JP2012082046A - Alignment method and conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sort articles into a plurality of alignment passages without using a collection part for collecting articles or a conveying mechanism for returning collected articles to an upstream position.SOLUTION: An alignment method includes a closing step, a receiving step and an alignment step. In the closing step, the pathway of the articles 101 that travel in a plurality of alignment routes 17 is closed. In the receiving step, a plurality of the articles 101 are received at a receiving part 16 located upstream of the plurality of the alignment routes 17. In the alignment step, the plurality of the articles 101 received at the receiving part 16 are transferred to the plurality of the alignment routes 17, and the plurality of the articles 101 are caused to enter the plurality of the alignment routes 17. In this alignment step, an article 101C that travels from the receiving part 16 is caused to contact the rearmost article 101D in the alignment route 17A filled with the plurality of the articles 101 to change its traveling direction. Each of the articles 101 is caused to climb over inclined portions 14a of a plurality of partition parts 14A and is sorted into one of the alignment routes 17 other than the alignment route 17A.

Description

  The present invention relates to an alignment method for aligning articles such as food and machine parts in a plurality of rows, and a transport apparatus using the alignment method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a transfer device that arranges a plurality of articles supplied from a previous process and arranges them in a plurality of rows and sends them to a subsequent process. The articles aligned by the conveying device are counted or filled in a tray, for example.

  As such a conveying apparatus, there exists a thing described in patent document 1, for example. In the conveying device described in Patent Document 1, a flexible rod-shaped package body is supplied onto a diaphragm having a predetermined number of portions, and rotated while aligning the package body in a certain direction by vibration of the diaphragm. It is sent to the end of the diaphragm provided with the member and the dam plate. The dam plate temporarily receives the sent package body, and the rotating member forcibly sends the package body to the circulation machine.

  Moreover, as a conveying apparatus for aligning articles in a plurality of rows, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 2. In the transport apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the articles are distributed on the left and right sides in the transport direction on the article feeding plate by swinging the swinging cage and stored in the respective grooves. Then, the articles that are not accommodated in the grooves are collected on auxiliary plates provided on the left and right sides of the article feeding plate, and returned to the upstream position equivalent to the supply position.

JP-A-48-27458 JP 2001-106328 A

  However, in the conveyance device described in Patent Document 1, it is impossible to distribute articles (packaged objects) to a plurality of partition portions of the diaphragm. For this reason, articles may concentrate on a predetermined section of the plurality of sections. Moreover, since the length of the article in the longitudinal direction is larger than the width of the partition part, the carry-in part of the partition part may be blocked by the article. As a result, there is also a problem that the article cannot be entered into a predetermined section.

On the other hand, in the transport apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the article is distributed to both the left and right sides in the transport direction by swinging the swing basket. However, a collection unit (auxiliary plate) that collects articles that are not accommodated in the groove and a transport mechanism that returns the collected articles to the upstream position are required. As a result, the number of parts increases, leading to an increase in the size of the apparatus.
In addition, since the articles collected without being accommodated in the grooves are returned to the swinging basket again, the articles that circulate the conveying device many times are generated. If the circulation is repeated in this way, an impact is applied to the article each time, which may adversely affect the article.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to distribute articles to a plurality of alignment passages without using a collection unit that collects articles or a transport mechanism that returns the collected articles to an upstream position. And

  In order to achieve the above object, the alignment method of the present invention includes a closing step, a receiving step, and an alignment step. The closing step closes the path of the article traveling through the plurality of alignment paths. In the receiving step, a plurality of articles are received by a receiving unit provided upstream of the plurality of alignment paths. In the alignment step, the plurality of articles received by the receiving unit are moved toward the plurality of alignment paths, and the plurality of articles enter the plurality of alignment paths. In this alignment step, the article proceeding from the receiving portion is brought into contact with the last article in the alignment path filled with a plurality of articles to change the traveling direction of the article. Then, by moving to an upstream position of the alignment path other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles in the receiving part, or by moving over the inclined part of the plurality of partition parts, other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles Distribute items to the alignment path.

Further, the transport device includes a guide table and a shutter. The guide table has a plurality of alignment paths formed by a plurality of partition portions having inclined portions that become higher toward the downstream side, and a receiving portion provided upstream of the plurality of alignment paths. The shutter opens and closes the paths of articles that travel on the plurality of alignment paths.
The guide table changes the traveling direction of the article by bringing the article proceeding from the receiving portion into contact with the last article in the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles. Then, by moving to an upstream position of the alignment path other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles in the receiving part, or by moving over the inclined part of the plurality of partition parts, other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles Distribute items to the alignment path.

  In the above-described alignment method and conveying apparatus, when a plurality of articles are entered into the plurality of alignment paths in the alignment process in order to close the paths of the articles traveling in the plurality of alignment paths, the alignment paths in which the articles frequently enter are the plurality of articles. Filled with. At this time, the article proceeding from the receiving portion is brought into contact with the last article in the alignment path filled with a plurality of articles to change the traveling direction of the article.

  Since the receiving part is an area where no partitioning part is provided, an article whose direction of movement is changed by contacting the last article in the alignment path filled with a plurality of articles can move freely in the receiving part. it can. As a result, among the articles whose direction of movement has been changed, the receiving section moves to an upstream position of the alignment path other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles, and the alignment path other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles. There are things that can be sorted.

  In addition, since the partition portion has an inclined portion that becomes higher toward the downstream, in the article that has changed the moving direction in contact with the last article in the alignment path filled with a plurality of articles, There is also a thing that gets over the inclined part of the plurality of partition parts and is distributed to other alignment paths. Accordingly, the articles can be distributed to the plurality of alignment passages without using a collection unit for collecting the articles or a transport mechanism for returning the collected articles to the upstream position.

  According to the alignment method and the conveyance device of the present invention, the articles can be distributed to the plurality of alignment passages without using a collection unit for collecting the articles or a conveyance mechanism for returning the collected articles to the upstream position.

It is a perspective view which shows 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a top view which shows 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a side view which shows 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the inclination angle and vibration conditions of an alignment stage, and the conveyance speed of articles | goods. FIG. 6A is an explanatory view showing the waiting posture of the delivery stage in the first embodiment of the transfer apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 6B is an explanatory view showing the delivery posture of the delivery stage. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the conveyance process in 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the article was mounted in the partition part of the alignment stage in 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which controlled the advance of the articles | goods by the gate member of the alignment stage in 1st Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of distributing articles to a plurality of alignment paths of the alignment stage. FIG. 11A is an explanatory view showing a state where an article is placed on the turntable in the delivery stage in the standby posture in the first embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 11B is a delivery stage where the article is placed. FIG. 11C is an explanatory view showing a state in which the posture is reached, and FIG. 11C is an explanatory view showing a state in which the article on the rotary table is sent out and the movement of the article supplied from the alignment stage is restricted by the rotary table. FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram showing a standby posture of the delivery stage when an article does not protrude from the end of the rotating table on the alignment stage side, and FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the delivery stage shown in FIG. is there. FIG. 13A is an explanatory view showing a standby posture of the delivery stage when the rotational axis of the rotary table is provided on the alignment stage side, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory view showing a state in which the delivery stage shown in FIG. FIG. 13C is an explanatory diagram of a state in which an article placed on the rotary table is sent out and the next article is supplied from the alignment stage. FIG. 14A is an explanatory view showing the waiting posture of the delivery stage according to the second embodiment of the transfer apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 14B is an explanatory view showing the delivery posture of the delivery stage shown in FIG. 14A. It is a perspective view which shows the partition part of the alignment stage which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the alignment operation in 3rd Embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the alignment method and the conveying device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the common member in each figure.

1. First Embodiment of Conveying Device [Configuration of Conveying Device]
First, the structure of 1st Embodiment of a conveying apparatus is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. 1-3.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a transport apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention.

The transport apparatus 1 includes an alignment stage 2 that aligns a plurality of supplied articles in a plurality of rows, and a delivery stage 3 that sends out articles 101 (see FIG. 4) supplied from the alignment stage 2 to a subsequent process.
The alignment stage 2 includes a guide table 6 that guides the articles 101, a vibration generator 7 that vibrates the guide table 6, and a support base 8 that supports the guide table 6. The support table 8 is a specific example of a gantry on which the alignment stage 2 is placed so as to be able to vibrate and to which the delivery stage is fixed.

The guide table 6 includes a rectangular substrate 11, side portions 12 and 13, a plurality of partition portions 14, and a gate member 15.
The substrate 11 has a smooth surface 11a on which the article 101 slides. The substrate 11 is inclined in the longitudinal direction with the smooth surface 11a facing upward. That is, the guide table 6 is slidably mounted on the support base 8 in a state where the guide table 6 is inclined in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 11. Hereinafter, the upper side in the tilt direction is defined as upstream, and the lower side in the tilt direction is defined as downstream.

  An upstream side of the smooth surface 11 a in the substrate 11 is a receiving portion 16 that receives the article 101. The receiving portion 16 occupies about 1/3 of the smooth surface 11a, for example, and is an area where the supplied article 101 can freely move (slide). The article 101 supplied to the receiving unit 16 slides on the smooth surface 11a and proceeds downstream.

The side parts 12 and 13 are arrange | positioned at the both ends of the transversal direction of the board | substrate 11, and prevent the articles | goods 101 falling from the smooth surface 11a. These side portions 12 and 13 are formed of a rectangular plate projecting substantially perpendicularly from the smooth surface 11a, and have long sides that are substantially equal to the length of the substrate 11 in the longitudinal direction.
The side portions 12 and 13 are fixed to the smooth surface 11a by a fixing method such as adhesive, welding, and fusion.

  In addition, the side part which concerns on this invention is not limited to a rectangular board, For example, you may make it form in a substantially L shape and have a fixed piece and a side piece. In this case, as a fixing method for fixing the fixing piece to the smooth surface 11a, a screw can be used in addition to adhesive, welding, and fusion.

  The plurality of partition portions 14 are provided downstream from the midstream portion on the smooth surface 11 a of the substrate 11. The plurality of partition portions 14 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the short direction of the substrate 11 and extend along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 11. An alignment path 17 for aligning the articles 101 is formed between the adjacent partition portions 14 and between the partition portions 14 at the both ends and the side portions 12 and 13.

  The width of each alignment path 17 (the interval between the plurality of partition portions 14) is determined by the size of the articles to be aligned. For example, when it is desired to align the direction of articles having a longitudinal direction and a short direction, the width of each alignment path 17 may be the same as the length in the short direction of the article or slightly longer than the length in the short direction of the article. .

  The article 101 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a rod-shaped article having a longitudinal direction and a short direction such as spring rolls, and the width of each alignment path 17 is slightly longer than the length of the article 101 in the short direction. ing. Thereby, the plurality of articles 101 that have entered the alignment path 17 are aligned side by side in the longitudinal direction.

  In the guide table 6 according to the present embodiment, eight partition portions 14 are provided to form nine alignment paths 17. However, one or more partition sections are sufficient, and there are two or more alignment paths. Good.

  Each partition portion 14 is formed of a plate body that protrudes substantially perpendicularly from the smooth surface 11 a of the substrate 11. The partition portion 14 has an inclined portion whose height with respect to the smooth surface 11a continuously increases from the upstream side toward the downstream side (see FIG. 1). That is, an inclined surface 14 a that is inclined from the upstream side toward the downstream side is formed at the upper portion of each partition portion 14. The upstream end of the partition 14 is smoothly continuous with the smooth surface 11a. That is, the inclined part in each partition part 14 has a wedge shape.

The height on the downstream side in the partition 14 is higher than the height of the article 101 and is lower than twice the height of the article 101 (see FIG. 4). That is, assuming that the height of the article 101 is g, the downstream height h of the partition portion 14 satisfies the following condition.
g ≦ h <2 g
In addition, the height of the side parts 12 and 13 is set more than the downstream height h in the partition part 14. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the length of the substrate 11 in each partition 14 in the longitudinal direction is different. In this Embodiment, the partition part 14 arrange | positioned in the approximate center of the transversal direction of the board | substrate 11 is the longest, and the end is arrange | positioned most upstream. And the length of the partition part 14 is shortened in steps as it goes to the both ends of a transversal direction from the partition part 14 arrange | positioned in the approximate center. As a result, the article 101 traveling in the intermediate portion in the short direction of the substrate 11 is likely to be distributed in the short direction of the substrate 11 when contacting the partition 14 in the traveling direction.

In the present embodiment, since the article 101 is supplied to the intermediate part of the substrate 11 in the short direction of the substrate 11, the ratio of the article 101 that travels in the intermediate part of the substrate 11 in the short direction increases. In view of this, the partition portion 14 disposed at the approximate center in the short direction of the substrate 11 is made the longest so that the articles 101 can be easily distributed to both sides thereof.
That is, the length of the substrate 11 in each partition 14 in the longitudinal direction is such that the one arranged at a position where the proportion of the article 101 that travels increases is increased upstream, and the others are reduced stepwise. Is preferred.

The gate member 15 includes support portions 18 and 19 disposed outside the side portions 12 and 13, and a gate portion disposed above the side portions 12 and 13 and the partition portion 14 in succession to the support portions 18 and 19. It is comprised from 20.
The support portions 18 and 19 are fixed to the substrate 11 of the side portions 12 and 13 by fixing methods such as screws, adhesives, and welding, and rise upward along the side portions 12 and 13. The support portions 18 and 19 may be fixed to the side portions 12 and 13.

The gate portion 20 has an L-shaped cross section in a direction perpendicular to the smooth surface 11a, and includes a connection piece 20a substantially parallel to the smooth surface 11a and a stopper piece 20b continuous to the connection piece 20a.
The connection piece 20 a is formed in a rectangular shape having a long side substantially parallel to the short direction of the substrate 11. The flat surface facing the smooth surface 11a of the connection piece 20a is in contact with the side portions 12 and 13 and the partition portion 14. The stopper piece 20b rises substantially perpendicularly to the upstream long side of the connection piece 20a.

  As described above, the heights h of the side portions 12 and 13 and the partition portion 14 satisfy g ≦ h <2g. Therefore, the article 101 cannot pass through the gate part 20 in a state where the article 101 overlaps in the height direction or rides on the partition part 14. Therefore, on the downstream side of the gate portion 20, the article 101 does not overlap in the height direction in the alignment path 17 or climb on the partition portion 14.

In addition, the height h of the side parts 12 and 13 and the partition part 14 is not limited to satisfy | filling g <= h <2g, What is necessary is just the height which the article 101 cannot get over.
For example, when the height h of the side part and the partition part is made lower than the height g of the article 101, the distance L from the smooth surface 11a to the connecting piece 20a of the gate part 20 is made longer than the height g of the article 101. Thus, it may be shorter than twice the height g of the article 101 (g <L <2g). In this case, a gap is formed between the side portions 12 and 13 and the partition portion 14 and the connection piece 20a.
Further, when the height h of the side part and the partition part is set to be twice or more the height g of the article 101, a gate part may be provided in each alignment path 17.

  The vibration generating unit 7 is attached to the upstream end of the substrate 11. Examples of the vibration generating unit 7 include an air vibrator, an electric vibrator, and a high frequency vibrator. The vibration generator 7 vibrates the guide table 6 in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 11.

  In addition, the attachment position of the vibration generation part 7 is not limited to the edge part of the upstream of the board | substrate 11, It determines suitably. Further, the vibration generating unit 7 may not be directly attached to the guide table 6 (substrate 11). For example, the alignment stage according to the present invention may be configured such that the vibration generating unit 7 vibrates the guide table 6 via a transmission member.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support base 8 supports the guide table 6 in an inclined state with respect to the horizontal plane. As a result, the substrate 11 of the guide table 6 is inclined in the longitudinal direction with the smooth surface 11a facing upward.
A plurality of sliding members 9 are interposed between the support base 8 and the guide table 6. The sliding member 9 smoothly slides on the support base 8 to prevent the vibration of the guide table 6 from being transmitted to the support base 8 and stabilize the vibration of the guide table 6. As the sliding member 9, for example, a slide rail or the like can be applied.

Here, the inclination angle of the smooth surface 11a in the board | substrate 11 and the inclination angle of the inclined surface 14a in the partition part 14 are demonstrated with reference to FIG.4 and FIG.5.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the tilt angle and vibration condition of the alignment stage and the article conveyance speed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the smooth surface 11 a of the substrate 11 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane S. On the other hand, the inclined surface 14a of the partition part 14 is inclined with respect to the smooth surface 11a. Moreover, the inclined surface 14a needs to incline so that it may become low in parallel with the horizontal surface S or toward downstream. This is because the article 101 riding on the partitioning portion 14 is caused to advance downstream and easily fall into the alignment path 17.

Therefore, the inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane S of smooth 11a as theta _A, when the inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane S of the inclined surface 14a and theta _B, and theta _A and theta _B, then satisfy the relation.
θ _A > θ _B

The inclination angle θ _A of the smooth surface 11a affects the conveyance speed of the article 101. Therefore, to measure the transporting speed of the article 101 when changing the inclination angle theta _A.
In this measurement, the inclination angle was changed under four vibration conditions. Of the vibration conditions, the condition A is that the longitudinal amplitude of the substrate 11 is 16 mm and the frequency is 6 Hz, and the condition B is that the amplitude is 16 mm and the frequency is 8 Hz. Condition C had an amplitude of 4 mm and a frequency of 6 Hz, and Condition D had an amplitude of 4 mm and a frequency of 8 Hz.
On the other hand, the substrate having the smooth surface 11a was formed of a stainless steel plate, and the article 101 was a spring roll.

As shown in FIG. 5, the inclination angle theta _A is when zero (smooth 11a is parallel to the horizontal plane), it was not possible to convey the articles 101 downstream. When the amplitude is 4 mm, the article 101 cannot be conveyed downstream unless the inclination angle θ _A exceeds 6 degrees. Therefore, in this embodiment, the amplitude to vibrate the guide table 6 at a frequency 8Hz in the 4mm and was the inclination angle theta _A of smooth 11a to 7 degrees. In addition, the inclination angle θ _B of the inclined surface 14a in the partition portion 14 was set to about 3.5 degrees.
Note that the amplitude, the frequency, and the inclination angle θ _A can be appropriately determined according to the frictional force generated between the article to be conveyed and the smooth surface.

Next, the delivery stage 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The delivery stage 3 is provided separately from the alignment stage 2. The delivery stage 3 includes a rotation table 21 on which the article 101 supplied from the alignment stage 2 is placed, a shaft support portion 22 (see FIG. 2) that rotatably supports the rotation table 21, and a rotation. And an actuator 23 for rotating the table 21. Furthermore, the delivery stage 3 includes a shutter 24 that opens and closes the path of the article 101 placed on the rotation table 21.

The rotating table 21 includes a placement plate 31 and a plurality of partition pieces 32.
The placement plate 31 is formed in a long and narrow rectangle, and has a placement surface 31 a on which the articles 101 discharged from the alignment stage 2 are placed. The mounting plate 31 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the lateral direction of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2.

  The length in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31 is substantially equal to the length in the short direction of the substrate 11. On the other hand, the length of the mounting plate 31 in the short direction is set to be shorter than the length of the article 101. The mounting plate 31 is inclined in the short direction with the mounting surface 31a facing upward. Hereinafter, the upper side in the tilt direction is defined as upstream, and the lower side in the tilt direction is defined as downstream. The upstream end of the mounting plate 31 faces the downstream end of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2.

  The plurality of partition pieces 32 are provided from the upstream portion to the downstream portion of the placement surface 31 a of the placement plate 31. Each partition piece 32 consists of a plate body projecting substantially perpendicularly from the placement surface 31a. The height of the partition piece 32 is the same as the height h of the side portions 12 and 13 in the alignment stage 2 (see FIG. 3).

  The plurality of partition pieces 32 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31 and extend along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 11. The intervals between the plurality of partition pieces 32 are substantially equal to the plurality of partition portions 14 in the alignment stage 2, and each partition piece 32 faces the partition portions 14 in the alignment stage 2 on a one-to-one basis (see FIG. 2). ). And between the adjacent partition pieces 32, the accommodation path 33 which accommodates the articles | goods 101 supplied from the alignment stage 2 one by one is formed.

  Moreover, the bearing part 34 is provided in the bottom face of the mounting board 31 (refer FIG. 4). The bearing portion 34 is formed in an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape that extends in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31. A rotating shaft 35 is fixed to the bearing portion 34. The rotation shaft 35 is arranged at the approximate center in the short direction of the mounting plate 31, and the axial direction thereof is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31. An intermediate portion of the rotation shaft 35 is fixed to the bearing portion 34 by a fixing method with an adhesive or press-fitting, and both end portions protrude from the bearing portion 34.

  The shaft support portion 22 is disposed on the support base 8 and faces one end of the mounting plate 31 in the longitudinal direction. The shaft support portion 22 is provided with a shaft center bearing hole (not shown) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31. One end portion of the rotation shaft 35 in the axial direction is rotatably inserted into the bearing hole of the shaft support portion 22.

  The actuator 23 is disposed on the support base 8 and faces the other end in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31. The actuator 23 has a support portion (not shown) that rotatably supports the other axial end portion of the rotation shaft 35. Note that the support portion that rotatably supports the other end portion of the rotation shaft 35 may be provided separately from the actuator. The actuator 23 is a rotary actuator, for example, and rotates the mounting plate 31 via the rotation shaft 35.

  The actuator may be configured to apply a driving force directly to the mounting plate 31. Such an actuator can be composed of, for example, a motor and a gear that transmits the rotational force of the motor.

  The shutter 24 is disposed facing the downstream side of the mounting plate 31. The shutter 24 is composed of a plate body formed in an elongated rectangle, and is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31. Rotating shafts 37 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 24. The shutter 24 is rotatably supported by the shutter support portions 41 and 42.

  The shutter support portions 41 and 42 are disposed on the support base 8. The shutter support portion 41 faces one end in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 24, and the shutter support portion 42 faces the other end in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 24. The shutter support portions 41 and 42 are provided with bearing holes through which the rotation shaft 37 of the shutter 24 is rotatably inserted.

  The shutter support portions 41 and 42 are fixed to the support base 8 by fixing brackets 43 and 44. Examples of the method for fixing the fixing brackets 43 and 44 to the support base 8 and the method for fixing the shutter support portions 41 and 42 to the fixing brackets 43 and 44 include screws, adhesives, welding, and fusion. The shutter support portion according to the present invention may be fixed directly to the support base 8.

  Further, the delivery stage 3 is provided with an article detection element (not shown) that detects whether or not the article 101 has been accommodated in each accommodation path 33 of the rotation table 21. As this article detection element, for example, a photosensor, an infrared sensor, or the like can be used.

Next, the operation of the delivery stage 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram showing a standby posture of the delivery stage 3. FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram showing the delivery posture of the delivery stage 3.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the delivery stage 3 assumes a standby posture when receiving the article 101 (see FIG. 4) from the alignment stage 2. In this standby posture, the rotary table 21 is parallel to the substrate 11 of the alignment stage 2, and the smooth surface 11a and the placement surface 31a are located on the same plane.

  When the article 101 is accommodated in each accommodation path 33, the rotation table 21 is rotated to a predetermined angle by the actuator 23 as shown in FIG. 6B. Thereby, the delivery stage 3 assumes a delivery posture. In this delivery posture, the article 101 moves while sliding on the placement surface 31 a of the turntable 21. As a result, the article 101 falls from the rotary table 21 and is sent to the next process. Thereby, conveyance time can be shortened and the efficiency of sending out can be improved.

  The shutter 24 opens and closes the downstream side (the course of the article 101) of the accommodation path 33 in the rotary table 21. Specifically, when the delivery stage 3 is in the standby posture, the downstream side of the accommodation path 33 is closed, and the movement (falling) of the article 101 is stopped. Then, when the delivery stage 3 is in the delivery posture, the downstream side of the accommodation path 33 is opened and the movement of the article 101 is permitted.

  The shutter 24 is connected to the rotary table 21 by a connecting rod 51 and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotary table. The connecting rod 51 is disposed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31 in the rotary table 21.

  The connecting rod 51 is a substantially rectangular plate. One end of the connecting rod 51 in the longitudinal direction is rotatably attached to the mounting plate 31 of the rotary table 21 by a pin 52A. On the other hand, the other end in the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod 51 is rotatably attached to the shutter 24 by a pin 52B.

  Further, the shutter 24 is urged in a direction to close the downstream side of the accommodation path 33 by a tension coil spring 53 showing a specific example of the urging member. One end of the tension coil spring 53 is connected to the pin 52 </ b> B, and the other end is connected to a connection protrusion 54 provided on the support base 8.

  When the delivery stage 3 changes from the standby posture to the delivery posture, the rotation table 21 rotates about the rotation shaft 35 counterclockwise in FIG. 6, so that the pin 52A attached to the mounting plate 31 side is Displace forward.

  Accordingly, the connecting rod 51 is displaced forward while rotating about the pins 52A and 52B, and presses the shutter 24 forward against the spring force (biasing force) of the tension coil spring 53. As a result, the shutter 24 pivots clockwise in FIG. 6 about the pivot shaft 37 to open the downstream side of the accommodation path 33.

  On the other hand, when the delivery stage 3 changes from the delivery posture to the standby posture, the rotation table 21 rotates about the rotation shaft 35 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6, so that the pin 52A attached to the mounting plate 31 side is Displace backwards. As a result, the connecting rod 51 is displaced rearward while rotating around the pins 52A and 52B.

  At this time, since the shutter 24 is pulled by the spring force of the tension coil spring 53, the connecting rod 51 is displaced rearward while rotating about the pins 52A and 52B so that the shutter 24 rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the shutter 24 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6 about the rotation shaft 37 and closes the downstream side of the accommodation path 33.

[Transfer processing of the transport device]
Next, the conveyance process of the conveyance apparatus 1 is demonstrated with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a conveyance process in the conveyance device 1.

When the conveyance process of the conveyance device 1 is started, first, a closing process is performed in which the delivery stage 3 is set to a standby posture and the path of the article is closed by the shutter 24 (S1). Specifically, a control unit (not shown) controls the driving of the actuator 23 to rotate the rotation table 21 to place the delivery stage 3 in a standby posture. At this time, the rotary table 21 is parallel to the substrate 11 of the alignment stage 2, and the smooth surface 11 a and the placement surface 31 a are located on the same plane.
In the closing process of the present embodiment, the closed state by the shutter 24 is maintained until the articles 101 are stored in all the storage paths 33.

  Next, a receiving step of receiving a plurality of articles 101 by the receiving unit 16 of the guide table 6 in the alignment stage 2 is performed (S2). The supply of the article 101 is performed by an apparatus in the previous process. Note that the supply of the article by the device in the previous process may be performed continuously thereafter. In addition, before or after the processing of S2, the control unit confirms whether the vibration switch is on or off, and if it is on, drives the vibration generating unit 7 to vibrate the guide table 6.

  Next, an alignment process is performed in which the plurality of articles 101 are aligned by the alignment stage 2 and sent to the delivery stage 3 (S3).

Here, the alignment process performed by the alignment stage 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the article 101 is placed on the partition portion of the alignment stage 2. FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the progress of the article 101 is regulated by the gate member 15 of the alignment stage 2. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a method of distributing the articles 101 to the plurality of alignment paths 17 of the alignment stage 2.

  The guide table 6 of the alignment stage 2 is vibrated by the vibration generating unit 7 (see FIG. 1), thereby causing the plurality of articles 101 to slide on the smooth surface 11a and proceed to the downstream side. As shown in FIG. 8, the plurality of articles 101 are supplied to the receiving unit 16 in various directions, and proceed to the downstream side while changing the directions. Then, it enters the alignment path 17 formed by the side portions 12 and 13 and the plurality of partition portions 14.

  The articles 101 that have entered the alignment path 17 are aligned side by side in the longitudinal direction, and further proceed downstream. On the other hand, like the article 101A shown in FIG. 8, the article proceeds in a state in which the longitudinal direction thereof is substantially orthogonal to the partition portion 14. Since such an article 101 </ b> A is placed on the inclined surface 14 a of the partition portion 14, it does not block the alignment path 17.

  For example, the article 101 </ b> A that has been placed on the partition portion 14 gets over the partition portion 14 and enters an alignment path 17 formed by another partition portion 14. In addition, when the article 101A is placed on both of the adjacent partitioning portions 14, it may travel on the partitioning portion 14 as it is.

  Like the article 101B shown in FIG. 9, what has been placed on the article 101 in the partitioning section 14 and the alignment path 17 may advance downstream in that state. Such an article 101B comes into contact with the stopper piece 20b of the gate member 15. As a result, the article 101B is restricted in progress by the stopper piece 20b and cannot advance further downstream than the stopper piece 20b (gate member 15). As a result, the articles 101 do not overlap in two stages on the downstream side of the gate member 15, and the articles 101 are supplied one by one to each receiving path 33 of the delivery stage.

  In addition, also in the article 101 that has been placed on both of the adjacent partition portions 14, the progress is restricted by the stopper piece 20 b, and cannot proceed further downstream than that. Therefore, the articles 101 are reliably supplied one by one to each receiving path 33 of the delivery stage.

  Like the article 101C shown in FIG. 10A, there is an article that proceeds toward the alignment path 17A filled with the article 101. Such an article 101C moves in contact with the last article 101D (moving direction), and moves in the lateral direction of the substrate 11 over the partition 14A as shown in FIG. 10B. As a result, since the article 101 </ b> C that has contacted the last article 101 </ b> D enters the other alignment path 17, the plurality of articles 101 can be distributed to the plurality of alignment paths 17.

  Further, among the articles whose movement direction has changed in contact with the last article 101 </ b> D, there are those that move to an upstream position of the alignment path 17 other than the alignment path 17 </ b> A in the receiving unit 16. Such an article also slides on the smooth surface 11a and moves to the alignment path 17 other than the alignment path 17A. That is, not all of the articles that have contacted the last article 101D get over the partition 14A, and some articles can be sorted by moving the receiving section 16. At this time, since the receiving part 16 is an area | region in which the partition part 17 is not provided, articles | goods can move freely and are smoothly distributed to the other alignment path 17. FIG.

  As described above, the transport apparatus 1 can distribute the articles 101 to the plurality of alignment paths 17 without using a collection unit that collects the articles 101 or a transport mechanism that returns the collected articles 101 to the upstream position.

  For example, in the transport device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-106328, an article that has not been accommodated in the groove is recovered and returned to the upstream position, so that the article is stagnated in the transport device without being sent to the next process. Become. Therefore, it becomes impossible to manage the production lot of the article. Moreover, the problem that it becomes impossible to ensure a sanitary state arises in food.

Here, a mechanism in which the alignment path 17 is filled with the articles 101 will be described.
When the delivery stage 3 is in the delivery posture, the article 101 that has reached the downstream end of the alignment stage 2 is stopped by the end of the rotation table 21 on the alignment stage 2 side. On the other hand, when the delivery stage 3 is in the standby posture, the article 101 that has reached the downstream end of the alignment stage 2 is stopped by the article 101 accommodated in the accommodation path 33. Then, when the article 101 is not accommodated in the accommodation path 33, the article 101 is supplied to the delivery stage 3.

Accordingly, the article 101 that has reached the downstream end of the alignment stage 2 is intermittently supplied to the delivery stage 3. On the other hand, the article 101 enters the alignment path 17 continuously. Therefore, the alignment path 17 in which the articles 101 frequently enter is filled with a plurality of articles 101.
As described above, in the transport device 1, the movement of the article 101 is temporarily stopped by the end of the rotation table 21 on the alignment stage 2 side and the shutter 24, whereby the alignment path 17 </ b> A filled with the plurality of articles 101 ( 10A and 10B). Then, the article 101C in contact with the last article 101D is distributed to the other alignment paths 17.

Returning to FIG. 7 again, the description of the transfer process of the transfer apparatus 1 will be continued.
When the plurality of articles 101 are aligned in the process of S3, the control unit determines whether or not the article 101 is accommodated in the accommodation path 33 of the delivery stage 3 based on the detection result of the article detection element (S4). ). In the present embodiment, a plurality of articles are sent out at once by the delivery stage 3. Therefore, in the process of S4, it is determined whether or not the article 101 is stored in all the storage paths 33.

  The article detection element is provided on the delivery stage 3. The delivery stage 3 is provided with a gap from the alignment stage 2 that is a vibrating body. Therefore, vibration of the delivery stage 3 can be suppressed. Therefore, since the article detection element can detect the article 101 in a state where the influence of the vibration of the alignment stage 2 is suppressed, the detection accuracy of the article detection element can be improved.

  The article detection element according to the present invention may be provided separately from the alignment stage 2 and the delivery stage 3. Also in this case, the article 101 can be detected without being affected by the vibration of the alignment stage 2.

  When it is determined in the process of S4 that the article 101 is stored in the storage path 33, the control unit sets the delivery stage 3 to the delivery posture and opens the shutter 24 (S5). Specifically, the control unit controls the drive of the actuator 23 to rotate the rotation table 21 to bring the delivery stage 3 into the delivery posture.

Here, the delivery of the plurality of articles 101 by the delivery stage 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the article 101E is placed on the rotation table 21 in the delivery stage 3 in the standby posture. FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the delivery stage on which the article 101E is placed is in the delivery posture. FIG. 11C is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the article 101E on the rotation table 21 is sent out and the movement of the article 101F supplied from the alignment stage 2 is restricted by the rotation table.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, when the article 101E is supplied to the delivery stage 3 in the standby posture, the article 101E is placed on the placement surface 31a of the placement plate 31 in the rotary table 21 and enters the accommodation path 33. Be contained. The article 101E accommodated in the accommodation path 33 is stopped from moving (traveling) downstream by the shutter 24. At this time, the upstream end of the article 101E is placed on the smooth surface 11a of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2.

  The shutter 24 is urged in a closing direction by a tension coil spring 53 (see FIG. 6). Therefore, even if the shutter 24 is pressed by the article 101E, the pressing force is not applied to the actuator 23 (see FIG. 1) via the connecting rod 51.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, when it is determined that the article 101 is stored in the storage path 33, the control unit drives the actuator 23 to place the delivery stage 3 in the delivery posture. That is, the rotation table 21 is rotated around the rotation shaft 35 to increase the inclination angle of the rotation table 21. At this time, the shutter 24 connected to the rotary table 21 by the connecting rod 51 operates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotary table 21. That is, it rotates about the rotation shaft 37 and opens (opens) the downstream side of the accommodation path 33.

  As shown in FIG. 11C, when the delivery stage 3 is in the delivery posture, the article 101E moves obliquely downward while sliding on the placement surface 31a. Thereby, the article 101E is sent to the subsequent process.

  At this time, since the tilt angle of the rotary table 21 is larger than the tilt angle of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2, the conveyance speed of the article 101E can be increased. As a result, the conveyance time can be reduced and the conveyance efficiency can be improved. In addition, since an external force is not directly applied to the article 101E, even if the article 101E is brittle like a spring roll, the article 101E can be sent out without being damaged.

  Further, when the delivery stage 3 is set to the delivery posture, the end portion 31b on the alignment stage 2 side of the mounting plate 31 in the rotary table 21 protrudes upward from the smooth surface 11a. As a result, the end portion 31b of the placement plate 31 locks the downstream movement of the article 101F supplied from the alignment stage 2 next. Therefore, only the article 101 accommodated in the accommodation path 33 of the rotation table 21 can be sent to the subsequent process.

  Further, since the delivery stage 3 is provided with a gap from the alignment stage 2 that is a vibrating body, vibration is suppressed. Accordingly, the article 101E can be brought into contact with the shutter 24 in the standby posture of the delivery stage 3. As a result, the delivery stage 3 can smoothly and stably deliver the article 101E by the rotary table 21.

  For example, if the vibration of the delivery stage 3 is not suppressed, it is difficult to hold the article 101E at the position where it contacts the shutter 24, and the article 101E repeats approaching and moving away from the shutter 24. For this reason, even if the rotary table 21 is rotated, the article 101E cannot be smoothly fed out.

Returning to FIG. 7 again, the description of the transfer process of the transfer apparatus 1 will be continued.
When the delivery of the plurality of articles 101 is completed in the process of S5, the control unit sets the delivery stage 3 to the standby posture and closes the shutter 24 (S6). Thereby, the rotation table 21 becomes parallel to the substrate 11 of the alignment stage 2, and the smooth surface 11a and the placement surface 31a are located on the same plane. Then, the article 101 that has reached the downstream end of the alignment stage 2 moves toward the delivery stage 3 and is accommodated in the accommodation path 33 of the rotation table 21. After finishing the process of S6, a control part moves a process to S4.

  When it is determined that the article 101 is not stored in the storage path 33 in the process of S4, the control unit determines whether or not the process is finished (S7). In the present embodiment, it is detected whether or not the vibration switch of the alignment stage 2 is off. If it is off, it is determined that the processing is complete. When it is determined that the vibration switch is on and the process is not finished, the control unit moves the process to S4. When determining that the process is finished, the control unit finishes the transport process.

[Locking articles by rotating table]
Next, the locking of the article 101 by the rotary table 21 will be described.
In the present embodiment, the length in the short direction of the mounting plate 31 in the rotary table 21 is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction of the article 101E (see FIG. 11A). Therefore, the upstream end of the article 101 </ b> E accommodated in the accommodation path 33 protrudes from the end 31 b of the placement plate 31 and rests on the smooth surface 11 a of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2.

  Therefore, when the delivery stage 3 is set to the delivery position, the end portion 31b of the mounting plate 31 is smoothed before the article 101F slides on the smooth surface 11a of the alignment stage 2 and protrudes from the downstream end portion of the substrate 11. It can be made to project upward from 11a (see FIG. 11B). As a result, the downstream movement of the article 101F can be reliably locked by the end portion 31b of the mounting plate 31.

  FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a standby posture of the delivery stage when an article does not protrude from the end of the mounting plate on the alignment stage 2 side of the rotation table. FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the delivery stage illustrated in FIG. 12A is in a delivery posture.

  As shown in FIG. 12A, the delivery stage 61 includes a rotation table 62 having a placement plate 63. The length of the mounting plate 63 in the short direction (parallel to the longitudinal direction of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2) is longer than the length of the article 101E in the longitudinal direction.

  In the delivery stage 61 in the standby posture, the end portion on the alignment stage 2 side (upstream side) of the article 101E accommodated in the accommodation path 64 of the rotation table 62 does not protrude from the end portion 63b of the placement plate 63. Therefore, the downstream end of the article 101 </ b> F that is next supplied from the alignment stage 2 to the delivery stage 3 is placed on the placement surface 63 a of the placement plate 63.

  As shown in FIG. 12B, when the delivery stage 61 is changed from the standby posture to the delivery posture, the end portion 63b of the mounting plate 63 in the rotary table 62 pushes up the article 101F upward. Therefore, the movement of the article 101F cannot be stopped, which is not preferable.

  FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a standby posture of the delivery stage when the rotation axis of the rotation table is provided so as to be biased toward the alignment stage. FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the delivery stage shown in FIG. 13A is in the delivery posture. FIG. 13C is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the article placed on the rotary table is sent out and the next article is supplied from the alignment stage.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, the delivery stage 71 includes a rotation table 72 having a placement plate 73. The length of the mounting plate 73 in the short direction (parallel to the longitudinal direction of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2) is shorter than the length of the article 101E in the longitudinal direction. Thereby, in the delivery stage 71 in the standby posture, the upstream end of the article 101E accommodated in the accommodation path 75 protrudes from the end 73b of the placement plate 73, and the smooth surface of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2 11a.

  Further, a bearing portion 74 is provided on the bottom surface of the mounting plate 73. The rotation shaft 35 is fixed to the bearing portion 74. The rotation shaft 35 is disposed at one end of the mounting plate 73 in the short direction and is biased toward the alignment stage 2 side. In addition, the axial direction of the rotation shaft 35 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 73.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, when the delivery stage 71 is changed from the standby posture to the delivery posture, the end 73b of the mounting plate 73 does not protrude upward from the smooth surface 11a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13C, it is not preferable because the end portion 73 b of the mounting plate 73 cannot stop the movement of the article 101 </ b> F to the downstream side.

From the above, in order to lock the movement of the next article to be supplied at the end of the placing plate on the alignment stage side, the length of the placing board in the short direction is longer than the length of the article in the longitudinal direction. While shortening, it is preferable to arrange | position a rotating shaft to the downstream from the approximate center of the transversal direction of a mounting board.
In the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 35 is disposed at a substantially central portion in the short direction of the mounting plate 31. However, the position of the rotation shaft according to the present invention is the mounting plate 31 in the delivery posture. The end portion 31b may be positioned so as to protrude from the smooth surface 11a. For example, the rotation shaft may be arranged upstream of the approximate center in the short direction of the mounting plate.

2. Second Embodiment of Conveying Device [Configuration of Conveying Device]
Next, a second embodiment of the transport device will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 14A is an explanatory view showing a waiting posture of the delivery stage according to the second embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram showing a delivery posture of the delivery stage shown in FIG. 14A.

  The transfer device 81 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the transfer device 1 according to the first embodiment, except for the actuators 84A and 84B of the delivery stage 83. Therefore, here, the actuators 84A and 84B will be described, and the same reference numerals are given to portions common to the transport apparatus 1, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The delivery stage 83 of the transport device 81 includes an actuator 84A that rotates the rotation table 21 and an actuator 84B that rotates the shutter 24. Therefore, the delivery stage 83 does not include the connecting rod 51 according to the first embodiment.

  The actuators 84A and 84B are cylinder devices such as an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder, and are respectively fixed to the support base 8 (see FIG. 1) via a fixing member (not shown). In the transport device 81, a control unit (not shown) drives and controls the actuators 84A and 84B.

  The actuator 84A has a cylinder body 85a and a piston rod 85b. One end of a link rod 86 is rotatably connected to the tip of the piston rod 85b by a hinge pin. The other end of the link rod 86 is rotatably connected to the bearing portion 34 of the rotary table 21 by a hinge pin.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, when the piston rod 85b of the actuator 84A is drawn out from the cylinder body 85a, the link rod 86 presses the rotary table 21. Thereby, the rotation table 21 rotates around the rotation shaft 35, and the delivery stage 83 assumes a standby posture.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, when the piston rod 85b of the actuator 84A is retracted into the cylinder body 85a, the link rod 86 pulls the rotary table 21. Thereby, the rotation table 21 rotates about the rotation shaft 35, and the delivery stage 83 assumes the delivery posture.

  The actuator 84B has a cylinder body 87a and a piston rod 87b. One end of a link rod 88 is rotatably connected to the tip of the piston rod 87b by a hinge pin. The other end of the link rod 88 is rotatably connected to the shutter 24 by a hinge pin.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, when the delivery stage 83 is in the standby posture, the piston rod 87b of the actuator 84B is fed out from the cylinder body 87a. As a result, the link rod 88 presses the shutter 24 and rotates around the rotation shaft 37. As a result, the shutter 24 closes the downstream side of the accommodation path 33 in the rotary table 21.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, when the delivery stage 83 is in the delivery posture, the piston rod 87b of the actuator 84B is retracted into the cylinder body 87a. As a result, the link rod 88 pulls the shutter 24 and rotates around the rotation shaft 37. As a result, the shutter 24 opens the downstream side of the accommodation path 33 in the rotary table 21.

  The actuators 84A and 84B are driven by a control unit (not shown). Therefore, the control unit of the present embodiment shows a second specific example of interlocking means for opening and closing the shutter 24 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation table 21. Note that the actuator provided for each of the rotation table and the shutter is not limited to the cylinder, and may be another drive source such as a rotary actuator, a motor and a gear that transmits the rotational force of the motor. Also good.

  Also in such a transport device 81, the delivery stage can be set to the standby posture and the delivery posture. Similarly to the transport apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, when the feed stage 83 is set to the feed posture, the tilt angle of the rotary table 21 becomes larger than the tilt angle of the substrate 11 in the alignment stage 2, so that the article is transported. The speed can be increased. In addition, since an external force is not directly applied to the article, even if the article has vulnerability, the article can be sent out without being deformed.

  Further, the end portion 31 b of the mounting plate 31 in the rotary table 21 is accommodated in the accommodation path 33 of the rotary table 21 in order to lock the downstream movement of the articles supplied from the alignment stage 2 next. Only the finished goods can be sent to the subsequent process.

3. Third Embodiment of Conveying Device [Configuration of Conveying Device]
Next, the structure of 3rd Embodiment of a conveying apparatus is demonstrated with reference to FIG.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a partition portion of the alignment stage according to the third embodiment of the transport apparatus.

  The transfer device 91 (see FIG. 16) showing the third embodiment has the same configuration as the transfer device 1 showing the first embodiment, and the only difference is the interference pin 93 of the alignment stage 92. is there. Therefore, here, the interference pins 93 of the alignment stage 92 will be described, and the same reference numerals are given to portions common to the transport apparatus 1 and redundant description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 15, each partition portion 14 of the alignment stage 92 is provided with an interference pin 93. The interference pin 93 protrudes from the inclined surface of the partition portion 14. The position of the interference pin 93 provided in the adjacent partition part 14 is shifted in the longitudinal direction of the partition part 14.

[Operation of transport device]
Next, the alignment operation in the transport device 91 will be described with reference to FIG.
16A and 16B are explanatory views for explaining the alignment operation in the transport device 91. FIG.

  In the transport device 91, like the article 101G shown in FIG. 16A, the product that has been placed on the partition 14 may travel downstream in that state. Such an article 101G is displaced so as to rotate in contact with the interference pin 93. As a result, the article 101G loses its balance on the partition part 14, and falls on the alignment path 17 as shown in FIG. 16B. As described above, by providing the interference pin 93, the article 101G placed on the partition portion 14 can be forcibly dropped to the alignment path 17.

  Further, the position of the interference pin 93 provided in the adjacent partition portion 14 is shifted in the longitudinal direction of the partition portion 14. Therefore, the movement of the article 101 to the downstream side is not stopped by the adjacent interference pin 93, and the article 101 can be prevented from being clogged on the partition portion 14. The amount of displacement of the interference pins 93 provided in the adjacent partition portions 14 is set as appropriate according to the size of the articles to be aligned. Further, the shift amounts of the interference pins 93 provided in the adjacent partition portions 14 do not have to be constant, and can be set as appropriate.

  As mentioned above, embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention was described including the effect. However, the transport apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention described in the claims.

  In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the height of the some partition part 14 was made constant, a some partition part may vary in height. For example, by making the heights of the adjacent partition portions different, the balance of the articles placed on the two adjacent partition portions can be easily lost, and the articles can easily fall into the alignment path.

  In the above-described embodiment, the partition table 14 is protruded from the smooth surface 11a of the substrate 11 to form the guide table. However, the guide table which concerns on this invention can also be formed in the shape which has a smooth surface and a partition part by processing the groove | channel which inclines in the block body which has suitable thickness.

  In the above-described embodiment, the guide table 6 is vibrated by the vibration generating unit 7 to move the article 101 from upstream to downstream. That is, the alignment stage 2 is configured as a vibration feeder including the guide table 6 and the vibration generator 7. However, as the alignment stage according to the present invention, the mechanism for moving the article 101 can be a conveyor.

  In the above-described embodiment, the shutter 24 is configured to rotate about the rotation shaft 37. However, the shutter according to the present invention may open and close the downstream side of the accommodation path 33 (the course of the article 101) by linear motion. Examples of the actuator for driving the shutter in this case include a cylinder device, a linear motion motor, a motor, and an actuator configured from a motor and a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational force of the motor into linear motion.

  In the above-described embodiment, the articles 101 are sent out one by one (one line). However, the conveying apparatus of the present invention may be configured to send out a plurality of articles (a plurality of lines). In that case, the length of the mounting plate in the short direction is set so that a part of the last article on the mounting plate on the rotating table protrudes from the end of the mounting plate on the alignment stage side. To do.

  In the above-described embodiment, the interference pin 93 is protruded from the inclined surface 14a of the partition portion 14, but a beam member is provided above the inclined surface 14a, and the interference pin protrudes downward from the beam member. Also good. That is, the interference pin according to the present invention is not limited to the one protruding from the partition part, and can be employed as long as it interferes with an article moving on the partition part.

  In the above-described embodiment, the closed state (standby posture) by the shutter 24 is maintained until the articles 101 are stored in all the storage paths 33. Thereby, a plurality of articles arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 31 can be sent out simultaneously. However, the conveying device of the present invention is not limited to maintaining the closed state by the shutter 24 until the articles 101 are stored in all the storage paths 33, and the closing process may be canceled at an arbitrary timing. Good.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the rotary table 21 is in the standby posture, the placement surface 31a of the rotary table 21 is positioned on the same plane as the smooth surface 11a of the alignment stage 2. However, the mounting surface of the rotating table according to the present invention may be positioned lower than the smooth surface of the alignment stage in the standby posture of the rotating table. In addition, the level | step difference of a mounting surface and a smooth surface is set to the extent which does not prevent the approach of the article | item from an alignment stage to a rotation table.

  Further, the mounting surface of the rotating table according to the present invention may have an inclination angle different from the smooth surface of the alignment stage in the standby posture of the rotating table. In this case, it is preferable that the inclination angle of the mounting surface is larger than the inclination angle of the smooth surface, and the heights of the connecting portions of the both are the same. Thereby, since the rotation angle of the rotation table from the standby posture to the delivery posture can be reduced, it is possible to shorten the time required for sending the article and improve the conveyance efficiency.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,81,91 ... Conveyance apparatus, 2,92 ... Alignment stage, 3,83 ... Delivery stage, 6 ... Guide table, 7 ... Vibration generating part, 8 ... Support stand, 9 ... Sliding member, 11 ... Substrate, 11a ... Smooth surface, 12, 13 ... Side part, 14,14A ... Partition part, 14a ... Inclined surface, 15 ... Gate member, 16 ... Receiving part, 17, 17A ... Alignment path, 18, 19 ... Support part, 20 ... Gate Part, 20a ... connecting piece, 20b ... stopper piece, 21 ... rotating table, 22 ... shaft support part, 23, 84A, 84B ... actuator, 24 ... shutter, 31, 63 ... mounting plate, 31a ... mounting surface, 31b ... End, 33 ... Accommodating path, 34 ... Bearing, 41, 42 ... Shutter support, 43 ... Fixed bracket, 51 ... Connecting rod, 52A, 52B ... Pin, 53 ... Pulling coil spring (biasing member) 54 ... Connection projection, 85 , 87a ... cylinder body, 85b, 87b ... piston rod, 86, 88 ... link rod, 93 ... interference pin, 101,101A, 101B, 101C, 101D, 101E, 101F, 101G ... article

Claims (10)

A closing step of closing a path of an article traveling in a plurality of alignment paths;
A receiving step of receiving a plurality of articles at a receiving section provided upstream of the plurality of alignment paths;
An alignment step of moving the plurality of articles received by the receiving unit toward the plurality of alignment paths and causing the plurality of articles to enter the alignment paths,
The plurality of alignment paths are formed by a plurality of partition portions having inclined portions that become higher toward the downstream,
In the alignment step, the article proceeding from the receiving section is brought into contact with the last article in the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles to change the traveling direction of the articles, and the plurality of articles in the receiving section are filled. An alignment method of allocating to an alignment path other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles by moving to an upstream position of the alignment path other than the aligned alignment path or overcoming the inclined portion of the plurality of partitions.   The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the closing step is performed until an article enters each alignment path.   The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the closing step is performed by a shutter that restricts movement of articles.   The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portions of the plurality of partition portions are formed in a wedge shape.   5. The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein, in the alignment step, a plurality of articles are sorted by a position of one end of the plurality of partition portions on the receiving unit side being different.   The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the article is formed in a rod shape, and a length of the article in a longitudinal direction is longer than a length between the plurality of partition portions.   In the alignment step, the guide table provided with the receiving portion and the partition portion is arranged to be inclined, and the guide table is vibrated by a vibration generator to move the plurality of articles downstream. The alignment method according to any one of 1 to 6. The inclination angle of the guide table with respect to the horizontal plane as theta _A, when the inclination angle of the inclined portion with respect to the horizontal plane and theta _B, the alignment method according to claim 7 satisfies the relationship θ _A> θ _B. When the height of the plurality of articles is g, the height h downstream of the inclined portions of the plurality of partition portions satisfies the condition of g ≦ h <2g,
The alignment method according to claim 1, wherein, in the alignment step, movement of articles placed on the plurality of partition portions is restricted by a gate member. A guide table having a plurality of alignment paths formed by a plurality of partition portions having an inclined portion that becomes higher toward the downstream, and a receiving portion provided upstream of the plurality of alignment paths;
A shutter that opens and closes a path of an article that travels through the plurality of alignment paths,
The guide table changes an advancing direction of the article by bringing the article proceeding from the receiving section into contact with the last article in the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles, and is filled with the plurality of articles in the receiving section. A transfer device that distributes to an alignment path other than the alignment path filled with the plurality of articles by moving to an upstream position of the alignment path other than the aligned alignment path or overcoming the inclined portion of the plurality of partitions.

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