JP2006206253A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying device capable of conveying objects properly. <P>SOLUTION: The conveying device 2 is equipped with an endless body 6 and a plurality of conveying plates 8 laid on the endless body 6 in the in-line arrangement along the conveying direction. Each conveying plate 8 has a stationary plate part fixed to the endless body 6 in the horizontal condition. A projected part is formed at one end about the conveying direction of the stationary plate part, while the other end of the stationary plate part is furnished with a rotary plate part in such a manner as rotatable in the vertical direction. In the first region, a vessel W can be conveyed in the horizontal attitude while it is placed on the stationary plate part and the rotary plate part both being in the horizontal condition, and in the second region, can be conveyed in the tilting attitude being supported by the projected part and the rotary plate part in the upright condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device that can appropriately transfer an object to be transferred.

Conventionally, for example, a transport endless belt that supports and transports one side of a transported object (such as a lower tray), and transports while supporting the other side of the transported object and is transported at a rising slope in the previous transport period. The other side is sequentially lifted upward to incline the conveyed object by a predetermined amount, and in the latter half of the conveyance, the descending inclined portion sequentially lowers the other side of the conveyed object downward to make the conveyed object substantially horizontal. 2. Description of the Related Art A conveying device such as an automatic reversing device including an endless belt and a stopper that slidably supports one end of an inclined conveyance object is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-4-101926

  However, in the conventional conveying device, the stopper supports the one end of the object to be slidably slidable, so that the friction resistance between the stopper and the object to be conveyed increases as the inclination of the object to be conveyed increases, and the conveying There is a possibility that the endless belt and the object to be conveyed slip, and the object to be conveyed cannot be appropriately conveyed.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the conveying apparatus which can convey a to-be-conveyed object appropriately.

  The transport apparatus according to claim 1 includes an endless body and a plurality of transport plates that are juxtaposed along the transport direction on the endless body and transport the object to be transported. A fixed plate portion that is fixed in a horizontal state, a protruding portion that protrudes upward at one end in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the fixed plate portion, and a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the fixed plate portion A rotating plate portion which is provided at the other end portion of the direction so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and is turned into a horizontal state and an upright state by the rotation. In the first region, the objects to be conveyed are both in the horizontal state. It is conveyed in a horizontal posture placed on the fixed plate portion and the rotating plate portion, and in the second region, the object to be conveyed is inclined supported by the protruding portion and the standing rotating plate portion. It is transported in a posture.

  In the first area, the objects to be conveyed can both be conveyed in a horizontal posture placed on the fixed plate part and the rotating plate part in the horizontal state, and in the second area, the protruding part and the rotating plate part in the standing state can be transferred. Therefore, the object to be conveyed can be appropriately conveyed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the conveying device according to the first aspect, further comprising a rotating plate portion supporting guide rail that turns the rotating plate portion of the conveying plate upward to make it stand up.

  And it is possible to make the rotation board part of a conveyance board stand up reliably by the guide rail for rotation board part support.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the conveying apparatus according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a guide wall that guides the end of the conveyed object toward the protruding portion of the conveying plate when the posture of the conveyed object is changed. Is.

  The guide wall can reliably guide the end portion of the conveyed object toward the protruding portion of the conveying plate when the posture of the conveyed object is changed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the object to be transported can be transported in a horizontal posture placed on the fixed plate portion and the rotating plate portion in the horizontal state in the first region, and the protruding portion and the stand up in the second region. Since it can convey with the inclination attitude | position supported by the rotation board part of a state, a to-be-conveyed object can be conveyed appropriately.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the rotation board part of a conveyance board can be reliably stood up by the guide rail for rotation board part support.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, when changing the attitude | position of a to-be-conveyed object by the guide wall, the edge part of a to-be-conveyed object can be reliably guided toward the protrusion part of a conveyance board.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a cleaning device. The cleaning device 1 continuously transports a container W, for example, a top-opening lunch box, having a substantially rectangular opening W1 on its upper surface. However, it is a continuous container cleaning device that performs cleaning, for example, under-washing, by spraying a cleaning liquid (such as cleaning water).

  In the cleaning apparatus 1, while the container W is transported in the transport direction, the position of the container W during the transport is changed from an upward posture (horizontal posture) in which the opening W1 faces upward to a side in the transport direction. Cleaning means (washing water or the like) is sprayed toward the opening part W1 of the container W in the sideways attitude that is being conveyed by the conveying means 2 and the conveying means 2 that is the conveying device that changes to the lateral attitude (inclined attitude). As a result, the contents in the container W (leftover food, etc.) are discharged, and at the same time, the cleaning liquid ejecting means 3 for cleaning the inner surface of the container W, and the container W in the lateral orientation being conveyed by the conveying means 2 Water injection means 4 for changing the attitude of the container W from a lateral orientation to a downward orientation in which the opening W1 faces downward by injecting spray water toward the bottom surface of the container.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 and the like, the conveying means 2 is arranged along the conveying direction of the conveying means 2 and is a chain that rotates in a predetermined direction based on power from a driving means such as a motor (not shown). An endless body 6 is provided.

  The endless body 6 is rotatably spanned around a plurality of rotating bodies 7, and the endless body 6 can be bent at one place in the middle in the longitudinal direction and can transport a container W in the transport direction. A bent conveyance plate (strip-shaped plate) 8 that is a plate is juxtaposed along the conveyance direction over the entire length of the endless body 6 in a state of being adjacent to each other and aligned in the conveyance direction. Each bent conveyance plate 8 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape whose longitudinal direction coincides with a horizontal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the conveyance means 2 in a state before bending.

  Each of the plurality of bent conveyance plates 8 is rotated in a vertical direction around a fixed plate portion 11 fixed to the endless body 6 and a rotation central axis along the conveyance direction via a hinge 12 to the fixed plate portion 11. It has a pivotable plate portion 13 that can be provided. That is, the fixed plate portion 11 of the bent conveyance plate 8 is fixed to the endless body 6 in a horizontal state, and a rising plate portion 14 as a protrusion is perpendicular to one end portion in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the fixed plate portion 11. It is erected integrally with the state. In addition, one end portion in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the rotating plate portion 13 is rotatably attached to the other end portion in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the fixed plate portion 11. The other end in the direction orthogonal to the direction is a free end.

  Further, the conveying means 2 supports the rotating plate portion 13 of the bent conveying plate 8 from below, and rotates the rotating plate portion 13 upward with respect to the fixed plate portion 11 at a predetermined position to change the posture of the container W. It has a bar-shaped rotating plate portion support guide rail (hereinafter referred to as “support rail”) 16 that changes from an upward posture (horizontal posture) to a side posture (tilted posture). The support rail 16 is located from the conveyance start end to the conveyance end of the conveyance means 2, supports the rotating plate portion 13 in a horizontal state at a position on the conveyance start end side and a position on the conveyance end side, and a rotation plate portion at a conveyance intermediate position. 13 is erected by rotating upward, and the rotating plate portion 13 is supported in an erected state (inclined state) that is positioned higher toward the free end side.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, at the position on the conveyance start end side, which is the first region (first conveyance period), the rotating plate portion 13 of the bent conveyance plate 8 is supported in a horizontal state by the support rails 16 and both are horizontal. On the fixed plate portion 11 and the rotating plate portion 13 in the state, the container W is placed so as to straddle both the plate portions 11 and 13 in an upward posture. That is, in the first region, the container W is placed on the fixed plate portion 11 and the rotating plate portion 13 in the horizontal state by the bent conveyance plate 8 that rotates together with the endless body 6, and the opening portion W1 faces upward. It is transported in the horizontal posture.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the rotation plate portion 13 of the bent conveyance plate 8 is pushed upward by the support rail 16 at the conveyance intermediate position that is the second region (intermediate conveyance period). The container W is supported in an upright state (an inclined state close to about 90 degrees) and is supported on the fixed plate part 11 in the horizontal state and the rotary plate part 13 in the upright state. It is placed in the orientation. Note that the lateral orientation here is not limited to the orientation in which the opening W1 of the container W is directed sideways, but also includes a tilted orientation that is inclined slightly upward relative to the side. It is.

  When the rotating plate 13 is rotated upward with respect to the fixed plate portion 11 of the bent conveying plate 8, that is, when the posture of the container W is changed, the side end W2 on one side facing the opening W1 of the container W is bent and conveyed. It is located above the rising plate portion 14 of the plate 8 and comes into contact with a guide wall 17 that is a vertical side wall disposed along the conveying direction, so that the guide wall 17 moves downward toward the rising plate portion 14. The side end W2 of the container W is caught by the rising plate portion 14 when the rotating plate portion 13 is in a substantially vertical standing state, and the entire container W has a desired lateral orientation (inclined posture). Become. That is, in the second region, the container W is supported in such a manner as to be sandwiched between the rising plate portion 14 and the upright rotating plate portion 13 and is conveyed in an inclined posture with the opening W1 facing sideways. The guide wall 17 is disposed at least from the upper rotation start position to the upper rotation end position of the rotation plate portion 13 so that the container W does not slide and move in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. Further, when the container W is in a lateral orientation on the bent conveyance plate 8, the fixed plate portion 11 needs to have an interval at which at least the side surface portion of the container W can be placed, and the rising plate portion 14 has a side end portion of the container W. The rotation plate portion 13 preferably has a length that can support a position higher than half of the bottom surface portion of the container W.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid is transported from the cleaning pipe 22 that also serves as a guide rail for preventing the tipping of the container W and the four cleaning nozzles 21 having different heights of the cleaning liquid ejecting means 3 in the second region. When it is sprayed toward the opening W1 of the container W in the orientation, the contents in the container W are discharged and at the same time the inner surface of the container W is cleaned. The contents discharged out of the container W are stored in a content storage unit (not shown).

  The four washing nozzles 21 are arranged at different height positions and are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the carrying direction, and the washing nozzles 21 on the downstream side in the carrying direction so that the inner surface of the container W is washed in order from the top. It is arranged at a lower position. Further, the cleaning pipe 22 of the cleaning liquid spraying means 3 is arranged along the transport direction so as to prevent the lateral orientation of the container W from being lost, and the cleaning pipe 22 has a plurality of spray holes (not shown). It is formed toward W.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper portion of the bottom surface portion of the container W in a lateral orientation in which spray water is transported from one spray nozzle 23 of the water spray means 4 at a position downstream of the cleaning liquid spray means 3 in the transport direction. The container W is rotated in the direction away from the rotating plate part 13 around the vicinity of the side end W2 on the side where the container W is caught by the rising plate part 14, and the attitude of the container W is changed to the side. The orientation changes from the orientation to the downward orientation.

  The container W in a downward orientation is supported by a rising plate portion 14 of the bent conveyance plate 8 and a plurality of conveyance plates 33 fixed to an endless body 32 such as a chain of the feed conveyor 31. After being conveyed in the conveying direction along the vertical guide plate 35 in the orientation posture, it is sent to the next process (main cleaning device) by the carry-out conveyor 36 such as a mesh conveyor.

  The feed conveyor 31 and the guide plate 35 can be moved and adjusted in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction according to the size of the container W. That is, the distance between the bent conveying plate 8 of the conveying means 2 and the conveying plate 33 of the feed conveyor 31 can be adjusted according to the size of the container W.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rotating plate portion 13 of the bent conveyance plate 8 gradually descends toward the conveyance direction at the end of the support rail 16 at the conveyance end position in the third region (late conveyance phase). Even if it is rotated downward so as to follow the downwardly inclined portion 16a for return, it returns to the original horizontal state, and the bent conveyance plate 8 becomes flat. The bent conveyance plate 8 moves in a flat plate shape at the return path position of the endless body 6.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an emergency guide rail 41 for changing the posture of the container W from a lateral orientation to a downward orientation is disposed near the reversing water jetting means 4. Yes. This guide rail 41 acts only on the container W that has not been in a downward posture due to the water jetted by the water jetting means 4.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, in the portion where the rotating plate portion 13 of the bent conveying plate 8 is rotated upward with respect to the fixed plate portion 11 in order to place the container W in the lateral direction, the bent conveying plate The endless body to which 8 is fixed is composed of a downwardly inclined portion that gradually descends in the conveying direction.

  By tilting the load of the container W forward, which is the conveyance direction, the container W can smoothly change from the upward posture to the lateral posture without causing the container W to rattle on the bent conveyance plate 8. It has become.

  In addition, an auxiliary brush 43 that rotates about a rotation center axis that coincides with a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction is disposed above the fixed plate portion 11 at a position near the downward inclined portion. . As shown in FIG. 9, the auxiliary brush 43 gradually rotates the rotating plate portion 13 upward so that the container W is transported in the lateral direction while transporting the container W. The portion on the downstream fixed plate portion 11 is pressed to prevent the container W from being lifted on the downstream side in the transport direction, thereby smoothing the posture from the upward orientation to the lateral orientation. The auxiliary brush 43 is not always necessary.

  In addition, a lid removing means (not shown) for removing the lid that closes the opening W1 of the container W is disposed at the conveyance start end of the conveying means 2, and the lid removed from the container W by the lid removing means is Then, it is sent to the next process (main cleaning device) by the lid conveyor (not shown) together with the containers W by the carry-out conveyor 36.

  Next, the operation and the like of the cleaning device will be described.

  The container W containing uneaten leftovers and other contents is a flat plate shape of the conveying means 2 in the horizontal posture in which the opening portion W1 faces upward after the lid is removed by the lid removing means. Is mounted on the bent conveying plate 8 and is conveyed by the bent conveying plate 8. In the middle of the conveyance by the conveyance means 2, the container W is in a tilted posture in which the opening W 1 is directed to the side in the conveyance direction due to the bending of the bent conveyance plate 8. It is transported in the horizontal direction.

  When the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 21 and the cleaning pipe 22 toward the opening of the container W in the lateral direction, the contents in the container W are discharged and at the same time the inner surface of the container W is cleaned. The

  Thereafter, when the spray water is sprayed from the spray nozzle 23 toward the bottom surface portion of the container W in the lateral orientation, the container W rotates in the direction away from the rotating plate portion 13 and is in the downward orientation. The container W is in a horizontal posture, and is transported in the transport direction by the bent transport plate 8 of the transport means 2 and the transport plate 33 of the feed conveyor 31 while being in the downward orientation, and is transported to the carry-out conveyor 36.

  When the container W is changed to the downward posture, the container W is vigorously rotated by the force received from the spray water from the spray nozzle 23 and collides with the transport plate 33 of the feed conveyor 31. For this reason, even if the contents that have not been discharged due to the spray of the cleaning liquid remain, they are completely discharged from the container W due to the collision between the container W and the transport plate 33.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, the container W is placed on the fixed plate portion 11 and the rotating plate portion 13 in the horizontal state in the first region using the bendable conveyance plate 8 that can be bent. In the second region, the container W can be transported in a substantially vertical inclination supported by the rising plate portion 14 and the upright rotating plate portion 13 in the second region. The container W can be transported, and the container W is placed on the bent transport plate 8 and transported without touching the other. Therefore, stagnation due to slippage during transportation, damage to the container W, and the like can be prevented. Further, when the container W is a shallow container having a low height, it can be transported without taking a place by transporting in an inclined posture, and therefore a large number of containers W can be transported in parallel.

  Further, since the bent conveyance plate 8 conveys the inclined container W while supporting the side end portion W2 and the bottom plate portion, the injection liquid pressure of the cleaning liquid injection means 3 can be increased, and the cleaning power can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the container W is inclined with the rotating plate portion 13 in the standing state. However, depending on the shape and size of the container W, the container W is not necessarily rotated to the standing state. It is not a thing.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the lid removing means and the lid transporting conveyor are provided has been described. For example, the container W is put into the transport start end portion of the transporting means 2 without opening the lid and opening W1. In some cases, lid removal means and lid transport conveyors are not necessary.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the transport unit 2 is applied to the cleaning apparatus 1 that cleans the transported object such as the container W while the transported object is inclined while being transported is described. The present invention can also be applied to an article discharge device (such as a reversing device) that discharges the contents in the transported object or the placed object on the transported object while the transported object is transported while the transported object is inclined in the middle of the transport. In this case, the tilted posture of the transported object is not limited as long as the contents in the transported object or the placed object on the transported object can be discharged. The range is freely set by the rotation of the rotating plate portion 13, and is not limited to a certain inclined posture.

  In the above-described embodiment, the transported portion transported in the inclined posture is rotated by the water jet so as to be in the downward posture. However, by further bending the rotating plate portion 13 from the standing state, the transported portion is transported. The object may be placed in a downward posture or may be dropped from the bent conveyance plate 8 in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

  Further, by returning the rotating plate part 13 to the horizontal state, the conveyed object may be returned to the upward posture, and further, the rotating plate part 13 is bent from the horizontal state to the negative direction. Thus, the object to be conveyed may be slipped off from the bent conveyance plate 8 in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

It is a schematic plan view of the washing | cleaning apparatus provided with one Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic front view of a washing apparatus same as the above. It is III-III sectional drawing in FIG. It is IV-IV sectional drawing in FIG. It is VV sectional drawing in FIG. It is VI-VI sectional drawing in FIG. It is VII-VII sectional drawing in FIG. It is VIII-VIII sectional drawing in FIG. It is a top view of the auxiliary brush of a washing | cleaning apparatus same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

2 Conveying means that is a conveying device 6 Endless body 8 Bent conveying plate that is a conveying plate
11 Fixed plate
13 Rotating plate
14 Rise plate that is a protrusion
16 Guide rail for supporting the rotating plate (support rail)
17 Guide wall W Container to be transported

Claims (3)

Endless,
A plurality of transport plates that are arranged in parallel along the transport direction on the endless body and transport the object to be transported,
Each of the transport plates is
A fixed plate portion fixed horizontally to the endless body,
A protruding portion provided in a protruding shape upward at one end portion in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the fixed plate portion;
A rotation plate portion provided at the other end in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the fixed plate portion so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and having a horizontal state and a standing state by the rotation;
In the first region, the objects to be conveyed are both conveyed in a horizontal posture placed on the fixed plate portion and the rotating plate portion in a horizontal state,
In the second region, the object to be conveyed is conveyed in an inclined posture supported by the protruding portion and the rotating plate portion in the standing state. The conveyance device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation plate portion supporting guide rail that rotates the rotation plate portion of the conveyance plate in an upright state. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guide wall that guides an end of the transported object toward the protruding portion of the transport plate when changing the posture of the transported object.

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