JP2015020846A - Conveyance direction conversion device for container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out direction conversion of a container stably.SOLUTION: A conveyance direction conversion device includes first push-sending means 18 which is arranged so as to enter a conveyance path and to be movable in the front-back conveyance direction for containers and has a push-sending piece 40 detecting an arrival of a container through a sensor 66 and push-sending the container from a first conveyor 10 toward a turntable 12 and second push-sending means 20 which is arranged so as to enter the conveyance path and to be movable in the front-back conveyance direction for containers and has a push-sending body 60 push-sending the container from the turntable 12 toward a second conveyor 14. The push-sending starting position and the push-sending end position can be changeable by the push-sending piece 40 and the push-sending body 60 in push-sending containers.

Description

  The present invention relates to a container transport direction changing device configured to change the direction of a container between a tape applying device for attaching a tape to the container and a processing device disposed downstream of the tape applying device. It is.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose devices that change the direction of an article being conveyed. The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 changes the direction of the box with the contact portion of the guide plate as a fulcrum by bringing the corner portion of the box into contact with the contact portion of the guide plate installed on one side of the roller conveyor. At the same time, guide the box in the middle of the direction change by the slope of the guide plate installed on the other side of the roller conveyor, and guide it downstream while regulating the side of the box 90 degrees changed by the straight part of the guide plate. It is configured to The device disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes four arms that are supported on the side of the conveyor so as to be freely rotatable and extend radially every 90 degrees, and the arms positioned on the conveyor are arranged in the direction of conveying articles by the conveyor. The article is rotated 90 degrees by receiving the article conveying force on the conveyor in a substantially orthogonal state, thereby changing the direction of the article by 90 degrees.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a device in which a rotary table is disposed between guide rail devices on the upstream side and the downstream side, and articles are sequentially fed from the upstream side one by one with a feed claw. In this apparatus, when an article sent from the upstream side is arranged in a different direction, the article is rotated by 180 degrees on the rotary table so as to have a correct orientation. The device disclosed in Patent Document 4 is provided with a turntable that rotates intermittently between conveyors, and pushes an article that has been sent by an extrusion mechanism and places it on the turntable to change the direction. When the sent article is pushed out to the turntable, the redirected article placed on the turntable by the article is pushed out to the downstream conveyor.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-606 JP 2006-341946 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-117913 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 49-89875

  If you try to configure an automated line by installing a processing device downstream of the tape applicator that attaches tape to a container with a lid, the processing device on the downstream side, for example, puts the tape so that it crosses the tape applied by the tape applicator. Affix and tape the four sides of the container, or attach a label such as a quality label on the contents of the container at the required affixing position or orientation, etc. The container is subjected to predetermined processing under various processing conditions. As a device that changes the container transport direction, such as the difference in the outer shape of the bottom and side surfaces of the container, the difference in the material of the container, the difference in the size of the container, etc. There is a need for a device that can stably change direction. However, in a container such as a lunch box, not only does the weight balance become constant due to the assortment of various contents, but the position of the center of gravity is not determined without depending on the outer shape of the container. Including the case where the apparatuses of Patent Documents 1 to 4 are applied and the conveyance direction of the container is not changed, it is not possible to cope with the case of changing the direction to a desired direction such as 90 °, 180 °, and 270 °.

  That is, the present invention has been proposed to solve these problems in view of the above-mentioned problems related to the prior art, and even in containers with various properties such as lunch boxes packed with contents, An object of the present invention is to provide a container transport direction changing device capable of satisfactorily changing the direction of transport required by the processing device corresponding to the processing device connected to the downstream side of the tape applying device.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problem and achieve the intended purpose, a container transport direction changing device according to claim 1 of the present application is
A first conveyor for transporting a container having a tape attached thereto from a tape attaching device for attaching the tape to the container;
Detecting means for detecting containers conveyed by the first conveyor;
A turntable disposed on the downstream side of the first conveyor and configured to selectively rotate horizontally in a range of 0 ° to 270 ° and at a rotation angle of 90 ° in a range of 0 ° to 270 °;
A second conveyor disposed downstream of the turntable and transporting the containers toward the processing device;
Pushing that moves into the transport path from the standby position so as to move forward and backward in the transport direction of the container, detects the arrival of the container by the detecting means, and pushes the container from the first conveyor toward the turntable. A first pushing means having a piece;
A second feeding means having a feeding body that is arranged so as to enter the conveyance path from the standby position and move forward and backward in the conveyance direction of the container, and pushes the container from the turntable toward the second conveyor,
The push start position and the push end position when the container is pushed by the push piece and the push body can be changed.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the pushing piece and the pushing body can change the pushing start position and the pushing end position of the container, there are various properties and centroids such as a lunch box packed with contents. Even if the container is not in the center, it can be stably fed from the first conveyor toward the turntable, and the container can be placed at an appropriate position on the turntable and rotated horizontally, making stable direction change possible. obtain. Then, the container whose direction has been changed in the direction required by the downstream processing apparatus can be stably fed from the turntable toward the second conveyor.

In the invention according to claim 2, there is provided a support means having a support piece that is positioned at a position close to the front of the container that enters the conveyance path from the standby position and is pushed by the push piece and moves forward together with the push piece. It is characterized by having.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the container is pushed toward the turntable from the first conveyor by the pushing piece, the front of the container can be supported by the supporting piece. It is possible to prevent the container from running forward by restricting the inertia that occurs in the container.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 3, the said feed piece and the said support piece located in the conveyance direction of the container in the said 1st conveyor are operated so that a mutual space | interval may be narrowed before pushing a container with the said 1st push means. An operating means is provided.
According to the invention of claim 3, even if the container stop position at the transport downstream end of the first conveyor varies, the feed piece that enters the transport path from the standby position does not interfere with the container. And it can push toward a turntable in the state which brought the support piece close to the conveyance direction of the container.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adjusting means capable of adjusting a mutual distance after the pushing piece and the supporting piece are moved close to each other.
According to the invention of claim 4, the container can be pushed toward the turntable in a state where the pushing piece and the support piece are positioned at positions close to the front and rear of the carrying direction of the container. Therefore, it is possible to avoid slippage with the conveyor.

In the invention according to claim 5, the push piece and the support piece are arranged so as to be movable up and down, and the left and right distances between the pair of push pieces and the support piece that are spaced apart from each other are adjusted. It is characterized by having a possible interval adjusting means.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the position of each of the pair of pushing pieces and the support pieces that are separated from each other on the left and right can be adjusted in accordance with the outer shape and size of the container. In this state, it can be pushed and placed at a desired position on the turntable.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the first pushing means, the second pushing means, and the supporting means are disposed on the moving body so as to be integrally movable forward and backward.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 6, the mechanism which reciprocates the 1st pushing means, the 2nd pushing means, and a support means to a conveyance direction can be made into a simple and compact structure.

In the invention which concerns on Claim 7, said 2nd pushing means was comprised from the pushing body which has the hollow part dented in the conveyance direction back side in the center part of the left-right direction, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 7, even if the outer edge of the container pushed into a 2nd conveyor from a turntable with a pushing body becomes circular arc shape and other indefinite shapes, the outer edge of a container fits into a hollow part. Since it is pushed, rotation of the container and displacement can be prevented.

  According to the container transport direction changing device according to the present invention, even if the container has various properties such as a lunch box packed with contents, the transfer direction can be stably changed. It can be transferred as an appropriate transport direction with respect to the processing apparatus.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the conveyance direction conversion apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention from the near side. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the conveyance direction conversion apparatus of an Example from the back side. It is a schematic plan view which shows the conveyance direction conversion apparatus of an Example. It is a schematic side view which shows the conveyance direction conversion apparatus of an Example. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the conveyance direction conversion apparatus of an Example.

  Next, a preferred embodiment of the container transport direction changing device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The container transport direction changing device according to the embodiment includes a first tape sticking device (tape sticking device) for sticking a tape T to a fitting portion between a container body Pa and a lid Pb in a container P with a lid such as a lunch box, A container P disposed between the second tape applying device (processing device) for applying the tape T to a portion different from the first tape applying device in the fitting portion of the lid Pb and taped by the first tape applying device. Is changed in direction according to the direction required in the tape application process in the second tape application device. The first and second tape affixing devices are configured so that a container P with a lid Pb covered with a container body Pa packed with contents is transported downstream by a conveyor from a tape roll on both sides of the conveyor. The leading end portion of the drawn adhesive tape T is sucked and held, the tape T is attached to the lid Pb and pulled out, and the drawn tape T is attached to the side surface of the container body Pa and then cut by a cutter. The terminal portion of the container is configured so as to be fixed to the container body Pa by pressing. As such a tape applicator, the configurations described in Japanese Patent No. 4820353 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-91854 are preferably employed. In addition, as the containers P with lids such as lunch boxes and side dishes sold at convenience stores and supermarkets, various three-dimensional containers P such as a box type and a bowl type are used. Correspondingly, in the tape applicator, the position where the tape T is applied is appropriately changed, such as two opposing locations, four locations where the angle is changed every 90 degrees, or three locations where one location is opposed to two locations. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a first conveyor 10 composed of a belt conveyor that conveys a container P that has been subjected to tape application by a first tape application apparatus, and a downstream side of the first conveyor 10, A turntable 12 that can change the direction, and a second conveyor belt conveyor that is disposed on the downstream side of the turntable 12 and conveys the container P transferred from the turntable 12 toward the second tape applicator. And a conveyor 14. The turntable 12 is a rotating disk supported so as to be horizontally rotatable. The turntable 12 is horizontally rotated by the control motor 16 and rotates the container P transferred from the first conveyor 10 clockwise or counterclockwise. The amount of rotation is controlled according to the product type of the container P set by the product type setting means (not shown) so as to selectively change the direction at a rotation angle of 90 °, 180 °, 270 ° or the like. The turntable 12 is controlled so as not to rotate without changing the direction of the container P transferred from the first conveyor 10 depending on the type of the container P.

  On the downstream side of the conveyance of the first conveyor 10, a first pushing means 18 provided with a pushing piece 40 that pushes the container P from the first conveyor 10 toward the turntable 12, and the carrying direction of the first pushing means 18 In accordance with the operation of feeding the succeeding container P by the first pushing means 18 on the front side, the second pushing means 20 provided with a pushing body 60 for pushing the preceding container P from the turntable 12 toward the second conveyor 14. Are arranged. Further, between the first pushing means 18 and the second pushing means 20, a supporting means 22 provided with a support piece 50 that supports the front side in the transport direction of the container P when the first pushing means 18 pushes the container P. Is arranged. The first pushing means 18 moves the pushing piece 40 into the conveyance path of the container P, retracts the feeding piece 40 above the conveyance path outside the conveyance path, and the entry position where the feeding piece 40 can come into contact with the container P. It is configured to be able to move back and forth in the up and down direction with respect to the retracted position that allows passage of the container P, and to reciprocate back and forth in the transport direction of the container P. The second pushing means 20 moves the pusher 60 into the conveyance path of the container P and retreats the pusher 60 above the conveyance path outside the conveyance path by retracting the pusher 60 into the conveyance position of the container P. It is configured to be able to move back and forth in the up and down direction with respect to the retracted position that allows passage of the container P, and to reciprocate back and forth in the transport direction of the container P. The supporting means 22 allows the support piece 50 to enter the transport path of the container P to retract the entrance position where the container P can be supported and the support piece 50 above the transport path outside the transport path so as to pass the container P. It is configured to be able to move back and forth in the up and down direction with respect to the allowable retreat position and to be able to reciprocate back and forth in the transport direction of the container P. Further, there is provided adjusting means 24 for adjusting the mutual distance between the feeding piece 40 of the first pushing means 18 and the support piece 50 of the support means 22. Further, the pushing piece 40 of the first pushing means 18 and the supporting piece 50 of the support means 22 are moved toward and away from each other in the transport direction by the actuating means 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first pushing means 18, the second pushing means 20, and the supporting means 22 are formed on a plate-like moving body 28 that is supported on a guide rail 30 so as to be able to reciprocate back and forth in the conveying direction. The moving body 28 includes a link bar 33 that is rotated by a drive motor 32 that is a servo motor, and one end portion connected to the link bar 33 and the other end portion connected to the moving body 28. It is reciprocated along the guide rail 30 by a drive mechanism 26 composed of a crank mechanism having a link arm 34 that swings with the rotation of 33. Further, the moving body 28 is configured to be able to change the amount of movement in the transport direction. In the embodiment, the moving body 28 is controlled by controlling the forward / reverse rotation amount of the drive motor 32 or adjusting the length of the link arm 34 in the drive mechanism 26. The moving end position to the downstream side and the moving end position to the upstream side of the moving body 28 can be adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first pushing means 18 extends in the left-right direction above the conveyance path and an air cylinder 36 as a lifting operation means supported by the guide rail 30 so as to be reciprocally movable in the conveyance direction. An attachment member 38 that is moved up and down by the air cylinder 36 and a pair of push pieces 40, 40 that extend downward from the attachment member 38 and are spaced apart in the left-right direction are provided. The support means 22 includes an air cylinder 46 as a lifting operation means supported by the guide rail 30 so as to be reciprocally movable in the transport direction, and an intake cylinder that extends in the left-right direction above the transport path and is moved up and down by the air cylinder 46. An attachment member 48 and a pair of support pieces 50, 50 extending downward from the attachment member 48 and spaced apart in the left-right direction are provided. The support pieces 50, 50 of the support means 22 are arranged on the downstream side of the feed pieces 40, 40 of the first push means 18 at a distance corresponding to the longitudinal length of the container P. The rod-shaped push piece 40 and the support piece 50 move upward in the conveyance path to allow the container P to pass from the retracted position to the lower entry position where the container P is supported and transferred toward the turntable 12. The air cylinders 36 and 46 are respectively lowered. The first pushing means 18 includes a screw shaft 42 rotatably supported by the attachment member 38, and an operation handle 44 disposed at one end of the screw shaft 42. A pair of pushing pieces 40, 40 screwed to the shaft 42 is provided with an interval adjusting means for moving close to and away from each other. The support means 22 includes a screw shaft 52 rotatably supported by the attachment member 48 and an operation handle 54 disposed at one end of the screw shaft 52. The operation handle 54 is rotated to operate the screw shaft 52. A pair of support pieces 50, 50 screwed to each other is provided with an interval adjusting means for moving the support pieces 50 toward and away from each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the second pushing means 20 is supported by an air cylinder 56 as an elevating operation means disposed on the moving body 28 and supported by the air cylinder 56 so as to be movable up and down. And a pusher 60 that hangs down from the attachment member 58. And the pushing body 60 is arrange | positioned in the downstream side spaced apart more than the longitudinal length of the container P from the pushing piece 40 of the 1st pushing means 18. FIG. The pusher 60 is moved downward by the air cylinder 56 from the retreat position where the pusher 60 moves upward in the conveyance path and allows the passage of the container P to the lower entry position where the container P is supported and transferred toward the second conveyor 14. Is done. The pushing body 60 of the embodiment has a pushing surface formed in a plate shape, and has a hollow portion 60a which is open at a predetermined width in the vertical direction on the pushing surface side and recessed from the pushing surface side to the rear at the center in the left-right direction. Provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a toothed belt 63 is wound around a pair of toothed pulleys 62, 62 supported apart from each other in the conveying direction on the moving body 28, and the air cylinder 36 of the first pushing means 18. And the air cylinder 46 of the support means 22 are respectively supported by brackets 65 on the facing sides of the linear running portions facing the top and bottom of the toothed belt 63. By actuating the interval changing means 64 comprising an air cylinder disposed on the moving body 28, the support piece 50 linked to the air cylinder 46 of the support means 22 and the first pushing means 18 supported by the toothed belt 63. The pushing piece 40 linked to the air cylinder 36 is configured to move toward and away from each other. Thus, in the embodiment, the toothed pulleys 62, 62, the toothed belt 63, and the interval changing means 64 are configured as the operating means 25. The adjusting means 24 of the embodiment is composed of a screw shaft disposed on the moving body 28 so as to be able to reciprocate back and forth in the conveying direction, and the adjusting means for the linkage portion 65a that links the rod of the interval changing means 24 and the bracket 65. The rod operating range of the interval changing means 64 in the direction in which the pushing piece 40 and the supporting piece 50 are brought close to each other is changed by changing the position where the pressing piece 24 comes into contact with each other. The interval is adjusted.

  As the moving body 28 reciprocates forward and backward in the conveying direction, the pushing piece 40 of the first pushing means 18 moves between the conveying terminal portion of the first conveyor 10 and the turntable 12. The feeding body 60 of the second pushing means 20 moves between the upstream side of the turntable 12 and the conveyance start end of the second conveyor 14. In that case, the support piece 50 of the support means 22 moves between the conveyance terminal part of the first conveyor 10 and the turntable 12. The first feeding means 18 has a pushing start position at which the container P starts to be pushed by the pushing piece 40 from the first conveyor 10 toward the turntable 12 and a pushing end position at which the feeding of the container P is finished. The setting can be changed corresponding to different types of containers P by adjusting the reciprocating movement section or range by changing the rotation amount of the drive motor 32, or adjusting the position by the adjusting means 24. Further, the second pushing means 20 reciprocates the moving body 28 between the pushing start position where the feeding of the containers P is started from the turntable 12 toward the second conveyor 14 and the pushing end position where the pushing of the containers P is finished. The setting can be changed corresponding to different types of containers P by changing the section or range. Similarly, with respect to the support means 22 disposed on the moving body 28, the support starting position for starting the support on the front side in the transport direction of the container P and the support end position for ending the support of the container P on the downstream side are also set. The setting can be changed corresponding to the type of the container P by adjusting the 28 reciprocating sections and the range, or by adjusting the position by the adjusting means 24.

  The first conveyor 10 is provided with a sensor (detection means) 66 including a photoelectric sensor that detects the arrival of the transported container P. The sensor 66 supports the pushing pieces 40 and 40 of the first pushing means 18 that are in the retracted position above the conveying path at the pushing start position and the supporting means 22 that is lowered and waiting to the entry position that has entered the conveying path. The container P that has arrived between the pieces 50 and 50 is detected, and the push pieces 40 and 40 and the support piece 50 are detected after the push pieces 40 and 40 are lowered from the retracted position to the entry position based on the detection signal from the sensor 66. , 50 move so as to approach each other, and the pushing of the container P by the pushing pieces 40, 40 is started under the restriction of the positional displacement of the container P forward by the support pieces 50, 50. Further, on the upstream side of the sensor 66, an auxiliary sensor 68 including a photoelectric sensor that can detect the arrival of the containers P conveyed by the first conveyor 10 is disposed in the vicinity of the pushing start position of the first pushing means 18. The

  Next, the operation of the transport direction changing device will be described with reference to FIG. In the operation explanatory diagram shown in FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, the preceding container P reaches the turntable 12 and shows the time when the subsequent container P is sent downstream of the first conveyor 10, and the subsequent steps are sequentially performed. explain.

  In the standby state of the apparatus, the moving body 28 is moved to the upstream end of the pushing start position, the first pushing means 18, the second pushing means 20 and the support means 22 are at the pushing start position, and the pushing pieces 40, 40 are in the conveying path. It is held at the upper retracted position, is located at the entry position where the support pieces 50, 50 are lowered and entered the conveyance path, and is positioned at the entry position where the pusher 60 is lowered and entered the conveyance path ( (See FIG. 5 (a)). Here, the support pieces 50 and 50 are positioned at the conveyance end of the first conveyor 10, and the feed pieces 40 and 40 are positioned at a position farther upstream than the longitudinal length of the container P in the conveyance direction. Located upstream. Further, the pusher 60 is lowered so as to enter the transport path at the push start position, and is located on the downstream side of the support pieces 50 and 50 and close to the upstream side of the container P placed on the turntable 12. Positioned on. The container P which has been taped on both the left and right sides by the first tape applicator and transported to the first conveyor 10 passes under the push pieces 40, 40 at the retracted position and enters the transport path downstream thereof. It reaches to the upstream position of the supporting pieces 50, 50 that are connected. Then, when the sensor 66 detects the container P, the feeding pieces 40 and 40 descend and enter the conveyance path, and are positioned behind the container P (see FIG. 5B). When the auxiliary sensor 68 detects the arrival of the succeeding container P while the sensor 66 is detecting the container P, it is determined that the succeeding container P has been transported within a predetermined interval, and the pushing piece 40 , 40 does not descend from the retracted position to the entry position. At the same time when the moving body 28 starts moving from the upstream position toward the downstream side, the pushing pieces 40 and 40 and the support pieces 50 and 50 are moved close to each other by the actuating means 25 to narrow the mutual interval. (See FIG. 5 (c)).

  The container P pushed by the pushing pieces 40, 40 as the moving body 28 moves toward the downstream side moves from the conveying end of the first conveyor 10 toward the turntable 12, and at the pushing end position, the turntable. The center of the container 12 is placed so that the center of the longitudinal length of the container P (a predetermined position in consideration of the center of gravity if necessary) is located. Further, the support pieces 50 and 50 are positioned close to the front of the container P and move forward integrally with the push pieces 40 and 40. The preceding container P placed on the turntable 12 is rotated by the pusher 60 without causing the turntable 12 to rotate horizontally (90 °, 180 °, 270 °) or horizontally according to the product type. 12 is pushed toward the second conveyor 14. Further, the succeeding container P is supported by the push pieces 40, 40 and the support pieces 50, 50, and is pushed to the turntable 12 as described above. Here, the pushing pieces 40 and 40 and the pushing body 60 are set at different operation positions in the pushing start position and the pushing end position according to the type of the container P, respectively. Then, the pusher 60 is moved up to the retreat position after delivering the preceding container P from the turntable 12 to the transfer start end of the second conveyor 14, and the container P is transferred to the second tape applying device by the second conveyor 14. It is conveyed toward the direction (FIG. 5 (d)).

  After the feeding body 60 that has pushed the container P to the second conveyor 14 in accordance with the timing of pushing the container P by the feeding pieces 40, 40 and placing it on the turntable 12, moves to the retreat position above the conveying path. Then, the actuating means 25 is actuated to move the pushing pieces 40, 40 and the supporting pieces 50, 50 apart from each other to widen the mutual interval (FIG. 5 (e)). Thereafter, the push pieces 40 and 40 and the support pieces 50 and 50 are raised to the retreat position above the conveyance path. Then, the turntable 12 is rotated as described above, and the container P is set to the transport direction required by the second tape applying device. In the embodiment, the tape T is applied to the left and right sides of the container P by the second tape application device as the transport direction orthogonal to the direction of the container P to which the tape T is applied by the first tape application device. Is rotated horizontally by 90 degrees counterclockwise or clockwise in plan view, and the orientation of the container P is changed so that the location where the tape T is applied by the first tape applicator is positioned forward and backward (FIG. 5 (f)). ). Then, by moving the moving body 28 from the downstream position to the upstream side, the pushing pieces 40, 40, the support pieces 50, 50, and the pushing body 60 are returned from the pushing end position to the pushing start position (FIG. 5 (g)). At the push start position, the support pieces 50 and 50 and the push body 60 descend from the retracted position and enter the conveyance path, and the push pieces 40 and 40 maintain the retracted position (FIG. 5 (h)). Here, the pusher 60 in the second pusher 20 is positioned at a position close to the rear of the container P whose direction has been changed by the turntable 12 when entering the conveyance path at the push start position.

  In addition, after the container P is transferred to the turntable 12, the moving body 28 is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side after a predetermined time when the subsequent container P is not sent and the sensor 66 does not detect the container P, The container P placed on the turntable 12 is pushed by the pusher 60 and discharged to the second conveyor 14.

  As described above, since the first pushing means 18 can change the pushing start position and the pushing end position of the container P by the pushing pieces 40, 40, the turntable from the first conveyor 10 according to the type of the container P. The container P can be stably fed toward the position 12, and is suitable for the characteristics of the container P for each type of the container P such as the weight balance of the container P, the frictional resistance with the conveyor 10 or the direction of conversion, and other conditions. The container P can be transferred to the turntable 12 so as to be in a proper position. And since the container P can be mounted in the appropriate position of the turntable 12 and can be rotated horizontally, stable direction change can be achieved. Since the second pushing means 20 can change the pushing start position and the pushing end position of the container P by the pushing body 60, an appropriate processing device such as a second tape sticking device on the downstream side can be provided according to the type of the container P. The container P whose direction has been changed to the desired direction can be stably fed from the turntable 12 toward the second conveyor 14. Thus, according to the conveyance direction conversion apparatus of an Example, even if it is the container P of various properties, such as a lunch box packed with the contents, the conveyance direction can be converted favorably.

  When the container P is pushed by the feeding pieces 40, 40 of the first pushing means 18, the container P is supported by the support pieces 50, 50 so that the container P is caused by inertia generated when the container P moves forward. It is possible to restrict the run ahead. Further, the container P can be pushed toward the turntable 12 in a state where the push piece 40 and the support piece 50 are positioned at positions close to the front and rear of the conveyance direction of the container P. It is difficult for posture displacement to occur, and slipping with the conveyor 10 can be avoided. Even when the outer edge shape of the container P is formed in an arc shape or other indefinite shape, the pair of pushing pieces 40, 40 that are separated from each other on the left and right are locally brought into contact with the outer edge, so that the container P rotates during feeding. It is possible to prevent misalignment or misalignment. Further, in the second pushing means 20, even if the outer edge shape of the container P is an arc shape or other indefinite shape, the depression 60 a is provided in the central part of the pushing body 60, so the outer edge of the container P is depressed. The container P can be fitted and pushed to prevent the container P from rotating or misaligned. Moreover, in the first pushing means 18 and the supporting means 22, the position of the pair of feeding pieces 40 and 40 and the pair of supporting pieces 50 and 50 that are spaced apart in the left-right direction can be adjusted according to the outer shape and size of the container P. Therefore, stable feeding can be performed for each type of container P.

  After the container P passes below the feeding pieces 40, 40 of the first pushing means 18 in the retracted position, the feeding pieces 40, 40 are lowered, and the feeding pieces 40, 40 and the support pieces 50, 50 hold the container P. Since it is configured to move close together so as to be sandwiched from the front and back, the container P can be used when the feeding pieces 40, 40 enter the conveyance path even if there is a variation in the stop position of the container P at the downstream end of the first conveyor 10. And will not be misaligned. In addition, the pushing pieces 40 and 40 and the support pieces 50 and 50 can be pushed from an appropriate position close to the container P in relation to the shape and weight balance of the container P, and The impact when the pieces 40 and 40 and the support pieces 50 and 50 come into contact with the container P can be reduced, and the container P can be transported from the first conveyor 10 toward the turntable 12 in a more stable state. Further, since the second pushing means 20 operates so that the pushing start position of the pushing body 60 is close to the container P, the second pushing means 20 is moved from an appropriate position with respect to the container P in relation to the shape and weight balance of the container P. The pushing of the container P can be started, the impact when the pushing body 60 comes into contact with the container P can be reduced, and the inertial force from the turntable 12 toward the second conveyor 14 is suppressed more stably. The container P can be conveyed in a state.

  Since the first pushing means 18, the second pushing means 20, and the support means 22 are disposed on the moving body 28 that is reciprocated in the carrying direction, the first pushing means 18, the second pushing means 20, and the supporting means 22 move integrally in the carrying direction as the moving body 28 moves. Can be made. That is, the mechanism for reciprocating the first pushing means 18, the second pushing means 20, and the supporting means 22 in the transport direction can be made simple and compact.

(Change example)
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment, and can be modified as follows, for example. Further, not limited to the following modification examples, various embodiments may be adopted for the configurations described in the examples within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
(1) The first conveyor and the second conveyor may be conveyors other than a flat belt.
(2) In the embodiment, the transfer direction changing device is arranged between the first tape applying device and the second tape applying device as the processing device, but instead of the second tape applying device, a small bag or a split is attached. An appropriate processing device can be disposed on the downstream side, such as a device for attaching the product to the surface of the container, a device for attaching a label or the like whose attachment position is defined in relation to the arrangement of the contents, etc. to the container.
(3) Adopting a configuration in which the first pushing means and the supporting means can be moved integrally, or the first pushing means, the second pushing means and the supporting means are made independent from each other by driving means such as a motor or a cylinder. The structure which consists of an appropriate operation mechanism which can be moved forward / backward in the conveyance direction of a container can be employ | adopted. Further, the drive mechanism for moving the moving body is not limited to the crank mechanism, and may be a rack and pinion mechanism or another mechanism. Further, instead of the air cylinder, other driving means such as a motor may be used.
(4) The pushing piece of the first pushing means and the supporting piece of the supporting means are not limited to a rod shape, and various configurations that can be in the same local supporting state as a plate-like or other block-like member can be adopted. Further, the same structure as the feeding piece of the first pushing means can be adopted in the feeding body of the second pushing means.
(5) Although both the feed piece and the support piece have moved to narrow or widen the mutual distance, a structure may be adopted in which either one moves toward or away from the other.

10 first conveyor, 12 turntable, 14 second conveyor,
18 first pushing means, 20 second pushing means, 22 supporting means, 24 adjusting means,
25 Actuating means, 28 Moving body, 40 Pushing piece, 50 Supporting piece, 60 Pushing body,
60a hollow part, 66 sensor (detection means), P container

Claims (7)

A first conveyor (10) for transporting a container (P) having a tape (T) attached thereto from a tape applying device for applying a tape to the container (P);
Detection means (66) for detecting the containers (P) conveyed by the first conveyor (10);
A turntable which is disposed downstream of the first conveyor (10), and which is placed on a container (P) and selectively rotates forward and backward horizontally at a rotation angle of 90 ° within a range of 0 ° to 270 °. (12)
A second conveyor (14) disposed downstream of the turntable (12) and transporting the container (P) toward the processing device;
The first conveyor (10) is arranged so that it can enter the transport path from the standby position and move forward and backward in the transport direction of the container (P), and the detection means (66) detects the arrival of the container (P). First feeding means (18) having a feeding piece (40) for pushing the container (P) from the container toward the turntable (12),
The container (P) is moved from the standby position so as to move forward and backward in the conveyance direction, and the container (P) is pushed from the turntable (12) toward the second conveyor (14). A second pushing means (20) having a pushing body (60),
A container transfer direction changing device characterized in that the push start position and the push end position when the container (P) is pushed by the push piece (40) and the push body (60) can be changed.   A support piece (50) that enters the conveyance path from the standby position and is positioned near the front of the container (P) pushed by the push piece (40) and moves forward together with the push piece (40). The container transport direction changing device according to claim 1, further comprising supporting means (22).   In the first conveyor (10), the feeding piece (40) and the supporting piece (50) positioned before and after the conveying direction of the container (P) are pushed and the container (P) is pushed by the first pushing means (18). 3. The container transport direction changing device according to claim 2, further comprising an actuating means (25) that operates to reduce a mutual interval before the operation.   4. The container transport direction changing device according to claim 3, further comprising an adjusting means (24) capable of adjusting a mutual distance after the pushing piece (40) and the support piece (50) are moved close to each other.   The feed piece (40) and the support piece (50) are arranged so as to be movable up and down, and left and right of the feed piece (40) and the support piece (50) provided as a pair apart from each other on the left and right. The container transport direction changing device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising interval adjusting means capable of adjusting a mutual interval.   The first push means (18), the second push means (20), and the support means (22) are disposed on the moving body (28) so as to be able to move forward and backward integrally. Item 6. The container transport direction changing device according to any one of Items 2 to 5.   The said 2nd pushing means (20) was comprised from the pushing body (60) which has the hollow part (60a) dented in the conveyance direction back side in the center part of the left-right direction, The one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The container transport direction changing device according to one item.

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