JP2009234763A - Transfer method and device of accumulation conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transfer method and device of an accumulation conveyor for preventing a side face of a container such as a PET bottle from being damaged and smashed, and falling down. <P>SOLUTION: An accumulation conveyor 3 is split into three of an inlet conveyor 35, an ability adjusting conveyor 36 and an accumulation body conveyor 37 sequentially from an upstream side. A transfer speed of the inlet conveyor is made lower than that of a feeding conveyor 2, and a bottle 1 supplied to a center part of the inlet conveyor is gradually transferred so that it remains while being dispersed in a width direction of the inlet conveyor. The transfer speed of the ability adjusting conveyor is set to a speed lower than that of the inlet conveyor and corresponding to a line ability speed when the bottle transferred from the inlet conveyor is aligned across a whole guide width of the ability adjusting conveyor. The bottle transferred from the feeding conveyor on the accumulation conveyor is restrained to the transfer speed of the ability adjusting conveyor, so that the bottle is transferred while being further dispersed and remaining. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an accumulator conveyor method and apparatus in a conveyor line for conveying containers such as bottles.

Containers such as bottles, plastic bottles, cans and the like (these containers are referred to as bottles. However, when referring to the patent documents of known technical documents, the names of the documents are used for some of them. In the beverage production line for filling beverages), the beverage filling bottle sent out from the filling machine is transported to an apparatus such as a labeler in the subsequent process by a conveyor line.
Even when a labeler or other part of the conveyor line breaks down and stops, or when it is switched to low speed operation, the conveyor line can be operated efficiently by continuously sending out the bottles from the filling machine. An accumulator that temporarily stores bottles is used during the process. Conventionally, various proposals have been made to efficiently use this accumulation conveyor. (See Patent Documents 1 to 4)

The outline will be described. In Patent Document 1, a container (A) supplied from an upstream inlet conveyor (1) (the symbols in the figure of Patent Document 1 are displayed in parentheses. The same applies hereinafter). The reversing guide (2) converts the 90 ° conveying direction and supplies the accumulation conveyor (C) divided into a plurality of containers in the container conveying direction. During normal operation, the container (A) is the downstream outlet. Although it is conveyed toward the conveyor (3), when the container (A) stays on each of the divided conveyors (C _n ) as the outlet conveyor (3) stops, the stay is detected. The signal from the inlet sensor (S ₁ ) and the outlet sensor (S ₂ ) installed on each divided conveyor (C _n ) moves the divided conveyor (C _n ) from the downstream divided conveyor (C ₁ ) toward the upstream side. In order to drive at low speed Recombinant or by switching the stop is set to be accumulator container (A).
Note that the dividing conveyor (C _n ) has only a divided structure, and the operation is performed only in three stages of high speed, low speed, and stop by signals from the inlet sensor (S ₁ ) and the outlet sensor (S ₂ ).

  In Patent Document 2, an accumulator conveyor (10) is disposed downstream of a transport conveyor (8) of a container processing device (6) (the symbols in the figure of Patent Document 2 are displayed in parentheses. The same applies in this paragraph). Further, a discharge conveyor (12) is arranged on the downstream side of the transfer conveyor (38), and the container (2) is transferred from the supply conveyor (4) to the introduction conveyor (18) on the upstream side of the transfer conveyor (8). It is conveyed to the conveyor (8), and the introduction conveyor (18) is further divided into a third conveyor (18A) and a fourth conveyor (18B), and the third conveyor (18A) is more than the fourth conveyor (18B). However, when carrying out normal container processing, the conveyor (8) is operated at a low speed and the accumulator conveyor (10) is operated at a high speed, and the discharge conveyor (12) and below are used. Side to stop the discharge conveyor (12) when there trouble, trying to accumulator containers (2) the accumulation conveyor (10) as a low-speed conveyor (8) at the same speed.

  In Patent Document 3, the swing guide (42) (the symbol in the figure of Patent Document 3 is displayed in parentheses. The same applies to the following paragraph) is swung by the driving means (44) with the illustration (42c) as a fulcrum. The container (2) guided and conveyed by the guide member (14) from the upstream supply conveyor (4) is engaged with the long side (42b) of the swing guide (42). The container (2) is dispersed in the width direction on the midstream portion (6B) by the swinging guide (42) and the transporting operation of the midstream portion (6B) of the transport conveyor (6). I am trying to carry it.

In addition, about the said rocking | fluctuation guide, the conveyance direction distribution guide (2) in patent document 4 (The symbol in the figure of patent document 4 is displayed in parenthesis. The same applies to this paragraph below. Although referred to as a distribution guide, the content is the same as that of the swing guide.) Has a pair of structures in which side guide members (2a) having hinge members (2a ₁ ) are provided facing each other.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-326665 (FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-69744 (FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-217105 (FIG. 2) Japanese Patent No. 3059990 (FIG. 1)

In the prior art shown in Patent Document 1, when the exit conveyor (3) (the symbol in the figure of Patent Document 1 is displayed in parentheses. The same applies in the following paragraph), the container (A) stays. However, to the place where the container (A) stays at the part exiting from the most downstream division conveyor (C ₁ ) of the accumulation conveyor (C), the most downstream division conveyor (C ₁ ) of the accumulation conveyor (C). ) because the container from the split conveyor to a stop (C ₁₎ (a) is about to be transported one after another, vessel portion exiting from the split conveyor (C ₁₎ to the outlet conveyor (3) (a) and The container (A) on the downstream side of the divided conveyor (C ₁ ) collides with each other while the containers (A) collide with each other while receiving strong bottle pressure from the upstream container (A). Scratch There is a risk of being attached. In addition, in the case of a soft container (A) having a low rigidity and strength such as a plastic bottle or a thin can, the container (A) may be crushed by receiving the bottle pressure. Further, depending on the situation, there is a possibility that the container (A) may fall when the container (A) is blocked due to a collision between the containers (A) and the blocked state collapses. Such problems of scratches, crushing, and overturning of the side surface of the container (A) become prominent when high-capacity production is achieved. This problem is remarkable when the cross-sectional shape of the container (A) is round, but becomes more prominent when the cross-sectional shape is square.
Further, the division conveyor (C _n ) is merely a division structure, and the operation is performed only in three stages of high speed, low speed, and stop by signals from the inlet sensor (S ₁ ) and the outlet sensor (S ₂ ). No consideration has been given to eliminate the problem of damage, crushing, or overturning of the side surface of the container (A) by making the speed of each divided conveyor (C _n ) variable and performing smooth operation. There are also drawbacks.

  Moreover, in the prior art shown in the said patent document 2, the conveyance speed of the 3rd conveyor (18A) of an introduction conveyor (18) (The symbol in the figure of patent document 2 is displayed in parenthesis. The same is true in this paragraph below). Is set to be slower than the conveying speed of the fourth conveyor (18B). As shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2, the containers (2) are conveyed in a wide row on the introduction conveyor (18). It is effective when coming, but no consideration is given to when the container (2) is conveyed in a single row or a narrow row such as 2 to 4 on the introduction conveyor (18). When trying to supply the container (2) to the transport conveyor (8) so that the container (2) is fully expanded on the transport conveyor (8), the length of the introduction conveyor (18) is reduced. It must be long and the equipment space There is a disadvantage that Kuna' to become.

  In the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 3, the swing guide (42) (the symbol in the figure of Patent Document 3 is displayed in parentheses. The same applies in the following paragraph) is the long side (42b), that is, the swing. Since only one side of the guide (42) is engaged with the container (2), the container (2) strongly bounces back against the long side (42b) of the swing guide (42) in the case of high-speed conveyance. Becomes unstable, the side surface of the container (2) is not only damaged, but the container (2) is likely to fall over, and the container (2) is greatly out of the intended transport path. There is a possibility that this problem may occur. In particular, when the angle between the long side (42b) of the swing guide (42) and the transport direction of the transport conveyor (6) is steep, the above problem is further increased. As described above, the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a drawback that the container (2) cannot be distributed and conveyed in an orderly manner by the swing guide (42), and cannot be used for high-capacity production.

In the prior art shown in Patent Document 4, a conveyance direction sorting guide (2) corresponding to a swing guide (the symbol in the figure of Patent Document 4 is displayed in parentheses. The same applies to the following paragraphs). However, although the post-process aligns the articles (a) and the purpose is different from that of the present invention, the structure is such that the articles (a) are sandwiched by two sides one by one in a tandem state. A device has been devised in order to eliminate the drawback of Patent Document 3 in which the article (a) rebounds. However, since the side guide member (2a) having the hinge coupling (2a ₁ ) is opposed and provided in an independent state, for example, a pair of hinges such as a gear backlash is formed. The movement of the coupling (2a ₁ ) is out of order, and the distance between the tips of the opposed side guide members (2a) is out of order, and the article (a) is strongly sandwiched, or a pair of side parts The opposite side of the tip part away from the hinge coupling (2a ₁ ) of the guide member (2a) is in an open state, and the gap between the opposite sides becomes too large to swing the article (a) to an accurate position. Has the disadvantage of becoming impossible.

  The present invention is proposed in view of such circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to provide a strong side surface between the bottles even in the case of a high-capacity conveyance even when the cross-sectional shape of the bottle is not only a round shape but also a square shape. Without pressure, therefore, bottles with weak strength and rigidity, such as PET bottles, do not cause damage, crushing, or overturning on the side of the bottle, and the bottle is as wide as a single row or 2-4 rows When transported from the upstream in a narrow row, the introduction length to the accumulator conveyor can be short, and even when a swing guide is installed that swings the transport direction of the bottle at a predetermined angular width in the predetermined width direction, the bottle is overturned. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for feeding a wide accumulator that can be swung orderly without causing it to swing.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.
(1) An accumulating conveyor conveying method and apparatus of a first means is an accumulating conveyor in which containers are conveyed and supplied from an upstream supply conveyor. The accumulating conveyor in which the containers are supplied from the supplying conveyor to the central portion in the width direction. In the container transport direction, the inlet conveyor, capacity adjustment conveyor, and accumulator conveyor are divided into three parts in order from the upstream side so that the transfer speed can be adjusted in three parts. The conveyance speed is made slower than the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor, and the containers supplied to the central portion of the inlet conveyor are gradually distributed and accumulated in the width direction of the inlet conveyor so as to accumulate, further downstream capacity The conveying speed of the adjusting conveyor is slower than the conveying speed of the inlet conveyor, and is conveyed from the inlet conveyor. The container that has been transported from the supply conveyor on the accumulator conveyor is set to a speed corresponding to the line capacity speed when the containers are transported by arranging the containers to the full guide width of the capacity adjusting conveyor. By regulating the conveying speed of the adjusting conveyor and transporting the container while being further dispersed from the dispersed state, the container can be transported naturally without applying strong pressure to the side surfaces of the containers. It is characterized in that it is conveyed to the main body conveyor side of the accumulator conveyor so as to be distributed over the entire guide width.

(2) The conveying method and apparatus for the accumulator of the second means is the conveying method and apparatus for the accumulating conveyor of (1), wherein the accumulating conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction. In the width direction center of the inlet section of the inlet section conveyor, a pair of container transport direction changing guides that change the container transport direction from the supply conveyor to which the containers are transported in a single row to the accumulator side The container is supplied to the section.
(3) The transfer means and apparatus for the accumulation conveyor of the third means is the same as the transfer method and apparatus for the accumulation conveyor of (1), wherein the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially in the same direction in the transfer direction. The containers from the supply conveyor, in which the containers are conveyed in a single row or a double row, are supplied to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet portion conveyor by the guide for restricting the container conveying direction. It is characterized by.

(4) The transfer means and apparatus for the accumulator of the fourth means is the transfer method and apparatus for the accumulator according to (1) to (3) above, wherein the inlet conveyor is further moved upstream in the container transfer direction of the accumulator. The first stage, the second stage, and the third stage are divided into three parts in order, and the conveyance speed can be adjusted in three parts. The conveyance speed of the third stage upstream of the capacity adjustment conveyor is the conveyance of the supply conveyor. Containers transported from the front at a speed slower than the speed and at a speed faster than that of the downstream capacity adjusting conveyor are transported while accumulating while being gradually dispersed in a multi-row state in a natural state from a state corresponding to a single row. The transfer speed of the first stage is almost the same as that of the supply conveyor, and the transfer speed of the second stage is between the first stage and the third stage. And setting the conveying speed to the considerable speed.
(5) The transfer means and apparatus for the accumulator of the fifth means is the transfer method and apparatus for the accumulator conveyor of (4), wherein the accumulator conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially perpendicular to each other in the transfer direction. The container transport direction from the supply conveyor, in which the containers are transported in a single row, is changed to a direction perpendicular to the accumulator conveyor, and the containers are supplied to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet conveyor. The downstream ends of the pair of container transport direction changing guides are guided by the pair of container transport direction changing guides so as to extend further from the supply conveyor portion to the first stage side of the inlet portion conveyor. A swing guide that widens the transport of the containers transported in a single row in a predetermined width direction of the first stage, and a downstream end of the guide for changing the transport direction of the containers Is provided at the downstream end of the guide for changing the container conveyance direction so as to oscillate at a predetermined angle width with the oscillating fulcrum as the oscillating fulcrum. The container is transported in a zigzag pattern while being distributed in the width direction of the conveyor, and after passing through the bridging transport at the second stage, the container is transported while collecting in a natural state and gradually collecting in a multi-row state. It is characterized by.

(6) The transfer means and apparatus for an accumulator conveyor of the sixth means is the transfer method and apparatus for an accumulator conveyor of (4) above, wherein the accumulator conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially in the same direction in the transfer direction. And the downstream end portion of the container conveying direction regulating guide that supplies the containers from the supply conveyor, in which the containers are conveyed in a single row, to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet conveyor. The container is further extended from the conveyor section to the first stage side of the inlet section conveyor, and the container transported in a single row guided by the container transport direction regulating guide is transported in a predetermined width of the first stage. The container transport direction regulation is performed so that the swing guide extending in the direction swings at a predetermined angular width with the downstream end of the container transport direction regulation guide as a swing fulcrum. It is installed before and after the downstream end of the guide, and it is transported in a staggered manner while the container transport direction is dispersed in the conveyor width direction by swinging by the swing guide and conveyor transport in the first stage, and as a bridge on the second stage It is characterized in that the containers are transported while being accumulated in the third stage while being gradually dispersed in a multi-row state in the third stage.
(7) The transfer method of the accumulation conveyor of the seventh means is the same as the transfer method of the accumulation conveyor of the above (4) to (6), and the transfer speed of the first stage of the entrance conveyor is substantially the same as the transfer speed of the supply conveyor. The transfer speed of the third stage is approximately ½ of the transfer speed of the first stage, and the transfer speed of the second stage is approximately halfway between the transfer speed of the first stage and the transfer speed of the third stage. It is characterized in that the conveyance speed is set.
(8) An accumulation conveyor transport method according to an eighth means is characterized in that the second stage of the entrance conveyor is omitted in the accumulation conveyor transport method of (2) to (4) above.

(1) The present invention according to claims 1 to 14 is an accumulating conveyor conveying method and apparatus according to the above means (1) to (8), and a container is conveyed and supplied from an upstream supply conveyor. In the accumulator conveyor, the accumulator, in which containers are supplied from the supply conveyor to the center in the width direction, is divided into three parts in order from the upstream side in the container transport direction into an inlet conveyor, a capacity adjusting conveyor, and an accumulator main conveyor. The conveyance speed of the inlet conveyor on the upstream side of the capacity adjustment conveyor is made slower than the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor, and the containers supplied to the central portion of the inlet conveyor are gradually It conveys in the width direction of the entrance conveyor so that it is dispersed and collected in a natural manner, and further the downstream speed adjustment conveyor conveyance speed is Set to a speed that is slower than the conveyor speed of the conveyor and that corresponds to the line capacity speed when the containers conveyed from the entrance conveyor are arranged and conveyed within the guide width of the capacity adjusting conveyor. When the container conveyed from the supply conveyor is controlled by the conveying speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor and is conveyed while being accumulated while being further dispersed from the dispersion state, the container having low proof strength and rigidity However, even in the case of high-capacity production, the containers are transported in such a way that the containers are distributed naturally across the side guide width of the accumulator without applying strong pressure to the sides of the containers. No longer crashes or falls.

(2) In addition, the entrance conveyor is further divided into three parts in the container conveyance direction, and the conveyance speed can be adjusted in three parts, so the setting of the conveyance speed becomes finer and the container conveyance is smoother. The above effect can be further increased.

(3) Further, when the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially perpendicular to each other in the conveyance direction and containers are conveyed in a single row, the container conveyance direction from the supply conveyor is set to the accumulation conveyor side. The downstream end of a pair of container transfer direction changing guides which are changed in a direction perpendicular to the inlet and supplied to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet of the inlet conveyor further from the supply conveyor is the inlet conveyor The supply conveyor in which the containers are conveyed in a single row when the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially in the same direction in the conveying direction. The downstream end portion of the container transport direction regulating guide is adapted to supply the container from the supply conveyor portion to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet portion conveyor. Extending to the first stage side of the inlet conveyor, the container transported in a single row guided by the pair of container transport direction changing guides or the container transport direction regulating guide is transported in the first row. The container transport direction is such that the swing guide dispersed in a predetermined width direction of one stage swings at a predetermined angular width with the downstream end of the container transport direction changing guide or the container transport direction regulating guide as a swing fulcrum. Provided at the downstream end of the conversion guide or the guide for regulating the container conveyance direction, and in a staggered manner while dispersing the container conveyance direction in the width direction of the conveyor by swinging by the rocking guide and conveyor conveyance on the first stage. By transporting and passing through the bridge in the second stage, the containers are transported while being collected in the third stage while being naturally distributed and gradually dispersed in multiple rows. , So the transport of the containers is even more smoothly performed, it has become possible to increase even more the effect. In the case of low-capacity conveyance, the apparatus cost can be saved by omitting the second stage.
In addition, since the containers are smoothly transported as described above, the cross-sectional shape of the containers can be easily handled not only in a round shape but also in a square shape, and can be widened for production. .

The present embodiment is applied to an accumulator conveyor in a beverage bottle transport conveyor line, and will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a first embodiment of an accumulator according to the present invention, and shows only main parts.
The bottles 1 are conveyed in a single row from the direction of arrow A by the supply conveyor 2 and are guided by a pair of container conveying direction changing guides 4 to the inlet of the accumulation conveyor 3 whose direction is perpendicular to the center in the width direction of the inlet. Is transported to the unit. In the accumulation conveyor 3, the bottle 1 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B while being restricted in the width direction by the side guides 31 attached to both sides over the entire length of the accumulation conveyor 3. In addition, about the drive apparatus of the supply conveyor 2, the accumulation conveyor 3, etc. are well-known techniques, detailed illustration and description are abbreviate | omitted. (The same applies to FIGS. 2 and 3 below.)

  The accumulation conveyor 3 is divided into an entrance conveyor 35, a capacity adjusting conveyor 36, and an accumulator main body conveyor 37 in this order in the downstream of the bottle 1 in the conveyance direction, and the conveyance speed can be adjusted in three divisions. For example, when the conveying speed of the supply conveyor 2 is about 40 m / min, the conveying speed of the entrance conveyor 35 is set to a speed slightly lower than 1/2 of 20 m / min. The speed is equivalent to the line capacity speed when the bottles 1 transported from the entrance conveyor 35 are transported in the width between the pair of side guides 31 of the capacity adjustment conveyor 36, and the entrance conveyor The transfer speed of the accumulator main body conveyor 37 is set to about 6 times the transfer speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor 36. Have been, these transport speed should be entered in advance a control device (not shown), adjusted if necessary, it can be changed.

  With the configuration and the setting of the conveyance speed as described above, the bottles 1 conveyed in a single row from the direction of arrow A by the supply conveyor 2 are guided by a pair of container conveyance direction changing guides 4 and are perpendicular to the entrance conveyor. 35 is supplied to the central portion in the width direction. In the inlet conveyor 35, the bottle 1 is conveyed by the frictional force between the inlet conveyor 35 and the bottle 1, but the bottle pressure received by the bottle 1 is extremely light from the adjacent bottle 1 when there is an adjacent bottle 1. Since the conveyance speed of the entrance conveyor 35 is slower than that of the supply conveyor 2, the bottle 1 is conveyed while receiving and receiving light bottle pressure between adjacent bottles 1.

  Further, when the bottle 1 is being accumulated, the bottle 1 on the downstream side is restricted by the conveyance speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor 36 where the bottle 1 is accumulated and conveyed. It is conveyed while being accumulated while being dispersed, and is conveyed to the capacity adjusting conveyor 36 on the downstream side. Even on the capacity adjusting conveyor 36, the bottle 1 is conveyed by the frictional force between the capacity adjusting conveyor 36 and the bottle 1, but the bottle pressure received by the bottle 1 is extremely light from the adjacent bottle 1. The bottles 1 are distributed in the full width between the pair of side guides 31 of the accumulator 3 without being subjected to strong bottle pressure between the bottles 1, so that the bottle 1 is distributed to the downstream side of the accumulator main body 37. Be transported. Since the accumulating body conveyor 37 has a higher conveying speed than the upstream capacity adjusting conveyor 36, the accumulating body conveyor 37 is conveyed in a state of being separated for each row as shown in the figure.

By the way, although the conveyance speed of the said description was demonstrated as one Example, the bottle pressure which generate | occur | produces on the conveyor 36 for capacity adjustments of the bottle 1 which is being accumulated and conveyed on the upstream inlet_port | entrance conveyor 35 as mentioned above. Although it is only a light pressure, it is smaller than the fact that it is transported while accumulating, but further, the accumulator 3 is used by adjusting and controlling the transport speed of the entrance conveyor 35 and the capacity adjusting conveyor 36 so that the amount of accumulation is minimized. By doing so, the bottle pressure is naturally reduced, and the conveyance speed can be easily adjusted. (The same applies to the cases of FIGS. 2 and 3 below, and description of the conveyance speed adjustment control will be omitted below.)
When the bottle 1 is set to the conveyor speed as described above, the supply conveyor 2 to the inlet conveyor 35 of the accumulation conveyor 3, the inlet conveyor 35 to the capacity adjustment conveyor 36, and the capacity adjustment conveyor 36. From falling to the accumulation body conveyor 37.

In this way, even if the bottle has a weak strength and rigidity such as a PET bottle, the bottle 1 does not depend on the strength and rigidity of the bottle 1 and does not cause the bottle 1 to be densely packed. Can be distributed. Therefore, since the bottle 1 does not receive the strong bottle pressure between the bottles 1 on the side surface, the side surface of the bottle 1 is not damaged, crushed, or falls, and is smoothly conveyed by the accumulation conveyor 3.
Further, FIG. 1 shows a case where the cross-sectional shape of the bottle is a round shape, but even in the case of a square shape, the bottle is smoothly conveyed by the accumulator 3 by the structure and the bottle feeding method as described above.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a second embodiment of the accumulation conveyor according to the present invention, and shows only the main part.
The bottles 1 are conveyed by the supply conveyor 12 in two to four rows from the direction of the arrow A1, and are guided by the container conveying direction regulating guide 14 to the inlet conveyor 135 of the accumulation conveyor 13 in the same direction, and the inlet width direction. Supplied in the center of In the accumulation conveyor 13, the bottle 1 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow B <b> 1 while being restricted in the width direction by the side guides 131 attached to both sides over the entire length of the accumulation conveyor 13. The guide 121 is a side guide of the supply conveyor 12 for preventing the bottle 1 from dropping from the supply conveyor 12.

  As in the case of FIG. 1, the configuration of the accumulation conveyor 13 is divided into an entrance conveyor 135, a capacity adjustment conveyor 136, and an accumulation body conveyor 137 in order downstream of the bottle 1 in the conveyance direction, and is conveyed in three divisions. The speed can be adjusted. For example, when the conveying speed of the supply conveyor 12 is about 20 m / min, the entrance conveyor 135 is set to a speed that is about 10 m / min that is 1/2 of that and is used for capacity adjustment. The conveyor 136 has a speed corresponding to the line capacity speed when the bottles 1 transported from the entrance conveyor 135 are transported while being arranged in the full width between the pair of guides 131 of the capacity adjusting conveyor 136. The accumulator main body conveyor 137 is set to about six times the conveying speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor 136. It is. The input of these conveyance speed settings to a control device (not shown) is the same as in the case of FIG. 1 and will not be described.

  With the above-described configuration and the setting of the conveyance speed, the bottle 1 that has been conveyed from the direction of the arrow A1 by the supply conveyor 12 in several rows of 2 to 4 is guided by the container conveyance direction regulating guide 14 and the accumulator 13 It is supplied to the entrance conveyor 135 at the center in the width direction. In the inlet conveyor 135, the bottle 1 is conveyed by the frictional force between the inlet conveyor 135 and the bottle 1, but the bottle pressure received by the bottle 1 is extremely light from the adjacent bottle 1 when there is an adjacent bottle 1. Since the conveyance speed of the entrance conveyor 135 is slower than that of the supply conveyor 12, the bottle 1 is conveyed while receiving and receiving light bottle pressure between adjacent bottles 1. Further, when the bottle 1 is accumulating, the bottle 1 on the downstream side is restricted by the conveyance speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor 136 where the bottle 1 is accumulated and conveyed. It is conveyed while being accumulated while being dispersed, and is conveyed to a capacity adjusting conveyor 136 on the downstream side. Even on the capacity adjusting conveyor 136, the bottle 1 is conveyed by the frictional force between the capacity adjusting conveyor 136 and the bottle 1, but the bottle pressure received by the bottle 1 is extremely light from the adjacent bottle 1. The bottles 1 are distributed naturally over the width between the pair of side guides 131 of the accumulator 13 without applying strong bottle pressure to the sides of the bottles 1, so that the accumulator conveyor 137 on the downstream side is distributed. Be transported. Since the accumulator conveyor 137 has a higher conveying speed than the upstream capacity adjusting conveyor 136, the accumulator main body conveyor 137 is conveyed in a state of being separated for each row as shown in the figure.

  In this way, the bottle 1 is smoothly transported on the accumulator 13 in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 1, so that the strength and rigidity of the bottle 1 can be obtained even in the case of a bottle having weak strength and rigidity such as a PET bottle. The bottles 1 can be distributed over the entire width of the accumulator 13 without depending on the above and without causing the bottles 1 to be congested. Therefore, since the bottle 1 does not receive the strong bottle pressure between the bottles 1 on the side surface, the side surface of the bottle 1 is not damaged, crushed, or overturned. Further, the bottle 1 is smoothly conveyed on the accumulator 13 regardless of whether the bottle has a round shape or a square shape.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a third embodiment of an accumulation conveyor according to the present invention, and shows only the main part.
The bottles 1 are conveyed in a single row from the direction of the arrow A2 by the supply conveyor 22, and are guided by a pair of container conveying direction regulating guides 24 to the inlet conveyor 235 of the accumulation conveyor 23 in the same direction, and the inlet width direction. It is conveyed and supplied to the central part of the. In the accumulation conveyor 23, the bottle 1 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B <b> 2 while being restricted by the side guides 231 attached on both sides over the entire length of the accumulation conveyor 23 in the width direction.

  The accumulator 23 is divided into an inlet conveyor 235, a capacity adjusting conveyor 236, and an accumulator main body conveyor 237 in order from the downstream side. Further, the inlet conveyor 235 is first in order from the upstream in the bottle conveying direction of the accumulator 23. The first stage 2351, the second stage 2352, the third stage 2353, the capacity adjusting conveyor 236, and the accumulator main body conveyor 237 can be adjusted to the respective conveyance speeds. ing.

  The first stage 2351 is partially extended with the downstream end portion of the bottle conveying direction regulating guide 24, and the pair of swing guides 25 is extended with the downstream end portion P of the bottle conveying direction regulating guide 24. Is provided at the downstream end of the bottle conveyance direction regulating guide 24 so as to oscillate with the oscillating fulcrum as the oscillating fulcrum. The bottle 1 supplied by the pair of bottle conveyance direction regulating guides 24 from the supply conveyor 22 by the oscillation by the oscillation guide 25 and the conveyor conveyance of the first stage 2351 is changed to the width of the first stage 2351. It is designed to be transported in a staggered pattern with the downstream part widened in the direction. Here, the swing guide 25 is configured to have a predetermined width so that the bottle 1 is smoothly conveyed. Although the swinging fulcrum and the driving device are attached to a frame suspended on the upper part of the bottle transport section of the first stage 2351, the illustration is omitted. Further, the swing width of the swing guide 25 can be easily set so as to have an optimum angle, but the structure is not shown.

  The setting of the conveyance speed of the accumulation conveyor 23 will be described as an example. The conveyance speed of the first stage 2351 of the entrance conveyor 235 is, for example, about 40 m / min, which is substantially the same as the conveyance speed of the upstream supply conveyor 22, and the third stage The transport speed of 2353 is approximately 20 m / min, which is approximately ½ of the transport speed of the first stage 2351, and the transport speed of the second stage 2352 is a speed of approximately 30 m / min between the first stage 2351 and the third stage 2353. And Here, the second stage 2352 is provided because if the speed difference between the high-speed first stage 2351 and the low-speed third stage 2353 is large, the bottle 1 easily falls during the transfer. This is because a stage having an intermediate speed of the stage 2353 is provided to prevent the bottle 1 from overturning during transfer. The conveyance speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor 236 is equivalent to the line capacity speed when the bottles 1 conveyed from the entrance conveyor 235 are arranged in a full width between the pair of side guides 231 of the capacity adjusting conveyor 236. The speed of the accumulator main body conveyor 237 is set to about six times the speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor 236. Such setting of the conveyance speed and the setting of the swing cycle of the swing guide 25 can be input in advance to a control device (not shown) and can be changed as necessary.

  With the configuration and the setting of the conveyance speed as described above, the bottles 1 conveyed in a single row from the direction of the arrow A2 by the supply conveyor 22 are guided by the pair of container conveyance direction regulating guides 24 and the first of the inlet conveyor 235. 1 stage 2351 is supplied to the center in the width direction. In the first stage 2351, the bottle 1 is conveyed in a staggered manner as shown in the drawing while the downstream portion is dispersed in a predetermined width direction by the swing of the pair of swing guides 25, and the first stage 2351 is continuously transported by the second stage 2352. To the third stage 2353 in a bridging manner. In the third stage 2353, the bottle 1 is conveyed by the frictional force between the third stage 2353 and the bottle 1, but the bottle pressure received by the bottle 1 is extremely light from the adjacent bottle 1 when there is an adjacent bottle 1. Since the transport speed of the third stage 2353 is slower than that of the second stage 2352, the bottle 1 is transported toward the capacity adjusting conveyor 236 while being dispersed by receiving a light bottle pressure between adjacent bottles 1.

  Further, when the bottle 1 is accumulating, the bottle 1 on the downstream side is restricted by the conveyance speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor 236 where the bottle 1 is accumulated and conveyed. It is transported while being accumulated while being dispersed, and transported to the capacity adjusting conveyor 236 on the downstream side. Even on the capacity adjusting conveyor 236, the bottle 1 is conveyed by the frictional force between the capacity adjusting conveyor 236 and the bottle 1, but the bottle pressure received by the bottle 1 is very light from the adjacent bottle 1. The bottles 1 are distributed in the full width between the pair of side guides 231 of the accumulator 23 in a natural manner without applying a strong bottle pressure to the sides of the bottles 1, so that the accumulator conveyor 237 on the downstream side is distributed. Be transported. Since the accumulating body conveyor 237 has a higher conveying speed than the upstream capacity adjusting conveyor 236, the accumulating body conveyor 237 is conveyed in a state of being separated for each row as shown in the figure.

  When the conveyor speed is set as described above, the pair of swing guides 25 are swung from the supply conveyor 22 to the first stage 2351 of the entrance conveyor 235, and from the first stage 2351 to the second stage 2352. Also, the bottle 1 does not fall over during the transfer from the second stage 2352 to the third stage 2353, from the third stage 2353 to the capacity adjusting conveyor 236, and from the capacity adjusting conveyor 236 to the accumulator main body conveyor 237.

In this way, even if the bottle has a weak strength and rigidity such as a PET bottle, the bottle 1 can be fully filled in the width direction of the accumulator 23 without depending on the strength and rigidity of the bottle 1 and without causing the bottle 1 to become dense. Can be distributed. Therefore, since the bottle 1 does not receive the strong bottle pressure between the bottles 1 on the side surface, the side surface of the bottle 1 is not damaged, crushed, or falls, and is smoothly conveyed by the accumulator 23.
Further, FIG. 3 illustrates the case where the bottle has a round cross-sectional shape, but even in the case of a square, the bottle is smoothly conveyed by the accumulator 23 by the above-described structure and bottle feeding method.

  In the above description of FIG. 3, the bottles 1 are guided by the pair of bottle conveyance direction regulating guides 24 to the inlet conveyor 235 of the accumulation conveyor 23 in a single row by the supply conveyor 22 in the same direction as the accumulation conveyor 23. Although an example in which the first stage 2351 is conveyed and supplied to the central portion in the width direction has been shown, a pair of bottles 1 are supplied to the inlet conveyor 235 of the accumulator conveyor 23 in a single row by a supply conveyor perpendicular to the accumulator conveyor 23. It is transported by the container transport direction changing guide, the downstream end of the container transport direction changing guide is extended to the first stage 2351 of the inlet conveyor 235, and is supplied to the central portion in the width direction of the first stage 2351. In the same way as described above, the conveyance direction may be swung in a staggered manner by the swing guide 25 in the first stage 2351. As a matter of course.

  The above description of FIG. 3 shows an example in which the transport speed of the bottle 1 is high, but the transport speed of the bottle 1 is slow and the speed difference between the first stage 2351 on the high speed side and the third stage 2353 on the low speed side is small. If the bottle 1 does not fall over even if it is directly transferred from the first stage 2351 to the third stage 2353, the second stage 2352 can be omitted.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the accumulation conveyor concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and has shown only the principal part. It is a top view which shows the outline of the accumulation conveyor concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and has shown only the principal part. It is a top view which shows the outline of the accumulation conveyor concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and has shown only the principal part.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Bottle (container),
2, 12, 22 ... supply conveyor,
3, 13, 23 ... Accumulator conveyor,
4, 14, 24, guides for changing the container conveyance direction,
25. Swing guide,
31, 131, 231 ... side guides,
35, 135, 235 ... entrance conveyor,
36, 136, 236 ... conveyor for capacity adjustment,
37, 137, 237 ... Accumulator conveyor,
2351 ... the first stage (of the entrance conveyor),
2352 ... the second stage (of the entrance conveyor),
2353 ... Third stage (of entrance conveyor)

Claims (14)

  In a wide accumulation conveyor in which containers are conveyed and supplied from an upstream narrow supply conveyor in a conveyor line for conveying containers such as bottles, the accumulation conveyor in which containers are supplied from the supply conveyor to the center in the width direction is provided. The container conveyor direction is divided into the entrance conveyor, capacity adjustment conveyor, and accumulator conveyor in order from the upstream side so that the conveyance speed can be adjusted in three divisions, and the conveyance speed of the inlet conveyor is controlled by the supply conveyor. The containers supplied to the central part of the inlet conveyor at a lower speed than that of the inlet conveyor are transported so that they are gradually dispersed and accumulated in the width direction of the inlet conveyor, and the transport speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor is set to the inlet. The container that is slower than the conveying speed of the conveyor and is conveyed from the inlet conveyor is a guide for the capacity adjusting conveyor. By setting the speed corresponding to the line capacity speed when the containers are arranged and transported to the full width, the containers transported from the supply conveyor on the accumulation conveyor are regulated by the transport speed of the capacity adjusting conveyor. The container is transported while being further dispersed from the dispersed state, so that the container can be naturally distributed to the full width of the side guide width of the accumulator without applying strong pressure to the sides of the container. A method of conveying an accumulator, characterized in that the accumulator is conveyed to a main body conveyor side.   The conveyance method of the accumulation conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and the containers are conveyed from the supply conveyor in which the containers are conveyed in a single row. Conveying an accumulator characterized in that a container is supplied to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet portion conveyor by a pair of container conveying direction changing guides that change the direction in a direction perpendicular to the accumulator conveyor side. Method.   2. The method of conveying an accumulation conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially in the same direction in the conveyance direction, and the containers are conveyed in a single row or a double row. The container is supplied to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet conveyor by a container transfer direction regulating guide.   The transfer method of the accumulation conveyor as described in any one of Claim 1, 2, and 3 WHEREIN: An entrance part conveyor is further set to a 1st stage, a 2nd stage, and a 3rd stage in order from the upstream in the container conveyance direction of this accumulation conveyor. The conveyance speed of the third stage upstream of the capacity adjustment conveyor is lower than the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor, and the capacity adjustment conveyor can be adjusted in three divisions. The speed at which the containers transported from the front are transported while being collected while being dispersed in a multi-row state in a natural state gradually from a state corresponding to a single row, and the transport speed of the first stage is the same as that of the supply conveyor. The transport speed is set so that the speed is substantially the same, and the transport speed of the second stage is equivalent to the intermediate speed between the first stage and the third stage. Transfer method of accumulation conveyor to be.   5. The conveyance method for an accumulation conveyor according to claim 4, wherein the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially perpendicular to each other in the conveyance direction, and the containers are conveyed from the supply conveyor in which the containers are conveyed in a single row. The downstream ends of a pair of container transport direction changing guides that change the direction in a direction perpendicular to the accumulation conveyor side and supply the container to the widthwise center of the inlet portion of the inlet portion conveyor are the supply conveyor portion Further extending to the first stage side of the inlet conveyor, and transporting the containers guided by the pair of container transport direction changing guides and transported in a single row to a predetermined width of the first stage. The container transport direction is changed so that the swing guide spreading in the direction swings at a predetermined angular width with the downstream end of the container transport direction change guide as a swing fulcrum. It is installed before and after the downstream end of the guide, and it is transported in a staggered pattern while the container transport direction is distributed in the conveyor width direction by swinging by the swing guide and conveyor transport on the first stage, and bridging on the second stage A method for transporting an accumulator, wherein the containers are transported while being collected while being dispersed in a multi-row state in a natural state in a third stage through a manual transport.   5. A method of conveying an accumulation conveyor according to claim 4, wherein the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially in the same direction in the conveyance direction, and the containers from the supply conveyor are conveyed in a single row. So that the downstream end of the guide for regulating the container conveyance direction is further extended from the supply conveyor section to the first stage side of the inlet conveyor. The swing guide that widens the transport of the containers guided by the container transport direction regulating guide and transported in a single row in the predetermined width direction of the first stage is a downstream end of the container transport direction regulating guide. Is provided at the downstream end of the guide for regulating the container conveyance direction so as to oscillate at a predetermined angular width with the part as an oscillating fulcrum. The container is transported in a zigzag pattern while the container transport direction is distributed in the conveyor width direction by swinging and conveyor transport, and after passing through the bridge on the second stage, the containers are gradually dispersed in multiple rows in a natural state on the third stage. A method of conveying an accumulator characterized by being conveyed while accumulating.   The transfer method of the accumulator conveyor according to any one of claims 4, 5 and 6, wherein the transfer speed of the first stage of the entrance conveyor is substantially the same as the transfer speed of the supply conveyor, and the transfer speed of the third stage is The conveyance speed is set so that the conveyance speed of the first stage is approximately ½, and the conveyance speed of the second stage is approximately halfway between the conveyance speed of the first stage and the conveyance speed of the third stage. The transfer method of the accumulator conveyor.   8. The method of conveying an accumulator according to claim 4, wherein the second stage of the entrance conveyor is omitted.   In an accumulator conveyor that conveys and supplies containers from an upstream supply conveyor in a conveyor line that conveys containers, the accumulator conveyor in which containers are supplied from the supply conveyor to the center in the width direction is conveyed in three parts in the container conveyance direction. An accumulator conveyor device characterized by comprising an inlet conveyor, a capacity adjusting conveyor, and an accumulator conveyor in order from the upstream side so that the speed can be adjusted.   10. The conveyor of the accumulation conveyor according to claim 9, wherein the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and the containers are conveyed from the supply conveyor in which the containers are conveyed in a single row. An accumulator comprising a pair of container transfer direction changing guides so that the direction is changed to a direction perpendicular to the accumulator conveyor and the container is supplied to the center in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet conveyor. Conveyor transport device.   10. The conveyor for an accumulation conveyor according to claim 9, wherein the accumulation conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially in the same direction in the conveyance direction, and the containers are conveyed in a single row or a double row. A container conveying direction regulating guide is provided so as to supply the container from the container to the central portion in the width direction of the inlet portion of the inlet portion conveyor.   The transfer device for an accumulator conveyor according to any one of claims 9, 10 and 11, wherein the inlet stage conveyor is further configured to be capable of adjusting the transport speed by dividing into three in the container transport direction of the accumulator conveyor, An accumulator conveyor apparatus characterized by having a three-stage configuration of a second stage and a third stage.   13. The conveying apparatus for an accumulator conveyor according to claim 12, wherein the accumulator conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially perpendicular to each other in the conveying direction, and the containers are conveyed from the supply conveyor in which the containers are conveyed in a single row. The downstream ends of a pair of container transport direction changing guides that change the direction in a direction perpendicular to the accumulation conveyor side and supply the container to the widthwise center of the inlet portion of the inlet portion conveyor are the supply conveyor portion Further extending to the first stage side of the inlet conveyor, and transporting the containers that are guided by the pair of container transport direction changing guides and transported in a single row are predetermined on the first stage. A swing guide that swings at a predetermined angular width with the downstream end of the guide for changing the direction of conveyance of the container as a swing fulcrum so as to be distributed in a staggered pattern in the width direction; Conveying apparatus of the accumulation conveyor, wherein provided one behind the downstream end of the vessel conveying direction changing guide.   13. The conveying apparatus for an accumulator conveyor according to claim 12, wherein the accumulator conveyor and the upstream supply conveyor are substantially in the same direction in the conveying direction, and the containers from the supply conveyor are conveyed in a single row. So that the downstream end of the guide for regulating the container conveyance direction is further extended from the supply conveyor section to the first stage side of the inlet conveyor. Thus, downstream of the container transport direction regulating guide so as to disperse the transport of the containers guided by the container transport direction regulating guide in a single row in a staggered pattern in the predetermined width direction of the first stage. A swing guide that swings at a predetermined angular width with the end portion as a swing fulcrum is provided at the downstream end of the container transport direction regulating guide. Conveying apparatus of Mukonbeya.

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