JP2006089149A - Conveying device and inspection system having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying device having a guide capable of shifting an article from a delivering part of an upstream conveyor to a receiving part of a downstream conveyor while stably maintaining the article conveying attitude when the delivering part of the upstream conveyor and the receiving part of the downstream conveyor for delivering and receiving the article are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction of the conveyor. <P>SOLUTION: In the conveying device having a guide provided across upper portions of the delivering part and receiving part to change the direction toward downstream conveyor while supporting side faces of an article to be conveyed by the upstream conveyor from both sides, a bent portion of the guide provided to change the direction to direct the article from the upstream conveyor to the downstream conveyor, is formed in a curved shape. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport apparatus in which a transfer section of an upstream conveyor to which articles are transferred and a receiving section of a downstream conveyor are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other in the width direction of the conveyor, and an inspection system including the same.

  In the production process of processed foods, inspections such as metal detection and weight check are performed on articles being conveyed. Since these inspections need to be performed individually for each article, it is necessary to secure a predetermined interval or more between the articles being conveyed. However, as a result of increasing the production speed, the interval between the produced articles is reduced, and the articles are often conveyed while the small interval is maintained. In order to cope with this, a conveyance device has been proposed that can widen the interval in the conveyance direction for an article being conveyed.

  As such a conveying device, as described in JP-A-2002-61569, two top chain type conveyors are arranged in series, and a pair of left and right side conveyors are provided so as to straddle the upper sides of both conveyors. Arranged in parallel, the side of the article conveyed on the upstream conveyor is sandwiched between a pair of side conveyors, decelerated, and then transferred to the downstream conveyor having a high conveyance speed, thereby widening the interval between the articles. There is something to do. However, in the above conveying device, the article may collide with the tip of the side conveyor, causing the article to fall or be damaged, and when a plurality of articles are sandwiched at the same time by the side conveyor, it is driven by the load. The motor may break down.

  Therefore, the applicant of the present application has proposed a transport device that can change the interval between articles without using a side conveyor (see Patent Document 1). In this transport device, as shown in FIG. 6, the first conveyor 10, the second conveyor 20, and the third conveyor 30 (all of which are transported in the direction of the arrow X <b> 1 by the top chain conveyor) in order from the upstream (left side of the drawing) The first conveyor 10 and the second conveyor 20, the second conveyor 20 and the third conveyor 30 are parallel to each other, and the upstream conveyor passing section and the downstream conveyor receiving section Are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction of the conveyor. Above these conveyors, rail-shaped guides 40 and 50 arranged in pairs in the width direction of the conveyor so as to straddle the transfer section of the upstream conveyor and the receiving section of the downstream conveyor in an oblique direction. Is provided.

The guides 40 and 50 are in contact with each other so as to sandwich the side surface of the article G conveyed on the upstream conveyor from both sides, so that the traveling direction of the article G is indicated by an oblique lateral direction (indicated by arrows Y1 and Y2 in the figure). In the direction in which the sheet is transferred to the receiving part of the downstream conveyor from the transfer part of the upstream conveyor. The conveyor speed of the second conveyor 20 is set to be slower than that of the first conveyor 10 and the third conveyor 30. After the articles conveyed on the first conveyor 10 are moved to the second conveyor 20 and decelerated, the second conveyor 20 is further decelerated. The three conveyors 30 are moved and accelerated to widen the interval between articles in the transport direction. According to this transport device, an article can be transferred between top chain conveyors having different speeds without using a side conveyor. There is no fear of occurrence, and the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of parts.
JP 2004-196474 A

  The guides 40 and 50 provided in the conveying device are provided above the upstream conveyor and lead in the articles G into the guides. The guides 40 and 50 extend obliquely in the lateral direction from the introduction parts to the downstream conveyor. It consists of moving parts 40b, 50b to be moved and discharge parts 40c, 50c that are provided above the downstream conveyor and discharge the moved articles. Here, in order to convey the article G as stably as possible, the guides are arranged so that the widths of the respective parts are constant. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide 40 is unified with a width W1, and the guide 50 is unified with a width W2.

  However, in the bent portions 40d and 50d that become the connecting portions of the introduction portions 40a and 50a and the moving portions 40b and 50b, or in the bent portions 40e and 50e that become the connecting portions of the moving portions 40b and 50b and the discharge portions 40c and 50c, The guide width (W3, W4) is wider than other parts (introducing part, moving part, discharging part) (W1 <W3, W2 <W4). Therefore, the conveyance posture of the article to be conveyed is disturbed at the bent portion, and as a result, the interval between the articles necessary for the inspection cannot be secured, and when the article is vertically long, the article falls down. Arise.

  In addition, when the article to be transported is a paper pack product such as milk, the center of the article in the vertical direction swells in the horizontal direction due to the pressure of the contents, etc. The amount of swelling was variously different, and all articles could not be stably conveyed.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, the invention of the present application is in the case where the transfer section of the upstream conveyor to which the article is transferred and the receiving section of the downstream conveyor are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction of the conveyor. A conveying device including a guide capable of transferring an article from a transfer section of an upstream conveyor to a receiving section of a downstream conveyor while stably maintaining the conveying posture of the article, and an inspection system including the same.

The invention according to claim 1 is such that the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor are parallel to each other, and the transfer section of the upstream conveyor and the receiving section of the downstream conveyor are mutually in the width direction of the conveyor. Are located adjacent to each other,
A transport device provided over the transfer unit and the receiving unit and provided with a guide that changes a direction toward the downstream conveyor while supporting a side surface of an article transported by the upstream conveyor from both sides. ,
The guide provides a conveying device characterized in that a bent portion provided to change the direction of the article from the upstream conveyor to the downstream conveyor is formed in a curved shape.

Invention of Claim 2 is the conveying apparatus of Claim 1,
The guide provides a conveying device characterized by supporting the vicinity of the bottom of the article.

The invention of claim 3 is the transfer device according to claim 1,
The guide is provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction.

Invention of Claim 4 is the conveying apparatus of Claim 3,
At least one of the guides provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction supports the vicinity of the bottom of the article.

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides the conveying apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
Provided is a transport device comprising a slide mechanism capable of translating the guide in a horizontal direction.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the conveyance device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
There is provided an inspection system including an inspection device that is disposed downstream thereof and inspects an article that is discharged from the transfer device at regular intervals.

  According to the conveying apparatus of claim 1, since the bent portion of the guide that supports the side surface of the article from both sides is formed in a curved shape, the guide width can be set uniformly, and as a result, the article There is an excellent effect that the conveying posture can be stabilized.

  According to the conveying apparatus of Claim 2, in addition to the effect which the conveying apparatus of Claim 1 has, there exists the following outstanding effect. Since the vicinity of the bottom of the article is supported, when the article to be transported is a paper pack product such as milk, the part with the least amount of deformation (swelling amount) is surely supported, and as a result The article conveying posture can be stabilized.

  According to the conveying apparatus of Claim 3, in addition to the effect which the conveying apparatus of Claim 1 has, there exists the following outstanding effect. Since the guide for supporting the article is provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction, when the article to be transported is vertically long, it can be supported so that the article does not tilt in the horizontal direction. The conveyance posture can be stabilized.

  According to the conveying apparatus of Claim 4, in addition to the effect which the conveying apparatus of Claim 3 has, there exists the following outstanding effect. Since at least one of the guides provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction supports the vicinity of the bottom of the article, when the article to be transported is a paper pack product such as milk, the amount of deformation (the amount of swelling) As a result, the conveying posture of the article can be stabilized.

  According to the conveying apparatus of Claim 5, in addition to the effect which the conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4, there exists the following outstanding effect. Since the slide mechanism that can translate the guide in the horizontal direction is provided, an optimum guide width can be set according to the article to be conveyed, and as a result, the conveyance posture of the article can be stabilized. Is.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.1 and FIG.2 is the top view and front view of the test | inspection system 1 which concern on this embodiment. 3A and 3B are views showing the guides 24 and 25 of the transport apparatus 2 provided in the inspection system 1, wherein FIG. 3A is a plan view and FIG. 3B is a view A of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the article G is guided and conveyed by the guides 24 and 25. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

[Inspection system 1]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inspection system 1 includes a transport device 2, a metal detection unit 3 as an inspection device, a print inspection unit 4 and a weight measurement unit 5, and a defective product exclusion unit 6. It becomes. The transfer device 2 receives an article G (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) supplied from an upstream process, and widens the interval in the transfer direction between the articles G toward an inspection device disposed downstream thereof. To discharge. The metal detection unit 3 inspects the presence or absence of metal in the article G, the print inspection unit 4 inspects the printing on the article G by an ink jet printer and its suitability, and the weight measurement unit 5 performs the weight inspection of the article G. Do. If it is determined in the inspection by the inspection apparatus that the article G has defects such as metal contamination, printing defects, excess or insufficient weight, the extension arm 61 of the defective article exclusion unit 6 is extended to expand the article. G is excluded from the process.

[Conveyor 2]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport device 2 includes a first conveyor 21, a second conveyor 22, and a third conveyor 23 that are sequentially provided on the support 2 a from the upstream side (the left side of the drawing), The first guide 24 and the second guide 25 that are provided over the upper side and transfer the article G to be conveyed between the conveyors, and ensure an interval necessary for the inspection of the article G in the conveyance direction. Disconnect.

[First conveyor 21, second conveyor 22, and third conveyor 23]
The first conveyor 21, the second conveyor 22, and the third conveyor 23 are all top-chain conveyors that convey articles placed on the upper surface, and are parallel to each other as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. And is driven in the direction of arrow X. The second conveyor 22 is arranged so as to overlap each other in the transport (drive) direction with respect to the first conveyor 21 and the third conveyor 23, and the receiving portion 22 a provided on the upstream side of the second conveyor 22 is A transfer part 22b that is adjacent to the transfer part 21b in the width direction and is provided on the downstream side of the transfer part 21b is adjacent to the receiving part 23a of the third conveyor 23 in the width direction. That is, the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor provided subsequent thereto are parallel to each other, and the transfer section of the upstream conveyor and the receiving section of the downstream conveyor are adjacent to each other in the width direction of the conveyor. Is arranged.

  The second conveyor 22 is set to have a lower conveyance speed than the first conveyor 21 and the third conveyor 23. As a result, the interval between the articles G in the transport direction is narrowed by the transfer from the first conveyor 21 to the second conveyor 22 and is widened by the transfer from the second conveyor 22 to the third conveyor 23. Thereby, about the articles | goods G which pass the conveying apparatus 2, separation in the conveyance direction is performed, and the space | interval required for a test | inspection downstream is ensured. Note that an acceleration device (not shown) is provided so as to straddle the second conveyor 22 and the third conveyor 23. The acceleration device includes a driving roller that rotates around the vertical axis at a circumferential speed that is substantially the same as the conveying speed of the third conveyor 23, and an auxiliary roller that is provided so as to face the driving roller. Accelerate in the transport direction by sandwiching the side from both sides. As a result, the article G can be smoothly transferred from the second conveyor 22 having a low conveyance speed to the third conveyor 23 having a high conveyance speed.

[First Guide 24 and Second Guide 25]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the first guide 24 is provided so as to straddle over the transfer portion 21 b of the upstream first conveyor 21 and the receiving portion 22 a of the second conveyor 22 on the downstream side. The first guide 24 changes the direction of the article G toward the second conveyor 22 while guiding and supporting the side surfaces of the article G conveyed by the first conveyor 21 from both sides in the width direction of the conveyor. The second guide 25 is provided so as to straddle over the transfer portion 22b of the second conveyor 22 on the upstream side and the receiving portion 23a of the third conveyor 23 on the downstream side. The second guide 25 changes the direction of the article G toward the third conveyor 23 while guiding and supporting the side surface of the article G conveyed by the second conveyor 22 from both sides in the width direction of the conveyor. As will be described in detail later, the first guide 24 and the second guide 25 are provided at two locations (a plurality of positions) in the vertical direction, respectively, as shown in FIG. It is set to support the vicinity of the bottom of the article G.

  The first guide 24 includes guide bars 241 and 241 which are paired in the width direction of the conveyor in order to guide and support the side surface of the article G from both sides in the width direction of the conveyor. The guide bars 241 and 241 are formed of a pipe body having a circular cross section, and are bent so as to change the direction of the article G to be guided and supported. As shown in FIG. The introduction part 24a, the movement part 24b, and the discharge part 24c are formed in order from the side. The introduction part 24a extends in the conveying direction above the first conveyor 21, and introduces the article G into the guide. The moving part 24b extends obliquely in the lateral direction (arrow Ya direction) from the introducing part 24a and changes the direction of the article G toward the second conveyor 22. The discharge unit 24 c extends in the transport direction above the second conveyor 22 and discharges the article G moving from the first conveyor 21 downstream.

  Similarly to the first guide 24, the second guide 25 includes guide bars 251 and 251 which are paired in the width direction of the conveyor in order to guide and support the side surface of the article G from both sides in the width direction of the conveyor. The guide bars 251 and 251 have an R-shaped contact surface with the article, and are bent so as to change the direction of the article G to be guided and supported. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the introduction part 25a, the movement part 25b, and the discharge part 25c are formed in order from the upstream side. The introduction part 25a extends in the conveying direction above the second conveyor 22, and introduces the article G into the guide. The moving part 25 b extends obliquely in the lateral direction (arrow Yb direction) from the introducing part 25 a and changes the direction of the article G toward the third conveyor 23. The discharge unit 25c extends in the transport direction above the third conveyor 23, and discharges the article G moving from the second conveyor 22 toward an inspection apparatus disposed downstream. The acceleration device described above is provided along the moving unit 25b.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide bar 241 has a bent portion 24d that changes from the introduction portion 24a to the moving portion 24b of the first guide 24, and a bent portion 24e that changes from the moving portion 24b to the discharge portion 24c. Rather than being bent, it is formed into a curved shape so as to gradually change its direction. By doing in this way, the guide width of the first guide 24 including the introduction portion 24a, the moving portion 24b, the discharge portion 24c, and the bent portions 24d and 24e therebetween is a constant width dimension W. Set to

  As described above, the first guides 24 and 24 are provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 5A on both sides in the width direction of the conveyor. The both ends of the guide bars 241 and 241 arranged above and below are integrally connected by the connecting brackets 242 and 242. 3A, a long adjustment bolt 243 is fixed to one of the connection brackets 242 and a short adjustment bolt 244 is fixed to the other so as to extend outward in the width direction of the conveyor. The adjusting bolts 243 and 244 are fastened and fixed by an adjusting nut 245 in a state where the adjusting bolts 243 and 244 are inserted into through holes formed in the support brackets 26 and 27 provided on the support base 2a. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the adjustment nut 245, the first guide 24 can move in the width direction of the conveyor. That is, the transport device 2 includes a slide mechanism that can change the guide width by translating the first guide 24 in the horizontal direction by rotating the adjusting nut 245.

  As with the first guide 24, the guide bar 251 also has a bent portion 25d that changes from the introduction portion 25a to the moving portion 25b of the second guide 25, and from the moving portion 25b to the discharge portion 25c, as shown in FIG. The bent portion 25e that changes is not bent abruptly but is formed in a curved shape so as to gradually change direction. In this way, the second guide 25 has a guide width that is constant across the entire width including the introduction portion 25a, the moving portion 25b, the discharge portion 25c, and the bent portions 25d and 25e therebetween. Set to

  As described above, the second guides 25 and 25 are provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 5B on both sides in the width direction of the conveyor. The both ends of the guide bars 251 and 251 disposed above and below are integrally connected by the connection brackets 252 and 252. Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, a long adjustment bolt 253 is fixed to one side of the connection bracket 252 and a short adjustment bolt 254 is fixed to the other side so as to extend outward in the width direction of the conveyor. The adjusting rods 253 and 254 are fastened and fixed by adjusting nuts 255 while being inserted into through holes formed in the support brackets 27 and 28 provided on the support base 2a. Therefore, the first guide 25 can be moved in the width direction of the conveyor by adjusting the position of the adjustment nut 255. That is, the transport device 2 includes a slide mechanism that can change the guide width by translating the second guide 24 in the horizontal direction by rotating the adjustment nut 255.

  Unlike the first guide 24, the second guide 25 is formed with elongated holes 251a extending in the width direction of the conveyor in each of the upper and lower guide bars 251, 251 as shown in FIG. 5B. The fixing bracket 252 is fixed via a fixing bolt 251b inserted through the elongated hole 251a. Therefore, by loosening the fixing bolt 251b, the second guides 25, 25 provided at a plurality of upper and lower positions can be translated in the horizontal direction independently of each other. Therefore, the article G to be transported is a paper pack product of milk or the like, and as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5B, the bulge position and the bulge amount differ depending on the height dimension. Even in this case, the guide width of each guide can be adjusted according to their dimensions.

[Features of the above embodiment]
The transport apparatus 2 according to the embodiment and the inspection system 1 including the same have the following characteristic points.

  1stly, the conveying apparatus 2 and the inspection system 1 provided with it are provided ranging over the delivery part of the upstream conveyor arrange | positioned adjacently in parallel, and the receiving part of a downstream conveyor, and are conveyed by an upstream conveyor. The first guide 24 and the second guide 25 that change the direction toward the downstream conveyor while supporting the side surface of the article from both sides are provided. The guides 24 and 25 are configured to move the article G from the upstream conveyor to the downstream side. The bent portions 24d, 24e, 25d, and 25e provided to change the direction obliquely and laterally toward the conveyor have a characteristic point that they are formed in a curved shape. Thereby, the guide width can be set to a constant width dimension W in the entire conveyance path of the article G. As a result, variation in the frictional resistance of the guide acting on the article G being conveyed is suppressed, and the article G is not disturbed in its posture when changing between conveyors, and even if it is vertically long, it falls over. It is something that cannot be made. Therefore, the separation of the interval in the conveyance direction of the article G is stably performed.

  2ndly, the conveying apparatus 2 and the inspection system 1 provided with it have the characteristic point that the 1st guide 24 and the 2nd guide 25 are each provided in the several position of an up-down direction. As a result, when the article G to be conveyed is vertically long, the article G is supported so as not to incline in the width direction of the guide, that is, in the lateral direction.

  Third, the transport device 2 and the inspection system 1 including the transport device 2 are the bottom of the article G to which the lower guide among the first guide 24 and the second guide 25 provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction is transported. It has a feature point that it is set to support the vicinity. Therefore, even if the article G to be conveyed swells like a paper pack product such as milk, it is possible to reliably support the portion near the bottom with the least amount of deformation (the amount of swelling), and as a result The conveying posture of the article G can be stabilized.

  Fourth, the transport device 2 and the inspection system 1 including the transport device 2 have a feature that includes a slide mechanism that can translate the first guide 24 and the second guide 25 in the horizontal direction. When the article G to be conveyed is swollen like a paper pack product such as milk, and the height dimension of the article is different, the bulge position and the bulge amount are variously different. Accordingly, the guide width can be adjusted to an optimum value, and as a result, the conveying posture of the article can be stabilized.

  Fifth, the conveyance device 2 and the inspection system 1 including the same have a feature that the second guides 25 provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction can be translated in the horizontal direction independently of each other. When the article G to be transported is swollen like a paper pack product such as milk and is a vertically long article, the bulge position and the amount of bulge change variously in the height direction, By adjusting the guide width at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction, it is possible to support appropriately according to the shape, and as a result, the conveyance posture of the article can be stabilized.

[Modification of the above embodiment]
The transport apparatus 2 according to the embodiment and the inspection system 1 including the transport apparatus 2 are configured so that the transport speed of the second conveyor 22 is higher than the transport speed of the first conveyor 21 and the third conveyor 23 in order to ensure an article interval necessary for inspection. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be used to narrow the interval between articles to be conveyed. Further, in the case where there is no speed difference between adjacent conveyors, the present invention may be used to transfer between these conveyors.

  In addition, the conveyance device and the inspection system according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The top view of the inspection system concerning this embodiment. The front view of the inspection system concerning this embodiment. The guide of the conveying apparatus with which the inspection system concerning this embodiment is provided is shown, (a) is a top view and (b) is an A view of (a). The top view which shows a mode that articles | goods are guided by the guide of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view of the guide in FIG. 3, (a) is a BB cross section, (b) is a CC cross section. The top view which shows a mode that articles | goods are guided by the guide of the conveying apparatus with which the conventional inspection system is equipped.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection system 2 Conveyance apparatus 3 Metal detection part (inspection apparatus)
4 Print inspection section (inspection device)
5 Weight measuring unit (inspection device)
6 Defective product elimination unit 21 First conveyor 21b Delivery unit (first conveyor)
22 Second conveyor 22a Receiving part (second conveyor)
22b Transfer section (second conveyor)
23 Third conveyor 23a Receiving part (third conveyor)
24 1st guide 24a Introduction part (1st guide)
24b Moving part (first guide)
24c Discharge part (first guide)
24d bent part (first guide)
24e Bent part (first guide)
25 Second guide 25a Introducing section (second guide)
25b Moving part (second guide)
25c Discharge part (second guide)
25d Bent part (second guide)
25e Bent part (second guide)

Claims (6)

The upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor are arranged in parallel with each other, and the transfer section of the upstream conveyor and the receiving section of the downstream conveyor are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction of the conveyor. And
A transport device provided over the transfer unit and the receiving unit and provided with a guide that changes a direction toward the downstream conveyor while supporting a side surface of an article transported by the upstream conveyor from both sides. ,
The conveying device, wherein the bent portion provided to change the direction of the article from the upstream conveyor to the downstream conveyor is formed in a curved shape. In the conveyance apparatus of Claim 1,
The conveying device characterized in that the guide supports the vicinity of the bottom of the article. In the conveyance apparatus of Claim 1,
The conveying device characterized in that the guide is provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction. In the conveyance apparatus of Claim 3,
At least one of guides provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction supports the vicinity of the bottom of the article. In the conveyance apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
A transport apparatus comprising a slide mechanism capable of translating the guide in a horizontal direction. A transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
An inspection system comprising: an inspection device that is disposed downstream thereof and inspects an article that is discharged from the transport device at regular intervals.

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