JP2011056385A - Conveyer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable measuring the amount of target articles moved in a practical conveyance state and carrying out accurate inspection or sorting based on a measured amount of articles moved. <P>SOLUTION: A conveyer includes a conveyance means 20 of carrying articles, two or more sensors 11 detecting target articles carried by the conveyance means 20 and passing predetermined positions, an execution unit 22 carrying out a treatment of target articles on the conveyance means 20 according to detected signals from the sensors 11, a sorting unit 23 sorting the target articles based on the executed results of the execution means 22 and a controller controlling the sensors, execution unit and sorting unit. The controller writes values of the counter on generation of article detection signals from the sensors, in a memory device, while the sensors measure a predetermined number of times of passing timings of the target articles, reads out the contents of the memory device after the completion of measuring the predetermined number of times and calculate the passing timings of the target articles at the positions of the sensors. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus, and more particularly to an article conveying apparatus suitable for use in a process of inspecting and sorting a conveyance object.

  In general, a transport device used in an inspection process or assortment process for articles, etc. receives a detection signal from a sensor that detects that an object to be transported has been transported, performs inspection, discharges defective products, or types It is configured to perform sorting by discrimination.

  For example, techniques described in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and the like are known as conventional techniques related to the above-described transport apparatus. In these conventional technologies, when detecting an object to be transported and executing an inspection, a movement amount (conveyance amount) from the sensor to be detected to the inspection execution location is registered in the control device in advance, and the inspection is performed at an appropriate timing. For this reason, an encoder device that measures a transport amount is used as a transport unit.

  Further, as a control means for detecting the object to be conveyed, carrying the inspection stage, the sorting stage, and further to the next work stage, the shift register function of the programmable controller is known and is frequently used in the conveying apparatus.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 62-26836 JP 2009-82863 A

  As described above, when the transport device according to the conventional technique detects a transport object and executes an inspection, the transport device from the detected sensor to the inspection execution location (transport amount) is registered in the control device in advance. In order to perform inspection at an appropriate timing, an encoder device that measures a conveyance amount is used as a conveyance unit.

  However, the transport device according to the prior art, especially when the transport means is a belt conveyor or the like, and slip occurs between the transport means and the object to be transported, resulting in a shift in the amount of movement. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain an appropriate amount of movement only with the measured amount of movement of the encoder device, but it is possible to obtain the optimum value by repeatedly registering the predicted amount of movement, verifying execution, and performing temporary registration readjustment repeatedly. There is a problem that it must be.

  Further, the above-described transport device according to the prior art is different from the transport device in the case where a plurality of transport objects are transported continuously at the time of the above-described temporary registration readjustment. However, there is a problem that it is impossible to measure the amount of movement according to the actual operation.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to measure the amount of movement of the object to be conveyed in the actual conveyance state, and to perform accurate inspection execution and separation based on the measured movement amount. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport apparatus that can perform the above-described process.

  According to the present invention, the object of the present invention is to provide a transport device provided in a process for inspecting and sorting a transport object, and transport means for transporting an article, and passing a predetermined position of the transport object transported by the transport means. A plurality of sensors for detecting the object, an execution device for performing processing on the object to be conveyed on the conveying means based on a detection signal from the sensor, and a separation device for performing pairing on the object to be conveyed based on the execution result of the execution device And a control device that controls the operation of the sensor, the execution device, and the sorting device. The control device includes a counter that performs a counting operation, a storage unit that stores a value of the counter, and a value of the counter. A control circuit for writing to and reading from the storage device; and a calculation means for calculating the passage timings of the plurality of sensor positions of the object to be conveyed. During the measurement in which the sensor measures the passage timing of the object to be conveyed a predetermined number of times, the value of the counter at the time of the article detection signal generation from the sensor is written to the storage device, and after the measurement of the predetermined number of times is completed This is achieved by reading the contents of the storage device and causing the calculation means to calculate the passage timing of the conveyance object at the plurality of sensor positions.

  According to the present invention, even when slip occurs between the conveying means of the conveying device and the object to be conveyed, and the amount of movement of the object to be conveyed cannot be accurately obtained only by the amount of movement of the conveying means, the actual conveying The movement amount of the conveyance object in the state can be accurately measured, and accurate inspection execution and separation can be performed based on the measured movement amount.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the control apparatus contained in the conveying apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the whole conveying apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of the control apparatus contained in the conveying apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a transport apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control device included in a transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the entire transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The example shown in FIG. 2 is an example including an inspection apparatus for carrying out a conveyance object conveyed on a conveyance means constituting the conveyance apparatus and an inspection apparatus for sorting out non-defective products based on the result.

  First, with reference to FIG. 2, the structure of the whole conveying apparatus by embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a transport means 20 such as a belt conveyor, a discharge conveyor 21, a sensor 11-1 located at the most upstream for detecting a transport object, and a camera. Execution device 22 for inspecting and recognizing an object to be conveyed using the captured image and the captured image, a sensor 11-2 for detecting that the object has passed after a predetermined time (T2) has passed, and sorting of the object to be conveyed The separation device 23 that performs the process, the sensor 11-3 that detects that the conveyance object has passed after a predetermined time (T3) without being discharged by the separation device 23, and that the discharged conveyance object has passed. The sensor 11-4 to detect and the control apparatus 10 which controls the whole conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 2 are comprised. And on the conveyance means 20, the conveyance target 30 which carried out various shapes, such as a bottle, a can, and a box, is conveyed from the left of FIG.

  In the above description, the sensor 11-1 located at the uppermost stream detects the conveyance object 30 conveyed on the conveyance unit 20 and transmits the signal to the control device 10. After receiving the above-mentioned signal, the control device 10 issues an activation command to the execution device 22 that takes in an image by the camera and inspects and recognizes the object to be conveyed 30 based on the captured image after a predetermined time (T1) has elapsed. The execution device 22 receives a start command from the control device 10 and transmits a result of processing based on the start command to the control device 10.

  The control device 10 that has received the result from the execution device 22 uses a sensor such as a shift register of a programmable controller (not shown) provided in the inside of the sensor 11-2 after the transport object 30 has passed the predetermined time (T2). At the point of time when the position is passed, a command is sent to the sorting device 23 to cause the conveying object 30 to be discharged to the discharge conveyor 21.

  In addition, the control device 10 receives a signal indicating that the transport object 30 that is not discharged by the sorting device 23 has passed the position of the sensor 11-3 after a predetermined time (T3) has elapsed, and the transport object 30 is normally discharged. Make sure it was not. In addition, the control device 10 detects the passage of the discharged conveyance object 30 in response to a signal from the sensor 11-4, and confirms whether or not the discharge is correctly performed within a predetermined time (T4).

  Next, the configuration and operation of the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The internal configuration of the control device shown in FIG. 1 shows a portion related to the present invention, and is a configuration necessary for obtaining the set values such as the times T1 to T4 described above.

  The control device 10 includes a counter 3 that counts pulses from a pulse generator that generates pulses in proportion to the amount of movement of the transport means, and values indicating the input order from the sensors 11-1 to 11-4. A pointer 2 that the pointer 2 has, a storage device 1 provided for each sensor to which the value of the counter 3 is written, an arithmetic circuit 4 for obtaining values such as times T1 to T4, and an address The bus 5 and the data bus 6 and a control circuit 7 for writing the value of the counter 3 to the storage device 1 at the input timing from each sensor and reading the contents of the storage device 1 in accordance with an instruction from the arithmetic circuit 4.

  In the above description, the counter 3 is a counter that counts up pulses from an encoder, which is a pulse generator that generates pulses in proportion to the amount of movement of the transport means attached to the rotating portion of the transport means, or a constant time such as 0, for example. A counter that performs a free-run counter operation that counts up every 1 ms.

  The control circuit 7 receives the selection signal 73 for selecting one of the sensors 11-1 to 11-4 corresponding to the input 71 at the timing of the input 71 from each of the plurality of sensors 11-1 to 11-4. The value indicated by the pointer 2 having a value indicating the input order is used as the address of the storage device 1, and the value of the counter 3 at that time is written into the storage device 1. When one value has been written, the value of the corresponding pointer 2 is incremented by +1 to prepare for the next input. The pointer 2 is individually provided for each sensor corresponding to each of the sensors 11-1 to 11-4, and the storage device 1 also corresponds to each of the sensors 11-1 to 11-4. Each sensor is provided individually. Further, the control device 7 transmits and receives data to and from the execution device 22 via the signal line 72 and issues a command to the sorting device 23.

  The arithmetic circuit 4 detects, for example, 100 conveyance objects 30 corresponding to a preset number by the sensors 11-1 to 11-4, and stores the values of the counters 3 of the respective passage timings in the storage device 1. Is completed, the control device 7 is made to read the content of the storage device 1 and the content of the storage device 1 is received using the address bus 5 and the data bus 6. Since the read value indicates the timing at which the positions of the sensors 11-1 to 11-4 are passed, the arithmetic circuit 4 calculates the sensor 11 from each difference, for example, the value of the passing timing of the sensor 11-2. The value of T2 can be obtained by subtracting the -1 passage timing value.

  The arithmetic circuit 4 performs a calculation as described above, so that the timing at which the plurality of conveyance objects 30 pass through the positions of the sensors 11-1 and 11-4 in a state close to the actual operation that flows on the conveyance means 20. Can be measured, and desired T1 to T4 can be obtained.

  In the above description, the input from the sensor 11 is described as the write timing to the storage device 1, but the input here is the timing from OFF to ON, the timing from ON to OFF, or both timings. It is. When both timings are measured, the center position of the conveyance object can be obtained as an average value of both measurement values. For example, when the conveyance object is a beverage can and the separation device 23 is an air discharge device, This is effective when setting so that the maximum wind force can be applied to the center of gravity of the beverage can.

  Further, in the above description, the present invention has been described as being used when the set value is obtained. However, the present invention can be applied to the transport unit 20 during the actual operation of the transport apparatus, for example, the operation of inspection or sorting. The conveyance object 30 flows one after another, the timing thereof is measured and sequentially written in the storage device 1, and when the measurement is performed a predetermined number of times, for example, 100 times, the conveyance object 30 including the current slip state and the like is determined from the result. By measuring the time, it is possible to finely adjust the set values such as T1 to T4 that are initially set, thereby making it possible to always keep the conveyance state in an optimum state.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the control device included in the transport device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Next, this will be described.

  In the example of the control device illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage device 1 is described as being provided individually for each sensor corresponding to each of the sensors 11-1 to 11-4. The example is an example in which the storage devices 1 are combined into one.

  The control device of the example shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a selector 8 that selects the output of the pointer 2 provided for each of the sensors 11-1 to 11-4 including the address 5 from the arithmetic circuit 4, in one storage device 1. In addition, the value of the counter 3 is stored in the address assigned to each sensor, and the operation is the same as that shown in FIG.

  According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, slip or the like occurs between the conveying means of the conveying device and the object to be conveyed, so that the moving amount of the conveying object cannot be obtained accurately only by the moving amount of the conveying means. In this case, the timing at which the conveyance object passes through the plurality of points where the sensors are installed is measured, or the passage timing of the plurality of conveyance objects is continuously measured. It becomes easy to make an optimal adjustment at the time of adjustment, and the labor of adjustment can be reduced.

  The embodiments of the present invention described so far are used to carry out sorting of defective products by appearance inspection of beverage bottles, beverage cans, packaging boxes, etc., sorting of defective products by printed character inspection, sorting of conveyed items by reading printed contents, etc. It is suitable for use in an apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Memory | storage device 2 Pointer 3 Counter 4 Operation circuit 5 Address bus 6 Data bus 7 Control circuit 8 Selector 10 Control apparatus 11 Sensor 20 Conveyance means 22 Execution apparatus 23 Sorting apparatus 30 Conveyance object

Claims (4)

In the transport device provided in the process of inspecting and sorting the objects to be transported,
Carrying means for carrying the article, a plurality of sensors for detecting passage of a carrying object carried by the carrying means, and processing on the carrying object on the carrying means by a detection signal from the sensor An execution device that performs, a separation device that separates a pair of conveyance objects according to an execution result of the execution device, and a control device that controls the operation of the sensor, the execution device, and the separation device,
The control device includes a counter that performs a counting operation, a storage unit that stores a value of the counter, a control circuit that writes and reads the value of the counter in the storage device, and a plurality of sensor positions of the conveyance object. And a calculation means for calculating the passage timing,
The control circuit writes the value of the counter when the article detection signal is generated from the sensor to the storage device during the measurement in which the sensor measures the passage timing of the object to be conveyed a predetermined number of times, and measures the predetermined number of times. After the completion, the content of the storage device is read out, and the calculating device causes the calculating means to calculate the passing timing of the object to be transferred at the plurality of sensor positions.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the counter is a counter that performs a free-run counter operation that counts up every predetermined time.   2. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the counter is a counter that counts up pulses from a pulse generator that generates pulses in proportion to a moving amount of the transport means.   Each of the plurality of sensors detects the passage of the conveyance object, and the input from the sensor that writes the detection signal in the storage device is performed once or a plurality of times for the passage of the conveyance object at one sensor position. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

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