JP2002120930A - Article separating/transferring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article separating/transferring device for reducing a cost with the simple constitution. SOLUTION: In this article separating/transferring device having a belt conveyor for transferring an article, a stopper means for stopping the article on the belt conveyor, an article detecting means for detecting the article stopped by the stopper means and an article sending-in means for introducing the stopped article M to the downstream side of the belt conveyor on the basis of detecting output of the article detecting means and setting an interval of the article on the downstream side of the belt conveyor to a prescribed value by the driving timing of the article sending-in means, the stopper means is a stopper bar 31, and the article (tape cassette M) sending-in means is provided with a driving rod 28 for reciprocating in the vertical direction to the article transferring direction of the belt conveyor 22 and a push-moving body 29 fixed to a tip part of the driving rod 28 and having a push-moving surface 29a for push-moving the article M in the vertical direction and an abutting surface 29b capable of abutting on a front face part of an article M succeeding to the article M in its transferring direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article separating / transporting apparatus for supplying articles, for example, packaged tape cassettes at equal intervals on a belt conveyor to a next step.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 11 to 15 show a conventional article separating / transporting apparatus 1. A pair of upstream guide plates 3, 3 are provided upstream of a belt conveyor 2 in the figures.
Is fixed to mounting plates 5a, 5b erected on the side of the conveyor by a pair of mounting members 3a, 3b. Further downstream, a pair of downstream guide plates 4, 4 are disposed close to the upper surface of the belt conveyor 2.
a, 4b, it is fixed to the mounting plates 5a, 5b. In FIG. 11, a chuck mechanism 6 is disposed substantially in the middle, and is fixed to the top of a mounting frame 7 erected on the mounting plates 5a and 5b. Although not shown, the upper end of the chuck mechanism 6 is configured to be supplied with compressed air from a compressed air source. When the compressed air is supplied, the pair of narrow arms 8a and 8b are shown by solid lines in FIG. The legs are closed as described above, and when the compressed air is removed, the legs are opened as indicated by a dashed line. Press pads 9a and 9b are fixed to ends of the narrow attachment arms 8a and 8b. At the top of the mounting frame 7, the stopper device 1 is further downstream.
0, which has a cylinder body 11, two drive rods 12 to be inserted into and removed from the cylinder body 11, and a substantially inverted L-shape fixed to the lower end thereof (FIGS. 12 and 13).
Of the gate plate 13. Pads 14 are fixed to the gate plate 13. Further, the luminous body 1 is located slightly upstream of the gate plate 13 with the belt conveyor 2 interposed therebetween.
5 and the photoreceptor 16 are attached to the attachment plates 5a and 5b, and constitute an article detection device. Although the article M is a packaged tape cassette, a packaging machine (not shown) is provided upstream of the belt conveyor 2, and the tape cassette M is supplied onto the belt conveyor 2 one by one from this. Since the feeding speed of the tape cassette M from the packaging machine is relatively faster than the transfer speed of the belt conveyor 2, the tape cassettes M contact each other on the upstream side of the belt conveyor 2, and the interval between the tape cassettes M is small. And miscellaneous.

[0005] FIG. 12 shows a state in which the stopper device 10 projects the drive rod 12 to close the gate plate 13.
The light emitting body 15 and the light receiving body 16 arranged on both sides detect that the tape cassette M exists immediately below the stopper device 10. With the generation of the detection signal, the chuck mechanism 6 changes from the open leg state shown by the dashed line to the closed leg state shown by the solid line in FIG. 14, and presses the subsequent tape cassette M by the pressing pads 9a and 9b. This prevents the transfer of the tape cassette M to the downstream side. Photoreceptor 1
6, that is, after confirming the occurrence of this detection signal, a timer that sets a predetermined time counts up, and the drive rod 12 of the stopper device 10
Rises upward as shown in FIG. 13, and the gate plate 13 assumes the open position. As a result, the tape cassette M stopped by the stopper device 10 is transferred to the downstream side by the belt conveyor 2 as shown in FIG. At this time, the tape cassette M is narrowed and stopped in the upstream chuck mechanism 6 so as not to be transferred to the downstream side. Simultaneously with or immediately after the gate plate 13 assumes the open position shown in FIG. 13, the narrow attachment arms 8a and 8b of the chuck mechanism 6 assume the open leg positions shown by the chain line (FIG. 14). As a result, the tape cassette M tightly attached thereto is transported downstream by the belt conveyor 1, stopped by the gate plate 13 already closed, and assumes the position shown in FIG.
The arrival of the tape cassette M directly below the stopper device 10 is detected by a pair of article detection devices including the light emitter 15 and the light receiver 16. Thereafter, the gate plate 13 is opened again (along with the count-up of the predetermined time of the timer) as described above, while the narrowing arms 8a and 8b of the chuck mechanism 6 take the narrowing position shown by the solid line. Next, the gate plate 13 of the stopper device 10 is opened. The time has been measured by the timer since the gate plate 13 was first opened, and the tape cassette M is stopped at the closed position of the gate plate 13. However, this is detected by the article detection device, and when the timer measures a predetermined time, the gate plate 13 is opened and the tape cassette M is sent to the downstream side. That is, the article interval corresponding to the transfer speed of the belt conveyor 2, that is, the interval between the tape cassettes M, is determined for a predetermined time set in the timer.

The conventional article separating and transferring apparatus 1 is constructed and operates as described above. The chuck mechanism 6 causes the narrow attachment arms 8a and 8b to be opened inside the main body as shown in FIG. It has a built-in mechanism for opening and closing the legs, and has a rather complicated internal structure. Since the mounting frame 7 must be provided across the belt conveyor 2, the size of the entire apparatus is increased, and the overall configuration is complicated. The stopper device 10 includes a cylinder body 11, a driving rod 12 driven by the cylinder body 11, and a gate plate 13 fixed to the lower end. However, the number of parts is large, and the assembly is also complicated. It must be set so that the tape cassette M flowing from the upstream side of the belt conveyor 2 is stably held at a predetermined posture and stopped. As is clear from the above, the article feeding means for guiding the article M of the conventional example to the downstream side is constituted by the chuck mechanism 6 and the stopper device 10 having the movable gate plate, and there is a possibility of malfunction. , Which has increased equipment costs.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and is an article separation apparatus which can greatly simplify the apparatus, reduce the number of parts and greatly reduce the cost. It is an object to provide a transfer device.

[0006]

The above object is attained by claim 1.
That is, the belt conveyor for transferring the articles, stopper means for stopping the articles on the belt conveyor, article detecting means for detecting the articles stopped by the stopper means, the article detecting means An article feeding unit that guides the stopped article based on the detected force to the downstream side of the belt conveyor, and drives the article on the downstream side of the belt conveyor by driving timing of the article feeding unit. In the article separating and transferring apparatus in which the interval is set to a predetermined value, the stopper means is a stationary body, and the article feeding means includes a driving rod which reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to an article transferring direction of the belt conveyor, A pushing surface fixed to the tip of the drive rod and pushing the article in the vertical direction, and a transfer direction of the article It is solved by the article separator transfer device, characterized in that it comprises a pusher having a front portion and capable of abutting against the abutting surface of the subsequent article to the article regarding.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a belt conveyor for transporting articles, stopper means for stopping articles on the belt conveyor, article detecting means for detecting articles stopped by the stopper means, Article feeding means for guiding the stopped article based on the detection force of the article detecting means to the downstream side of the belt conveyor, and the downstream side of the belt conveyor according to the drive timing of the article feeding means. In the article separation and transfer device in which the interval between the articles at the predetermined value,
The article feeding means includes a drive rod that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to an article transfer direction of the belt conveyor, a pushing surface fixed to a distal end of the drive rod, and that pushes an article in the vertical direction; A pusher having a contact surface capable of contacting the front part of the article with respect to the transfer direction of the article,
The article separating / transporting device is characterized in that the contact surface of the pushing body functions as the stopper means at the forward movement position of the drive rod.

According to the first aspect of the invention, not only can the number of parts be greatly reduced by merely fixing the stopper body to the stationary portion, but also the article can be sent to the downstream side like a gate plate. There is no need for a configuration for opening and closing, and there are few troubles such as breakdowns. In addition, instead of feeding the articles one by one to the downstream side by the interlocking action of the chuck mechanism and the stopper device as in the conventional example, the articles can be fed only by the reciprocating motion of the pushing member by the drive rod. Therefore, the configuration of the apparatus is greatly simplified, the number of parts can be significantly reduced, and the cost can be reduced. According to the configuration of the fourth aspect, there is no need to separately provide a stopper body in addition to the above-described functions and effects, so that the apparatus configuration can be further simplified and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0009]

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, according to the present embodiment, an article separating and transferring apparatus according to the present invention. An article inspection device 40 is connected to the downstream side of 21. On the upstream side of the belt conveyor 22 of the article separation and transfer device 21, a pair of upstream guide plates 23, 23 are arranged close to the upper surface of the belt conveyor 22, and this is provided with mounting members 23a, 23b.
Are fixed to a pair of mounting plates 25a, 25b supported on both sides of the belt conveyor 22. On the downstream side, a pair of downstream guide plates 24, 24 are slightly displaced in the width direction of the belt conveyor 22 and are arranged close to the upper surface of the belt conveyor 22, and are attached to the belt conveyor 22 by attaching members 24 a, 24 b. Mounting members 25a on both sides,
25b. In FIG. 3, substantially at the center, a pushing device 26 is provided, which comprises a cylinder body 27, a driving rod 28 driven thereby,
A planar shape attached to the distal end portion is formed of a pushing member 29 having an inverted L-shape. The cylinder body 27 is fixed to the mounting member 30 via the mounting member 25b. Although not shown, the cylinder body 27 has a built-in regulating member for regulating the forward and backward positions of the drive rod 28. According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
b, the mounting member 3 having a substantially L-shaped upper surface fixed
2 and fixed downward. As clearly shown in FIG. 5, a gap S is provided between the upper surface of the belt conveyor 22 and the lower surface of the stopper bar 31. As shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting body 33 and the light receiving body 34 are located slightly upstream of the stopper bar 31 and opposed to each other with the belt conveyor 22 interposed therebetween.

Next, the article inspection apparatus 40 will be described. A first belt conveyor 41, a second belt conveyor 42, and a third belt conveyor 43 are provided in this order from the upstream side. As shown in FIG. Steps are provided between the conveyors. A pair of rolling wheels 44 are disposed on both sides between the first belt conveyor 41 and the second belt conveyor 42, and rotate about a rotation shaft 45 at a predetermined tact by 90 degrees. It is configured as follows. Further, on the downstream side, a pair of rolling wheels 46 are disposed on both sides of the belt conveyor, between the second belt conveyor 42 and the third belt conveyor 43. This is also configured to rotate 90 degrees around the rotation shaft 47 at a predetermined tact.
These rolling wheels 44, 46 integrally form support arm portions 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d and support arm portions 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d at intervals of 90 degrees. Although not shown, the article separating and transferring apparatus 2 is the same as in the related art.
A wrapping machine for supplying wrapped tape cassettes is provided upstream of 1. As is apparent from FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, two lanes are formed on the belt conveyor 22 by the guide plates 23, 23, 24, and 24, but the width of the belt conveyor 22 is equal to that of the conventional belt conveyor 2.
Is almost the same as That is, the drive stroke of the drive rod 28 is about half the length of the tape cassette M.

The article separating and transferring apparatus 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above. Next, this operation will be described. The belt conveyor 22 runs at a predetermined speed in the direction indicated by the arrow A. Now, it is assumed that the foremost tape cassette M on the upstream side is at a position as shown in FIG. That is, the frontmost tape cassette M is stopped by the stopper bar 31. The tape cassette M is detected by the light emitting body 33 and the light receiving body. Prior to this detection point, the pushing member 29 has been in the illustrated reversing position, and the timer starts counting a predetermined time from the point in time when the reciprocating position in FIG. When a predetermined time is counted (the detection time has already passed), the cylinder body 27 is driven, and the drive rod 28 moves upward by a predetermined distance in FIG. At this time, the tape cassette M is pushed from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 4 by the pushing surface 29a of the inverted L-shaped pushing member 29 through the position shown by the dashed line. However, the pushing member 29 immediately returns from the forward movement position shown in FIG. 4 to the backward movement position shown in FIG. This time is very short. FIG. 4 shows the tape cassette M.
When the belt reaches the position shown in FIG. When the return position shown in FIG. 3 is taken, the following tape cassette M moves toward the stopper bar 31 and is stopped by this. However, the tape cassette M is moved from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. The tape cassette M is moved to the position indicated by the solid line shown in FIG. 4 and is followed by the contact surface 29b of the inverted L-shaped pushing member 29 until the pushing member 29 assumes the reversing position shown in FIG. Since the pushing member 29 reciprocates while abutting on the front surface in the direction, the following tape cassette M keeps its position stable until the returning position shown in FIG. Immediately after being transferred to the downstream side by the belt conveyor 22, the following tape cassette M is transferred to the stopper rod 31 and stopped.

According to this embodiment, the time corresponding to the predetermined interval T with respect to the tape cassette M guided to the downstream side is set in the timer, and the light emitting member 3 is set at the return position shown in FIG.
Before the tape cassette M is detected by the light receiving member 3 and the photoreceptor 34, that is, when the pushing member 29 takes the forward movement position, the timer starts counting and when the predetermined time is measured, the cylinder body 21 is driven. The tape cassette M is pushed by the pushing member 29, and the pair of downstream guide plates 2
It is transported downstream by being guided by 4 and 24. The pushing member 29 immediately assumes the return position shown in FIG. After the predetermined time is counted by the timer after the forward movement position shown in FIG. 4 is taken, the cylinder body 27 is driven again. It should be noted that the timer is set to stop counting after confirming that the article, that is, the tape cassette M, is present at the position where the stopper 31 has come into contact with the article detection device constituted by the light emitting body 33 and the light receiving body 34. . When maintaining a large interval T, naturally the stopper rod 31
As a result, the time during which the cassette M is stopped is prolonged. In some cases, depending on the mounting position of the light emitter 33 and the light receiver 34 before the tape cassette M abuts on the stopper rod 31, the tape cassette M may be pushed on the pushing surface of the pushing member 29 attached to the tip of the drive rod 28 depending on the attachment position. 29a
Since it can be confirmed that the article M has come to a position where the article M comes into contact with a sufficient area, the cylinder body 27 may be driven before coming into contact with the stopper rod 31. (In this case, the positions of the light emitting body 33 and the light receiving body 34 may be slightly shifted to the upstream side from the illustration.) In this case, the interval between the tape cassettes guided relatively downstream can be reduced. . A member that regulates the forward and backward movement positions of the drive rod 28 is provided in the cylinder body 27, and thereby regulates the forward movement position shown in FIG. 4 and the backward movement position shown in FIG. Therefore, the tape cassette M is reliably guided into the guide plates 24 on the downstream side at the forward movement position, and is thereafter guided by the guide plates 24 to be transported downstream at a predetermined interval. Further, at the reversing position, the pushing member 29
Is positioned just above or outside the side edge of the belt conveyor 22 so as not to hinder the transfer of the tape cassette M. Note that the stopper bar 31 may have a function of stopping the tape cassette M, and may be a plate-shaped member.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
An embodiment will be described. Portions corresponding to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the present embodiment, the pushing member 29 is located at the forward movement position of the drive rod 28 shown in FIG.
b is in contact with the front surface of the leading tape cassette M on the downstream side as shown in the figure, and this is stopped. That is, according to the present embodiment, the contact portion 29b of the pushing member 29 functions as a stopper. When the tape cassette M is fed downstream, the drive rod 28 is retracted as shown in FIG. 7, and when the tape cassette M is slightly advanced from the position shown in the drawing, the drive rod 28 projects to the forward movement position. Let it. The timer starts counting from the time when the forward movement state shown in FIG. 6 is taken, and when the next tape cassette M is confirmed,
After the tape cassette M is slightly moved forward from the position shown in the drawing after the retracted position shown in FIG. 7, the timer counts up a predetermined time and moves forward. As a result, a predetermined interval T can be provided between the tape cassette M and the tape cassette M that has been fed earlier. Also in the present embodiment, the luminous body 33,
The light receiver 34 confirms that the article, that is, the tape cassette M is in contact with the contact surface 29b of the pushing member 29,
The timer is configured to count up after the tape cassette M is advanced by a predetermined distance. According to the present embodiment, the light emitting body 33 and the light receiving body 34 are
9 is located slightly downstream of the contact surface 29b, and as soon as the tape cassette M is confirmed by these, the pushing member 29 immediately moves from the forward movement position shown in FIG. 6 to the backward movement position shown in FIG. The cylinder body 27 is driven when a predetermined time according to the transfer speed of the belt conveyor 22 has elapsed. That is, the set time of the timer is determined in consideration of these, and the drive timing of the drive rod 28 is determined. The number of parts can be further reduced as compared with the first embodiment, and the apparatus can be simplified.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. . According to the present embodiment, the stopper body 52 has a substantially rectangular cross section, and the limit switch 52a is provided on the surface facing the upstream side. Further, the pushing member 50 attached to the distal end of the drive rod 28 has a block shape instead of an inverted L-shape as in the first and second embodiments. The tape cassette M is the stopper 52
When the limit switch 52 is operated at the position where the tape cassette M comes into contact with the tape cassette M, the tape cassette M is detected to be on the pressing surface 50 a of the pressing member 50. Thereafter, the timer counts up a predetermined time and drives the cylinder body 27 to cause the drive rod 28 to protrude from the return position shown in FIG. 8 to the forward position shown in FIG. From this point, the reverse position shown in FIG. 8 is immediately taken. The timer starts counting from the time when the drive rod 28 shown in FIG. 9 has moved from the forward movement position to the backward movement position shown in FIG.
Is driven, the tape cassette M can be transferred at a predetermined interval T to the downstream side. Also in the present embodiment, when the drive rod 28 reciprocates by the contact surface 50b formed on the side of the pushing member 50, the drive rod 28 moves while supporting the front surface of the succeeding tape cassette M. After the tape cassette M comes into contact with the limit switch section 52a and counts a predetermined time, the cylinder body 27 is driven from the above-described reversing position, whereby the forward movement shown in FIG. Immediately after taking the moving position, the cylinder body 27 retreats the drive rod 28, but together with or immediately before this, the tape cassette M is transported to the downstream side and is transported at a predetermined interval T from the tape cassette M in front. Can be Since the corners of the pushing member 50 are rounded, even if they come into contact with the following tape cassette M, this can be smoothly cleared.

Next, the operation of the device 40 for checking the defective packaging of the tape cassette M will be described with reference to FIG. Of course, this device 40 is applicable to any of the above embodiments. As described above, the tape cassette M is introduced onto the first belt conveyor 41 at a predetermined interval from the article separation and transfer device 21 on the upstream side. Here, the interval between the tape cassettes M is maintained at a predetermined value, and the left and right edges of the tape cassette M are positioned above the support arms 44b of the first rolling wheels 44 in the drawing.
The support arm 44b is rotated by 90 degrees at a predetermined tact (corresponding to the interval T between the tape cassettes M in the article separating and transferring apparatus 21), and is rotated clockwise by 90 degrees from the position shown in FIG. By the movement, the tape cassette M is guided on the second belt conveyor 42 in a standing posture. Here, the tape cassette M is also transferred downstream at a predetermined interval. During this time, the packaging condition of the tape cassette M is inspected for a predetermined surface by an inspection device (not shown), which is inspected by, for example, an image processing device. However, if there is a defective product, the defective product is pushed to the side of the second belt conveyor 42 by an article elimination device (not shown). Next, the tape reaches the second rolling wheel 46, where it is transported over both edges of the tape cassette M or just above the support arm 46b, and is rotated by 90 degrees at a predetermined tact to support the rolling wheel 46. The arm 46 a is again laid on the third belt conveyor 43 from the arm 46 a, and is led to the next step. In other words, the article separation / transfer device 21 on the upstream side takes a posture inverted by 180 degrees. It should be noted that, in this state as well, the quality or failure of the packaging of the tape cassette may be determined from above by the image processing apparatus. This article detection device 40
Then, the tape cassette M is supplied to, for example, a storage container.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is, of course, not limited to these, and various modifications can be made based on the technical concept of the present invention.

For example, according to the above-described embodiment, the tape cassette M is described as an article. However, the tape cassette M is not limited to the illustrated posture, and for example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the longitudinal direction is directed to the transport direction of the belt conveyor. , Tape cassette M
Can be transferred downstream at a predetermined interval.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, the present invention is applicable to an article W having a circular arc shape at the front. In this case, the article W may be discharged such that the arc-shaped portion of the article W is directed forward at the outlet of the article feeder disposed above the upstream side of the belt conveyor. In the above embodiment, the transfer speed of the belt conveyor is described as being constant, but may be variable.

[0020]

As described above, according to the article separating and transferring apparatus of the first or fourth aspect of the present invention, the number of parts can be reduced with a simpler configuration than the conventional one at a low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an entire apparatus in which an article inspection apparatus is connected to an article separation and transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the operation of the relevant part.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the operation of the relevant part.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line [5]-[5] in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main part of an article separating and transferring apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the same operation.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part of an article separating and transferring apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the same operation.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of another article to which the present invention can be applied; FIG.
Indicates a case where the present invention is applied to another article W.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a conventional article separating and transferring apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing the same operation.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line [14]-[14] in FIG.

15 is a sectional view taken along the line [15]-[15] in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 ... article separation and transfer device, 22 ... belt conveyor,
26, a pushing device, 27, a cylinder body, 28, a driving rod, 29, a pushing member, 31, a stopper rod,
33 ... light-emitting body, 34 ... light-receiving body.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A belt conveyor for transferring articles, stopper means for stopping articles on the belt conveyor, article detecting means for detecting articles stopped by the stopper means, and detection of the article detecting means. Article feeding means for guiding the stopped article based on various forces to a downstream side of the belt conveyor,
In the article separation and transfer device in which the interval between articles on the downstream side of the belt conveyor is set to a predetermined value by the drive timing of the article feeding means, the stopper means is a stationary body, and the article feeding means is A drive rod that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the article transfer direction of the conveyor, a pressing surface fixed to a tip end of the drive rod and presses the article in the vertical direction, and the article in the transfer direction of the article. And a pusher having a contact surface capable of contacting the front surface of the article following the article. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing body has an inverted L-shape, one surface is the pressing surface, and the other surface perpendicular to the one surface is the contact surface. Article separation and transfer device. 3. The one surface of the pushing body is located immediately above or outside the side edge of the belt conveyor when the drive rod is at the return position, and when the drive rod is at the return position. The article separating and transferring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the other surface is in contact with a front part of a subsequent article. 4. A belt conveyor for transferring articles, stopper means for stopping articles on the belt conveyor, article detecting means for detecting articles stopped by the stopper means, and detection of the article detecting means. Article feeding means for guiding the stopped article based on various forces to a downstream side of the belt conveyor,
In the article separating and transferring apparatus in which the interval between articles on the downstream side of the belt conveyor is set to a predetermined value by the drive timing of the article feeding means, the article feeding means is arranged in a direction perpendicular to an article transferring direction of the belt conveyor. A drive rod that reciprocates in a direction, a pushing surface fixed to the tip end of the drive rod and pushing the article in the vertical direction, and a contact that can contact the front face of the article in the transport direction of the article. A pusher having a contact surface, wherein the contact surface of the pusher functions as the stopper means at a forward movement position of the drive rod. 5. The article according to claim 4, wherein the pushing body has an inverted L-shape, one surface is the pushing surface, and the other surface perpendicular to the one surface is an abutting surface. Separation transfer device. 6. The one surface of the pusher is located immediately above or outside the side edge of the belt conveyor when the drive rod is at the backward position, and is at the forward position. 6. The article separating and transferring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the other surface is in contact with a front part of a subsequent article.