JP2003137424A - Carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying device provided with a function for automatically loading articles 90 on an inspection conveyor 40 with a predetermined interval. SOLUTION: This carrying device for transferring the articles 90 onto the inspection conveyor 40 in order to pass the articles through a position of an inspecting device 41 with the predetermined space has a silo 10 for storing the articles 90 and for feeding them in order, a tray 20 formed with an inclination and for receiving the articles from the silo 10 to extrude them, and a carrying belt device 30 having suction cups 31 arranged with the predetermined space on the belt 32 running with an upward inclination in a carrying section and for carrying the articles extruded from the tray 20 to a carrying start position by vacuum-sucking the articles one by one and for falling the articles onto the inspection conveyor 40 by releasing the vacuum suction at the carrying concluding position.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device for sequentially transferring articles having a non-breathable surface on a conveyor and passing them through predetermined positions at predetermined intervals. Further, the present invention relates to a conveying device that conveys an article by causing an endless belt-shaped conveying body (eg, an endless belt) stretched by using a plurality of rollers to travel by a driving roller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to inspect an article conveyed on a conveyor at a predetermined timing using an inspection device provided at a predetermined position near the conveyor, the article is placed on the conveyor at predetermined intervals. Then, it is necessary to run the conveyor at a predetermined speed. Although a means for controlling the traveling speed of a conveyor is known, a device for automatically placing articles on the conveyor at predetermined intervals has not been provided so far.

Further, there is not provided a carrier device having a function of, after adsorbing an article at the carrying start position, carrying the article in that state and releasing the adsorbing at the carrying end position.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveying device having a function of automatically placing articles at predetermined intervals on a conveyor driven at a predetermined speed. . Another object of the present invention is to provide a carrying device having a function of, after adsorbing an article at a carrying start position, carrying the article in that state and releasing the article at the carrying end position.

[0005]

A transport device according to claim 1 is
A conveying device for sequentially transferring articles having a non-air-permeable surface on a conveyor to pass a predetermined position at a predetermined interval, and a storage means for storing and sequentially delivering articles to be transferred, and a transfer section. An endless belt-shaped carrier that travels at an ascending slope has suction cups arranged at predetermined intervals, and the articles sequentially sent out from the storage means are vacuum-sucked by the suction cups one by one to be transported, and a transport end position. Transporting means for releasing the vacuum suction and dropping it onto the conveyor. The transport device according to claim 2 further comprises a tray according to claim 1, which further comprises a tray that receives the article sent out from the storage means by an inclined mounting surface, slides it out, and pushes it out. It is characterized in that the article is supplied to.

The storage means has, for example, an article input port on the upper side and an ejection port on the lower side, and a delivery mechanism (one or a small number of articles is delivered to the ejection port so as not to be clogged) such as a cutting roller. It can be realized as a silo having a mechanism). The tray may be configured integrally with the storage means. That is, the tray mounting surface is continuously provided to the discharge port of the storage means, and the article delivered from the discharge port is guided to the transport start position of the transport belt device through the mounting surface continuously provided to the discharge port. You may comprise. In short, it is only necessary to have a function of sequentially delivering the stored articles and sequentially supplying the articles to the transport start position of the transport belt device. Suction cup
It suffices if one article having a non-breathable surface can be vacuumed. Items that have not been sucked by the suction cup are fed to the next or next suction cup because an endless belt-shaped carrier (eg, a conveyor belt) is installed so that it travels at an ascending slope in the conveyor section. , Will be sucked by either suction cup. Suction cup is 1 or 2 for vacuum suction
It has the above ventilation holes. The inside shape of the suction cup is
It is determined according to the shape and material of the article to be conveyed. For example, when the article to be conveyed has an irregular shape such as a polyethylene bag containing resin particles, it may have a normal cup shape having a recess. Examples of the article having a non-permeable surface include, for example, a polyethylene bag containing resin particles, but the article is not limited to this, and any object that can be sucked by vacuum suction with a suction cup can be transferred. Becomes The conveyor is a conveyor which is required to place conveyed articles at a predetermined interval and convey them to a predetermined position. Therefore, it is not essential that the inspection device or the like is arranged at a predetermined position in the conveyer conveyor of claims 1 and 2. In other words, even if the conveyor does not have a device having some function such as an inspection device, as long as the conveyor is required to place and convey the conveyed article at a predetermined interval, the present invention claims Corresponds to conveyors 1 and 2.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport device for transporting an article by causing a drive roller to travel an endless belt-shaped carrier which is stretched by using a plurality of rollers, and the endless belt-shaped carrier is the same. When a vent hole arranged along the traveling direction is provided in the central portion and an article placing means corresponding to each vent hole is provided on the carrier, and further, the endless belt-shaped carrier is in the carrier section. A support plate that is provided so as to slidably support the carrier from the lower surface side, and has a long hole-shaped ventilation hole formed continuously along the traveling direction of the carrier in the center; An opening end on the suction side is airtightly connected to the ventilation hole of the support plate, and the other end is connected to a vacuum device.

The carrying section is a section in which the endless belt-shaped carrier carries the article by vacuum suction through the article placing means. In this transport section, the support plate slidably supports the lower surface of the endless belt-shaped transport body. When the gap between the ventilation holes formed in the endless belt-shaped carrier (eg, endless belt, not limited to the belt) is constant, the conveyed articles can be dropped at a constant interval.
The carrying device of claim 1 can be used as the carrying means of claims 1 and 2.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [1] Conveying device (device corresponding to claims 1 and 2): FIG.
Shows schematically an example of the construction of a carrying device corresponding to the inventions of claims 1 and 2. The illustrated transport device includes a receiving silo (storage means) 10, a tray 20, a transport belt device (transport means) 30, and an inspection conveyor 40.

An input port 1 is provided at the upper end of the receiving silo 10.
1 is provided, and a cutting roller 12a is provided at the lower end.
A discharge port 12 is provided. The article 90 to be conveyed is loaded from the loading port 11. This article, in this example, is a polyethylene bag containing crushed resin particles or pieces of resin for recycling.

Articles 9 loaded into receiving silo 10
0 is the discharge roller 1 at the lower end by the cutting roller 12a.
It is discharged downward one by one from 2 or one by one.
The discharged article 90 falls on the mounting surface of the tray 20 provided below the discharge port 12, slides down on the mounting surface due to the action of gravity, and the conveyance belt device 30 starts conveying. It is pushed out in order to the position. Instead of the tray 20, a descending or ascending or horizontal conveyor may be provided and pushed out by the conveyor. Alternatively, the article 90 may be directly supplied from the receiving silo 10 to the conveyance start position of the conveyor belt device 30 by devising a configuration near the outlet 12 of the receiving silo 10.

The conveyor belt device 30 is provided so that a belt (endless belt-shaped conveyor) 32 travels in an ascending slope in a conveyor section. Suction cups 31 are provided at predetermined intervals on the upper surface (outer surface) side of the belt 32. Further, a suction force due to a negative pressure is applied to each suction cup 31 from the transport start position (the lower end position of the transport segment forming the rising slope in FIG. 1), and the suction end position (the transport segment forming the rising slope in FIG. 1) is applied. A vacuum suction mechanism (not shown) that releases the suction force at the upper end position is provided.

Therefore, the article 90 pushed out from the tray 20 as described above is adsorbed by the suction cup 31 at the conveyance start position of the conveyor belt device 30 and conveyed in the ascending conveyance section in the adsorbed state. After that, it is separated from the suction cup 31 at the transportation end position and dropped to the transportation start position of the inspection conveyor 40 (near the left end of the upper surface of the inspection conveyor 40 in FIG. 1) by the action of gravity. This inspection conveyor 40 is
Since it is driven at a predetermined speed in synchronization with the conveyor belt device 30, the articles 90 dropped at a predetermined interval as described above.
Are placed on the inspection conveyor 40 at a predetermined interval and transported.

The article 90 transferred on the inspection conveyor 40 and conveyed at a predetermined speed in this way is the inspection conveyor 40.
The position of an inspection device (not shown) provided near a predetermined position in the traveling direction is passed at a predetermined timing synchronized with the traveling speed of the inspection conveyor 40, and the inspection by the inspection device is performed. The inspection is, for example, an inspection for identifying the type of resin in the polyethylene bag based on spectroscopic analysis. This identification inspection is an inspection in which the article 90 passing through the inspection position is irradiated with light and the kind of resin in the polyethylene bag is identified by spectroscopic analysis of the absorbed or scattered light. The articles 90 whose type of resin has been identified are sorted according to the type of resin by a sorting device (not shown) provided on the downstream side of the inspection conveyor 40, and are collected in a corresponding collection box or the like.

[2] Conveying Device (Device Corresponding to Claim 3): FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing an example of the constitution of the conveying device corresponding to the invention of claim 3. The illustrated transporting device includes a belt (endless belt-shaped member) 32 stretched by three rollers 33 (at least one of which is a driving roller),
A support plate 3 that slidably supports the belt 32 in its conveyance section (section where the belt 32 sucks and conveys articles on the suction cup 31 by vacuum suction) from the lower surface (inner surface) side.
4, a vacuum header 35 integrally provided on the lower surface side of the support plate 34, and a pipe 36 connecting the vacuum header 35 and the vacuum pump (vacuum device) P. In addition, piping 3
6 shows only the end portion on the side connected to the vacuum header 35.

Vent holes 32a32a are formed at a predetermined interval along the belt running direction at the central portion of the belt 32 (meaning a non-edge portion; it does not have to be the true central portion). On the belt upper surface (outer surface) side of each of the ventilation holes 32a, 32a,
A suction cup (article placement means) 31 is provided for each. Each suction cup 31 has a ventilation hole 31a, and each ventilation hole 31a communicates with a corresponding ventilation hole 32a of the belt 32. In this example, the formation site of the vent hole 31a is the bottom portion of the suction cup 31.

The support plate 34 is made of, for example, Teflon (registered trademark). The support plate 34 slidably supports the lower surface side of the belt 32 during the conveyance section. Support plate 34
The upper and lower openings are formed so as to be continuous in the central portion (meaning non-edge portion, which does not have to be the true central portion) in the belt running direction (= formed in a long hole shape) Vent 34a
Is provided. The ventilation holes 34a are provided at the upper side openings of the belt 32 in the conveying section.
2a, ..., And also communicates with the internal space of the vacuum header 35 at the lower opening. Therefore, the ventilation holes 32a, 32 of the belt 32 in the transport section are
a is a ventilation hole 34a of the support plate 34, the vacuum header 3
The vacuum pump P is communicated with the interior space 5 through the pipe 36.

Therefore, when vacuum is sucked by the vacuum pump P and a negative pressure is applied, the piping 36, the internal space of the vacuum header 35, the vent holes 34a of the support plate 34, and the vent holes 32a of the belt 32 in the conveying section. , 32a, via the suction cup 3 on each vent 32a, 32a, in the transport section.
A suction force due to a negative pressure acts on the article placed on 1 to adsorb the article.

When a certain ventilation hole 32a reaches the end of the conveyance section and moves out of the conveyance section as the belt 32 travels, the communication state between the ventilation hole 32a and the ventilation hole 34a of the support plate 34 is established. Since it is blocked, the suction force due to the negative pressure does not act on the article on the suction cup 31 corresponding to the ventilation hole 32a, and the suction state is released.

By providing the conveyor belt device having the above-described mechanism and operating as described above so that the conveyor section forms a rising slope, the conveyor belt device (conveying means) of the conveyor device described in [1] above. ) 30.

[0021]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, articles are stored and sent out in order, and the articles sent out in order are arranged at predetermined intervals on an endless belt-like carrier that travels so that the carrying section rises and slopes. Vacuum suction is performed one by one with the suction cups that are provided, and the vacuum suction is released at the transport end position and dropped onto the conveyor, so that the articles can be automatically placed on the conveyor at predetermined intervals.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the endless belt has ventilation holes arranged along the traveling direction and article mounting means corresponding to each ventilation hole, and further, the endless belt is provided on the lower surface side in the conveying section. A support plate slidably supported from the end plate and having a ventilation hole of a long hole along the traveling direction of the endless belt, and an opening end on the side for sucking the article is airtightly connected to the ventilation hole of the support plate from below. It is possible to provide a transfer device having a vacuum suction device having the other end connected to a vacuum device. That is, it is possible to provide a transport device having a function of vacuum-sucking an article at the transport start position, transporting the article in that state, and releasing the vacuum suction at the transport end position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a carrying device according to an embodiment corresponding to claims 1 and 2.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing a carrying device of an embodiment corresponding to claim 3. (A) is a front view which shows a conveyance apparatus typically, (b) is the bb sectional view taken on the line in (a).

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Receiving silo (storage means) 11 Cutting roller 20 trays 30 conveyor belt device 31 Suction cup 31a Suction cup vent 32 belt (endless belt) 32a Belt ventilation holes 33 Laura 34 Support plate 34a Vents in support plate 35 vacuum head 36 plumbing P vacuum device 40 Inspection conveyor 90 articles

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3F024 BA05 CA06                 3F072 AA30 GB10 GC04 GG06 GG19                       JA03 KA15 KD03                 3F075 AA01 BA04 BA09 BB01 CA04                       CA06 CA09 CC01 CC16 CD03

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A storage device for sequentially transferring articles having a non-air-permeable surface onto a conveyor and passing them through predetermined positions at predetermined intervals, and storing means for storing the articles to be transferred and sequentially sending them. And suction cups arranged at a predetermined interval on an endless belt-shaped carrier that travels up the transport section with an inclination, and vacuum sucks the articles sequentially sent from the storage means by the suction cups and transports them. And a transport means for releasing the vacuum suction at the transport end position and dropping it on the conveyor. 2. The apparatus further comprises a tray that receives the article sent from the storage means by an inclined mounting surface and slides the article by the inclined surface to push out the article, and supplies the article to the conveying means via the tray. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein the transport device is a transport device. 3. A transport device for transporting an article by causing a drive roller to drive an endless belt-shaped carrier stretched by using a plurality of rollers, wherein the endless belt-shaped carriers are arranged along a traveling direction thereof. Has a vent hole in the center and has an article placing means corresponding to each vent hole on the carrier, and further, when the endless belt-shaped carrier is in the carrier section, the carrier is on the lower surface. A support plate that is provided so as to be slidably supported from the side and that has a long hole-shaped ventilation hole that is continuously formed along the traveling direction of the carrier in the center part; And a vacuum suction mechanism in which the other end is connected to the ventilation hole of the support plate in an airtight manner and the other end is connected to a vacuum device.