JP2008195515A - Conveying device and control system for conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying device capable of suppressing collision of articles to be conveyed to each other when conveying of the article to be conveyed is stopped and suppressing mixing of dust or the like into a conveying passage. <P>SOLUTION: The conveying device has: a duct 10 in which the inside becomes the conveying passage 2 of the article C to be conveyed and exhausting holes 14 for exhausting the gas in the conveying passage 2 are formed on a plurality of portions in the longitudinal direction; an air feeding means for feeding the gas into the duct 10 so as to be directed in the conveying direction of the article C to be conveyed; and at least one gas chamber 20 communicated with at least a part of the exhausting hole 14 and introduced with the gas exhausted from the exhausting hole 14. The gas chamber 20 is provided with an exhaust port 25 for exhausting the gas introduced from the exhausting hole 14 to the outside; and an opening/closing means 26 for opening/closing the discharge port 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport apparatus that feeds gas into a transport path and transports an object to be transported in the transport direction by its pressure, and a control system for the transport apparatus.

  As described above, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, the inside of the conveyance device that conveys the object to be conveyed using the pressure of the gas is a conveyance path for the object to be conveyed at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction. A duct having an exhaust hole for exhausting the gas in the conveyance path to the outside, and an air supply means for sending gas from a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the duct into the duct in the conveyance direction Is provided. In such a transport device, the gas sent into the duct by the air feeding means is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust hole formed in the duct, so that a gas flow is generated and supplied into the transport path. The object to be conveyed is conveyed by being pressed in the conveying direction by this gas flow.

  Such a conveying device is used, for example, in a manufacturing process of various products to continuously supply a processing object (for example, a can body used for a beverage can) to the processing device. Here, the conveying device may stop its operation when trouble occurs in the processing device as well as at the end of the operation of the processing device. However, in the aforementioned transfer device, by stopping the supply of the gas into the duct by the air supply means, the pressure of the transfer object due to the gas flow is released, and the transfer of the transfer object is stopped. Since the objects to be transported further move in the transport direction within the duct due to inertial force, the objects to be transported may collide strongly and be damaged.

In order to suppress such a collision, Patent Document 2 proposes a transport device in which a cover plate that opens and closes an exhaust hole is slidably disposed in a duct. In this transport device, when stopping the object to be transported, the exhaust hole is closed to block the flow of gas in the transport path, and the pressure in the transport path is increased to reduce the inertial force acting on the transported object. Thus, the collision between the objects to be conveyed is suppressed and the impact at the time of the collision is reduced.
JP 59-186830 A JP 2002-19960 A

By the way, in the conveying apparatus described in Patent Document 2, since the exhaust hole is opened and closed by sliding the cover plate, dust generated by sliding between the wall surface of the duct in which the exhaust hole is formed and the cover plate is formed. There is a risk that the like will be mixed in the conveyance path.
Also, when the transported object stays and the distance between the transported objects becomes very small, the impact mitigating effect due to the pressure rise is small at the part where the transported object stays even if the exhaust hole is closed. Therefore, there is a possibility that the impact at the time of collision between the objects to be conveyed cannot be sufficiently relieved and is greatly dented.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and can suppress the collision of the objects to be conveyed when stopping the conveyance of the objects to be conveyed and can suppress the mixing of dust and the like into the conveyance path. An object of the present invention is to provide a transport device and a control system for the transport device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the transport device according to the present invention has a transport path for an object to be transported, and exhaust holes for exhausting gas in the transport path are formed at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction. A duct that is connected to at least a part of the exhaust hole, and the gas exhausted from the exhaust hole is introduced into the duct. At least one gas chamber, and the gas chamber includes a discharge port for discharging the gas introduced from the exhaust hole to the outside, and an opening / closing means for opening and closing the discharge port. It is characterized by that.

According to the transport device having this configuration, the discharge port of the gas chamber communicated with the exhaust hole is opened and closed while the exhaust hole remains open, thereby adjusting the pressure in the transport path and stopping the object to be transported. Therefore, there is no member that slides with the exhaust hole, and it is possible to dispose the opening / closing means at a position separated from the conveyance path, and it is possible to suppress the entry of dust and the like into the conveyance path.
In addition, since the gas chamber communicated with the exhaust hole is provided, the discharge port is closed in a state where a certain amount of gas is retained in the gas chamber, and the inertia of the object to be conveyed due to the increase in the gas pressure. The force can be reliably reduced, and the collision between the objects to be conveyed can be suppressed and the impact can be reduced.
Furthermore, when the gas supply by the air supply means is not stopped, the gas discharged from the exhaust hole circulates in the gas chamber and flows backward from the other exhaust hole to the transfer path to quickly stop the object to be transferred. Can do.

Here, a plurality of the gas chambers may be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the duct.
In this case, by closing the discharge ports of the plurality of gas chambers arranged in the longitudinal direction of the duct, it becomes possible to stop the conveyance of the object to be conveyed at a desired position in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the arrangement of the objects to be transported in the transport path can be controlled with high accuracy, and the collision between the objects to be transported can be suppressed.

Further, the control system for a transport apparatus according to the present invention is the control system for the transport apparatus described above, based on a detection means for detecting the arrangement state of the objects to be transported in the transport path, and a detection result by the detection means. And a command means for opening / closing the exhaust port by giving a command to the opening / closing means.
In the control system of the transport apparatus having this configuration, the exhaust port is opened and closed according to the state of the transport object in the transport path, and the layout of the transport object in the transport path is optimized and the transport object is Can be transported smoothly.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a transport apparatus capable of suppressing collision of transported objects when stopping transport of the transported object and suppressing mixing of dust and the like into the transport path, and a control system for the transport apparatus. Can be provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 6 show a transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The conveying apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is used when conveying a can body C used for a beverage can to a processing apparatus in a beverage can manufacturing process. In addition, the can body C which is a to-be-conveyed object has a bottomed cylindrical shape with one end opened.

  As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.4, as for the conveying apparatus 1 which is this Embodiment, the inside is made into the conveyance path 2 of the can body C (to-be-conveyed object), and internal gas is externally given to several places of the longitudinal direction. A duct 10 in which exhaust holes 14 for exhausting are formed, and air supply means 16 for sending gas from a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the duct 10 into the duct 10 toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the can body C; A gas chamber 20 connected to the exhaust hole 14 and into which the gas discharged from the exhaust hole 14 is introduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the duct 10 has a substantially quadrangular cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and is disposed opposite to the deck plate 11 on which the can body C is placed. A top plate 12 and a pair of side plates 13 connecting the top plate 12 and the deck plate 11 together. In addition, the conveyance path 2 which the inside of the duct 10 comprises is large enough to form a slight gap between the can body C and the inner surface of the duct 10 in a state where the can body C which is the object to be transported stands upright. It is said.

  A plurality of exhaust holes 14 are formed in the top plate 12 at substantially equal intervals along the longitudinal direction and at substantially equal intervals in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the exhaust hole 14 is formed so as to extend in the thickness direction of the top plate 12, and the air in the transport path 2 can be discharged upward from the exhaust hole 14. Yes.

  The deck plate 11 is provided with a plurality of ejection holes 15 at substantially equal intervals along the longitudinal direction and at substantially equal intervals in the width direction. The ejection hole 15 is inclined so as to go to the downstream side in the transport direction of the can body C as it goes from the outer surface side of the deck plate 11 to the inner surface side (transport path 2 side).

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the air supply means 16 is disposed so as to be in parallel with the duct 10 on the outer surface side of the deck plate 11 of the duct 10 and the pressure air supply source 17 made of a blower or the like. And an air supply passage 18. In the present embodiment, the air supply passage 18 has a substantially rectangular cross section, and the deck plate 11 of the duct 10 forms the top surface of the air supply passage 18. The air supply passage 18 communicates with the inside of the conveyance path 2 through the ejection holes 15, and when air is sent into the air supply passage 18 by the pressure air supply source 17, the air passes through the ejection holes 15 and enters the duct 10. It is comprised so that it may supply to the conveyance path 2 of this.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the gas chamber 20 is disposed on the top of the top plate 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of gas chambers 20 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the duct 10. Has been. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the gas chamber 20 has a front wall 21 and a rear wall that extend in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the duct 10, with a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the duct 10 having a substantially rectangular shape. 22, a pair of side walls 23 extending along the longitudinal direction, and a front plate 21, a rear wall 22, and a top plate 24 connected to the upper ends of the pair of side walls 23. The top plate 12 of the duct 10 is connected to the lower ends of the front wall 21, the rear wall 22, and the pair of side walls 23, and constitutes the bottom surface of the gas chamber 20. As a result, the gas chamber 20 is communicated with the exhaust hole 14 formed in the top plate 12, and the air inside the duct 10 (conveying path 2) can be introduced into the gas chamber 20. Yes.

  The pair of side walls 23 of the gas chamber 20 are respectively provided with discharge ports 25, and dampers 26 are provided as opening / closing means for opening and closing the discharge ports 25. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the damper 26 is provided so as to be swingable about a rotation shaft 26 </ b> A, and is configured to open and close the discharge port 25 by a cylinder driving unit 27. In the present embodiment, the damper 26 that opens and closes the discharge port 25 is provided on the side wall 23 of the gas chamber 20, so that a driving member (damper 26) is located above the exhaust hole 14 formed in the top plate 12. And cylinder) will not be arranged.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, sensors 28 for detecting the arrangement state of the can body C in the transport path 2 are respectively provided in the gas chambers 20 arranged in the longitudinal direction. Is provided. As the sensor 28, for example, an imaging camera that images the inside of the conveyance path 2 and detects the arrangement state of the can body C can be applied. In addition, a command unit 29 is provided that gives a command to a cylinder drive unit 27 that opens and closes the damper 26 in accordance with a signal from the sensor 28.

Next, operation | movement of the conveying apparatus 1 which is this embodiment is demonstrated using the block diagram of FIG. 5, and the flowchart figure of FIG.
First, when the can body C is conveyed, the discharge port 25 of the gas chamber 20 is opened (S1). A can body C is disposed in the conveyance path 2 in a state where the bottom of the can body C stands on the deck plate 11, and the air fed into the air supply passage 18 by the pressure air supply source 17 is supplied to the deck plate 11. 11 is ejected into the conveyance path 2 through the ejection holes 15, and the air is introduced from the exhaust holes 14 of the top plate 12 into the gas chamber 20 and is discharged from the exhaust port 25 to the outside of the gas chamber 20. The can body C is transported toward the downstream side in the transport direction by the air flow at this time. At the time of transport, the arrangement state of the can body C in the transport path 2 is monitored by the sensors 28 provided in the gas chamber 20, and the sensor 28 (n) of the gas chamber 20 (n) keeps the can body C from staying. When it is detected (S2), a command is given to the cylinder drive unit 27 of the gas chamber 20 (n) provided with the sensor 28 and the gas chamber 20 (n-1) adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction, and the damper 26 is driven to close the discharge port 25 (S3). Then, at the time (S2) when the stay of the can body C is no longer detected by the sensor 28 (n), the cylinder of the gas chamber 20 (n) and the gas chamber 20 (n-1) adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction. A command is given to the drive unit 27 to drive the damper 26 and open the discharge port 25 (S3).

  Here, when the discharge port 25 of the gas chamber 20 is closed, as shown in FIG. 4, the air ejected from the ejection hole 15 is introduced into the gas chamber 20 through the exhaust hole 14, but the discharge port 25 is closed. Therefore, the air is filled in the gas chamber 20 and the internal pressure rises. By this pressure increase, it becomes possible to cancel the matching pressure acting on the can body C and the penetrating force acting on the can body C by the flow of air, and to stop the can body C. Further, when air is ejected from the ejection hole 15 without stopping the pressure air supply source 17, the air in the gas chamber 20 flows back into the transport path 2 through the exhaust hole 14.

According to the transport apparatus 1 having this configuration, the pressure in the transport path 2 is adjusted by opening and closing the discharge port 25 of the gas chamber 20 communicated with the exhaust hole 14 while the exhaust hole 14 remains open. Since the object to be conveyed is stopped, there is no member that slides with the exhaust hole 14, and dust or the like can be prevented from being mixed into the conveyance path 2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a damper 26 that opens and closes the discharge port 25 is provided on the side wall 23 of the gas chamber 20, and a driving member (such as a damper 26 or a damper 26) is disposed above the exhaust hole 14 formed in the top plate 12. Since the cylinder drive unit 27) is not disposed, it is possible to further suppress the entry of dust and the like into the transport path 2.
In addition, since the members to be driven (damper 26 and cylinder drive unit 27) are provided in the gas chamber 20, when maintaining these members to be driven, only the gas chamber 20 can be removed for maintenance. Is excellent.

In addition, since the gas chamber 20 communicated with the exhaust hole 14 is provided, the discharge port 25 is closed in a state where a certain amount of gas exists in the gas chamber 20, and the can increases due to the increase in gas pressure. It is possible to reliably reduce the inertial force acting on the cylinder C, and to suppress collision between the can cylinders C. Here, in this embodiment, the exhaust hole 14 is formed in the top plate 12 of the duct 10, and the gas chamber 20 is disposed in the upper portion of the duct 10, so that the conveyance path 2 is driven by the gas pressure in the gas chamber 20. The inner can body C can be pressed from above, and the movement of the can body C can be suppressed even if the gap between the can bodies C is small.
Further, when the gas supply by the air supply means 16 is not stopped, the gas discharged from the exhaust hole 14 circulates in the gas chamber 20 and flows back from the other exhaust hole 14 to the conveyance path 2, and the can body C can be stopped quickly.

  In addition, since a plurality of gas chambers 20 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the duct 10, by appropriately closing the discharge ports 25 of the gas chambers 20 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the duct 10, at a desired position in the longitudinal direction. It becomes possible to stop the conveyance of the can body C. Therefore, the arrangement of the can body C in the transport path 2 can be accurately controlled, and collision between the can bodies C can be prevented.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a sensor 28 as detection means for detecting the arrangement state of the can body C in the transport path 2 in the gas chamber 20 and a cylinder drive unit that drives the damper 26 based on the detection result by the sensor 28. 27 is provided with a command unit 29 for giving a command to the exhaust port 27 to open and close the exhaust port, the exhaust port is opened and closed according to the arrangement state of the can body C in the transport path 2. The arrangement of the can body C can be made appropriate so that the can body C can be smoothly conveyed.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, It can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the technical idea of the invention.
For example, although it has been described as a configuration in which the discharge port of the gas chamber is opened and closed by the damper, the configuration of the opening and closing means is not limited to the embodiment, and other configurations such as opening and closing the discharge port with a slide type shutter or the like are also possible. Good.

In addition, the description has been given on the assumption that the ejection holes are provided in the deck plate of the duct and the exhaust holes are provided in the top guide plate. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the ejection holes and the exhaust holes are provided in the pair of side plates of the duct. Also good.
Furthermore, although the description has been made with the duct having a substantially square cross-sectional shape, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cross-sectional shape can be arbitrarily set. Similarly, the cross-sectional shape of the gas chamber and the cross-sectional shape of the air supply passage can be arbitrarily set.

Moreover, although the to-be-conveyed object was demonstrated as what used the can body, there is no limitation in a to-be-conveyed object, What is necessary is just what can be conveyed by the flow of gas.
Furthermore, the gas ejected from the ejection hole is not limited to air, and may be other gas such as nitrogen gas, and is preferably set as appropriate according to the properties of the object to be conveyed.

Below, the result of the comparative test conducted in order to confirm the effect of this invention is demonstrated.
In the transport apparatus according to the present embodiment, when 10 cans are transported in a state in which the ducts are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the duct and the dampers of the gas chambers are always open (comparative example), the opening and closing of the dampers is controlled by the sensor. The case where the can body was transported in (Example) was compared. As an evaluation means, 100 can bodies after completion of conveyance were extracted, and the number of dents generated by collision between the can bodies was counted. The evaluation results are shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the can body was transported with the damper of the gas chamber being always open (comparative example), many can bodies were counted where the dents were counted 5 or more. On the other hand, when the can body is transported in a state in which the opening / closing of the damper is controlled by the sensor (Example), there are many can bodies having four or less recesses. From this comparative test, according to the Example, it was confirmed that the collision between can bodies which are transported objects can be suppressed.

It is side surface sectional drawing of the conveying apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the conveying apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state which open | released the discharge port. It is sectional drawing orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state which closed the discharge port. It is a block diagram of the control system of the conveying apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart figure of operation | movement of the control system shown in FIG. It is a graph of data (I) which shows the result of a comparative experiment. It is a graph of data (II) which shows the result of a comparative experiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance apparatus 2 Conveyance path 10 Duct 14 Exhaust hole 16 Air supply means 20 Gas chamber 25 Outlet 26 Damper (opening-closing means)
27 Cylinder drive unit 28 Sensor (detection means)
29 Command section (command means)
C can body (conveyed object)

Claims (3)

The inside is a conveyance path for the object to be conveyed, and a duct in which exhaust holes for exhausting the gas in the conveyance path are formed at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction,
Air supply means for sending gas into the duct so as to go in the transfer direction of the object to be transferred;
And at least one gas chamber communicated with at least a part of the exhaust hole and into which the gas discharged from the exhaust hole is introduced,
The said gas chamber is equipped with the discharge port which discharges | emits the said gas introduced from the said exhaust hole to the exterior, and the opening / closing means which opens and closes this exhaust port, The conveying apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the gas chambers are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the duct. A control system for a transport apparatus that controls the transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
Detecting means for detecting an arrangement state of the object to be conveyed in the conveying path;
Command means for opening and closing the exhaust port by giving a command to the opening and closing means based on a detection result by the detection means;
A control system for a conveying apparatus, comprising:

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