ring rotatably held on the core, and the rotation. A transmission member fixedly mounted on a shaft and transmitting a rotational driving force to the ring portion. 6. The luggage sorting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control member has a comb shape, and a cam follower that abuts the ring portion to incline the ring portion at a tip portion of the comb. A luggage sorting device comprising: