JP2015071477A - Aligning and supplying apparatus of thin plate-like article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aligning and supplying apparatus of a thin plate-like article capable of stably aligning and supplying a thin plate-like article such as a rice cracker which has an irregular size and shape and produces product chips due to cracking and chipping or the like, and easily controlling a conveyance amount.SOLUTION: An aligning and supplying apparatus 1 comprises: a dexter 2 for aligning an article A in a standing state; conveyance means for sucking and conveying the standing article A from a conveyance port 5; and a carrying conveyor 4 for receiving the article A in a fallen state from the conveyance means to conveying it downstream. The article A input to the dexter 2 is brought into the standing state by being swung outward by a centrifugal force caused by a rotation applied by a rotary disk 7. The standing article A conveyed from the conveyance port 5 of the dexter 2 is conveyed while being pushed and pushed in a state of standing and being aligned in a row by a suction belt conveyor 30, received by the carrying conveyor 4 in the fallen state from the standing state, and conveyed to the downstream.

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning and feeding thin plate-like articles, such as rice crackers, which are supplied in an aligned manner using a rotating disk for packaging in a packaging machine such as a horizontal packaging machine.

  Conventionally, as a device for aligning and supplying articles, there is a rotating disk type supply device using a device called Dexter as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. The rotating disk type supply device puts an article (work) on a rotating disk and rotates the rotating disk to transfer the article from the rotating disk to a swivel track provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating container. Thus, the articles transferred to the swivel truck are aligned and carried out. By using such an apparatus, it is possible to arrange and supply articles in a space-saving and high-speed manner, and the articles carried out in the aligned state are individually supplied or grouped and supplied to a packaging machine, for example. Each is packaged.

  FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example of the rotating disk type supply device, wherein FIG. 4A is a top view thereof and FIG. 4B is a side sectional view thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating disk type supply device 50 includes a dexter 52 that aligns the inserted thin plate-like articles (hereinafter, abbreviated as “articles”) in a line, and an article that is unloaded from the unloading port 55 of the dexter 52. Are arranged and guided, and an unloading conveyor 54 for receiving articles from the guiding means 53 and unloading them downstream. Although not shown in the drawing, article loading means such as a chute for loading an article into the dexter 52 is disposed above the dexter 52.

  The Dexter 52 is disposed in the rotating bowl 56 as a rotating container that rotates in response to the driving force from the output shaft 59 of the motor with a speed reducer, and the tilted output of another motor with a speed reducer. And a rotating disk 57 attached to a shaft 65. The rotating bowl 56 has a curved inner wall 60 formed of an inner peripheral wall of the rotating body on the inner side. At the uppermost end of the rotating bowl 56, there is a swivel track 61 formed in an annular flange, the upper surface of which is a horizontal and annularly extending track surface 62 connected orthogonally to the curved inner wall 60. Yes. The width of the track surface 62 is set to a dimension equivalent to the width when the thin plate-like article is placed in a face down state. The rotary disk 57 has a structure arranged orthogonally to the rotation axis (an output shaft 65 of another motor with a reduction gear), but the rotation upper surface 67 is also inclined because the rotation axis is inclined. .

  During the rotation, the rotating disk 57 is located at the uppermost position 71 so that the outer edge portion of the rotating upper surface 67 is substantially at the same height as the inner edge portion of the swivel track 61 when passing the uppermost position 71 of the inclination. It touches. The part in contact with each other becomes a transfer point (fixed point) Pt of the article from the rotary disk 57 to the turning track 61. An appropriate gap is formed between the rotating upper surface 67 of the rotating disk 57 at a low position other than the uppermost position 71 and the curved inner wall 60 of the rotating bowl 56 so that the articles do not fall. A suitable fall prevention member may be arranged to fill the gap. The rotation speed of the rotary bowl 56 and the rotation speed of the rotary disk 57 are the same in the rotation direction but are generally not the same size, and the article is a transfer point with respect to the rotation speed of the rotary bowl 56 determined as the article supply speed. The magnitude of the rotational speed of the rotating disk 57 is adjusted so that it can be reliably transferred onto the turning track 61 by Pt.

  A fixed cylindrical case that accommodates the rotating bowl 56 so that articles placed on the track surface 62 of the swivel truck 61 are regulated and aligned so as not to be swung away by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotating bowl 56. 58 has an upper end portion 63 that is in contact with the outer edge of the turning track 61 and extends upward from the turning track 61. An inner wall surface 64 of the upper end portion 63 is a cylindrical wall extending upward along the outer edge portion of the track surface 62 of the turning track 61. Since the articles on the swivel track 61 are regulated and aligned by the inner wall surface 64, they are carried on the track surface 62 in a single layer.

  In order to carry the article carried on the track surface 62 of the swivel truck 61 out of the dexter 62 from the carry-out port 55, a guide means 53 is provided in association with the carry-out port 55. The guide means 53 is arranged with an interval equivalent to the width dimension of the article (preferably slightly wider) and is connected to the track surface 62 and guide plates 83 and 83 for guiding the article on the left and right sides, respectively. And a fixed guide conveyance path 84 arranged in a manner. In order to arrange the guide plates 80, 80 so as to extend from the carry-out port 55 of the turning track 61 to the outside of the dexter 62, an extraction window 72 through which the guide plates 83, 83 pass is formed in the upper end portion 63 of the cylindrical case 58. ing. At the carry-in end 81 of the guide means 53, the tips of the guide plates 83 and 83 are widened to facilitate the carry-in of articles. Articles that have been carried on the track surface 62 of the swivel track 61 to the carry-out port 55 are guided from the track surface 62 to the outside of the swivel track 61 while being guided by the guide plates 83 and 83 at the guide means 53. It is pushed onto the guide conveyance path 84 of the other side. The carry-out end 82 of the guide means 53 is connected to the carry-in end 91 of the carry-out conveyor 54, and articles carried while being pushed and guided while being guided by the guide means 53 are transferred to the conveyor belt 92 and carried out.

  The above-described rotating disk type feeder operates as follows. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rotating disk supply device 50 shown in FIG. 4 supplies articles. The thin plate-like article A placed in the rotating bowl 55 of the Dexter 52 and placed on the rotating upper surface 67 of the rotating disk 57 is subjected to the sliding due to the inclination of the rotating disk 57 and the centrifugal force due to the rotation while receiving the peripheral portion. 68, facing the lowermost position (including the vicinity thereof) 70, and between the peripheral edge 58 of the rotating upper surface 67 and the curved inner wall 60 of the rotating bowl 56 as the rotating bowl 56 and the rotating disk 57 rotate. In a restricted state, it rises in a pressed state and transfers to the turning track 54 of the bowl 51 at a transfer point Pt which is the uppermost position 71 of the inclination. Since the width of the track surface 62 of the swivel track 61 is set to a dimension equivalent to the short side width of the plate-like surface of the article A, articles having an abnormal posture or overlapping articles are carried on the track surface 62. At this time, the articles A in a face-down state with the wide surface of the thin plate turned up and down are transported in a single layer. The aligned articles A are guided by the guiding means 53 in a pressed state while being in a face-down state, guided to the outside of the dexter 52, placed on the conveyor belt 92 of the carry-out conveyor 54, and carried out.

  As an example of the rotating disk type supply device, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-56737). The thing of patent document 1 has the rotating disc and rotating container which rotate, The food container as the articles | goods thrown into the rotating container is the turning track | truck of a rotating container in the transfer point of a rotating disc. It has the basic structure of transferring to. Only a food container with a bottom-down posture is formed on the swivel track by forming a notch having a width dimension that is slightly larger than the maximum diameter of the food container body and smaller than the flange diameter. The food container is aligned with the food container by being locked and held with the flange falling on the notch and the flange hanging on the edge of the notch.

  Another example of the rotating disk type supply device is disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent No. 3217983). Patent Document 2 describes a turning track, a drop-off prevention wall fixed to the lower side of the inner edge of the track, a disc provided inside the drop-off prevention wall and rotated at an angle with respect to the track, and a circle A drop-off prevention band provided around the outer periphery of the plate, the drop-off prevention wall is formed of a part of a spherical surface or a cylindrical shape, and the drop-off prevention band is an elastic annular body or an elastic ring provided around the ring. The outer edge of the annular body constituting the outer edge of the fall-off prevention band or the tip of the needle-shaped body is in contact with the inner edge of the track at one transfer point, and the other parts are This is a supply device that is lower than the transfer point and rotates while sliding in contact with the drop-off prevention wall. The parts to be supplied put on the disk and stored rotate, transfer to the truck from the vicinity of the transfer point, turn with the truck, are discharged and supplied to the machine. By providing a drop-off prevention band, the gap between the drop-off prevention wall and the disk at the bottom of the truck is eliminated.

  However, in the conventional rotating disk type supply device, there is no particular problem when the target article to be aligned and supplied is an article having a stable shape and size as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. However, in the case of a thin plate-like article in which the size and shape of rice crackers, for example, are not stable and product scraps are generated due to cracks, etc., the rear product rides on the front product during alignment supply There is a problem that problems such as product clogging at the guide plate of the guide means due to the overlap of two sheets and product waste are likely to occur. Also, when trying to perform a stable operation without causing problems such as product clogging during the alignment and supply of the target articles, delicate adjustments are necessary and time-consuming.

  As for the phenomenon of overlapping two sheets during the alignment supply of the target article, it is possible to remove the overlapped product from the supply path by providing a removal bar, but the height of the product is not stable Subtle adjustments are required to set the removal bar height. Furthermore, since product waste is mixed in the supply path of the target article, the removal bar itself may be a cause of product clogging. Further, as described above, there is also a problem that it is difficult to control the carry-out amount of the article because the article is simply carried out while being pushed and pushed. For example, if you place a packaging machine that receives and wraps the goods downstream and wraps them, and you want to operate the packaging machine at a constant number of revolutions, you can set the unloading amount to match the set number of revolutions of the packaging machine. It is difficult to adjust precisely and constantly so that it does not become excessive, and only approximate adjustment is possible.

JP 2013-056737 A Japanese Patent No. 3217983

  Therefore, even when using an inclined rotating disk type Dexter for the alignment and supply of thin plate-like articles where the size and shape of rice crackers are not stable and product scraps may be generated due to cracks etc. There is a problem to be solved in terms of facilitating the control of the amount and stably aligning and supplying the articles.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and is a thin plate-like article, particularly an article such as a thin plate-shaped rice cracker, in which the size and shape are not stable and product waste due to cracking or the like is generated. However, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles that can easily control the carry-out amount, and can stably align and supply.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to the present invention includes a dexter that conveys an input thin-plate article in an upright state, and the thin-plate article that is unloaded from the carry-out port of the dexter. Are arranged in a line in a standing state, and a carry-out conveyor that receives the sheet-like article from the carrying means in a collapsed state and carries it out downstream.

  According to this apparatus for aligning and feeding thin plate-like articles, the thin plate-like article put on the dexter's rotating disk is shaken outward by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation given by the rotating disk in the dexter and is raised by the centrifugal force. And then transported. The standing thin plate-like article carried out from the carry-out port of the Dexter is conveyed in a pressed state while being held up by the conveying means. Even if the articles carried out from Dexter are in an overlapped state or a state in which product waste enters, only the thin plate-like articles are standing and aligned in a line without overlapping while being transported by the transporting means. Therefore, the carry-out amount can be controlled by the speed of the carrying means, and the thin plate-like article standing from the carry conveyor is received by the carry-out conveyor in a collapsed state and carried downstream.

  In the apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles, the Dexter has a rotating bowl having a curved inner wall on the inner side and a swivel track at the upper end, and an inclination that is arranged in the rotating bowl and occupies the uppermost position of the inclination. And a rotating disk for transferring the thin plate-like article to the turning track at a transition point. The thin plate-like article put on the rotating disk is moved outward by the action of the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotating disk, and is brought to a standing state, and the one plate-like surface of the thin article is rotated by the action of the centrifugal force. While leaning against the inner wall of the curved surface of the bowl, the rotating disk rises in the state of being pressed and is transferred to the turning track of the rotating bowl at the transfer point that occupies its uppermost position.

  In this apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles, the rotating disk includes a flat disk main body and a peripheral edge formed on a slope that is obliquely cut downward as it goes outward on the outer periphery of the disk main body. In the thin plate-like article that is inclined at the peripheral edge of the rotating disk, one of the plate-like surfaces leans against the curved inner wall of the rotating bowl by the centrifugal force acting on the thin plate-like article. It can be in an upright state. The thin plate-shaped article put on the rotating disk is moved from the disk main body of the rotating disk to the peripheral portion by the action of centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotating disk, and a part of the thin plate-shaped article is inclined downward at the peripheral portion. By falling along the cut-off slope, it becomes an inclined posture that is further inclined than the inclination of the rotating disk, and it is rotated by the action of centrifugal force, and one of the plate-like surfaces leans against the curved inner wall of the rotating bowl It becomes.

  In this thin plate-like article alignment and supply apparatus, in addition to the centrifugal force acting on the thin plate-like article, corresponding to the lowest position of the inclination of the rotary disk of the Dexter, the peripheral edge of the rotary disk Standing assisting means for bringing the thin plate-like article moved to the section and in the oblique posture into the standing state is disposed. The thin plate-like article that has been moved to the peripheral portion of the rotating disk and has become an inclined posture is disposed corresponding to the lowest position of the inclination of the Dexter's rotating disk in addition to the centrifugal force acting on the thin plate-like article. The standing-up assisting means acts in an auxiliary manner to ensure that the standing-up state is established.

  In this apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles, the standing assisting means may be an air blowing means for blowing air onto the other plate-like surface of the thin article in the oblique posture. By using the air blowing means that blows air on the other plate-like surface of the thin plate-like article as the stand-up assisting means, the thin plate-like article having an inclined posture that is further inclined than the inclination of the rotating disk can be used in addition to centrifugal force. Rotates in response to the aerodynamic force generated by spraying, and becomes an upright state. The air blowing means exerts aerodynamic force on the thin plate-like article and does not mechanically contact the thin plate-like article, so that the thin plate-like article is not damaged.

  In this apparatus for aligning and feeding thin articles, the conveying means is a suction belt conveyor arranged in a laid state from the outlet of the Dexter to the inlet of the carry-out conveyor, and the suction belt conveyor has suction holes And a vacuum box that is disposed on the back surface of the suction belt and sucks air through the suction holes in order to suck the thin plate-like article onto the suction belt. it can. By adopting a suction belt conveyor that is disposed in a lateral state from the Dexter exit to the carry-out conveyor entrance, the thin plate-like article remains in an upright state, and one of the plate-like surfaces becomes the suction belt. Adsorbed and transported. The vacuum box disposed on the back surface of the suction belt sucks the thin plate-like article onto the suction belt through the suction holes formed in the suction belt. Therefore, even if two or more standing thin plate-like articles overlap each other or product waste stands, only one normal thin plate-like article is adsorbed through the adsorption hole. The sheet-like article and product waste of the layer fall without being adsorbed by the adsorption belt conveyor.

In the apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles, the suction holes can be formed in a row at the center of the suction belt in the belt width direction or at a height position higher than that. By setting the height position of the suction holes to such a height, short articles among the standing articles are not sucked through the suction holes and can be dropped from the suction belt conveyor as product waste. it can.
In the apparatus for aligning and feeding thin plate-like articles, the vacuum box extends along the suction belt conveyor to a position where the end on the carry-out conveyor side leaves a space with respect to the carry-out end of the suction belt conveyor. Can be. Since the vacuum box does not extend to one end of the adsorption belt conveyor (on the carry-out conveyor side), articles that have been conveyed in a standing state on the adsorption belt conveyor are adsorbed when conveyed to the end on the carry-out conveyor side. Articles that are no longer attracted to the belt conveyor and whose posture has become unstable are delivered to the carry-out conveyor in a collapsed state.

  In this thin plate-like article alignment and supply apparatus, a contact piece that contacts the thin plate article carried out in an upright state and falls the thin plate article on the carry-out conveyor is disposed at the carry-out port of the conveying means. Can be set. When the thin plate-like article conveyed by the conveying means is conveyed to the carry-out port of the convey means, the suction action for maintaining the standing state disappears, and at the same time, the thin plate-like article contacts the contact piece disposed at the carry-out port. Touch. The thin plate-like article that is in contact with the contact piece falls on the carry-out conveyor and is carried out in a normal posture lying on the conveyor.

In the apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles, the conveyance amount of the article by the Dexter is made to exceed the carry-out amount of the article to the carry-out conveyor by the conveyance means, and the excess of the article is the conveyance means. By removing the drop from the transfer means during the transfer by the transfer means, the carry-out amount of the article by the transfer means can always be made constant. When the conveying means is an adsorption belt conveyor in particular, even if the article is a normal sheet-like article and the supply exceeds the conveying capacity of the adsorption belt conveyor from the Dexter, the excess article will be absorbed by the adsorption belt conveyor. It falls onto the rotating disk without being attracted to the surface. Accordingly, since the articles conveyed by the suction belt conveyor are aligned in a row in a pressed state (no gap), the conveyance amount of the suction belt conveyor is always constant.

  Since the apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles according to the present invention is configured as described above, the thin article can be raised by the dexter, and the thin article is kept standing from the outlet of the dexter. It is carried into the conveying means, and the conveying means conveys the articles in a line and in an aligned state without overlapping or gaps, and the unloading conveyor receives the thin plate-like articles from the conveying means in a state of falling and conveys them downstream. Therefore, the thin plate-like article is not carried out to the carry-out conveyor in a state where two sheets are overlapped or a product waste is included. Therefore, an overlap removing device, a guide plate for guiding the article on both sides, and the like are not required as the supply device. In addition, since Dexter can be formed by obliquely cutting the peripheral edge of the rotating disk, the thin plate-like article can easily stand up at the peripheral edge of the rotating disk, and the curved surface of the adjacent rotating bowl from the peripheral edge of the rotating disk. Move while standing up to stick to the inner wall. Therefore, the thin plate-like article can be reliably raised along the curved inner wall. In addition, by transporting articles in an upright position using a conveyor means consisting of a suction belt conveyor, two sheets and product debris fall into the rotating disk without being absorbed, so the articles are transported in a line. Can be carried out on a conveyor. In addition, since it is unnecessary to overlap the suction belt conveyor with a removing device or a guide plate, it is difficult to cause clogging of articles being conveyed. Further, by adjusting the Dexter capacity, the conveyance speed of the suction belt conveyor, and the conveyance speed of the carry-out conveyor, the carry-out amount of the thin plate-like article can be controlled. That is, by setting the speed of the suction belt conveyor to a speed that matches the required carry-out amount, and setting the supply capacity of articles by Dexter to be higher than that, excess articles and product waste are attached to the suction belt conveyor. Since it falls onto the Dexter's rotating disk, the articles are conveyed in close contact with the suction belt conveyor without any gaps, and the required quantity of articles is carried out to the carry-out conveyor. As a result, the amount of unloading desired from the downstream side can be easily adjusted by adjusting the speed of the suction belt conveyor, and the capacity adjustment of the Dexter only needs to be slightly higher than the conveyance capacity of the suction belt conveyor. It is more preferable to provide an air blowing device that promotes the transition to the standing state.

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of an apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an operating state of the apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an outline of an example of a standing promotion device used in the apparatus for aligning and feeding thin articles shown in the drawing. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional rotating disk type supply device. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an operating state of the rotating disk type supply device shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of an apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles according to the present invention, in which (a) is a top view thereof and (b) is a side sectional view thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the thin plate-like article alignment supply device (hereinafter abbreviated as “alignment supply device”) 1 has the same basic structure as the rotary disk-type supply device 50 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It is. That is, the alignment supply device 1 aligns the Dexter 2 that puts the loaded thin plate-like articles (hereinafter abbreviated as “articles”) upright and aligns them in a line, and the articles that are carried out from the outlet 5 of the Dexter 2. The conveyance means 3 which conveys the raised state in the standing state, and the carry-out conveyor 4 which receives the article from the conveyance means 3 in a collapsed state and carries it out downstream are provided. Although not shown, an article loading mechanism such as a chute for placing an article into the dexter 2 is disposed above the dexter 2. In addition, the article is an unstable thin plate-like article having a shape like a rice cracker, as indicated by reference numeral A in FIG.

  The Dexter 2 of the aligning and feeding apparatus 1 includes a rotating bowl 6 having a rotating container shape, a rotating disk 7 disposed in an inclined manner in the rotating bowl 6, and the rotating bowl 6 accommodated therein and the rotating bowl 6. A fixed cylindrical case 8 extending upward is provided. The rotating bowl 6 has the form of a rotating body as a whole, and rotates by receiving a driving force from an output shaft 9 of a motor (not shown) with a speed reducer. The rotating bowl 6 has a curved inner wall 10 as an inner surface of the rotating body, and an annular swivel track 11 having a flange-like edge at the uppermost end of the bowl. The upper surface of the swivel track 11 is connected to the curved inner wall 10 so as to intersect perpendicularly and is a horizontal track surface 12. The turning track 11 has a track width W corresponding to the thickness of the article. The upper end portion 13 of the cylindrical case 8 is in contact with the outer edge of the turning track 11 and extends upward from the turning track 11, and the inner wall surface 14 of the upper end portion 13 is an outer edge portion of the track surface 12 of the turning track 11. As described later, the cylindrical wall serves to support the outer surface of the article transferred from the rotary disk 7 to the turning track 11.

  The rotary disk 7 is attached to an inclined output shaft 15 of another motor with a reduction gear (not shown). The rotating disk 7 rotates in an inclined state in the rotating bowl 6 because the inclined rotation shaft 15 is inclined. The rotating disk 7 includes a flat disk main body 16 and a peripheral edge 18 extending annularly outside the disk main body 16. The rotating upper surface 17 of the disk main body 16 is a flat surface, and the peripheral edge 18 is formed on a slope 19 (annular slope when a part of a cone is cut into a ring shape) 19 that is inclined downward as it goes outward. The inclined surface 19 may be formed in a conical surface shape, or may be formed in a smooth curved surface shape in which the inclination is increased toward the outer side or a multistage curved surface shape in which the inclination is increased stepwise.

  In the Dexter 2, the article put into the rotating bowl 6 from above is subjected to a centrifugal force on the rotating upper surface 17 of the rotating disk 7 and moves toward the outside of the rotation, and the lowest position 20 of the inclination of the rotating disk 7 or its vicinity. In this case, the slanting posture is further inclined than the inclination of the rotating disk 7 by getting on the inclined surface 19 of the peripheral edge portion 18, and the plate-like surface outside the article is further curved by the centrifugal force acting on the article. 10 is in an upright state leaning on 10. Then, the article in the standing state rides on the peripheral portion 18 of the rotating disk 7 and is subjected to centrifugal force in a state of being pressed by the subsequent articles rising one after another as the rotating bowl 6 and the rotating disk 7 rotate. Continues to act, and rises while standing up against the curved inner wall 10 of the rotating bowl 6.

  During the rotation of the rotating disk 7, the peripheral edge 18 that arrives at the uppermost position 21 of the inclination is approximately the same height as and close to the swivel track 11 of the rotating bowl 6. The inclination of the peripheral edge portion 18 is preferably such that the generatrix is horizontal at the uppermost position 21 so that the article can easily transfer to the horizontal track surface 12 of the turning track 11 at the uppermost position 21. When the article in the standing state rises to the uppermost position 21 of the inclination of the rotating disk 7, the article is transferred from the rotating disk 7 to the swivel track 11 of the rotating bowl 6 while standing. The uppermost position 21 is a transfer point (fixed point) Pt of articles from the rotating disk 7 to the turning track 11. When the article is transferred to the swivel track 11, the inner wall surface 14 of the upper end 13 of the cylindrical case 8 is made up of the article so as to restrict the article from being swung away by the action of centrifugal force and to maintain the standing state. The outer plate-like surface is configured to lean against it. In addition, about the rotary disk 7, although demonstrated in the example which made the peripheral part 18 the slope, it is also possible to stand up only by the effect | action of a centrifugal force, without making it into a slope by adjusting the magnitude | size of centrifugal force. .

  Since the curved inner wall 10 of the rotating bowl 6 is not spherical, a slight gap may occur between the rotating disk 7 at the lower position other than the uppermost position 21, the peripheral edge 18, and the curved inner wall 10. The gap is appropriately determined so as not to occur. An appropriate fall prevention member may be arranged to fill the gap. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent such a gap from occurring by constituting the peripheral edge portion 18 by an elastic body and absorbing it by elastic deformation.

  The rotational speed of the rotating bowl 6 and the rotating speed of the rotating disk 7 are the same in the direction of rotation as in the case of the conventional Dexter, but are generally not the same, and the rotational speed of the rotating bowl 6 determined as the article supply speed. Thus, the magnitude of the rotational speed of the rotary disk 7 is adjusted so that the article can be reliably transferred onto the turning track 11 at the transfer point Pt. The width W of the track surface 12 of the turning track 11 is selected to be approximately the thickness of the article, and the rotation speed of the turning track 11 is appropriately selected. The article transferred to the turning track 11 is conveyed in a standing state leaning against the inner wall surface 14 of the upper end portion 13 by the centrifugal force on the track surface 12. However, in the Dexter 2, the articles usually do not necessarily have to be arranged in a standing, one-row state. In addition, things such as product waste may be mixed in the standing articles.

  In order to take out the article carried to the swivel track 11 to the outside of the cylindrical case 8, the upper end portion 13 of the cylindrical case 8 is formed with a take-out window 22 through which the article can pass through a portion serving as the outlet 5 of the dexter 2. . In order to receive the article that has passed through the take-out window 22 of the cylindrical case 8 in an upright state and transport it toward the carry-out conveyor 4, it is laterally tangential to the upper end 13 of the cylindrical case 8 from the carry-out port 5 of the dexter 2. A conveying means 3 extending in the direction is arranged.

  The conveying means 3 is composed of a suction belt conveyor 30 arranged so as to extend sideways from a carry-in end 31 corresponding to the carry-out port 5 of the dexter 2 to a carry-out end 32 corresponding to the carry-in port of the carry-out conveyor 4. Yes. The suction belt conveyor 30 sucks articles to the suction belt 33, a suction belt 33 having a plurality of suction holes (partially given reference numerals) 34, a drive pulley 35 and a driven pulley 36 around which the suction belt 33 is wound. Therefore, a vacuum box 37 is provided on the back surface of the suction belt 33 and sucks air through the suction holes 34. Since the suction belt conveyor 30 is in the sideways state, the transport surface for sucking and transporting the articles on the suction belt 33 faces sideways, and faces the take-out window 22 at the carry-out port 5 of the Dexter 2.

In the illustrated example, the suction holes 34 are formed in a line at the central height position of the suction belt 33 in the belt width direction. As a result, a product with a height that does not reach the center height of the suction belt 33 in the belt width direction is not sucked by the suction belt 33 and falls back into the Dexter 2. In order to prevent product scrap with higher height from being sucked and conveyed by the suction belt 33, the height position of the suction hole 34 may be formed at a position higher than the center in the belt width direction. The carry-out end 32 of the suction belt conveyor 30 overlaps with the carry-in port 41 of the carry-out conveyor 4 that is normally arranged horizontally. The carry-out conveyor 4 is composed of a flat belt conveyor 40 placed in a normal horizontal state.

  As for the vacuum box 37, the end of the suction belt conveyor 30 on the carry-in end 31 side extends to a position where the take-out window 22 is opened. The suction belt 33 is immediately sucked while being in a standing state. The vacuum box 37 extends along the suction belt conveyor, but the end on the carry-out conveyor side does not extend to the carry-out end 32 of the suction belt conveyor 30, leaving room for the carry-out end 32. . Accordingly, at the carry-out end 32 of the suction belt conveyor 30, the suction force does not act on the articles conveyed in a standing state on the suction belt 33 through the suction holes 34, and the articles are carried out on the carry-out conveyor 4 overlapping the carry-out end 32. It naturally falls onto the conveyor belt 42 at the carry-in end 41 and is carried out while being placed on the conveyor belt 42.

  An abutting piece 38 that abuts on an article that has been carried out in an upright state and promotes the article to fall on the carry-out conveyor 4 is disposed at the carry-out end 32 of the suction belt conveyor 30. The article that does not have the adsorption force normally falls down naturally onto the conveyor belt 42, but even if the standing piece 38 is maintained in the standing state, the abutting piece 38 comes into contact with the standing article. A fall on the conveyor belt 42 is urged.

  The state of the article supply operation by the alignment supply apparatus 1 is shown in the perspective view shown in FIG. Article A, which is a thin plate-like article thrown into the rotating bowl 6 of the Dexter 2, receives a sliding force due to the inclination of the rotating disk 7 on the rotating upper surface 17 of the rotating disk 7 and a centrifugal force due to the rotation. In turn, the posture of the peripheral edge 18 is directed to the lowest position 20 (and the vicinity thereof), and the posture is raised by the centrifugal force and the action of the inclined surface 19 of the peripheral edge 18 of the rotating upper surface 17 at the lowest position 20. It becomes. The article A in the standing state is pressed in a state of being regulated between the inclined surface 19 of the peripheral edge 18 of the rotating upper surface 17 and the curved inner wall 10 of the rotating bowl 6 as the rotating bowl 6 and the rotating disk 7 rotate. It rises in the pressed state.

  If it raises to the uppermost position 21 of the inclination of the rotating disk 7, the article | item A which receives a centrifugal force will transfer to the turning track 11 of the rotating bowl 6 at the transfer point Pt. Since the width W of the track surface 12 of the swivel track 11 is about the thickness of the article A, the article A having an abnormal shape or posture, the overlapping article A, or product scraps due to cracks or the like transfer to the track surface 12 to some extent. At that time, it is dropped from the turning track 11 and excluded. Accordingly, the articles A are transported in a generally one-layered manner in a standing state leaning against the inner wall surface 14 of the upper end portion 13 by the action of centrifugal force on the turning track 11. The aligned articles A are adsorbed and taken out from the dexter 2 to the suction belt conveyor 30 through the take-out window 22 provided at the upper end 13 at the outlet 5 of the dexter 2. In the conveying means 3 composed of the suction belt conveyor 30, the adsorption of articles is limited to one layer, so even if there are cases where two articles overlap or product waste that does not reach the adsorption holes 34 remains. , They are not adsorbed and transported (dropped into the lower Dexter 2 and eliminated). Therefore, only articles having a normal shape and posture (standing state) are conveyed in a single layer. When there is product scraps that are not adsorbed by the suction belt 33, the conveyance loss of the articles occurs in the suction belt 33, and the amount of delivery to the carry-out conveyor 4 varies, but the degree of the fluctuation is slight and the carry-out conveyor 4 Usually, there are equipment that can absorb fluctuations in the supply amount of articles, such as a shuttle conveyor that adjusts the interval between articles and a stacking device that groups the articles. There will be no hindrance. The article conveyed by the conveying means 3 is transferred in a lying down state from a standing state onto a conveyor belt 42 of a flat belt conveyor 40 which is the carry-out conveyor 4 at the carry-out end where the suction of the suction belt conveyor 30 is cut.

  According to the alignment supply apparatus 1, some structures provided in the conventional rotating disk type supply apparatus are not required. That is, in the conventional rotating disk type supply device (the rotating disk type supply device 50 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), the rotating bowl 56 is used to track the articles carried on the track surface 62 of the swivel track 61. In order to carry it out of the surface 62, guide plates 83 and 83 for guiding articles on both the left and right sides and a guide means 53 having a guide conveyance path 84 are provided. However, such guide plates 83 and 83 are not necessary. Become. Further, although the guide means 53 is arranged in such a manner that the fixed guide conveyance path 84 on which the article can travel is connected to the track surface 62 of the turning track 61, such a guide conveyance path 84 is also unnecessary. This eliminates the need for the guide plates 83 and 83, which have been indispensable members in the past but have caused troubles such as product clogging, and can realize stable operation.

  When the aligning and feeding apparatus 1 is used, the amount of articles to be carried out in the carry-out conveyor, that is, the quantity of articles carried out by the conveying means 3 (the suction belt conveyor 30) is set to the required carry-out amount by the speed of the suction belt conveyor 30. The speed can be set easily and easily by setting the appropriate speed and setting the supply capacity of the article by the Dexter 2 beyond that. Although the supply capacity of articles by the Dexter 2 is slightly excessive, excess articles and product waste fall on the rotating disk of the Dexter 2 without being attached to the adsorption belt conveyor 30, so that the normal articles continue to be absorbed. The articles are transported to the belt conveyor 30 in close contact with the gap (pressed and pressed), and the required amount of articles to be carried out is carried out to the carry-out conveyor 4. As a result, the amount of unloading desired from the downstream side (for example, the packaging machine) of the unloading conveyor 4 can be easily adjusted by adjusting the speed of the suction belt conveyor 30, and the capacity adjustment of the Dexter 2 can be roughly adjusted. This can be done by slightly exceeding the transport capacity.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an erection assisting means that promotes the erection of the thin plate-like article that has been moved to the peripheral portion of the rotating disk and has been inclined. The standing assisting means 45 is disposed corresponding to the lowest position 20 of the rotating disk 7 of the Dexter 2 and is moved to the peripheral edge 18 of the rotating disk 7 so as to have an inclination posture larger than the inclination of the rotating disk 7. In addition to the centrifugal force acting on the article A, it is a means that acts in an auxiliary manner to promote the standing state. The illustrated standing assisting means 45 is an air blowing means for blowing air onto the other plate-like surface of the article A in an inclined posture. The standing assistance means 45 includes an air blower 46 and a hose 46 whose discharge side falls on the peripheral edge 18 of the rotating disk 7 and extends to the vicinity of the article A in an inclined state, and the air Ai sucked by the air blower 46 is provided. Air Ao is sprayed on the lower plate-like surface of the article A in the inclined state. The article A obtains a levitation force by blowing air in addition to the centrifugal force, rotates around its lower end, and easily shifts to an upright state leaning on the curved inner wall 10 of the rotating bowl 6. As another example of the standing assistance means, the guide means may be a guide means that comes into contact with and further guides the article that has been in a semi-standing state by the action of the inclined surface 19, and the guiding means is a full-standing state. The air blow means can be said to be preferable in order to avoid such a situation since it may cause a catch or clogging.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Alignment supply apparatus 2 Dexter 3 Conveying means 4 Unloading conveyor 5 Dexter 2 unloading port 6 Rotating bowl 7 Rotating disk 8 Cylindrical case 9 Output shaft of motor with speed reducer 10 Curved inner wall 11 Turning track 12 Track surface 13 Upper end 14 Inner wall DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Inclination output shaft of motor with reduction gear 16 Disk main-body part 17 Rotating upper surface 18 Peripheral part 19 Slope 20 Inclined lowest position 21 Inclined uppermost position 22 Extraction window 30 Adsorption belt conveyor 31 Incoming end 32 Outlet end 33 Adsorption belt 34 Adsorption Hole 35 Drive pulley 36 Driven pulley 37 Vacuum box 38 Contact piece 40 Flat belt conveyor 41 Loading end 42 Conveyor belt 45 Standing assist means 46 Blower 47 Hose

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Rotating disk type supply apparatus 52 Dexter 53 Guide means 54 Unloading conveyor 55 Unloading port 56 Rotating bowl 57 Rotating disk 58 Cylindrical case 59 Output shaft of motor with reduction gear 60 Curved inner wall 61 Turning track 62 Track surface 63 Upper end portion 64 Inner wall surface 65 Inclined output shaft 67 of the motor with another reduction gear Rotating upper surface 68 Peripheral portion 70 Inclined lowest position 71 Inclined uppermost position 81 Loading end 82 Unloading end 83, 83 Guide plate 84 Guide conveying path 91 Loading end 92 Conveyor belt A Thin plate article W Track width Pt Transfer point Ai Intake air Ao Discharge air

Claims (10)

A dexter that conveys the loaded thin plate-like article in an upright state, a conveyance means that conveys the thin plate-like article carried out from the carry-out port of the dexter in an upright state, and a conveyance means An apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles, comprising: a carry-out conveyor that receives the thin-plate articles in a collapsed state and carries them out downstream.   The Dexter has a rotating bowl having a curved inner wall on the inside and a swivel track at the upper end, and is tilted in the rotating bowl and swivels the thin article at a transfer point that occupies the highest position of the tilt. The apparatus for aligning and feeding thin articles according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating disk to be transferred to a track.   The rotating disk includes a flat disk main body part and a peripheral part formed on a slope that is obliquely cut downward toward the outside in the outer periphery of the disk main body part, and the peripheral part of the rotating disk The thin plate-like article in the slanted posture in FIG. 1 is characterized in that one of the plate-like surfaces leans against the curved inner wall of the rotating bowl by the centrifugal force acting on the thin plate-like article and is in the standing state. The apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to claim 2.   Corresponding to the lowest position of the tilt of the rotating disk of the Dexter, it acts in an auxiliary manner in addition to the centrifugal force acting on the thin plate-like article, and is moved to the peripheral edge of the rotating disk and the tilted posture 4. The apparatus for aligning and feeding thin plate articles according to claim 3, further comprising a standing assisting means for placing the thin plate article in the standing state.   5. The apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to claim 4, wherein the stand-up assisting means is an air blowing means for blowing air onto the other plate-like surface of the thin-plate article in a semi-standing state.   The transport means is a suction belt conveyor disposed in a laid state from a carry-out port of the Dexter to a carry-in port of the carry-out conveyor, and the suction belt conveyor includes a suction belt having a plurality of suction holes, 6. A vacuum box disposed on the back surface of the suction belt for sucking the thin plate article against the suction belt and sucking air through the suction hole. 6. 2. An apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to claim 1. The apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles according to claim 6, wherein the suction holes are formed in a row at a height position in the center of the suction belt in the belt width direction or higher. The vacuum box extends along the suction belt conveyor to a position where an end portion on the carry-out conveyor side leaves a space with respect to a carry-out end of the suction belt conveyor. 2. An apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to claim 1.   A contact piece for abutting the thin plate-like article carried out in an upright state and promoting the fall of the thin plate-like article on the carry-out conveyor is disposed at the carry-out port of the conveying means. The apparatus for aligning and feeding thin-plate articles according to any one of claims 6 to 8.   The conveyance amount of the article by the Dexter is made to exceed the carry-out amount of the article to the carry-out conveyor by the conveyance means, and the excess of the article is excluded from dropping from the conveyance means during the conveyance by the conveyance means The apparatus for aligning and supplying thin articles according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the carry-out amount of the articles by the conveying means is made constant.

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