JP2017047993A - Article conveying equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop equipment capable of effectively eliminating overlapping of articles without being associated with a breakage in the article itself.SOLUTION: Article conveying equipment makes a plurality of suspended members oscillatable in the state of being suspended at predetermined intervals in line in an almost horizontal direction, on a conveyor. Furthermore, a clearance between a lower end of the suspended member and a conveyor surface is set to permit the passage of the thickness of an article.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for conveying articles on a conveyor. Especially when used in food manufacturing factories, etc., when transporting multiple items such as ingredients on a conveyor, the overlap state is resolved when the multiple items are transported in layers. In this regard, the present invention relates to an article transport device for transporting.

  When producing a large amount of goods in the manufacture of food (especially dry food), etc., the goods themselves are often transported as articles on the conveyor, or the articles that are part materials stored in the goods are often transported by the conveyor. is there.

That is, the product itself is transported by a conveyor and transferred to the next process, or if it is an article that is a part material, it is sequentially transported by a conveyor and supplied to a predetermined container (cup or the like), or mixed with another article. There is a case. In this case, if the article is conveyed in a state of being overlapped on the conveyor, there may be a problem in the subsequent supply process.
As a method for eliminating such an overlapped state, for example, the following prior art is disclosed.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-75226 Patent Document 1 is an excellent apparatus for separating conveyed articles. However, when the number of separation plates is one and the articles are firmly bound to each other, the article group may be clogged on the conveyor. This is especially true when there is a possibility that the degree of binding between articles will vary, such as food. In addition, there is a possibility that a fixed-type scraping member is provided for heights other than the above, and the scraping member is installed on the conveyor line. However, if the scraping member is completely fixed, if the upper part of the overlapped article comes into contact with the scraping member, the transport is completely hindered, so a large load or pressure is applied to the article. Occurrence of various problems such as damage to the articles and clogging of the articles on the conveyor is expected. In the case of plastic molded products, metal products, rubber products, etc., in which the dimensions and surface conditions of the manufactured articles are uniform, the above problem is unlikely to occur because the shape is generally strong. However, in the case of food (dried food, etc.), it may be brittle or easily deformed against pressure. Furthermore, the size, surface condition, and degree of binding may be slightly different for each article even through the same manufacturing process. For this reason, even when the overlap state as described above is eliminated, it is necessary to eliminate the overlap softly or flexibly.

  Therefore, the present inventors have made it an object to develop a device that can effectively eliminate the overlap of the articles without damaging the articles themselves even in the case of articles, particularly foods such as dried foods. .

As a result of the diligent research by the present inventors, a plurality of hanging members are suspended in a row in a substantially horizontal direction at a predetermined interval on the conveyor to be swingable, and the lower end portion of the hanging member and the conveyor surface It has been found that the overlap of articles can be effectively eliminated if the gap is a gap that can be passed with a single article thickness.

That is, the first invention of the present application is
“A plurality of drooping members suspended in a row in a substantially horizontal direction at a predetermined interval;
A support member that supports the plurality of drooping members so that the lower part thereof can swing;
A lower end portion of the hanging member and a conveyor unit that is arranged at a predetermined interval and conveys a predetermined article in a direction perpendicular to the row direction of the hanging member.
Article conveying device. “It is.

Next, it is preferable that the drooping member can swing in the conveying direction of the conveyor. That is, the second invention of the present application is
2. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hanging member is swingable in a conveying direction of the conveyor.

Next, since the one where the coefficient of friction of the conveyer part to convey can be conveyed without disturbing conveyance of the article which is in contact with the conveyor surface, it is possible to effectively prevent the overlap of the articles. .
That is, the third invention of the present application is
The article conveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a friction coefficient of a conveyor unit that conveys the article is large.

Next, it is preferable that the coefficient of friction between the article and the conveyor is larger than the coefficient of friction between the articles to be conveyed.
That is, the fourth invention of the present application is
The article conveyance device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a friction coefficient between the article and the conveyor unit is larger than a friction coefficient between the articles.
It is.

Further, the applicants also intend the following configurations as specific embodiments of the apparatus of claim 1.
That is, the fifth invention of the present application is
“A plurality of weight plates that are weighted in a row in a substantially horizontal direction at a predetermined interval;
A shaft bar that supports the plurality of weight plates so that the lower part thereof can swing;
A conveyor unit that is disposed at a predetermined interval from the lower end of the weight plate and conveys a predetermined article in a direction perpendicular to the row direction of the weight plate, and is formed on a surface layer portion of a belt portion of the conveyor unit. An article conveying apparatus having a large friction coefficient. “It is.

By using the article conveying apparatus of the present invention, when an article such as a plurality of foods is conveyed on a conveyor, the overlapping state without damaging the article can be preferably eliminated, Processing can be performed smoothly.

It is the perspective view which showed the 1st embodiment of the article | item conveying apparatus of this invention. It is the perspective view which expanded a conveyor and a part of weight board part. It is the front view shown about the example of the form of the vertical board of this invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed the method for measuring the friction coefficient of the conveyor belt in this invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed the arrangement | positioning state of the part from which the friction coefficient differs on the conveyor of this invention. It is the schematic diagram shown about the mechanism of the general overlap prevention in this invention. It is the schematic diagram shown about the example whose overlap is not eliminated. It is the schematic diagram shown about the effect at the time of providing the row | line | column of a several drooping member (weight board). It is the 1st perspective view showing the movement at the time of actually conveying an article on a conveyor and canceling the overlap in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a second perspective view showing the movement from FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a third perspective view showing the movement from FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a fourth perspective view showing the movement from FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a fifth perspective view showing the movement from FIG. 9.

2 Conveyor
3 Weight plate
3a Weight plate width
3b weight plate row
4-axis bar
5 Spacer
6 Conveyor belt
7 Weight
9 Goods
11 String
13 High friction coefficient part

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

The invention described in claim 1 of the present application is
“A plurality of drooping members suspended in a row in a substantially horizontal direction at a predetermined interval;
A support member that supports the plurality of drooping members so that the lower part thereof can swing;
A lower end portion of the hanging member and a conveyor unit that is arranged at a predetermined interval and conveys a predetermined article in a direction perpendicular to the row direction of the hanging member.
Article conveying device. Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the contents of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an article conveying apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the conveyor and the weight plate portion.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of the shape of the vertical plate of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a method for measuring the friction coefficient of the conveyor belt in the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an arrangement state of portions having different friction coefficients on the conveyor of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a general mechanism for preventing overlap in the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example in which the overlap is not eliminated.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the effects when a plurality of drooping members (weight plates) are provided.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the movement when an article is actually conveyed on a conveyor and the overlap is eliminated in the first embodiment of the present invention.
10 to 13 are perspective views sequentially showing the movement from FIG.

─ Goods conveying device ─
The present invention relates to a device on the conveyor 2 for eliminating the overlap when the same kind of articles 9 are conveyed on the conveyor 2 and a plurality of the articles 9 are conveyed in an overlapping manner. Is. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the same type but can be applied to different types.

-Object-
The object to be transported in the article transporting apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited, but can be suitably applied mainly to foods. Moreover, it can utilize suitably for dry food among foodstuffs. In the case of food, there is a particular difference in shape, and there is a problem that it is easily damaged when pressure is applied.
In the present invention, when the overlap between the articles 9 is eliminated, the overlap can be eliminated softly or flexibly.

Specifically, when transporting dried foods such as instant noodle ingredients (fried fish, kamaboko) and confectionery on the conveyor 2, it can be suitably used to eliminate the overlapping state of the articles 9.
For example, it can be suitably used for dried foods such as fried chicken and dried kamaboko that can be used for instant noodles such as cup noodles.
In the present invention, the food itself is targeted, and the food 9 can be suitably used for an article 9 in which the food is sealed in a plastic sachet (sealed in various packaging materials such as soft packaging materials). it can.

─ Drooping member and support member ─
In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, hanging members are installed in a line in a substantially horizontal direction on the conveyor 2. In particular, in the first embodiment, a plurality of weight plates 3 that are suspended as hanging members are arranged. The shape of the weight plate is not particularly limited, and a straight type is disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2, but it is needless to say that a bent type or the like may be used.

The weight plate 3 is a member for eliminating the overlapping state by contacting the upper part of the plurality of overlapping articles 9 and preventing the articles 9 from proceeding on the conveyor 2. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the weight plate 3 is supported by a shaft rod 4 as a support member so that the lower end of the weight plate 3 can freely swing on the conveyor 2.
Further, the distance from the lower end of the weight plate 3 to the upper surface of the conveyor 2 is “larger” than the thickness of the single sheet corresponding to the thickness of the article 9 as an object to prevent overlap, It can be set as appropriate within the range of “smaller” than the thickness of the overlapping state.
In the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, specifically, 11 substantially rectangular parallelepiped weight plates 3 having a width of 10 mm and a weight of 100 g are provided in a line at intervals of 20 mm.
The weight plate 3 is provided with a hole at the upper end, and a shaft rod 4 (rotating shaft) is inserted through the hole, and each weight plate 3 has a lower portion thereof in front and rear in the direction of travel of the conveyor 2. Is swingable. Further, a spacer 5 made of resin is sandwiched between the weight plates 3, and the rotating shaft 4 is inserted in the same manner as the weight plate 3.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the case where the substantially rectangular parallelepiped weight plate 3 is used is shown, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this shape. For example, a cylindrical shape or the like is also possible. . Further, it may be a chain type in which a plurality of small-size weight plates 3 are connected via a chain-like connecting portion.
In general, the weight plate 3 preferably has a larger number of weight plates 3 while reducing the width 3a of the weight plate. For example, if the weight plate 3a shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is too large, a plurality of overlapping articles 9 are transported on the conveyor 2 almost in parallel. Happens.

That is, while one of the conveyed articles 9 in contact with the specific weight plate 3 is in contact with the lower end of the weight plate 3 and is in the “open” state, When the overlapped article 9 is conveyed, the other overlapped article 9 has no contact with the previous weight plate 3 or the contact is weak, so that it passes under the weight plate 3 while maintaining the overlap state. May end up.
For this reason, generally, when the number of the weight plates 3 is increased while the width 3a of the weight plate is reduced, the effect of preventing the overlap of the transported articles 9 can be obtained. Although it is not particularly limited because it depends on the size of the article 9 to be conveyed, the width 3a of the weight plate is generally about 3 mm to 40 mm. Preferably, it is about 5 mm to 20 mm. Furthermore, it is preferably about 7 to 15 mm.

-Space | interval of weight plates About the space | interval of the weight plates 3, if the said space | interval is too large, the article | item 9 may pass the said space | interval. The interval is not particularly limited because it depends on the size of the article 9 to be conveyed, but the interval is approximately 50 mm or less. Moreover, Preferably it is 40 mm or less, More preferably, it is 30 mm or less. In the first embodiment, the spacer 5 is inserted in the space between the weight plate 3 and the weight plate 3. The type in which the spacer 5 is inserted in this way is preferable because the distance between the weight plate 3 and the weight plate 3 can be easily maintained.

The weight of the weight plate 3 The weight of the weight plate 3 can be appropriately changed depending on the weight of the article 9 that prevents the overlapping state.
However, if the weight plate 3 is too heavy, there is a case where conveyance of the entire article 9 that is firmly fixed and overlapped may be hindered. In this case, if the friction coefficient of the upper surface of the conveyor 2 is increased to force the weight plate 3 to pass therethrough, the upper article 9 may be damaged.
For this reason, the weight plate 3 generally has a weight of about 3 to 12 times the weight of the article 9 to be conveyed. Moreover, Preferably it is about 3 to 10 times, More preferably, it is about 3 to 8 times.

-Swing direction of weight plate Although the swing direction of the weight plate 3 of the present invention is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the weight plate 3 can swing with respect to the traveling direction of the conveyor 2. Moreover, it is also possible to set it as the structure which cannot rock | fluctuate in directions other than the advancing direction of the conveyor 2. FIG.

The number of weight plates 3 in contact with the overlapping articles 9 The number of weight plates 3 in the row 3b in contact with the overlapping articles 9 depends on the form of the articles 9, the weight of the weight plates 3, etc., but the conveyance state of the articles 9 It is preferable that the weight plate 3 can contact two or more places with respect to the width of the article 9 in FIG. Further, a contactable state of about three or more places is more preferable.

-Number of rows of weight plates The number of rows of the weight plates 3 of the present invention with respect to the traveling direction of the conveyor is not particularly limited. That is, the row 3b of the weight plate 3 may be a single row. However, it is preferable to provide two rows, assuming that the overlap is not resolved in the first row. Furthermore, more preferably, there are three or more rows. Thus, in order to effectively eliminate the overlap of the articles 9 in the present invention, it is preferable to install a plurality of rows.
As described above, as shown in FIG. 1, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the case of three rows with respect to the traveling direction of the conveyor 2 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. Of course.
In addition, as for the one row referred to in the present invention, FIGS. 1 and 2 disclose a state in which the weight plates 3 are aligned in a straight line perpendicular to the advancing direction of the conveyor 2, but are not necessarily limited to this form. For example, it is a matter of course that the position of the weight plate 3 may be changed back and forth with respect to the traveling direction of the conveyor 2, for example.

─Support member (shaft bar) ─
In the present invention, the shaft 4 supports one end of the weight plate 3 so that the lower end portion of the weight plate 3 can swing. In the present invention, it is sufficient if a plurality of members are suspended. For example, in the first embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 3A, a plurality of weight plates 3 are inserted through a single linear shaft bar 4, and each weight plate 3 is swung in the front-rear direction of the conveyor 2. Although the form which makes it possible to move is disclosed, it is not limited to this form. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the weight plate 3 is suspended via the string-like object 11 and other various kinds Of course, it includes a form.

─Conveyor section─
The conveyor unit of the present invention is used to convey the article 9. The form of the conveyor 2 includes various forms in addition to a normal belt conveyor. For example, a form in which a pair of rails are provided as the conveyor 2 and the unit conveys the rails may be used.
Thus, it does not specifically limit about the conveyance method in the conveyor 2, A various method is employable. Various methods other than a method using a sprocket can be selected for transmission of power to the belt in the conveyor 2. Various power units such as a normal motor unit can be used as the power unit.
The conveying speed of the conveyor 2 is not particularly limited, but is generally about 2 m / min to 25 m / min. Moreover, Preferably, it is about 8m / min-20m / min.
Moreover, when using it as a belt conveyor like the embodiment of this invention, it does not specifically limit as a material of the conveyor belt 6, Various materials can be selected. For example, as the material of the upper surface, various materials such as silicon and polyurethane can be cited.

  Next, in the present invention, it is preferable that the friction coefficient between the article 9 and the conveyor 2 is larger than the friction coefficient between the articles 9. In the present invention, when a plurality of articles 9 transported on the conveyor 2 are transported in an overlapping manner, the present invention relates to an article transport apparatus for transporting the articles by eliminating the overlapping state, and the coefficient of friction between the articles 9 However, if the friction coefficient between the article 9 and the upper surface of the conveyor 2 is larger, the overlap may not be resolved when the transportation of the group of articles 9 in the overlapped state is hindered by the drooping member (weight plate). Because.

That is, in order to achieve the object of the present invention without depending on the type of the article 9 and exhibit the effect of the present invention, in the present invention, the friction force with the conveyed article 9 in the conveyor 2 may be large. preferable. For this reason, it is preferable to make the friction coefficient of the upper surface of the conveyor 2 large. In the state where the articles 9 to be conveyed overlap, the lowermost article 9 and the upper surface of the conveyor 2 come into contact with each other. In this state, when the conveyor 2 is transported, even if the upper article 9 comes into contact with the weight plate 3 and is prevented from being transported, if the friction coefficient on the upper surface of the conveyor 2 is large, Since the article 9 is not easily slipped on the conveyor 2 and is transported as it is with the conveyor 2, the article 9 on the lowermost part and the article 9 on the upper part are slid in contact with each other, and the upper article 9 is grounded on the conveyor 2. As a result, the overlap of the articles 9 can be eliminated.
A specific value of the friction coefficient is preferably about 0.5 or more. Moreover, it is preferable in it being 0.8 or more. Furthermore, 1.0 or more is more preferable.
When the friction coefficient is set to a high value as described above, in addition to selecting the material of the surface of the conveyor 2, it is of course possible to use a method of processing the surface so as to have unevenness to obtain a high friction coefficient. .
In addition, the friction coefficient of the conveyor belt 6 in the embodiment of the present invention can be measured as follows.

--Measurement method of friction coefficient--
The friction coefficient referred to in the present invention refers to the maximum static inclination friction coefficient. The maximum static inclination friction coefficient can be measured by the following method.
That is, as shown in FIG. 4 below, the belt 6 for measuring the coefficient of friction is attached to the inclined surface, the belt 6 is attached to the lower part of the “weight 7”, and the “weight 7 + belt 6” is attached. The friction coefficient can be calculated from the angle of inclination when the “weight 7 + belt 6” starts to slide. In this case, the friction coefficient (maximum static inclination friction coefficient): μ is μ = tan θ.

In the present invention, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped polished steel (about 460 g, bottom surface portion (50 mm × 100 mm)) is used as the weight 7, and the belt 6 having the same shape (50 mm × 100 mm) is cut to the lower part of the weight 7. Affixed to and attached. The “weight 7 + belt 6” is placed on the slope where the belt 6 is mounted, and the inclined plate is slowly tilted to obtain the angle θ when the “weight 7 + belt 6” starts to slide, and the tan θ is the friction coefficient. It can be. Further, the coefficient of friction between the conveyed articles 9 can be measured in the same manner as described above. Further, the coefficient of friction between the conveyed article 9 and the conveyor belt 6 can be measured in the same manner as described above.
The portion 13 having a large friction coefficient does not need to spread over the entire upper surface of the conveyor 2. For example, a portion having a high friction coefficient may exist in a band shape as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, it may be spread in a lattice shape. Thus, it is sufficient if the portion 13 is a portion having a high friction coefficient rather than the entire conveyor belt 6.

Next, the mechanism for preventing overlap according to the present invention will be described below. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a mechanism for eliminating overlap of the articles 9 in the present invention. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the upper and lower layers overlap.

When the overlapping article 9 is conveyed on the conveyor 2 as shown in FIG. 5 (FIG. 6 (a)), the upper article 9 comes into contact with the weight plate 3 (FIG. 6 (b)). The weight plate 3 is inclined by pressing (FIG. 6C). However, when the pressure from the weight plate 3 is increased, the conveyance of the upper article 9 is hindered, and only the lower article 9 is conveyed while being in sliding contact between the upper article 9 and the lower article 9 (FIG. 6D). ). Thereafter, only the lower article 9 continues to be conveyed while the conveyance of the upper article 9 is obstructed (FIGS. 6E and 6F), and finally the overlapping state is canceled (FIG. 6G).

If the friction coefficient of the upper surface of the conveyor surface 2 is too small as described above, even if the upper article 9 comes into contact with the hanging member as shown in FIG. 7 and the conveyance is hindered (FIG. 7B). Since the lower article 9 and the surface of the conveyor 2 may be in sliding contact with each other (FIG. 7D), the conveyance of the entire article 9 in an overlapping state is hindered. As a result, the state in which the articles 9 overlap with each other cannot be eliminated, and the state in which the entire article 9 that overlaps the surface of the conveyor 2 continues to slide may continue (FIGS. 7E and 7F). For this reason, the one where the friction coefficient of the upper surface of the conveyor 2 is larger as mentioned above is preferable.

In addition, there is an exceptional case where the overlapping portion of the articles 9 is firmly fixed, but in such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 8 below, a plurality of rows of support members (the weight plate 3). In many cases, the overlap can be eliminated by passing through.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the overlapping portion between the articles 9 is fixed, and even if the first row passes (FIG. 8B), the fixing is canceled by contact with the first row. In many cases, this is an opportunity. Therefore, when contact is made with a similar support member in the second row, the overlap is eliminated (FIG. 8C), and the conveyance is continued in this state (FIG. 8D).

[Example]
(When fried dry)
Hereinafter, the movement of the article 9 when the overlap of the article 9 (food: fried dry fried food) is actually eliminated by the transport device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The used article 9 was placed on the upstream side of the conveyor device by stacking three pieces of dry fried (vertical x horizontal x thickness: 99 mm x 73 mm x 10 mm weight 18 g / sheet) used for instant cup noodles (Japanese style).
The conveyor 2 is the article conveying apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention (however, the third row of weight plates is omitted). The state of the weight plate 3 is as follows.
(Weight plate 3 width: 10 mm, weight plate 3 interval: 20 mm, weight of weight plate 3: 100 g, upper surface material of conveyor 2: silicon, friction coefficient: 1.0)

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the contact of the deep-fried fried food piled up on the conveyor 2 with the weight plate 3 and the overlapping state canceling state. First, the three stages of deep frying were transported (FIG. 9), and then, among the three stages of deep frying, the upper two stages contacted the four weight plates 3, and the weight plate 3 became inclined, and the upper two Although the step was blocked and the progress was hindered, the bottom frying continued to be transported in sliding contact with the upper two steps (FIG. 10). After the bottom-stage frying has passed, the upper two stages are grounded on the conveyor 2 (FIG. 11), and even after the upper two stages are installed, the lower stage continues to slide out of contact with the upper stage (FIG. 12). . Finally, three sheets were conveyed on the conveyor 2 in a state where the overlap was eliminated (FIG. 13). In this way, overlap was prevented in the fried dry oil.
In addition, the article 9 (dried fried chicken) was not damaged or deformed before and after the conveyance.

(In the case of Kakiage Tempura)
In the transport apparatus having the same configuration as described above, three circular dried deep-fried tempura (diameter: 105 mm, height: 18 mm, weight: 44 g / sheet) were superposed and the experiment was performed in the same manner as described above. As a result, all three overlapping states were eliminated as in the case of fried dry oil. Further, no damage or the like was observed before and after the conveyance.

Claims (5)

A plurality of drooping members that are suspended in a row in a substantially horizontal direction at a predetermined interval;
A support member that supports the plurality of drooping members so that the lower part thereof can swing;
A lower end portion of the hanging member and a conveyor unit that is arranged at a predetermined interval and conveys a predetermined article in a direction perpendicular to the row direction of the hanging member.
Article conveying device.
The article conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hanging member is swingable in a conveying direction of the conveyor.
The article conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a friction coefficient of a conveyor unit that conveys the article is large.
The article conveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a friction coefficient between the article and the conveyor unit is larger than a friction coefficient between the articles.
A plurality of weight plates that are weighted in a row in a substantially horizontal direction at a predetermined interval;
A shaft bar that supports the plurality of weight plates so that the lower part thereof can swing;
A conveyor unit that is disposed at a predetermined interval from the lower end of the weight plate and conveys a predetermined article in a direction perpendicular to the row direction of the weight plate;
Article conveying device.

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