JP2004137064A - Article orientation aligning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article orientation aligning device manufacturable at a reduced cost with a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: An arrangement conveyor 32 feeding out articles 12 fed from a multiple row conveyor 14 for each line from the conveying terminal part thereof in the state of one row is disposed over a carrying conveyor 30 connected to the conveying terminal part of the multiple row conveyor 14. A converting conveyor 40 tilted so as to shield the advancing route of the articles 12 conveyed from the arrangement position of the arrangement conveyor 32 to the downstream side of the carrying conveyor 30 in the article conveying direction by the carrying conveyor 30 is disposed over the carrying conveyor 30. The converting conveyor 40 conveys the articles 12 rotated in contact with a belt surface while holding the attitude thereof in which a projected part 12a is supportedly hooked to a belt surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article orientation aligning apparatus for aligning articles conveyed continuously in a fixed direction.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When wrapping a plurality of articles consisting of beverage containers and other packaging containers conveyed in irregular directions in multiple units, the printed pattern etc. applied to the outer peripheral surface of the articles in a certain direction during other various processing There is an article orientation aligning apparatus for aligning the articles so as to align them. This alignment device detects a reference mark or a feature point of the article shape attached to the article by a detection unit such as a photoelectric sensor or an imaging unit, and in a state where a roller or a belt or the like is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the article, On the basis of the deviation of the reference mark or the characteristic point from the alignment position obtained by the detection means, the rotation amount of the roller, the belt, or the like is controlled to rotate the article by a predetermined amount to align the orientation (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-42664 (page 3)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-240617 (page 4)
[0004]
In addition, an article rotating while being conveyed while the bottom surface is supported by a conveyor having a short roller and a long roller having a speed difference is brought into a posture in which a side groove provided on a peripheral surface thereof is engaged with a guide rail. There is one in which the direction of articles is aligned by transferring the articles to a downstream side while holding the articles by a rotating belt device (for example, Patent Document 3). Further, the outer surface of the article conveyed with the bottom surface supported by the first conveyor is brought into contact with the second conveyor to rotate the article, and the flat surface formed on the article comes into contact with the second conveyor. There is also a device that aligns the direction of articles by transferring the posture to the downstream side while holding the posture by air ejection means (for example, Patent Document 4).
[0005]
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-11-152110 (pages 6 to 7, FIG. 5)
[Patent Document 4]
JP-A-2000-318833 (page 2, FIG. 1)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Each of the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 requires a detecting means for detecting the direction of an article, and a deviation between a predetermined direction of the article and a current direction of the article obtained based on the detection result. It is necessary to control the amount of rotation of the article according to the amount, which not only complicates the apparatus but also increases the cost of the apparatus.
[0007]
Further, in each of the methods of Patent Documents 3 and 4, there is no need for a detecting means or a means for controlling the amount of rotation, but a side groove or a flat surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the article corresponds to the corresponding guide rail or the second conveyor. This requires a rotation belt device for holding the article in a position where it comes into contact with the airbag, a position regulating means such as an air jetting means, and the number of parts is increased, resulting in an increase in cost.
[0008]
[Object of the invention]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described problems relating to the prior art, and has been proposed to appropriately solve the problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an article orientation device that can achieve a low cost with a simple configuration. Aim.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, the article orientation device according to the present invention includes:
A device for aligning the orientation of a cylindrical article provided with a protrusion on a part of the outer peripheral surface,
A conveying conveyor for conveying the article in an upright position,
Above the conveyor, the outer peripheral surface of the article contacts the belt surface, and the conveying end portion is disposed in a tilted posture displaced downstream so as to block the course thereof, and rotates the article in contact with the belt surface. A diverting conveyor that transports toward the transport end while
The diverting conveyor is set so that the articles conveyed at predetermined intervals by the conveyor can be rotated at least 360 degrees between the time when the articles come into contact with the belt surface and are conveyed to the conveying end. And
The article rotated in a state where the position is not regulated on the opposing surface side of the diverting conveyor sandwiching the article in contact with the belt surface of the diverting conveyor is moved downstream in a posture in which the protrusion is supported on the belt surface. It is configured to be transported.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, an article orientation aligning device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking a preferred embodiment.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1, an article orientation aligning apparatus 10 according to an embodiment includes a plurality of cylindrical articles 12 in which a straw or the like is attached to a part of the outer peripheral surface of a beverage container and a projection 12 a is provided. And a multi-row conveyor 14 which is conveyed to be stacked. The multi-row conveyor 14 has a plurality of guide members 16 arranged in parallel in the article conveying direction above the article conveying surface and separated in the left-right direction crossing the article conveying direction horizontally. Each lane defined between the members 16 and 16 is configured to be conveyed toward the downstream side in a state in which the articles 12 are aligned in a row while standing. In the embodiment, five rows of lanes are formed on the multi-row conveyor 14, and these lanes are referred to as first lanes in order from the right to the left as viewed from the downstream side in the article conveying direction by the multi-row conveyor 14 for convenience. , The second lane, the third lane, the fourth lane, and the fifth lane, and the articles 12 conveyed in each lane are also correspondingly referred to as first to fifth articles. Then, the articles 12 accumulated in a predetermined amount in each lane of the transport end portion of the multi-row conveyor 14 are cut out by a cutting device 18 described later for each top row.
[0012]
A cutout device (cutout means) 18 for cutting out the articles 12 toward a transfer conveyor 30 described later is provided near the transfer end portion of the multi-row conveyor 14. The cutout device 18 is composed of a plurality of cutout sets 20 arranged corresponding to the respective lanes, and each cutout set 20 is disposed below the article transfer surface as shown in FIG. The first air cylinder 22 and the second air cylinder 24 which are spaced apart from each other in the direction, and the first stopper 26 and the second stopper 28 which are disposed corresponding to the rods 22a and 24a which are directed above the two air cylinders 22 and 24, respectively. The stoppers 26 and 28 are lowered below the article conveying surface by forward and reverse biasing of the air cylinders 22 and 24 to allow the article 12 to be conveyed, and the stoppers 26 and 28 project upward from the article conveying face. It is configured to move up and down between the position 12 and the restriction position for restricting the conveyance. The separation distance between the first stopper 26 located on the downstream side and the second stopper 28 located on the upstream side is set to substantially correspond to one article.
[0013]
Further, in the embodiment, when detecting means (not shown) detects that the articles 12 in the first row of each lane (column) are aligned, the first stopper 26 is first moved from the regulation position to the standby position, and the first article 26 is moved to the standby position. 12, the first stopper 26 is returned from the standby position to the restriction position at a timing after the article passes, and then the second stopper 28 is moved from the restriction position to the standby position, and the subsequent article 12 is moved to the second position. The air cylinders 22 and 24 are biased and controlled so that they are transported to a position regulated by the one stopper 26, and further return the second stopper 28 from the standby position to the regulated position at a timing after the article has passed.
[0014]
When the articles 12 conveyed in each lane are of the same type, the cutout device 18 is set so that the cutout sets 20 arranged in all the lanes are simultaneously operated to simultaneously cut out the articles 12 line by line. Is done. On the other hand, when the type of the article 12 conveyed in each lane is different, the cutout set 20 of each lane is operated so that the cutout timing is sequentially different for each lane (for each column), and Are set to be conveyed in a state of being shifted in the front-back direction of the article conveyance direction.
[0015]
A transport conveyor 30 that rotates at a speed higher than that of the multi-row conveyor 14 is disposed at the transport end of the multi-row conveyor 14, and a plurality of articles 12 cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14 for each row are transferred to the multi-row conveyor 14. It is configured to be delivered to the conveyor 30 and transported to the downstream side in the standing posture.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the path of the articles 12 conveyed by the conveyor 30 is blocked above the conveyor 30, and the conveying end of the article 12 is displaced downstream with respect to the article conveying direction. The alignment conveyor 32 is disposed in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle in the horizontal direction. In the alignment conveyor 32, the belt surface of the endless belt 36 rotatably wound between the pair of pulleys 34, 34 is disposed in a posture orthogonal to the article conveyance surface of the conveyance conveyor 30, and is conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 30. The outer peripheral surface of the article 12 is configured to contact the belt surface of the endless belt 36. In the alignment conveyor 32 of the embodiment, the belt surface facing the multi-row conveyor 14 is inclined toward the downstream side in the article carrying direction of the transport conveyor 30 from the fifth lane toward the first lane, and from the fifth lane side. It is set so as to travel toward the first lane side, and is configured to transfer the article 12 contacting the belt surface from the fifth lane side to the first lane side while rotating. That is, each article 12 cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14 for each row abuts on the belt surface of the alignment conveyor 32 and is transported toward the transport end portion, so that the articles 12 are separated from the transport end portion of the conveyor 32. The articles 12 are sent out in one row toward one side (the first lane side) in the width direction of the conveyor 30. Note that the transport end of the alignment conveyor 32 of the embodiment is set at a position where it does not come in contact with the first articles 12 sent out from the first lane in the multi-row conveyor 14, and the first articles 12 are linearly moved downstream. To be transported. As a result, the time for transporting and processing the article 12 to the downstream side is reduced, and higher-speed transport is achieved. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 38 denotes a motor which is connected to one pulley 34 of the alignment conveyor 32 and drives the endless belt 36 to rotate.
[0017]
On the downstream side in the article conveying direction of the conveyor 30 from the arrangement position of the alignment conveyor 32, the path of the articles 12 conveyed by the conveyor 30 is blocked, and the article is conveyed such that the conveyance end portion is displaced downstream. A turning conveyor 40 is disposed above the transport conveyor 30 in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle in the horizontal direction with respect to the direction. In the turning conveyor 40, the belt surface of the endless belt 44 rotatably wound between the pair of pulleys 42, 42 is disposed in a posture orthogonal to the article conveying surface of the conveying conveyor 30. The outer peripheral surface of the conveyed article 12 is configured to contact the belt surface of the endless belt 44. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the turning conveyor 40 is set to have the inclination direction opposite to that of the alignment conveyor 32. That is, the diverting conveyor 40 is configured such that the belt surface facing the multi-row conveyor 14 is inclined toward the downstream side in the article conveying direction of the conveying conveyor 30 as going from the first lane to the fifth lane, and has a It is set to run toward the 5th lane side, and from the first lane side to the 5th lane side (the other side in the width direction of the transport conveyor 30 and the transport end portion side) while rotating the article 12 in contact with the belt surface. It is configured to be transported toward.
[0018]
Then, in the turning conveyor 40, after the protruding portion 12a is supported by being hooked on the belt surface, the article 12 rotating in contact with the belt surface is transported toward the transport end portion while maintaining its posture. It has become. No means for regulating the position of the article 12 is provided on the opposing surface of the diverting conveyor 40 with the article 12 in contact with the belt surface of the diverting conveyor 40, and the article 12 is restricted in position. It is configured to rotate in a free state, and the rotation is not hindered by the protrusion 12a being caught during rotation. The diverting conveyor 40 has a length from a position where each article 12 which is sent out from the conveying end portion of the alignment conveyor 32 and is conveyed by the conveying conveyor 30 in one row at predetermined intervals to a belt surface to a conveying end portion. , And a speed ratio with respect to the conveyor 30, the size and the speed are set so that the article 12 can be rotated at least 360 degrees while the article 12 is in contact with the belt surface and is transported to the transport end. ing. That is, all the articles 12 conveyed in a state where the positions of the protruding portions 12a are irregular (the direction of the articles 12 is irregular) are surely rotated until the protruding portions 12a are brought into contact with the belt surface. It is configured to be able to do. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 46 denotes a motor that is connected to one pulley 42 of the deflecting conveyor 40 and drives the endless belt 44 to rotate.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, an unloading conveyor 48, which is a belt conveyor on which the articles 12 are transferred from the conveyor 30, has an article conveying direction that is the same as the article conveying direction of the conveyor 30. They are arranged so as to intersect at right angles. In the article conveying path of the unloading conveyor 48, the conveying end portion of the turning conveyor 40 crosses at a predetermined angle from the upstream side to the downstream side of the unloading conveyor 48 in the article conveying direction, and the conveying end portion of the turning conveyor 40 faces the article conveying path. The article 12 sent out from the terminal end is delivered to the unloading conveyor 48 and is conveyed to a post-processing device such as a packaging machine (not shown). An article guide 50 for guiding the articles 12 conveyed by the unloading conveyor 48 is provided above the article conveying path of the unloading conveyor 48 at one side in the width direction separated from the conveying conveyor 30. It is disposed so as to extend from a position close to the transport end to the downstream side of the unloading conveyor 48. The article 12 is conveyed in a posture in which the projecting portion 12a faces the upstream side, and the projecting portion 12a is in sliding contact with the article guide 50. An auxiliary article guide 52 is provided in parallel with the article guide 50 on the opposite side of the article guide 50 that sandwiches the article 12 that is in sliding contact with the article guide 50 (the other side close to the conveyor 30). The guide 52 guides the other side of the article 12. The upstream end of the unloading conveyor 48 in the article conveying direction in the auxiliary article guide 52 is set to be located a predetermined number of the articles 12 downstream from the corresponding upstream end of the article guide 50, and the articles transferred by the turning conveyor 40. It is configured so as not to hinder the feed 12 from being sent into the article conveying path of the unloading conveyor 48.
[0020]
Here, when the object 12 is heavy such as a beverage container or has a shape with irregularities or the like on the bottom surface and the friction on the belt surface of the carry-out conveyor 48 is large, the belt of the carry-out conveyor 48 is used. By adopting a belt whose material conveying surface has a low coefficient of friction with respect to the article 12, for example, a silicon-coated material, even the article 12 as described above, the article 12 separated from the turning conveyor 40 is It is possible to prevent a sudden change in posture when being taken over and conveyed by the carry-out conveyors 48 that are arranged crosswise, and in addition, it is possible to satisfactorily convey the article guide 50 along the protruding portion 12a. It is possible to do.
[0021]
Operation of the embodiment
Next, a description will be given of the operation of the article orientation aligning apparatus according to the embodiment having the above-described configuration in the case where articles 12 of the same type are aligned and accumulated in each lane of the multi-row conveyor 14.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, the articles 12 conveyed in five rows by the multi-row conveyor 14 include a first stopper 26 facing a regulation position of a cutting set 20 provided for each lane of the cutting device 18. The sheets are regulated and accumulated by the second stopper 28. When it is detected by the detecting means (not shown) that the number of the articles 12 has reached the predetermined amount, and when all the articles 12 in the first row in each lane (column) are detected by the detecting means, The articles 12 are cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14. That is, when the first air cylinder 22 is first urged to move the first stopper 26 from the regulation position to the standby position, the articles 12 in the first row are cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14 to the transport conveyor 30. At this time, since the second stopper 28 is held at the regulation position, the subsequent article 12 is not sent out to the transport conveyor 30. Then, after returning the first stopper 26 from the standby position to the restriction position, the second air cylinder 24 is urged to move the second stopper 28 from the restriction position to the standby position. The sheet is transported to a position where it contacts the first stopper 26. Thereafter, when the second stopper 28 is returned from the standby position to the regulation position, the subsequent conveyance of the article 12 is regulated.
[0023]
The five articles 12 transferred to the conveyor 30 in a line are aligned and conveyed by the conveyor 30 so that the outer peripheral surface of the article 12 contacts the belt surface of the array conveyor 32. The first articles 12 sent out from the first lane of the multi-row conveyor 14 pass without contacting the alignment conveyor 32. In addition, the other four articles 12 are transferred in a line toward the transport end portion with the rotation of the alignment conveyor 32 in a state where each of the four articles 12 is in contact with the belt surface of the alignment conveyor 32. Then, the second to fifth articles 12 cut out from the second to fifth lanes following the first article 12 cut out from the first lane are transferred from the transfer end portion of the alignment conveyor 32 to the transfer conveyor 30. In one side in the width direction, the articles are conveyed toward the turning conveyor 40 in a state of being arranged in one row at predetermined intervals in the article conveying direction.
[0024]
Each article 12 continuously conveyed by the conveyor 30 sequentially contacts the belt surface of the turning conveyor 40, and the turning of the turning conveyor 40 causes the article 12 to rotate, and as shown in FIG. Is transported toward the transport end portion while keeping the posture hooked on the belt surface. Each article 12 is held in contact with the belt surface of the turning conveyor 40 by the conveying force of the conveying conveyor 30. Since the turning conveyor 40 is set to a length and a speed capable of rotating the article 12 by at least 360 degrees while the article 12 is transported to the transport end portion, the orientation (the position of the protruding portion 12a) is irregular. All the articles 12 conveyed in a proper state can be reliably rotated to a position where the protruding portions 12a abut on the belt surface. That is, while the articles 12 are transported along the diverting conveyor 40, all the articles 12 are aligned so that the protrusions 12a abut on the belt surface. At this time, the article 12 is in a posture in which the protruding portion 12a faces the downstream side.
[0025]
When the articles 12 are transferred from the transport conveyor 30 to the unloading conveyor 48, the articles 12 released from the transport end of the diverting conveyor 40 have a rotational inertia due to the rotational force of the diverting conveyor 40 and the unloading conveyor 48. A slight rotational force acts due to the conveying force, and the article guide 50 is brought into a posture in which the protruding portion 12a facing one side of the article 12 on the downstream side is brought into contact. Each article 12 is conveyed downstream by the unloading conveyor 48 while the other side of the article 12 is guided by the auxiliary article guide 52 in a state in which the protruding portion 12a is in sliding contact with the article guide 50. That is, in the unloading conveyor 48, the articles 12 are transported in a state where the directions of the articles 12 are aligned in a certain direction, and are packed in a predetermined number of films by a packaging machine connected on the downstream side.
[0026]
As described above, the article 12 conveyed by the conveyor 30 is held by the conveying force of the conveyor 30 so as to be in contact with the belt surface of the turning conveyor 40, and the article 12 is rotated by the turning force of the turning conveyor 40. Since the rotation direction of the article 12 is configured to be uniform, no detecting means for detecting the direction of the article 12 or means for controlling the amount of rotation of the article 12 is required, and the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Further, there is no need to dispose the position regulating means of the article 12 on the side facing the turning conveyor 40 with the article 12 interposed therebetween, so that the configuration can be further simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0027]
Next, a description will be given of a case where articles 12 of different types are arranged and accumulated on each lane of the multi-row conveyor 14 in a different manner from the case where the same kind of articles 12 are arranged and accumulated as described above.
[0028]
In the same manner as described above, in a state where the conveyance of the articles 12 in the first row is regulated by the cutting device 18 of the multi-row conveyor 14, the cutting set 20 arranged in the first lane is moved as described above. It operates and cuts out the first article 12 from the first lane to the conveyor 30. Next, the cutout sets 20 arranged in the second lane, the third lane, the fourth lane, and the fifth lane arranged in order from the downstream side to the upstream side of the transfer of the alignment conveyor 32 are different in timing in this order. Then, the corresponding second to fifth articles 12 are sequentially cut out on the conveyor 30. That is, the five articles 12 cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14 are transported by the transport conveyor 30 in a state where they are separated from each other in the article transport direction, and abut on the belt surface of the alignment conveyor 32 to be at the article end. When being transported toward, the cutting order by the cutting device 18 is maintained. Accordingly, the order of the five articles 12 sent out from the transport end of the alignment conveyor 32 toward the turning conveyor 40 is the same as the order cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14, and after the orientation is aligned by the turning conveyor 40. The order of the articles conveyed to the packaging machine by the unloading conveyor 48 is also the same.
[0029]
[Modification example]
The present application is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and other configurations can be appropriately adopted.
1. In the embodiment, the multi-row articles 12 are arranged in one row by the alignment conveyor 32 and are sent to the turning conveyor 40. However, the articles 12 are delivered to the transport conveyor 30 in a single row from the previous process and conveyed. May be performed. Further, the number of rows of articles conveyed by the multi-row conveyor 14 is not limited to five, and may be any number.
2. In the embodiment, the article 12 sent out from the transfer end of the diverting conveyor 40 is transferred to the unloading conveyor 48 and is transported in a direction intersecting the transporting conveyor 30. However, the transporting conveyor 30 is not provided without the unloading conveyor 48. May be further extended to the downstream side, and the articles 12 sent out from the transport end of the diverting conveyor 40 may be continuously transported downstream by the transport conveyor 30. Further, the unloading conveyor 48 may be linearly connected to the transport end of the transport conveyor 30 so that the transport direction is aligned.
3. In the embodiment, the inclination directions of the alignment conveyor 32 and the diverting conveyor 40 are set to be opposite to each other, but may be inclined in the same direction.
4. The order of operation of the respective cutting sets 20 in the cutting device 18 can be set in an arbitrary order.
5. With regard to the shape of the article, the cylindrical shape is not limited to a perfect circular shape, but can be applied to a substantially cylindrical shape such as an ellipse or a polygon close to an arc.
6. In the embodiment, the alignment conveyor and the diverting conveyor are arranged on one conveyor, but the two conveyors are arranged in series, and the aligning conveyor and the diverting conveyor are arranged on each conveyor. May be.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the article orientation device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the turning conveyor is disposed above the transport conveyor that transports the articles in the upright posture so as to block the course of the articles transported by the transport conveyor. Since the articles are arranged in an inclined position and transported while rotating the articles in contact with the belt surface of the conveyor, the directions of the articles can be aligned with a simple configuration. That is, there is no need for a detecting means for detecting the direction of the article or a means for controlling the amount of rotation of the article, and further, no means for regulating the position of the article in contact with the turning conveyor is required. Can be reduced at a low cost.
[0031]
According to the article orientation aligning device of the second aspect, articles conveyed in multiple rows can be sent to the orientation aligning apparatus in a single row and aligned. In the article orientation aligning device according to the third aspect, the articles whose orientation has been aligned by the orientation aligning device can be transported by the unloading conveyor in a direction intersecting with the transport conveyor. Further, according to the article orientation aligning apparatus according to the fourth aspect, it is possible to align the orientation of the multi-row articles of different types accumulated on the multi-row conveyor by the turning conveyor while maintaining the order.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an article orientation aligning apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an article orientation aligning apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a main part of the cutting device according to the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 articles, 12 a protrusion, 14 multi-row conveyor 18 cutting-out device (cutting-out means), 30 transport conveyor 32 alignment conveyor, 40 turning conveyor, 48 unloading conveyor 50 article guide

Claims (4)

An apparatus for aligning the direction of a cylindrical article (12) provided with a projection (12a) on a part of an outer peripheral surface thereof,
A conveying conveyor (30) for conveying the article (12) in a standing posture;
Above the conveyor (30), the conveying end is disposed in a slanted position such that the outer peripheral surface of the article (12) comes into contact with the belt surface and obstructs the course of the article (12) so that the conveying end is displaced downstream. A turning conveyor (40) for transferring the contacted article (12) toward the transport end while rotating the article (12);
The diverting conveyor (40) is configured to move the articles (12) conveyed at predetermined intervals by the conveyor (30) from the time they come into contact with the belt surface to the time when the articles (12) are conveyed to the conveying end. The article (12) is set to be rotatable at least 360 degrees,
The article (12) rotated in a state where the position of the article (12) in contact with the belt surface of the diverting conveyor (40) is not restricted on the opposing surface side of the diverting conveyor (40) is fixed to the belt surface. The article orientation device, wherein the projecting portion (12a) is configured to be transported downstream in a supported posture. A multi-row conveyor (14) connected to the upstream side of the transport conveyor (30) and transporting a plurality of articles (12) in multiple rows;
An inclined position in which the outer peripheral surface of the article (12) is in contact with the belt surface and the transport end is displaced downstream so as to block the course between the multi-row conveyor (14) and the diverting conveyor (40). Each article (12) sent out from the multi-row conveyor (14) line by row from the multi-row conveyor (14) comes into contact with the belt surface and is transported toward the transport terminal end. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment conveyor (32) for feeding the articles (12) in a line toward the diverting conveyor (40). An unloading conveyor (48) is disposed so as to intersect with the transfer end of the transfer conveyor (30). At the same time, an article guide (50) is provided on one side in the width direction so as to extend from a position close to the transport end of the diverting conveyor (40) toward the downstream side of the unloading conveyor (48). 3. The article according to claim 1, wherein the article (12) transferred to (48) is configured to be conveyed in a state of sliding on the article guide (50) with its protruding portion (12 a) facing the upstream side. Equipment for aligning goods. The multi-row conveyor (14) is configured to line up and stack articles (12) of different types in each row thereof, and to move articles (12) from the top row of the stacked articles toward the transport conveyor (30). 12) that sequentially cuts out individual articles (12) at different cutting timings for each row of the multi-row conveyor (14). ) So that the articles (12) are conveyed in one line from the transfer end of the alignment conveyor (32) through the turning conveyor (40) in the cutting order by the cutting means (18). The article orientation aligning device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein:

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