JP2009040554A - Container load device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a first-in first-out type container loading device, capable of facilitating takeout of a container at the bottom requiring no specific power and little space, and reducing impact applied between the loaded containers. <P>SOLUTION: The containers 41-45 are loaded from bottom to top in a housing area 16 in series, therefore, it is possible to reduce the placement area. Besides, the containers 41-45 are taken out from the bottom in the sequence, the first-in first-out system can be realized. When the container 41 at the lowest stage is taken out, a lower arm 22 is pulled by a spring 13, therefore, the first latch 20 rotates around a rotating shaft part 21 as a center to release engagement between a collar 52 of the container 42 at the second stage from the bottom and an engaging section 24, and then the container 42 drops to the lower arm 22 side. The dropped container 42 pushes and expands the lower arm 22 to rotate the first latch 20, and then the engaging section 24 is fitted to the collar 52 of the container 43 located at the third stage from the bottom, thus supporting the container 43. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a container loading apparatus for loading box-shaped containers, and more particularly to a first-in first-out container loading apparatus in which containers stacked in a vertical direction are taken out sequentially from below.

Conventionally, a line for manufacturing various products requires a container for storing parts and materials necessary for each process. In this case, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of containers in which the parts and materials are placed so that the parts and materials are not depleted. From the viewpoint of product quality control, it is desirable that parts and materials are consumed in order from the oldest, that is, first-in first-out is possible. Therefore, a fluid shelf device is known in which a container for housing parts and materials, or the parts themselves can be used in order without using a special driving force by using gravity (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-236611 JP 2004-245820 A

  However, in the case of Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, containers and parts move on an inclined slide shelf such as a roller conveyor. At this time, when the inclination of the slide shelf is steep, the speed of the container sliding down the slide shelf increases. For this reason, there is a possibility that the container or the parts are damaged due to the collision between the containers, or the parts accommodated in the container are caused to jump out due to the collision. On the other hand, when the inclination of the slide shelf is gentle, the speed of the container sliding down the slide shelf is reduced, but it is necessary to ensure a large distance between the upper end side and the lower end side of the slide shelf. For this reason, the fluid shelf device becomes large, and a large area is required around the line for installing the fluid shelf device.

  In the case of Patent Documents 1 and 2, when a plurality of containers are placed on a slide shelf, the lowermost container is applied with a component force along the inclined surface from the plurality of containers stacked on the inclined surface. . Therefore, when taking out the lowermost container according to the first-in first-out, there is a problem that an operation of pushing up the next box to create a gap is required.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is that no special power is required, the lowermost container can be easily taken out, the installation area is small, and it is loaded. It is an object of the present invention to provide a first-in first-out container loading device in which the impact applied between containers is reduced.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is a first-in first-out type in which box-shaped containers having ridges projecting outward are stacked and stored in order from the bottom to the top, and the stacked containers are sequentially removed from the bottom. A container stacking device having a vertical frame extending in the vertical direction, and is provided opposite to a frame member that forms a storage space for storing the container on the inner side of the storage space, and is substantially parallel to an installation surface A lower arm that is rotatable about a first rotation shaft supported by the frame member, and that is in contact with the outside of the lowermost tub of the container, on the opposite side of the lower arm across the first rotation shaft An upper arm extending to the upper space, and a first latch having a first engagement portion that protrudes from the upper end of the upper arm toward the housing space and engages with the ridge of the container in the second stage from the bottom, Opposite bottom Provided at the lower end of the arm and an elastic member for applying a force to the opposite direction to attract said lower arm to each other, comprising: a.

  When the lowermost container is pulled out, the elastic member pulls the lower arm of the opposing first latch. When the lower end of the lower arm is attracted by the elastic member, the first latch rotates about the first rotation axis, and the upper end of the upper arm of the first latch increases in mutual distance. As a result, the engagement between the first engagement portion provided at the upper end portion of the upper arm and the basket of the second-stage container from the bottom is released. As a result, the second container from the bottom falls downward due to gravity while expanding the lower arm of the first latch attracted by the elastic member. When the falling container pushes the lower arm apart, the upper arm of the first latch that rotates about the first rotation shaft moves to the accommodation space side. Thereby, a 1st engaging part engages with the collar of a container, and holds the container of the 2nd step from the bottom.

  With the above configuration, according to the present invention, the first-in first-out of the container can be performed without requiring special power by using gravity. Further, the second container from the bottom is held by a first engagement portion provided on the upper arm of the first latch. Therefore, no force is applied to the lowermost container due to the weight of the upper container. Therefore, the lowermost container can be easily taken out, and the impact applied to the lowermost container can be reduced. Furthermore, since the containers are loaded in the vertical direction, the installation area can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of a container loading device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
A container loading device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 2, the description of the containers to be loaded is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container stacking apparatus 10 includes a vertical frame 11, a base 12 and a first latch 20, a spring 13 as an elastic member, and a damper portion 30. The vertical frame 11 is provided so as to extend substantially perpendicular to the ground on which it is installed, that is, in the vertical direction. In this specification, in FIG. 1 and FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the container stacking apparatus 10 has an outlet 14 as an outlet opening at one end in a side sectional view and an inlet 15 as an inlet opening at the other end. is doing. In the present specification, the outlet 14 side is referred to as “front”, and the inlet 15 side is referred to as “rear”. Accordingly, the left-right direction in FIG. 2 matches the front-rear direction.

  The vertical frame 11 is arrange | positioned at the part corresponding to the four corners of a rectangle, for example. Thereby, the vertical frame 11 forms the accommodation space 16 for accommodating the container loaded inside. The vertical frames 11 are connected to each other by a horizontal frame 17 that extends substantially parallel to the installation surface 100. As a result, the vertical frame 11 has its position determined by the horizontal frame 17 and the strength is increased. A pedestal 12 is provided on the lower end of the vertical frame 11, that is, on the installation surface 100 side. The end of the vertical frame 11 is fixed to the pedestal 12. The vertical frame 11 and the horizontal frame 17 constitute a frame member in the claims. Note that the frame member is not limited to the horizontal frame 17, and a vertical frame 11 and an oblique frame inclined with respect to the horizontal frame 17 may be provided. Further, although the example in which the vertical frames 11 are arranged at the four corners of the rectangle has been shown, one or more vertical frames may be added between the vertical frames 11.

  Containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 are stacked in the accommodation space 16 formed inside the vertical frame 11 as shown in FIG. 1. The containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, for example. The containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 have a box-shaped main body 51 having an open upper end, and a flange 52 that protrudes outward from the main body 51, that is, the outer peripheral side. The shape of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 is not limited as long as the containers 52 are provided. Further, the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are not limited to those having the flange 52 at the opening side end of the box-shaped main body 51 as in the present embodiment. For example, the bottom of the box-shaped main body 51 may have a flange 52, or the box-shaped main body 51 and the bottom and the end on the opening side may have the flange 52. Moreover, the flange 52 may be provided continuously in the circumferential direction of the box-shaped main body 51 or may be provided discontinuously. Thus, if the container 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 applied to this embodiment has the flange 52 protruding to the outer peripheral side, the shape of the main body 51 and the position of the flange 52 are arbitrarily set. can do.

  The first latch 20 is provided at both ends of the accommodation space 16 with the accommodation space 16 in between. When the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 are loaded in the storage space 16, the first latch 20 sandwiches the lowermost container 41 and the second container 42 from the bottom. Thus, in the case of the present embodiment, the first latch 20 is provided with the lowermost container 41 accommodated in the accommodating space 16 and the second container 42 from the bottom sandwiched therebetween. Two or more pairs of the first latches 20 may be provided. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the first latch 20 has a rotating shaft portion 21 in the vicinity of the central portion in the vertical direction. The rotary shaft portion 21 is supported by the vertical frame 11 at both ends in the axial direction. The first latch 20 can freely rotate with respect to the vertical frame 11 around the rotation shaft portion 21. That is, the rotating shaft portion 21 corresponds to the first rotating shaft in the claims. The rotation shaft portion 21 is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical frame 11.

  The first latch 20 has a lower arm 22 extending downward from the rotary shaft portion 21 and an upper arm 23 extending upward from the rotary shaft portion 21. The upper end portion of the upper arm 23 has an engaging portion 24 as a first engaging portion. The engaging portion 24 protrudes from the upper end portion of the upper arm 23 to the inside, that is, the accommodation space 16 side. As shown in FIG. 1, when the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 are loaded between the pair of first latches 20, the lowermost container 41 is positioned between the lower arms 22. The outer peripheral side of the flange 52 of the lowermost container 41 is in contact with the lower arm 22. On the other hand, in the second-stage container 42 from the bottom, the lower end surface of the flange 52 is engaged with the engaging portion 24 of the upper arm 23. The flanges 52 of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 protrude from the main body 51 to the outer peripheral side. Therefore, a step is formed between the flange 52 and the main body 51. The engaging portion 24 of the upper arm 23 enters a step formed between the flange 52 and the main body 51, and the upper end surface is in contact with the lower end surface of the flange 52. As a result, the second-stage container 42 from the bottom is held by the pair of first latches 20 above the lowermost container 41 without contacting the lowermost container 41.

  The lengths of the lower arm 22 and the upper arm 23 of the first latch 20 are, for example, the falling speed of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, the shape of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, or the containers 41, 42. , 43, 44, 45 can be arbitrarily set according to the size of the flange 52. For example, by setting the upper arm 23 short, the distance from when the third-stage container 43 falls from the bottom to contact with the engaging portion 24 is increased. As a result, even when the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 have a high drop speed, the falling containers 43, 44, 45 can be received by the first latch 20.

  The spring 13 is provided at the lower end of the lower arm 22, that is, the end of the lower arm 22 opposite to the upper arm 23. Each end of the spring 13 is connected to the first latch 20. That is, the spring 13 is provided between the pair of first latches 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, two springs 13 are provided in parallel between the first latches 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the spring 13 is locked in a hole 25 provided in the lower arm 22 of the first latch 20.

  The spring 13 has a force in a contracting direction. Accordingly, the lower arms 22 are attracted to each other by the force of the spring 13 in the pair of first latches 20. That is, the spring 13 applies a force in a direction in which the lower arms 22 are attracted to the pair of first latches 20. As a result, when the lowermost container 41 is accommodated between the lower arms 22 of the first latch 20, the first latch 20 is sandwiched.

  For example, the lowermost container 41 may be supported by the pedestal 12 directly or by a support portion (not shown) provided on the pedestal 12 from below. Further, the lowermost container 41 may be supported by the horizontal frame 17 or may be supported by being sandwiched by the first latch 20. Thus, the lowermost container 41 can be configured to be supported at a predetermined position by any means.

  The damper portion 30 is provided between the first latches 20 on the lower end side of the first latch 20 similarly to the spring 13. The damper unit 30 controls the rotation speed of the first latch 20 that rotates about the rotation shaft unit 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the damper portion 30 includes a rack member 31, a pinion gear 32, a bracket 33, and a rotary damper 34. The rack member 31 is provided in each first latch 20 and extends from one first latch 20 to the opposite first latch 20 side. Thereby, in the case of this embodiment, the damper part 30 has the two rack members 31. The two rack members 31 are provided substantially in parallel with each other. The two rack members 31 are provided perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. The rack member 31 has a rack gear 35 on opposite sides. The rack gear 35 meshes with the pinion gear 32.

  The rack member 31 is supported by the support portion 26 at the end portion on the first latch 20 side. The support portion 26 is provided on the lower arm 22 of the first latch 20 as shown in FIG. The support part 26 has a long hole 27 extending in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 4, a pin 36 is provided at the end of the rack member 31 on the first latch 20 side. The pin 36 is inserted into the elongated hole 27 of the support portion 26. The pinion gear 32 is provided between the two rack members 31 and meshes with the rack gear 35 of each rack member 31. The pinion gear 32 is disposed approximately in the middle between the pair of first latches 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bracket 33 includes a holding portion 37 that holds the rack member 31. A rack member 31 is accommodated in the holding portion 37 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the axial direction. The bracket 33 maintains a constant distance between the rack members 31 while allowing the rack members 31 to move in the axial direction. As a result, the engagement of the two rack members 31 with the pinion gear 32 is maintained.

  One end of the rack member 31 in the axial direction is supported by a bracket 33, and the other end is supported by a support portion 26 provided with a long hole 27 as shown in FIG. Therefore, even if the support portion 26 moves in the vertical direction as the first latch 20 rotates, the vertical position of the rack member 31 is not significantly changed by the long hole 27 that guides the pin 36. Thereby, the rack member 31 held by the bracket 33 can always maintain good meshing with the pinion gear 32. Instead of supporting the pin 36 of the rack member 31 with the long hole 27 of the support portion 26, the entire length in the vertical direction of the pinion gear 32 is enlarged, and the rack that accompanies the rotation of the first latch 20 on the pinion gear 32 side. It is good also as a structure which absorbs the vertical movement of the member 31. FIG.

  The rotation damper 34 rotatably supports the pinion gear 32. The rotary damper 34 is fixed to the base 12 together with the bracket 33. A pinion gear 32 is fixed to a shaft member 38 extending upward from the rotary damper 34. The torque applied to the rotation damper 34 varies depending on the rotation direction. The rotary damper 34 has, for example, a space filled with oil inside, and includes blades that rotate in this space. The blade is provided with a valve that allows oil to flow in one direction. When the blade rotates in the direction in which the valve opens due to the flow of oil, the blade receives almost no force from the oil, so that the torque generated in the rotary damper 34 is small. On the other hand, when the blade rotates in the direction in which the valve closes due to the flow of oil, the force received from the oil increases. As a result, the torque generated in the rotary damper 34 is large. Thus, by using the rotation damper 34, the speed at the time of the rotational movement of the 1st latch 20 can be changed with a rotation direction.

  In the case of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when the lower arm 22 is separated from each other, the pinion gear 32 and the rotary damper 34 rotate in the clockwise direction. On the other hand, when the lower arms 22 approach each other, the pinion gear 32 and the rotary damper 34 rotate counterclockwise. In the case of this embodiment, the rotary damper 34 is configured to generate a rotational torque when rotating in the clockwise direction. When the lower arms 22 approach each other due to the elastic force of the spring 13, the pinion gear 32 and the rotary damper 34 rotate counterclockwise. At this time, the rotary damper 34 hardly generates rotational torque. As a result, the first latch 20 quickly rotates without receiving the rotational torque from the rotary damper 34. On the other hand, when the lower arms 22 are separated from each other against the elastic force of the spring 13, the pinion gear 32 and the rotary damper 34 rotate in the clockwise direction. At this time, the rotary damper 34 generates rotational torque. As a result, the first latch 20 receives a rotational torque from the rotary damper 34 via the rack member 31 and slowly rotates.

  As described above, the container loading device 10 of the present embodiment has the outlet 14 for taking out the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 on the front side, and the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, It has a slot 15 for feeding 45. When the outlet 14 is provided in front of the container stacking apparatus 10 as described above, an opening to be the outlet 14 may be provided on the front wall 71 covering the vertical frame 11 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7. . Further, an opening serving as the insertion port 15 may be provided in the rear wall 72 covering the vertical frame 11. Thus, by providing the outlet 14 on the front side and the inlet 15 on the rear side, when the container stacking apparatus 10 is arranged in each step of the line work, the line operator removes the lowermost container 41 from the outlet 14. It can be taken out. On the other hand, the operator who supplies a container can throw a container into the uppermost stage from the back of the container loading apparatus 10 which does not interfere with line work.

  Further, by forming the outlet 14 and the inlet 15 by the openings of the walls 71 and 72 as described above, the walls 71 and 72 other than the outlet 14 and the inlet 15 are closed. Therefore, the movement of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 accommodated in the accommodation space 16 is restricted by the walls 71, 72. Therefore, collapse of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 loaded in the accommodation space 16 can be prevented.

  In addition, the structure which prevents collapse of the loaded containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 while securing the outlet 14 and the inlet 15 is not limited to the walls 71, 72 having the above-described openings. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A, a frame 73 parallel to the vertical frame 11 may be provided on the front wall 71 side. The frame 73 extends from the uppermost part on the front side of the container stacking apparatus 10 to above the opening serving as the outlet 14. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8B, a frame 74 parallel to the vertical frame 11 may be provided on the rear wall 72 side. 8A is a view of the skeleton of the container stacking apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 7 as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is the skeleton of the container stacking apparatus 10 shown in FIG. It is the figure seen from the arrow B direction. The frame 74 extends from the lower side of the opening serving as the insertion port 15 to the lowermost part on the rear side of the container stacking apparatus 10. These frames 73 and 74 restrict the movement of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 loaded in the storage space 16, and prevent the loaded containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 from collapsing. Can do. Further, the restricting members 73 and 74 can increase the strength of the container stacking apparatus 10 constituted by the vertical frame 11 and the horizontal frame 17. In these cases, the wall 72 and the frame 74 constitute the first restricting member in the claims, and the wall 71 and the frame 73 constitute the second restricting member in the claims.

Next, the operation of the container loading device 10 having the above configuration will be described.
When the lowermost container 41 is introduced from the insertion port 15, the introduced container 41 falls due to gravity as shown in FIG. At this time, the dropped container 41 is supported by a support portion (not shown), the horizontal frame 17 and the like, and the collar 52 of the container 41 pushes the lower arm 22 wide as shown in FIG. 9B. When the lower arms 22 are separated from each other, the first latch 20 rotates about the rotation shaft portion 21. As a result, the upper arms 23 move in directions toward each other. As a result, the engaging portion 24 protruding from the upper arm 23 is located inside the accommodation space 16.

  That is, when the container 42 that is the second stage from the bottom is inserted from the insertion port 15, the container 42 that has dropped due to gravity comes into contact with the engaging portion 24 that protrudes from the upper arm 23. That is, the flange 52 of the container 42 is in contact with the upper end surface of the engaging portion 24 at the lower end surface. Thereby, the further drop of the container 42 in the second stage from the bottom is restricted by the engaging portion 24. And the container 42 of the 2nd step | line from the bottom is hold | maintained by the engaging part 24 with the fall restrict | limited. The containers 43, 44, and 45 further introduced from the insertion port 15 are stacked in the accommodation space 16 while being sequentially stacked as shown in FIG.

  Here, when the lowermost container 41 is taken out from the outlet 14, the container 41 does not exist between the lower arms 22 as shown in FIG. 9C. Therefore, the lower arm 22 is attracted by the elastic force of the spring 13. When the lower arms 22 are attracted to each other, the first latch 20 rotates about the rotation shaft portion 21. Thereby, the upper arm 23 moves in a direction away from each other. As a result, the engaging portion 24 protruding from the upper arm 23 moves outward from the flange 52 of the container 42.

When the engaging portion 24 moves outward from the flange 52 of the container 42, the engagement between the flange 52 of the container 42 and the engaging portion 24 of the upper arm 23 is released. As a result, the container 42 located in the second stage from the bottom falls by gravity. Then, the dropped container 42 pushes again between the lower arms 22 against the force of the spring 13. As a result, the engaging portion 24 of the upper arm 23 projects into the housing space 16 again, and receives the third-stage container 43 from the bottom that falls from above.
Thus, by taking out the lowest container 41 from the outlet 14, the container 42 in the second stage from the bottom is released from the engagement with the engaging portion 24 and dropped. Then, when the dropped container 42 enters between the lower arms 22, the engaging portion 24 holds the third container 43 from the bottom.

In the first embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained.
The accommodation space 16 formed by the vertical frame 11 and the horizontal frame 17 extends in the vertical direction. The containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 are stacked in order from the bottom in the storage space 16. Thereby, containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are stacked up and down. Further, the outlet 14 and the inlet 15 are provided on the opposite sides with the accommodation space 16 in between. Therefore, when applying to line work, it is possible to arrange the outlet 14 on the side where the work is performed, and to place the inlet 15 on the side where the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 containing the components are supplied. . Thus, the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 can be taken out and put in from different directions at the same time. Therefore, the installation area can be reduced, and the line work is not hindered when the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 are supplied. Further, the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are stacked in order from the bottom and are taken out in order from the bottom. Therefore, first-in first-out of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, the second container 42 from the bottom is held by the engaging portion 24 at a position away from the lowermost container 41. Thereby, the lowermost container 41 does not contact the second container 42 from the bottom, and the distance is secured. For this reason, when the lowermost container 41 is taken out from the outlet 14, no force is applied to the lowermost container 41 from the container 42 positioned above. Therefore, the lowermost container 41 can be easily taken out from the outlet 14. Further, the lowest container 41 does not contact the second container 42 from the bottom. Therefore, there is a space between the loaded container 41 and the container 42, and the container 41 below can reduce the impact caused by the collision with the container 42.

(Second Embodiment)
A container loading device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component substantially the same as 1st Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
The container loading device 10 according to the second embodiment includes a second latch 60. Similar to the first latch 20, the second latch 60 is provided with a container 43 loaded in the accommodation space 16 interposed therebetween. As shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, the second latch 60 has a rotating shaft portion 61 at the center in the vertical direction. The rotating shaft 61 is supported by the vertical frame 11 at both ends in the front-rear direction of the container stacking apparatus 10. Thereby, the rotating shaft part 61 is provided substantially parallel to the rotating shaft part 21 of the first latch 20. The rotating shaft 61 constitutes the second rotating shaft in the claims.

  The second latch 60 has a connecting portion 62 at the lower end, that is, the upper end on the first latch 20 side. The connecting portion 62 is inserted into the engaging hole 28 provided in the engaging portion 24 of the first latch 20. In the case of the second embodiment, the first latch 20 has an engagement hole 28 in the engagement portion 24. The engagement hole 28 penetrates the first latch 20 in the plate thickness direction. Thereby, the connecting portion 62 is inserted through the engagement hole 28 of the first latch 20. The second latch 60 has an engaging part 63 as a second engaging part at the end opposite to the connecting part 62, that is, at the upper end side. The engaging portion 63 protrudes inward, that is, toward the accommodation space 16, similarly to the engaging portion 24 of the first latch 20.

  When the lower arm 22 of the first latch 20 is in contact with the lowermost container 41 as shown in FIG. 10, the second latch 60 rotates so that the lower ends thereof are close to each other about the rotation shaft 61. . Therefore, the upper end side where the engaging part 63 is provided has a larger distance between the lower end part. The length from the rotating shaft portion 61 to the upper end portion or the lower end portion of the second latch 60 is the same as that of the first latch 20, for example, the dropping speed of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, the containers 41, 42, 43, It can be arbitrarily set according to the shape of 44, 45 or the size of the collar 52 of the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, 45.

Next, the operation of the container loading device 10 having the above configuration will be described.
When the containers 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 are loaded as shown in FIG. 10, when the lowermost container 41 is taken out, there is no container 41 between the lower arms 22 as shown in FIG. It becomes a state. Therefore, the lower arm 22 is attracted by the elastic force of the spring 13. When the lower arms 22 are attracted to each other, the first latch 20 rotates about the rotation shaft portion 21. Thereby, the upper arm 23 moves in a direction away from each other. As a result, the engaging portion 24 protruding from the upper arm 23 moves outward from the flange 52 of the second-stage container 42 from the bottom.

  When the engaging portion 24 moves outward from the flange 52 of the second-stage container 42 from below, the engagement between the flange 52 of the container 42 and the engaging portion 24 of the upper arm 23 is released. As a result, the container 42 located in the second stage from the bottom falls by gravity. At this time, the second latch 60 is also rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the first latch 20 around the rotation shaft portion 21. Specifically, when the upper arm 23 of the first latch 20 rotates in a direction away from each other, the lower end portions of the second latch 60 are also separated from each other. Thus, when the lower end portions of the second latch 60 are separated from each other, the second latch 60 rotates around the rotation shaft portion 61. As a result, the engaging portions 63 positioned at the upper end portion of the second latch 60 come closer to each other.

  When the upper end portions of the second latch 60 approach each other, the engaging portion 63 enters the inside of the accommodation space 16. And the upper end surface of the engaging part 63 of the 2nd latch 60 contacts the lower end surface of the collar 52 of the container 43 located in the 3rd step from the bottom. As a result, the container 43 located at the third level from the bottom is received by the engaging portion 63 of the second latch 60, and dropping is restricted.

  When the container 42 located at the second stage from the bottom falls and reaches the lower arm 22 of the first latch 20, the dropped container 42 pushes the space between the lower arms 22 against the force of the spring 13. spread. When the lower arms 22 are separated from each other, the first latch 20 rotates about the rotation shaft portion 21. As a result, the upper arms 23 move in directions toward each other. As a result, the engaging portion 24 protruding from the upper arm 23 is located inside the accommodation space 16. Further, the second latch 60 in which the connecting portion 62 is inserted into the engagement hole 28 of the upper arm 23 moves in a direction in which the upper arm 23 approaches each other, whereby the lower end portions on the connecting portion 62 side approach each other. The upper end portions on the engagement portion 63 side move in directions away from each other.

  By moving the upper end portions of the second latch 60 away from each other, the engagement between the container 43 located at the third stage from the bottom and the engaging portion 63 of the second latch 60 is released. On the other hand, in the first latch 20, the engaging portion 24 penetrates to the inside of the accommodation space 16. Therefore, when the engagement between the container 43 located at the third stage from the bottom and the engaging portion 63 of the second latch 60 is released, the container 43 falls, but already protrudes inside the accommodation space 16. It is received by the engaging portion 24 of the first latch 20. As a result, the loaded containers 42, 43, 44, and 45 are moved downward one by one in order.

In the second embodiment, the following effects are obtained in addition to the effects obtained in the first embodiment.
By providing the second latch 60 at the upper end of the first latch 20, the second latch 60 rotates in conjunction with the first latch 20. When the lowermost container 41 is taken out, the second latch 60 rotates in addition to the first latch 20. When the lower arms 22 of the first latch 20 approach each other, the distance between the upper ends of the second latch 60 decreases. Therefore, the engaging portion 63 of the second latch 60 protrudes inside the accommodation space 16. As a result, the second latch 60 receives the third container 43 from the bottom when the second container 42 from the bottom falls to the lower arm 22 side of the first latch 20. Then, the second-stage container 42 from the bottom pushes and spreads the lower arm 22 of the first latch 20, whereby the second latch 60 is disengaged from the third-stage container 43 from the bottom. Thus, the third-stage container 43 from the bottom is held by the engaging portion 63 of the second latch 60 until the second-stage container 42 moves from the bottom to the lowest stage. When the second-stage container 42 moves from the bottom to the lowermost stage, the engagement between the second latch 60 and the third-stage container 43 from the bottom is released. 24 is engaged. Therefore, the falling container 43 can be temporarily held by the second latch 60 in the middle, and the collision between the falling containers can be further alleviated.

(Other embodiments)
In the plurality of embodiments described above, the example in which the spring 13 is applied as the elastic member has been described. However, the elastic member is not limited to the spring 13 as long as it can expand and contract and can apply a force in one direction. Further, for example, a suspension may be provided between the first latches 20 as a single component by combining an elastic member that applies force and a damper means that relaxes movement.

  As described above, the present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the container loading apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure equivalent to the cross section in the II line | wire of FIG. Sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the 1st latch of the container loading apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. Schematic which shows the holder of the container loading apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which expanded the holding | maintenance part provided in the 1st latch of the container loading apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the external appearance of the container loading apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows another external appearance in the container loading apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the model which shows the action | operation of the container loading apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The figure which expanded the vicinity of the lowest container It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the container loading apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure equivalent to FIG. Schematic sectional view showing the operation of the container loading device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the 2nd latch of the container loading apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 10 is a container loading device, 11 is a vertical frame (frame member), 12 is a pedestal, 13 is a spring (elastic member), 14 is an outlet (outlet opening), 15 is an inlet (inlet opening), 16 is an accommodating space, 17 is a horizontal frame (frame member), 20 is a first latch, 21 is a rotating shaft (first rotating shaft), 22 is a lower arm, 23 is an upper arm, and 24 is an engaging portion (first Engagement portion), 28 is an engagement hole, 30 is a damper portion (damper means), 31 is a rack member, 32 is a pinion gear, 33 is a bracket, 34 is a rotary damper, 35 is a rack gear, 41, 42, 43, 44 , 45 is a container, 52 is a basket, 60 is a second latch, 61 is a rotating shaft (second rotating shaft), 62 is a connecting portion, 63 is an engaging portion (second engaging portion), and 71 is a wall (first Two limiting members), 72 is a wall (first limiting member), 73 is a frame (second Limited member), 74 frames (first limiting member), 100 represents a mounting surface.

Claims (5)

It is a first-in first-out type container stacking device in which box-shaped containers having ridges protruding outward are stacked and stored in order from the bottom to the top, and the stacked containers are sequentially removed from the bottom,
A frame member having a vertical frame extending in a vertical direction and forming an accommodation space for accommodating the container inside;
The container is provided opposite to each other with the accommodation space interposed therebetween, and is rotatable about a first rotation shaft supported by the frame member substantially parallel to the installation surface, and is in contact with the outer side of the bottom of the container in the lowermost stage. A lower arm, an upper arm extending to the opposite side of the lower arm across the first rotating shaft, and a container that is provided to project from the upper end of the upper arm to the accommodation space side and is second from the bottom A first latch having a first engagement portion that engages with the collar;
An elastic member that is provided at a lower end portion of the opposed lower arm and applies a force in a direction to attract the opposed lower arms to each other;
A container loading device comprising: The engaging portion has an engaging hole penetrating in the plate thickness direction,
It is provided above the first rotation shaft so as to face each other with the accommodation space interposed therebetween, and is rotatable about a second rotation shaft supported by the frame member substantially parallel to the installation surface, and having a lower end A connecting portion that is provided in the portion and inserted into the engaging hole, and that protrudes from the upper end on the opposite side of the connecting portion to the housing space side, and can be engaged with the cage of the container in the third stage from the bottom A second engaging portion, and when the lower arm is attracted by the elastic member, the second rotating shaft is centered on the second rotating shaft in conjunction with the rotation of the first latch about the first rotating shaft. The container loading device according to claim 1, further comprising a second latch that rotates in a direction in which the second engaging portions are brought closer to each other.   Provided between the lower arms facing each other, when the lower arm moves in the direction attracted by the elastic member, the resistance force that prevents the movement is small, and in the direction opposite to the direction in which the lower arm is attracted by the elastic member The container loading apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a damper means having a large resistance force that prevents the movement when the container moves. A pedestal in contact with the installation surface at the lower end of the frame member;
The damper means is
A rack member provided at a lower end of each of the lower arms, extending in parallel from one of the lower arms to the other of the lower arms, and having rack gears on opposite sides;
In the middle of the opposed lower arms, a pinion gear provided between the two opposed rack members and meshing with each rack gear of the rack member;
Brackets for maintaining the two rack members so that the distance between them is constant;
A rotation damper provided on the pedestal, the pinion gear being provided between the rack gears, and a different torque applied to the pinion gear depending on the rotation direction;
The container loading device according to claim 3, further comprising: A first restriction member that has a loading opening for loading the container into the accommodation space on the upper end side, and restricts movement of the container in contact with the container;
The first restricting member of the container is provided at an end opposite to the first restricting member across the accommodating space, and has a take-out opening for taking out the container from the accommodating space on the lower end side. A second restriction member that restricts movement of the container in contact with the opposite side;
The container stacking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

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