JP2012188231A - Apparatus for supplying and stacking commercial product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a commercial product from being discharged out of a system thereof in a supply conveyor of an apparatus for supplying and stacking commercial products.SOLUTION: The apparatus includes: the supply conveyor 2 supplying a plurality of commercial products P to the downstream side; a stacking conveyor 3 conveying the commercial products P to the downstream side with a predetermined number of the commercial products P stacked; a parallel robot 4 taking out the products P from the supply conveyor 2 and transfer the same to the stacking conveyor 3 for stacking; and a temporary placing table 5 arranged in a movable range M of the parallel robot 4 to temporarily place the commercial products P taken out from the supply conveyor 2 by the parallel robot 4. The parallel robot 4 is drive-controlled to transfer the commercial products P supplied by the supply conveyor 2 to the temporary placing table 5 for temporary placement, before the commercial product P supplied by the supply conveyor 2 exceeds the movable range M to overflow and is thus discharged out of the system, and to transfer the commercial products P temporarily placed on the temporary placing table 5 to the stacking conveyor 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a product supply / stacking device for transporting a plurality of products supplied by a supply conveyor to a downstream side while collecting a predetermined number of products.

  In order to efficiently fill cup products such as cup noodles and cup ice cream, bottle products such as bottled juice and detergent in bottle containers, or package products such as tobacco and confectionery into containers such as cardboard boxes, etc. A product accumulating apparatus is used for accumulating these products while aligning them before filling.

  As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-133228, a conventional product stacking apparatus is provided on the downstream end side of a supply conveyor for supplying products so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the supply conveyor, thereby forming a plurality of guide grooves. A comb-shaped alignment guide (see FIGS. 1 to 8 of the publication).

  In this case, the products supplied from the supply conveyor are sequentially introduced into any empty guide groove of the alignment guide, and when a predetermined number of products are accumulated in the guide groove, the alignment guide is moved. A predetermined number of products from the supply conveyor are introduced and accumulated in other empty guide grooves. In the same manner, while moving the alignment guide, a predetermined number of products from the supply conveyor are introduced and accumulated in empty guide grooves. On the other hand, when the product is introduced into the empty guide groove, a filling process is performed in which the robot arm picks up a predetermined number of products in the guide groove where the accumulation process has been completed and fills the container.

  In the conventional configuration, when the products supplied from the supply conveyor are sequentially introduced into the guide grooves of the alignment guide, the products collide with each other. Therefore, the cup product, the bottle product, and the package as described above. It can be said that this method is suitable for products protected by containers such as products.

  Therefore, the conventional product stacking device cannot be used in the case of a product such as a bag-shaped confectionery that may damage the confectionery in the product when the products collide with each other.

  Therefore, in the case of a bag-packed product such as a bag-packed confectionery, a bucket conveyor is used as a supply conveyor, and the products are sequentially supplied toward the downstream side in a state where the products are stored in the buckets of the bucket conveyor. In the meantime, it is also conceivable that the robot arm picks up the products in the plurality of buckets, and stacks the products by stacking and placing the products in a place different from the bucket conveyor.

  However, if the place where products are collected is on the transport surface of a bucket conveyor (stacking conveyor) provided separately from the supply conveyor, the supply conveyor side is not taken out by the robot arm and discharged unprocessed (that is, In order to prevent the occurrence of commodities to be discharged outside the system, even when the processing amount of the stacking conveyor is set higher than the processing amount of the supply conveyor, the movable range of the robot arm is limited to a predetermined range. Depending on the take-out timing of the product that has entered the movable range from the supply conveyor by the robot arm and the entrance timing of the bucket of the stacking conveyor that enters the movable range, the product supplied from the supply conveyor may be As a result, the overflowed product will overflow. When discharged also may occur.

  At this time, the products discharged out of the system are wastefully discharged out of the system even though they are non-defective products. Therefore, it is necessary to return these products to the conveying surface of the supply conveyor. It is inefficient, resulting in extra work that is not needed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional circumstances, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to supply products in a product supply / stacking device that stacks products taken out from the supply conveyor on the stacking conveyor. The object is to reliably prevent the product from being discharged outside the system on the conveyor side. In addition, the present invention intends to provide a product supply / stacking apparatus and a product supply / stacking method capable of efficiently supplying and stacking bags in particular. Furthermore, the present invention provides a product supply / packaging product that allows a predetermined number of bag-filled products to be supplied in a small bag to be packed up and down, so that these bag-filled products can be packaged in a large bag by a subsequent apparatus. An integration method and a product supply / accumulation apparatus are to be provided.

  The invention of claim 1 is a product supply / stacking device for stacking a predetermined number of products to be supplied, wherein a supply conveyor for supplying a plurality of products toward the downstream side and a predetermined number of products are stacked. In the state, a transfer conveyor that conveys the product taken from the supply conveyor, a transfer robot that transfers and stacks the products taken out from the supply conveyor, and a transfer robot that is provided in the movable range of the transfer robot and is supplied by the transfer robot A temporary placement table for temporarily placing products taken out from the conveyor. The transfer robot transfers the product supplied by the supply conveyor to a temporary table before the product supplied by the supply conveyor overflows beyond the movable range of the transfer robot and is discharged out of the system. The products are placed and controlled so that the products temporarily placed on the temporary placement table are transferred to the accumulation conveyor and accumulated.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when products are supplied toward the downstream side by the supply conveyor, the products on the supply conveyor are taken out by the transfer robot and transferred by a predetermined number onto the stacking conveyor. Accumulation processing is performed by accumulating.

  In this case, before the product supplied by the supply conveyor overflows beyond the movable range of the transfer robot and is discharged out of the system, the transfer robot transfers the product supplied by the supply conveyor to the temporary table. Place and temporarily place. Then, the transfer robot transfers and temporarily accumulates the products temporarily placed on the temporary placement table onto the accumulation conveyor.

  Thereby, it is possible to prevent the product from being discharged out of the system on the supply conveyor side, and it is possible to efficiently perform the supply and accumulation processing of the product.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the supply conveyor is constituted by a bucket conveyor having a plurality of buckets each capable of accommodating a commodity, and is continuously operated or intermittently operated when the commodity is supplied.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the stacking conveyor is constituted by a bucket conveyor having a plurality of buckets each capable of accommodating a commodity, and is continuously operated or intermittently operated when the commodity is conveyed.

  In the invention of claim 4, in claim 1, the amount of merchandise processed per unit time by the stacking conveyor exceeds the amount of merchandise processed per unit time by the supply conveyor.

  In this case, the product supplied by the supply conveyor can be prevented from overflowing beyond the movable range of the transfer robot, and the product can be prevented from being discharged outside the system on the supply conveyor side.

  In invention of Claim 5, in Claim 1, the temporary mounting base is arranged in parallel between the supply conveyor and the accumulation conveyor.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the transfer robot is composed of a parallel robot including a plurality of parallel link mechanisms.

  In a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, in the stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot, the transfer of the product to the stacking conveyor is completed so that the transfer process of the product to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer robot has a predetermined transfer start section, and the transfer robot has an empty bucket entering the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor and a predetermined number of products are supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range. The drive is controlled so that a predetermined number of products are transferred to empty buckets of the stacking conveyor.

  In this case, the transfer and accumulation processing of the products is surely executed based on the entry timing of empty buckets in the accumulation conveyor.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the product is transferred to the stacking conveyor on the stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. A predetermined transfer start section to be started is set, and the transfer robot is supplied with a predetermined number of products from the supply conveyor to the movable range when an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor. If not, the drive is controlled so that the product supplied by the supply conveyor is transferred to the temporary table and temporarily placed.

  In this case, it is possible to reliably transfer and stack the products based on the entry timing of empty buckets in the stacking conveyor, and reliably prevent the products from being discharged outside the system on the supply conveyor side.

  In the invention of claim 9, in claim 1, on the stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot, the transfer of products to the stacking conveyor is completed so that the transfer processing of products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. When a predetermined number of products are supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range, an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor. If not, the drive is controlled so that the product supplied by the supply conveyor is transferred to the temporary table and temporarily placed.

  In this case, it is possible to reliably transfer and stack the products based on the product supply timing on the supply conveyor, and to reliably prevent the product from being discharged outside the system on the supply conveyor side.

The invention of claim 10 is a product supply / stacking method for stacking a predetermined number of products to be supplied, and includes the following steps.
i) A step of supplying a plurality of products toward the downstream side by a supply conveyor.
ii) A step of taking out the products on the supply conveyor by a transfer robot, transferring them onto the accumulation conveyor, and conveying them in a state where a predetermined number of articles are accumulated downstream.
iii) Before the product supplied by the supply conveyor overflows beyond the movable range of the transfer robot and is discharged out of the system, the product supplied from the supply conveyor is transferred to the temporary table by the transfer robot. Temporarily placing and transferring the goods temporarily placed on the temporary placement table onto a stacking conveyor by a transfer robot and stacking them.

  According to the invention of claim 10, when the goods are supplied downstream by the supply conveyor, the goods on the supply conveyor are taken out by the transfer robot and transferred by a predetermined number onto the stacking conveyor. Accumulation processing is performed by accumulating.

  In this case, before the product supplied by the supply conveyor overflows beyond the movable range of the transfer robot and is discharged out of the system, the transfer robot transfers the product supplied by the supply conveyor to the temporary table. Place and temporarily place. Then, the transfer robot transfers and temporarily accumulates the products temporarily placed on the temporary placement table onto the accumulation conveyor.

  Thereby, it is possible to prevent the product from being discharged out of the system on the supply conveyor side, and it is possible to efficiently perform the supply and accumulation processing of the product.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect, the amount of merchandise processed per unit time by the stacking conveyor exceeds the amount of merchandise processed per unit time by the supply conveyor.

  In this case, the product supplied by the supply conveyor can be prevented from overflowing beyond the movable range of the transfer robot, and the product can be prevented from being discharged outside the system on the supply conveyor side.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect, the transfer robot is composed of a parallel robot including a plurality of parallel link mechanisms.

  In the invention of claim 13, in claim 10, on the stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot, the products are transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer robot has a predetermined transfer start section, and the transfer robot has an empty bucket entering the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor and a predetermined number of products are supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range. The drive is controlled so that a predetermined number of products are transferred to empty buckets of the stacking conveyor.

  In this case, the transfer and accumulation processing of the products is surely executed based on the entry timing of empty buckets in the accumulation conveyor.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot, the products are transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer processing of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. A predetermined transfer start section to be started is set, and the transfer robot supplies a predetermined number of products within the movable range from the supply conveyor when an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor. If not, the drive is controlled so that the product supplied by the supply conveyor is transferred to the temporary placement table and temporarily placed.

  In this case, it is possible to reliably transfer and stack the products based on the entry timing of empty buckets in the stacking conveyor, and reliably prevent the products from being discharged outside the system on the supply conveyor side.

  In the invention of claim 15, in claim 10, the transfer of the product to the stacking conveyor is completed on the stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot so that the transfer process of the product to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. When a predetermined number of products are supplied within a movable range from the supply conveyor, an empty bucket is set in the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor. If it has not entered, the drive is controlled so that the product supplied by the supply conveyor is transferred to the temporary table and temporarily placed.

  In this case, it is possible to reliably transfer and stack the products based on the product supply timing on the supply conveyor, and to reliably prevent the product from being discharged outside the system on the supply conveyor side.

  As described above, according to the present invention, before the product supplied by the supply conveyor overflows beyond the movable range of the transfer robot and is discharged out of the system, the transfer robot is supplied by the supply conveyor. Products are temporarily transferred to the temporary table and temporarily stored, and the products temporarily stored on the temporary table are transferred and accumulated on the accumulation conveyor. This makes it possible to efficiently supply and integrate products.

1 is a schematic side view of a product supply / stacking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the product supply / stacking device (FIG. 1) for explaining the flow of products. It is the front schematic of the supply conveyor which comprises the said goods supply / stacking apparatus (FIG. 1). It is a front schematic diagram of the accumulation conveyor which constitutes the above-mentioned goods supply and accumulation device (Drawing 1). It is the front schematic of the temporary mounting base which comprises the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1). It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the goods supply / integration | stacking operation | movement by the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1) in time series. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the goods supply / integration | stacking operation | movement by the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1) in time series. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the goods supply / integration | stacking operation | movement by the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1) in time series. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the goods supply / integration | stacking operation | movement by the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1) in time series. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the goods supply / integration | stacking operation | movement by the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1) in time series. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the goods supply / integration | stacking operation | movement by the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1) in time series. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the goods supply / integration | stacking operation | movement by the said goods supply / accumulation apparatus (FIG. 1).

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 3 show a product supply / accumulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Of these drawings, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the product is omitted for convenience of illustration. In addition, here, a case where a product (for example, confectionery) wrapped in a pillow in a small bag is processed is taken as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the product supply / stacking device 1 supplies a plurality of products P toward the downstream side (in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and the front side of FIG. 1). And on the downstream side with a predetermined number (three in this case) of products P stacked vertically on the downstream side (in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and on the front side of FIG. 1). The parallel conveyor 4 as a transfer robot that takes out the product P from the supply conveyor 2, transfers it to the integration conveyor 3 and accumulates it, and the parallel robot 4 takes out the supply conveyor 2. A temporary placement table 5 is provided for temporarily placing the product P temporarily.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the parallel robot 4 is supported by an upper frame 10 installed above the supply conveyor 2, the accumulation conveyor 3, and the temporary placement table 5, and has three pieces arranged at equal intervals. Servo motors (actuators) 41, 42, 43 and parallel link pairs whose upper ends are hinged to the output shafts of the servo motors 41, 42, 43, respectively, extending obliquely downward and lower ends hinged to each other (Parallel link mechanism) 44, 45, 46 and a suction pad 47 attached to the lower end of the parallel link pair 44, 45, 46 and holding the product P by suction. The suction pad 47 is connected to the vacuum pump 48 via an air hose (not shown). In FIG. 2, a hexagonal region M indicated by a one-dot chain line indicates a movable range of the parallel robot 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the movable range M covers the temporary table 5 and covers most of the supply conveyor 2 and the upstream side of the stacking conveyor 3.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the supply conveyor 2 is attached to the drive sprocket 20 and the driven sprocket 21 with an endless chain 22 and a predetermined interval on the chain 22. It is comprised from the bucket conveyor which consists of many buckets 23 to obtain.

  An introduction conveyor (belt conveyor) 6 for introducing the product P to the supply conveyor 2 is disposed upstream of the supply conveyor 2 (left side in FIGS. 3 and 4). The product P, which is pillow-packed in a small bag by a pillow packaging machine (not shown) disposed on the upstream side of the introduction conveyor 6, flows toward the downstream side of the introduction conveyor 6. Above the vicinity of the downstream end of the introduction conveyor 6, an introduction detection sensor 7 that detects whether or not the product P has been introduced from the downstream end of the introduction conveyor 6 to the supply conveyor 2 is provided. A counter 8 that counts the number of products P supplied from the supply conveyor 2 to the movable range M of the parallel robot 4 is provided on the downstream side of the introduction detection sensor 7 on the side of the supply conveyor 2.

  In this example, the supply conveyor 2 is intermittently operated by one bucket. That is, when the introduction detection sensor 7 detects that the product P has been introduced from the introduction conveyor 6 into the empty bucket 23 of the supply conveyor 2, the supply conveyor 2 is intermittently driven and advances by one bucket.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the stacking conveyor 3 is attached to the drive sprocket 30 and a driven sprocket (not shown), an endless chain 32 and a predetermined interval on the chain 32, and each product It is comprised from the bucket conveyor which consists of many buckets 33 which can accommodate P. A rotary encoder 9 for detecting the rotational speed of the drive shaft is connected to the drive shaft of the stacking conveyor 3 (see FIG. 3).

  In this example, the stacking conveyor 3 is continuously operated, but may be intermittently operated one bucket at a time. In any case, the product processing amount per unit time by the stacking conveyor 3 is set to exceed the product processing amount (product supply amount) per unit time by the supply conveyor 2. This is to prevent the product P supplied by the supply conveyor 2 from being discharged outside the apparatus (that is, discharged outside the system) without being transferred to the stacking conveyor 3 side.

  The temporary table 5 is disposed between the supply conveyor 2 and the stacking conveyor 3, and as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality (six in this case) mounted on the base surface 50 at a predetermined interval. The bucket 51 is provided.

  Product supply / stacking processing by the product supply / stacking device 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and schematic diagrams of FIGS. 7A to 7F and a flowchart of FIG. Here, a case will be described as an example in which six products P are stacked in two vertical rows in the upper and lower three stages in the bucket 33 of the stacking conveyor 3.

In FIG 7A~ Figure 7F, _{C K} is the feed conveyor, _{C S} denotes an accumulation conveyor, respectively. Small numbers 1-15 below each bucket 23 of the feed conveyor C _K, in order to demonstrate that each bucket 23 is moving, it is those attached for convenience. Further, the interval T _1, when the empty bucket 33 of accumulation conveyor C _S is in the section T _1, the transfer start section should start transfer process on the bucket 33 from the feed conveyor C _K The section T (= T ₁ + T ₂ ) indicates the length of the movable range M (FIG. 3) of the parallel robot 4 in the conveyor direction. In other words, the section T ₁ is formed from the supply conveyor _CK to the stacking conveyor 3 so that the stacking process of all six products P can be completed within the range of the movable range M of the parallel robot 4. A transfer start section in which transfer processing must be started for the bucket 33 is shown. Further, the interval T _{3 (shown} for convenience, FIG. 7A, shown only in FIG. 7B) is provided on the end side of the movable range M of parallel robot 4, supplied from the supply conveyor C _K goods P is the section when moved to T ₃ are between provisional置区must temporarily placed products P in the section T ₃ in the provisional table 5.

In step S1 of FIG. 8, wait for the product P is supplied to the supply conveyor C _K. Product supply P to the feed conveyor C _K is detected by the introduced detection sensor 7 (see FIG. 3). If the product P is supplied feed conveyor C _K, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, an empty bucket 33 determines whether the vehicle has entered the transfer start section T ₁ of the integrated conveyor C _S. As shown in FIG. 7A, if ingress empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ of the accumulation conveyor C _S, the process proceeds to step S3 of FIG. 8. In step S3, items P of n predetermined number in the interval T of the feed conveyor C _K (6 pieces in this example) is equal to or supplied. The number of products P supplied in the section T is counted by the counter 8 (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 7A, 6 pieces of product P in the interval T of the feed conveyor C _K is if supplied, the process proceeds to step S4 of FIG. 8.

In step S4, the suction pads 47 of the parallel robot 4 takes out the products P from the feed conveyor C _K, performs product integration processing for integrating this by transferring the empty bucket 33 of the accumulation conveyor C _S.

In this case, as shown in FIG 7B, taken out two products P of the head of products P supplied in the interval T of the feed conveyor C _K, the empty buckets 33 of accumulation conveyor C _S Transfer. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7C, taken out two products P of the top of the product P left in the period T of the feed conveyor C _K, transfers the same bucket 33 of accumulation conveyor C _S . At this time, it is transferred onto each product P that has already been transferred into the bucket 33. Next, as shown in FIG. 7D, likewise, removed the two products P of the top of the product P left in the period T of the feed conveyor C _K, the same bucket 33 of accumulation conveyor C _S Transfer. At this time, it is transferred onto each product P that has already been transferred into the bucket 33. Thus, as shown in FIG. 7D, the bucket 33 of the accumulation conveyor C _S of product integration process is performed, so that the six product P is integrated in two columns by upper and lower three stages.

  In this way, each of the products P, which are collected by the stacking conveyor 3 in the vertical 3 rows and 6 rows, are transported to the downstream side, and 6 large bags are filled by a robot (pillow wrapping machine) (not shown). Pillow packaging).

Further, when the product integration process is completed, the bucket 33 which houses six product P is located at the end side in the interval T of the accumulation conveyor C _S (i.e., the area of the movable range M of parallel robot 4) (See FIG. 7D).

In the commodity supply and integrated device 1, transfer and accumulation of product P against the accumulation conveyor C _S from the feed conveyor C _K immediately after the empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ of the accumulation conveyor C _S enters Since the processing is started, even when the accumulation processing of all six products P is completed, the bucket 33 is positioned on the terminal side in the region of the movable range M of the parallel robot 4. This means that if the reverse way, when starting the transfer and integration process of the product P when the empty bucket 33 of accumulation conveyor C _S enters the zone T ₂ exceeds the interval T ₁ is This means that the accumulation process cannot be completed for all of the six products P within the movable range M of the parallel robot 4.

  Next, in step S5 of FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not the process should be terminated. When the process is continued, the process returns to step S1 and the processes of steps S1 to S5 are repeated.

In step S3, when the product P n (6) is determined not to be supplied in the interval T of the feed conveyor C _K, which, as shown in FIG. 7E, the transfer of the accumulation conveyor C _S 4 is product P in the interval T of the feed conveyor C _K when the next empty bucket 33 to start section T ₁ is entered (<6) only a case that is not supplied, this time, step The process proceeds to S6. In step S6, it is determined whether product or P is present a total of n-number (6) to the feed conveyor C _K and provisional table 5.

In step S6, if it is determined that there is no sum of n items P is the feed conveyor C _K and provisional table 5, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, it is determined whether product P is in the interval T ₃ of the feed conveyor C _K.

In step S7, if it is determined that the product P is in the interval _{T 3} of the feed conveyor _{C K,} the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the suction pads 47 of the parallel robot 4, supplied from the interval T ₃ of the conveyor C _K removed product P, placing temporary which was transferred temporarily to the empty buckets 51 of the provisional table 5. After the processing in step S8, the process proceeds to step S5. Further, in step S7, if it is determined that there is no product P in a section _{T 3} of the feed conveyor _{C K,} it returns to step S1.

Further, in step S6, if the total of n items P exists and determines the feed conveyor C _K and provisional table 5, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the products P on the provisional table 5 and C _K suction pads 47 of the parallel robot 4 performs product integration process of integration by transferring the empty bucket 33 of the accumulation conveyor C _S. In this case, though the n products P is temporarily placed on the temporary placement table 5, but also the case of transferring only product P on the provisional table 5 the empty bucket 33 of accumulation conveyor C _S . After the processing in step S9, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S2, if the transfer start section T ₁ of the accumulation conveyor C _S is determined that the empty bucket 33 is not entered, the process proceeds to step S7, to perform the process in step S7.

According to this embodiment, the parallel robot 4, the empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ of the accumulation conveyor C _S enters and from the supply conveyor C _K in the interval T (i.e., the parallel robot 4 when the product P of a predetermined number in the region) of the movable range M is supplied, and is driven and controlled so as to transfer these products P into the empty bucket 33 of the accumulation conveyor C _S.

Thus, in the region of the movable range M of parallel robot 4, it is possible to complete the integrated processing of the product P of a predetermined number of feed conveyor C _K for the accumulation conveyor C _S.

Further, in this embodiment, provided with a temporary placement table 5, the accumulation conveyor C empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ of the _S enters and feed conveyor C _K predetermined number in the interval T of n items P in the case (see Fig. 7E) that but not supplied when there is product P in a section T ₃ of the feed conveyor C _K and total n-number of items P without addition feed conveyor C _K in the provisional table 5, feed conveyor C since the product P and _K in the interval T ₃ of the then place provisional provisional table 5, fed from the feed conveyor C _K goods P is outside of the system discharge by overflowing beyond the movable range M of parallel robot 4 Can be reliably prevented.

This will be supplementarily described with reference to FIGS. 7E and 7F.
As shown in FIG. 7E, when the empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ of the accumulation conveyor C _S enters, product P of four in a section in T from the supply conveyor C _K (<6 pieces) are supplied Suppose that At this time, if the left as without four products P supplied in the interval T is taken out, as shown in FIG. 7F, the accumulation conveyor C _S of the transfer start section T next empty bucket 33 to ₁ There until coming enters, the number of products P fed from the feed conveyor C _K in the interval T is to become reached six.

In such a case, the transfer and accumulation of product P against the accumulation conveyor C _S from the feed conveyor C _K immediately after the next empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ of the accumulation conveyor C _S has been entered process even were started, to complete the transfer and accumulation processing for all six of the product P, fed from the feed conveyor C _K goods P is the interval T (that is, the movable range M of parallel robot 4) Overflowing the product will cause the product to be discharged outside the system.

However, in this embodiment, in a case where the accumulation conveyor C predetermined number empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ is entered and the feed conveyor C _K in the interval T of _S n pieces of products P is not supplied , if the interval T ₃ of the feed conveyor C _K and total n-number of items P without addition feed conveyor C _K in the provisional table 5 there is a product P is in the interval T ₃ of the feed conveyor C _K by parallel robot 4 Since the product P is taken out to the outside, it is possible to reliably prevent the product P supplied from the supply conveyor _CK from overflowing beyond the movable range M of the parallel robot 4 and to prevent occurrence of out-of-system discharge. it can. In this way, it is possible to efficiently supply and collect products.

  In the above embodiment, a flowchart as shown in FIG. 8 is used as the control flow of the apparatus, but the control flow applied to the present invention is not limited to this.

When the supply conveyor C _K product P of a predetermined number is supplied in the interval T from and accumulation conveyor C _S empty bucket 33 into the transfer start section T ₁ of the has not been entered (see FIG. 7F), the parallel robot 4 the product P in the interval T of the feed conveyor C _K in the provisional table 5 may be put temporary. Even in this case, it is possible to reliably prevent the product P supplied from the supply conveyor _CK from overflowing beyond the movable range M of the parallel robot 4 and to prevent the occurrence of out-of-system discharge. -Accumulation processing can be performed efficiently.

  In the above-described embodiment, the commodity P to be processed has been described as an example of the commodity packaged in a small bag, but the present invention is applicable to various other commodities.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the products P are stacked by stacking three products P on the stacking conveyor 3 in the vertical direction and arranging them in two vertical rows. Is not limited. As for the method of product accumulation, each product is stacked one by one, or each product is arranged in a sashimi shape, that is, one end of the product partially overlaps the other end of the adjacent product. It also includes the case where they are arranged.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the temporary table 5 is disposed between the supply conveyor 2 and the stacking conveyor 3 that are arranged in parallel at intervals is shown, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. The conveyors 2 and 3 are arranged side by side without any gap between the supply conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 3, and the temporary table 5 is placed outside the supply conveyor 2 or the accumulation conveyor 3 (however, the region of the movable range M of the parallel robot 4). (Inside).

  At this time, the temporary table 5 can be arranged outside the movable range M of the parallel robot 4. In this case, a second parallel robot or transfer robot is provided separately from the parallel robot 4, and the product P is transferred from the supply conveyor 2 to the stacking conveyor 3 by the parallel robot 4. Transfer to the table 5 and transfer from the temporary table 5 to the stacking conveyor 3 are performed by the second parallel robot or transfer robot. That is, in this case, the movable range M of the parallel robot 4 and the movable range of the second parallel robot or transfer robot partially overlap each other.

  In the said Example, the example which employ | adopted the parallel robot 4 was shown as a preferable example of the transfer robot which transfers the goods P with respect to the accumulation conveyor 3 from the supply conveyor 2. FIG. In general, a parallel link mechanism of a parallel robot moves at a high speed in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by driving control of each actuator (that is, control of the rotation amount and rotation direction of each output shaft), and arbitrarily moves in a fixed three-dimensional space. Therefore, the suction pad provided at the lower end of each parallel link mechanism also moves to an arbitrary position in a fixed three-dimensional space at a high speed. For this reason, it can be said that it is most suitable for the transfer of goods between the supply conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 3 which are in operation. However, in the present invention, other articulated robots can be used.

  As described above, the present invention is suitable for a product supply / accumulation device that similarly transfers and collects products taken out from an operating supply conveyor to an operating accumulation conveyor, and in particular, a parallel robot as a transfer robot. This is useful for product supply / accumulation equipment using

1: Product supply / stacking device

2: Supply conveyor 23: Bucket

3: Stacking conveyor 33: Bucket

4: Parallel robot (transfer robot)
44, 45, 46: Parallel link pair (parallel link mechanism)

5: Temporary table

M: movable range

T ₁ : Transfer start section

P: Product

JP-A-8-133228 (see FIGS. 1 to 8)

Claims (15)

A product supply / accumulation device for accumulating a predetermined number of products to be supplied,
A supply conveyor for supplying a plurality of products toward the downstream side;
A stacking conveyor for transporting products toward the downstream side in a state where a predetermined number of products are stacked;
A transfer robot for transferring and collecting products taken out from the supply conveyor onto the stacking conveyor;
Provided in a movable range of the transfer robot, comprising a temporary placement table for temporarily placing a product taken out from the supply conveyor by the transfer robot,
The transfer robot transfers the product supplied by the supply conveyor to the temporary table before the product supplied by the supply conveyor overflows beyond the movable range and is discharged out of the system. While being temporarily placed, the product temporarily controlled on the temporary placement table is driven and controlled so as to be transferred and accumulated on the accumulation conveyor.
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The supply conveyor is composed of a bucket conveyor having a plurality of buckets each capable of accommodating a product, and is continuously operated or intermittently operated when supplying the product,
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The accumulation conveyor is composed of a bucket conveyor having a plurality of buckets each capable of accommodating a product, and is continuously operated or intermittently operated when the product is conveyed.
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The product throughput per unit time by the accumulation conveyor exceeds the product throughput per unit time by the supply conveyor.
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The temporary table is arranged between the supply conveyor and the accumulation conveyor,
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The transfer robot is composed of a parallel robot composed of a plurality of parallel link mechanisms.
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot has a predetermined product to be transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer start section is set,
The transfer robot receives the predetermined number of products when an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor and a predetermined number of products are supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range. Drive-controlled to transfer to the empty bucket of the stacking conveyor,
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot has a predetermined product to be transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer start section is set,
The transfer robot is supplied by the supply conveyor when a predetermined number of products are not supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range when an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the accumulation conveyor. Drive-controlled to transfer the product to the temporary table and temporarily place it,
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot has a predetermined product to be transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer start section is set,
When a predetermined number of commodities are supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range, the transfer robot is supplied by the supply conveyor unless an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor. The product is controlled to be transferred and temporarily placed on the temporary table.
Product supply / accumulation device characterized by this. A product supply / collection method for collecting a predetermined number of products to be supplied,
While supplying multiple products toward the downstream side by the supply conveyor,
The product on the supply conveyor is taken out by a transfer robot, transferred onto the accumulation conveyor and conveyed toward the downstream side in a state where a predetermined number of pieces are accumulated, and
Before the product supplied by the supply conveyor overflows beyond the movable range of the transfer robot and is discharged out of the system, the product supplied from the supply conveyor is transferred to the temporary table by the transfer robot. And temporarily placing the product temporarily placed on the temporary placement table by the transfer robot to be transferred to the stacking conveyor and accumulated.
Product supply and accumulation method characterized by the above. In claim 10,
The product throughput per unit time by the accumulation conveyor exceeds the product throughput per unit time by the supply conveyor.
Product supply and accumulation method characterized by the above. In claim 10,
The transfer robot is composed of a parallel robot composed of a plurality of parallel link mechanisms.
Product supply and accumulation method characterized by the above. In claim 10,
The stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot has a predetermined product to be transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer start section is set,
The transfer robot receives the predetermined number of products when an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor and a predetermined number of products are supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range. Drive-controlled to transfer to the empty bucket of the stacking conveyor,
Product supply and accumulation method characterized by the above. In claim 10,
The stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot has a predetermined product to be transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer start section is set,
The transfer robot is supplied by the supply conveyor when a predetermined number of products are not supplied from the supply conveyor to the movable range when an empty bucket enters the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor. The product is controlled to be transferred and temporarily placed on the temporary table.
Product supply and accumulation method characterized by the above. In claim 10,
The stacking conveyor in the movable range of the transfer robot has a predetermined product to be transferred to the stacking conveyor so that the transfer process of the products to the stacking conveyor is completed within the movable range. The transfer start section is set,
The transfer robot is supplied by the supply conveyor if an empty bucket has not entered the transfer start section of the stacking conveyor when a predetermined number of products are supplied from the supply conveyor within the movable range. The product is controlled to be transferred and temporarily placed on the temporary table,
Product supply and accumulation method characterized by the above.

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