JP2017226516A - Posture changing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a posture changing device which has a simple configuration and can reliably change a direction of a transport object.SOLUTION: A posture changing device has: a direct advance direction conveyance body which contacts a bottom surface of a transport object and energizes the transport object in a direct advance direction; an inclination direction conveyance body which contacts the bottom surface of the transport object and energizes the transport object in an oblique direction; lifting means which lifts at least one of the direct advance direction conveyance body and the inclination direction conveyance body; and a resistance member which contacts a part of the transport object and is resistant to movement of said part of the transport object. A height of a part of the inclination direction conveyance body contacting the transport object is so made by the lifting means as to be equal to or higher than a part of the direct advance direction conveyance body contacting the transport object. The inclination direction conveyance body is driven in the state that the resistance member is brought into contact with a part of the transport object so as to rotate the transport object with the resistance member as an original point, thereby changing a posture.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a posture changing device that changes the direction of a conveyed product in a conveyed product along a conveyor line.

In a conveyor device, it is required to quickly convey a conveyed product.
On the other hand, there is a desire to align the posture (direction) of each conveyed product.
Specifically, when each transported object is a rectangular parallelepiped, if the longitudinal direction and the short direction of each transported object do not match, it is necessary to appropriately change the direction during loading, and the work becomes complicated. .
In addition, when the part storing information such as the destination of the transported object is provided on a specific side of the transported object, it is necessary to align the posture of each transported object so that the part can be read by the sensor. There is.
If the conveyor device is stopped in order to align the direction of each conveyed product, rapid conveyance of the conveyed product is hindered. Therefore, it is necessary to align the direction (posture) of each conveyed item while conveying.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention in which the direction of each conveyed product can be aligned while being conveyed.
In the posture changing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, an arm is projected on a conveyance path, and an object to be conveyed (conveyed object) conveyed along a conveyor line is brought into contact with the arm, and the object to be conveyed is a conveyor. The posture of the conveyed object is changed by changing the direction of the arm as the line moves downstream in the conveying direction.

JP-A-11-334860

  By the way, the direction changing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a cylinder device having a piston rod, a compressor, a regulator, and the like, and has a complicated structure. Further, an object to be transported along a conveyor line is used as an arm. Control after contact is complicated.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a posture changing device that can change the posture of a conveyed product with a simple configuration.

  The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problem is a linearly traveling body that contacts the bottom surface of the transported object and urges the transported object in a straight traveling direction, and an oblique direction that contacts the bottom surface of the transported object. An inclining direction transport body that urges the head, an elevating means that raises and lowers at least one of the straight direction transport body and the tilt direction transport body, and a resistance member that resists movement of the portion of the transport object in contact with a part of the transport object The height of the portion of the inclined direction conveying member that contacts the conveyed item is set to be equal to or higher than the height of the portion that contacts the conveyed item of the linearly conveying member, and the resistance member is brought into contact with a part of the conveyed item. The posture changing device is characterized in that the inclined direction conveyance body is driven in such a state, and the posture is changed by turning the conveyed object around the resistance member.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the height of the portion in contact with the transported object in the inclined direction transport body is set to be equal to or higher than the height of the part in contact with the transported object in the straight direction transport body by the lifting means. An inclined direction conveyance body can be made to contact.
The inclined direction conveyance body can urge the conveyance object in an oblique direction in contact with the bottom surface of the conveyance object. The posture changing device of the present invention has a resistance member and resists movement of the part of the conveyed product in contact with a part of the conveyed product.
Therefore, when the inclined direction conveyance body is driven in a state where the resistance member is in contact with a part of the conveyed product, a speed difference is generated between the portion of the conveyed object where the resistance member abuts and the portion where the inclined direction conveyance body contacts, and the inclination direction Since the conveyance body urges the conveyance object in an oblique direction, a rotation moment is generated in the conveyance object, and the conveyance object turns around the resistance member. In that case, a conveyed product turns smoothly by the urging | biasing of the diagonal direction conveyance body.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member is rotatable.

  In the invention according to claim 2, since the resistance member is rotatable, the resistance when the conveyed object turns is reduced.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the posture changing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the resistance member is rotated by power.

  In the invention according to claim 3, since the resistance member is rotated by power, the resistance is less likely to occur when the conveyed product turns. That is, the conveyed product can turn more smoothly than when the resistance member is naturally rotated by being pressed by the conveyed product.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the resistance member has a holding portion that holds the corner of the conveyed product, and the holding portion rotates as the conveyed item turns. It is an attitude | position change apparatus as described in a crab.

  In the invention according to claim 4, since the resistance member has a holding portion that holds the corner of the conveyed product, it is possible to apply a resistance force only to the corner of the conveyed product to rotate the conveyed product around the holding portion. it can. Moreover, since the said holding | maintenance part rotates with turning of a conveyed product, a conveyed product is easy to turn.

  The invention according to claim 5 has a plurality of rectilinear direction transport bodies and inclined direction transport bodies, and the rectilinear direction transport bodies are rollers or rollers that are rotated by power and are arranged in parallel. Is a roller that is rotated by power, and the inclined direction conveyance bodies are arranged in a posture inclined between the straight direction conveyance bodies and inclined with respect to the conveyance direction of the straight direction conveyance bodies. 4. The posture changing device according to any one of 4 above.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the inclined direction conveyance body can be disposed between the parallel rollers or the rollers.
In other words, a parallel roller or roller of the straight traveling member can be disposed between the inclined conveying members.
Since the inclined direction conveyance body is located between the straight direction biasing members, the straight direction conveyance body and the inclined direction conveyance body are alternately arranged, and the support of the conveyance object by the straight direction conveyance body or the inclination direction conveyance body is stable. To do.
The inclined direction conveyance body is a roller rotated by power and has a short length. Therefore, the roller can be arranged in an inclined state with respect to the straight traveling path. Since the inclined direction conveyance body that is a roller is arranged in a posture inclined with respect to the straight conveyance path, when the inclination direction conveyance body contacts the bottom surface of the conveyance object, the conveyance object can be biased in an oblique direction. .

  In the invention described in claim 6, a linearly traveling member is arranged in part or in whole, and a linearly conveying path for moving a conveyed product in the linearly moving direction is configured, and one end in the width direction of the linearly conveying path The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member is provided at a portion, and the inclined direction conveyance body is distributed at a position away from the resistance member.

In the invention described in claim 6, the linearly traveling member is arranged in part or all, and a linearly conveying path for moving the conveyed item in the linearly moving direction is configured, and the conveyed item can be conveyed in the linearly moving direction. it can.
In the present invention, since the resistance member is provided at one end in the width direction of the rectilinear conveyance path, the end of the conveyed product that goes straight comes into contact with the resistance member. As a result, a rotational moment about the end portion is generated in the conveyed product, and the conveyed product rotates. Moreover, since the inclined direction conveyance body is distributed in the position away from the resistance member, a rotation moment is easily generated in the conveyance object, and the conveyance object is easily rotated.
Here, “a part or all” means a part or all of the width of the straight conveyance path.
The “position away from the resistance member” means a position away from the resistance member in the width direction of the straight conveyance path and a position away from the resistance member on the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

  The invention described in claim 7 is provided with a guide member for preventing the conveyed product from rotating in the end portion on the side where the resistance member is provided and for guiding the conveyed product to move in the straight direction. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

In the seventh aspect of the present invention, the guide member is provided at the end on the side where the resistance member is provided to prevent the conveyed product from rotating and to guide the conveyed product to move in the straight direction. Further, the transported object whose rotation is changed in posture is prevented from further rotation by the guide member, and the posture (direction) of each transported object is aligned.
Moreover, each conveyed product is along the guide member, and is conveyed by the edge part side of the side in which the resistance member of the width direction of the rectilinear conveyance path was provided.

  In the invention according to claim 8, the inclined direction conveyance body is a roller rotated by power, and the circumferential speed of the inclined direction conveyance body located at a position away from the resistance member is inclined direction conveyance at a position close to the resistance member. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the posture changing device is faster than a peripheral speed of the body.

  In the invention according to claim 8, the peripheral speed of the tilt direction transport body located at a position away from the rotation center is faster than the peripheral speed of the tilt direction transport body positioned near the rotation center. Therefore, the conveyed product is easy to rotate around the resistance member. Therefore, it is easy to change the posture of the conveyed product.

  In the invention according to claim 9, the inclined direction conveying body is a roller, and has a long rotating body and a plurality of pulleys provided on the rotating body, and between the inclined direction conveying body and the corresponding pulley. 9. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the belt is wound around each of the plurality of belts and the plurality of inclined-direction conveying members are rotated by a single rotating member.

  In the ninth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of inclined direction conveying bodies can be rotationally driven by a common rotating body. Therefore, each inclination direction conveyance body rotates simultaneously synchronously. As a result, the conveyed product is simultaneously urged by the respective inclined direction conveying members that are rotationally driven by the common rotating member, and the conveyed item can be rotated and changed in posture.

  The invention according to claim 10 is capable of transporting the transported object in one direction by the linearly traveling body, and is provided with a resistance member in the width direction upstream of the region where the inclined transport body is distributed. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a width-shifting unit that moves toward an end portion on the side where the head is located.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the conveyed product is width-shifted toward the end portion on the side where the resistance member is provided by the width-shifting means. Therefore, the conveyed product is in contact with the resistance member and easily changes its posture.

  In the posture changing device of the present invention, a rotational moment can be generated in the conveyed product with a simple configuration, and the posture can be changed favorably by turning the conveyed item.

It is a top view of the conveyance line provided with the attitude | position change apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the attitude | position change apparatus of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the attitude | position change apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view of the resistance member of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the resistance member of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which simplifies and shows the internal structure of the drive part of the resistance member of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a driving roller of the straight traveling direction conveyance unit in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a driven roller of a straight traveling direction conveyance unit in FIG. 2. It is a perspective view of the inclination direction conveyance part of FIG. It is a perspective view of the raising / lowering mechanism part of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the inclination direction conveyance part of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of the end member of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the raising / lowering mechanism part of FIG. (A), (b) is a front view of a raising / lowering cam. It is a front view of the raising / lowering mechanism part of FIG. It is the side view which fractured | ruptured and showed the raising / lowering mechanism part of FIG. 10 partially. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a cam follower and a raising / lowering cam, (a) shows the state in which the cam follower was mounted in the string part of the raising / lowering cam, (b), the cam follower was mounted in the circular arc part of the raising / lowering cam. Indicates the state. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the raising / lowering mechanism part and the inclination direction conveyance part of the height direction, (a) has shown the state in which an inclination direction conveyance part exists in a high position, (b) is an inclination direction conveyance. The part is in a low position. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which showed the state which supported the conveyed product in the inclination direction conveyance part of the attitude | position change apparatus from the front direction. (A)-(c) is a top view which shows the condition where a conveyed product is conveyed along a conveyance line, and is guide | induced to a resistance member. (A)-(c) is a top view which shows the condition where a conveyed product is conveyed along a conveyance line, and an attitude | position is changed. (A)-(d) is a top view which shows the method of the movement on the conveyance line of the conveyed product when not changing the attitude | position of a conveyed product. (A)-(c) is the elements on larger scale of Drawing 20 (c), Drawing 21 (a), and Drawing 21 (b). It is the elements on larger scale of Drawing 22 (b)-Drawing 22 (d). It is a perspective view of the guide member of a downstream conveyor apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the rotation member of a resistance member rotates, (a) shows the attitude | position at the time of an abutting edge part projecting on a conveyance path and contacting a conveyed product, (b) is conveying (C) shows a state when the object has moved downstream from the rotating member, and (c) shows a state where the rotating member is further rotated 90 degrees from the state of (b) and retracted from the conveyance path, (d ) Shows a state in which the rotating member is further rotated 90 degrees from the state of (c), and the rotating member is retracted from the conveyance path, and shows a state in which the contact side portion can be immediately projected onto the conveyance path.

Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the posture changing device 1 constitutes a part of a linear conveyance line L. An upstream conveyor device 100 is disposed on the upstream side of the posture changing device 1, and a downstream conveyor device 101 is disposed on the downstream side. That is, in order from the upstream side, the upstream conveyor device 100, the posture changing device 1, and the downstream conveyor device 101 are arranged in a straight line to configure the transport line L.

  The upstream conveyor device 100 is a well-known roller conveyor device, and includes a pair of side frame members 90a and 90b and a plurality of transport rollers 28 (straight forward transport bodies). Each conveyance roller 28 is disposed between a pair of side frame members 90a and 90b, and the rotation shaft of each conveyance roller 28 is supported by each side frame member 90a and 90b. The conveying roller 28 includes a driving roller 28a and a driven roller 28b, and the driving roller 28a and the driven roller 28b are connected by a belt, a chain, or the like so that power can be transmitted. That is, when the driving roller 28a rotates, the driven roller 28b also rotates in synchronization.

As the drive roller 28a, a roller with a built-in motor as shown in FIG. 7 can be used.
As shown in FIG. 7, the drive roller 28a employs a roller body 60 in which a motor 61 and a speed reducer 62 are built. The output shaft 63 of the speed reducer 62 is engaged with the inner surface of the roller body 60, and the rotational force of the motor 61 is decelerated by the speed reducer 62 to rotate the roller body 60. Further, support shafts 71 and 72 protrude from both ends of the roller body 60.

  The roller body 60 is provided with an annular groove 74 for engaging the belt 69 (FIG. 1) on the surface.

  The driven roller 28b is a roller body rotation type idling roller having a structure as shown in FIG. In other words, the driven roller 28b does not have a drive source such as a motor in the roller body 60. The structure of the roller main body 60 of the driven roller 28b is the same as the roller main body 60 of the drive roller 28a described above, and a groove 74 for engaging the belt 69 on the surface is provided in an annular shape.

  A plurality of (for example, four) driven rollers 28b are connected to one drive roller 28a by a belt 69 so that power can be transmitted.

  The downstream conveyor device 101 has a pair of side frame members 92a and 92b and a plurality of conveying rollers 93, and is a roller conveyor device having the same configuration as the upstream conveyor device 100. The description which overlaps with the apparatus 100 is omitted. The downstream conveyor device 101 is provided with a guide member 94 on a side frame member 92a on one side (upward in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 25, the guide member 94 includes an upper support member 95a, a lower support member 95b, a shaft member 96, and a guide roller 97.
The upper support member 95a and the lower support member 95b are frame members having a linearly extending rigidity, and are arranged vertically to fix both ends of the plurality of shaft members 96.

  The shaft member 96 is a vertical axis that faces in the vertical direction. A guide roller 97 is attached to the shaft member 96. The height position of the guide roller 97 is fixed by a nut member 98. That is, the shaft member 96 has a screw portion 96a, and two nut members 98 are screwed into the screw portion 96a. Each nut member 98 is arranged above and below the guide roller 97, and the height position of the guide roller 97 is set by the nut member 98.

Each guide roller 97 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the upper support member 95a and the lower support member 95b, and the height positions of the adjacent guide rollers 97 are different. That is, the guide rollers 97 are arranged in a staggered manner so that the high position and the low position are interchanged.
A part of each guide roller 97 protrudes on the conveyance path of the downstream conveyor device 101.

  Next, the configuration of the posture changing device 1 that is a characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the posture changing device 1 includes a posture changing device 55 and a width adjusting mechanism 4 (width adjusting means).
Moreover, the attitude | position change apparatus 55 has the rectilinear direction conveyance part 2, the inclination direction conveyance part 3, the raising / lowering mechanism part 5, and the resistance member 6 like FIG. And the straight direction conveyance part 2, the inclination direction conveyance part 3, the raising / lowering mechanism part 5, and the resistance member 6 which comprise the attitude | position change apparatus 55 are assembled | attached as one unit like FIG. Has been placed.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the width adjusting mechanism 4 (width adjusting means) is a device independent of the posture changing device 55, and is arranged in an upstream region of the posture changing device 55.

First, the posture changing device 55 will be described. As described above, the posture changing device 55 includes the straight traveling direction conveyance unit 2, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3, the lifting mechanism unit 5, and the resistance member 6, and these are integrally assembled.
The straight traveling direction conveyance unit 2 has a configuration substantially similar to that of the downstream conveyor device 101.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the straight traveling direction transport unit 2 includes a pair of opposed side frame members 30 and 31, a transport roller 28 (drive roller 28 a and driven roller 28 b), and guide members 12 and 13 (FIG. 2). have.

  The configuration of the side frame members 30 and 31, the conveyance roller 28, and the guide members 12 and 13 are respectively the side frame members 92 a and 92 b, the conveyance roller 93 (drive roller 93 a and driven roller 93 b), and guide of the downstream conveyor device 101. This is the same as the configuration of the member 94, and redundant description is omitted.

  The shaft of each conveyance roller 28 is supported at both ends in parallel in a horizontal posture by opposing side frame members 30 and 31. As shown in FIG. 1, the installation intervals of the conveyance rollers 28 are wider than the intervals of the conveyance rollers 93 of the downstream conveyor device 101.

The straight traveling direction transport unit 2 transports the transported material transported from the upstream conveyor device 100 as it is along the flow direction of the upstream conveyor device 100, and the transport roller 28 has a posture of upstream It is the same as the side conveyor apparatus 100.
That is, the posture of the conveyance roller 28 of the straight-direction conveyance unit 2 is such that its axis is perpendicular to the side frame members 30 and 31, and the straight line connecting the longitudinal centers of the conveyance rollers 28 is the side frame. Parallel to the members 30 and 31.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the guide member 12 is installed on one side frame member 30. That is, the guide member 12 is disposed at one end portion in the width direction of the transport path.

As shown in FIG. 1, the resistance member 6 is provided on the upstream side of the guide member 12 in the side frame member 30.
As shown in FIG. 5, the resistance member 6 includes a fixed part 27a and a movable part 27b.

The fixed portion 27 a includes a base 33 and a stopper member 34.
The base 33 is a rectangular plate-like member in plan view. The base 33 is provided with a hole 33a.

The stopper member 34 includes a support portion 34a and a buffer portion 34b.
The support part 34a has a base fixing part 42a and an upright part 42b. The base fixing part 42a and the standing part 42b are orthogonal to each other and have an L shape.
A buffer part 34b made of a coil spring is fixed to the standing part 42b. That is, one end of the buffer part 34b is fixed to the standing part 42b, and the other end of the buffer part 34b is a free end.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a stopper 50 is provided adjacent to the base 33. The stopper 50 is a member disposed on the side frame member 30 on the side opposite to the stopper member 34 of the movable portion 27b described later, and has a function of regulating the swing range of the movable portion 27b relative to the fixed portion 27a. is there.

Next, the movable part 27b will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the movable portion 27b has a movable base 35, a support member 37, a receiving member 38, a rotating member 39, a drive portion 41, and the like.

The movable table 35 is a rectangular plate-like member when seen in a plan view. Holes 35a and 35b are provided in the vicinity of both ends of the movable table 35 in the longitudinal direction.
The center of the hole 35b coincides with the hole 43a of the upper surface portion 37a of the support member 37 described later.
The center of the hole 35a coincides with the hole 43b of the lower surface portion 37c of the support member 37 described later.

  The support member 37 is a member that constitutes the main body of the movable portion 27b, and includes a flat upper surface portion 37a, a vertical portion 37b, and a lower surface portion 37c. An upper surface portion 37a is continuous with an upper end of the vertical portion 37b, and the vertical portion 37b and the upper surface portion 37a are orthogonal to each other. Further, a lower surface portion 37c is continuous with a surface opposite to a side where the upper surface portion 37a is continuous at the lower end of the vertical portion 37b, and the vertical portion 37b and the lower surface portion 37c are orthogonal to each other. That is, the support member 37 has a structure in which one plate member is bent at two right angles at opposite sides.

The support member 37 is fixed on the movable table 35 by fixing means such as screwing. That is, the support member 37 and the movable base 35 are integrated.
The upper surface portion 37a is provided with a hole 43a, and the lower surface portion 37c is provided with a hole 43b. The hole 43b coincides with the hole 35a (FIG. 5) of the movable table 35. Further, the hole 43a coincides with the center line of the hole 35b (FIG. 5) of the movable table 35.
The upper surface portion 37a is a portion where a drive unit 41 described later is installed.
The lower surface part 37 c is a part fixed to the movable table 35.
The vertical part 37b connects the upper surface part 37a and the lower surface part 37c, and is a part for fixing a receiving member 38 described later.

  The receiving member 38 is an L-shaped plate-like member, one end side is fixed to the vertical portion 37b by screwing or the like, and the other end side is a free end to constitute the receiving portion 38a. As shown in FIG. 4, the receiving portion 38 a of the receiving member 38 covers a part of the front side of the support member 37 (the side where the stopper member 34 is provided). That is, the receiving member 38 is attached to the support member 37 so as to close a part of the opened portion where the vertical portion 37b of the support member 37 is not provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating member 39 is an L-shaped member, and has a contact side 39a and a holding side 39b.
For example, if the conveyed product W is a quadrangle such as a cardboard box or a pallet, the conveyed product W has a front surface generally facing forward in the conveying direction and a rear surface facing backward. And there is a side that connects the two.
The rotating member 39 is an L-shaped member, and one side thereof (abutting side portion 39a) is a side to be brought into contact with the front surface of the conveyed product W. The other side (holding side 39b) is a surface that holds the side surface of the conveyed product W.
In the present embodiment, the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6 functions as a holding unit that holds a corner formed by the front surface and the side surface of the conveyed product W.

  A through hole 40 is provided at a portion where the contact side 39a and the holding side 39b of the rotating member 39 intersect each other in an L shape. The rotation member 39 is attached between the support member 37 and the movable base 35 via an engagement member 46 of the drive unit 41 described later. The rotation member 39 can rotate 360 degrees with respect to the support member 37 and the movable table 35. That is, the size of each part of the rotation member 39 and the support member 37 is set so that the rotation member 39 and the support member 37 do not collide even when the rotation member 39 rotates.

  The drive unit 41 has a housing 44. The housing 44 is fixed on the upper surface portion 37 a of the support member 37 by fixing means such as screwing. A motor 45 and an engaging member 46 as shown in FIG. 6 are provided in the housing 44.

The motor 45 is a geared motor.
The engaging member 46 is a shaft-shaped member.
The output shaft 45a of the motor 45 and the engaging member 46 are connected by a belt 51 so that power can be transmitted.

The engaging member 46 passes through the hole 43 a of the support member 37, the through hole 40 of the rotating member 39, and the hole 35 b of the movable base 35, and is integrated with the rotating member 39. That is, the engaging member 46 can rotate integrally with the rotating member 39. In other words, when the engagement member 46 is rotated, the rotation member 39 is rotated about the engagement member 46.
The output shaft 45a of the motor 45 and the engaging member 46 are connected via a belt 51 so that power can be transmitted. Therefore, when the motor 45 is driven, the rotating member 39 rotates integrally with the engaging member 46. That is, the rotation member 39 rotates in one direction so as to return to the state shown in FIG. 26A through the state shown in FIG. 26B to FIG. 26D in order from the state shown in FIG. Then, it can return to its original position after one rotation. The motor 45 can rotate the rotation member 39 in one direction any number of times.

  The movable portion 27b has the configuration as described above, and is attached to the fixed portion 27a as follows.

  That is, the hole 43b of the support member 37 of the movable part 27b, the hole 35a of the movable base 35, and the hole 33a of the base 33 of the fixed part 27a are aligned, and the support bolt 36a shown in FIG. It penetrates the holes 35a and 33a. A nut 36b is screwed to the support bolt 36a, and the movable portion 27b is attached to the fixed portion 27a so as not to be separated and rotatable.

The movable portion 27 b is disposed between the stopper 50 and the stopper member 34. The movable member 27b is pressed against the stopper 50 by the stopper member 34 biasing the movable member 27b.
Specifically, the free end side of the buffer portion 34b of the stopper member 34 is in contact with the receiving portion 38a of the receiving member 38, and the receiving member 38 (movable portion 27b) is pressed and biased toward the stopper 50 side. For this reason, the stopper 50 and the stopper member 34 restrict the swinging of the movable portion 27b relative to the fixed portion 27a.

  Further, the engaging member 46 (FIG. 5) of the movable portion 27b is located closer to the conveyance path than the base 33 of the fixed portion 27a.

  The resistance member 6 has the configuration as described above, and the base 33 of the fixing portion 27a is fixed to the side frame member 30 of the straight traveling direction conveyance portion 2.

A gear (gear train) may be employed instead of the belt 51 for power transmission between the output shaft 45 a of the motor 45 and the engaging member 46.
Further, the motor 45 may rotate the rotating member 39 not only in one direction but also in the opposite direction.

Next, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11.
The inclination direction conveyance part 3 has the base member 8, the biasing member 9, and the roller drive roller 10 (rotary body), and these are integrated.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the base member 8 includes two vertical members 8a, a plurality of horizontal members 8b, and two end members 15a and 15b.
The vertical member 8a is an elongated plate-like member, and a plurality of holes 14 are provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction. In addition, passive members (cam followers) 32 are provided near both ends of the vertical member 8a. The passive member 32 is a member protruding from the vertical member 8a. The passive member 32 moves up and down together with the base member 8.

  The two vertical members 8a having such a configuration are arranged in parallel so as to face each other. As a result of arranging the two vertical members 8a in parallel, the passive member (cam follower) 32 protrudes outward. The two vertical members 8a are connected and fixed by a plurality of horizontal members 8b. The horizontal member 8b is a member having a horizontal placement surface 16, and is arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the vertical member 8a.

  A plurality of biasing members 9 are installed on the mounting surface 16 of the horizontal member 8b along the longitudinal direction of the horizontal member 8b. The urging member 9 includes a roller 17 (inclination direction conveyance body) that rotates around a horizontal axis and a support base 23 that supports the roller 17. The support base 23 is fixed to the mounting surface 16 of the horizontal member 8b by fixing means such as screws. The roller 17 is rotatably supported by a shaft 17 a fixed to the support base 23. The shaft 17a is inclined, for example, by 15 to 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the transverse member 8b. That is, each urging member 9 is fixed in a posture inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the transverse member 8 b of the base member 8. Further, the roller 17 deviates from the placement surface 16 of the transverse member 8b when viewed in plan.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the urging member 9 includes two rollers 17. When viewed in a plan view, the two rollers 17 of the urging member 9 protrude from both sides of the lateral member 8b.

  The number of urging members 9 installed on each lateral member 8b may be the same, but it can be increased on the upstream side in the transport direction A and decreased on the downstream side. That is, since the biasing member 9 on the opposite side to the biasing direction is less likely to come into contact with the conveyed product W as it goes downstream, the biasing member 9 in that region is omitted, and as it goes from the upstream side to the downstream side, The number of installations can also be reduced. For example, when the area where each urging member 9 is provided is viewed in plan, the number may be reduced to four, three, two, or one so as to form a triangle.

The two vertical members 8a are connected and fixed by two end members 15a and 15b. The end member 15a connects and fixes one end of the two vertical members 8a, and the end member 15b connects and fixes the other end of the two vertical members 8a.
The end member 15a is formed of a plate-like member, and is configured to be bent so that the cross-sectional shape thereof is substantially U-shaped. That is, the end member 15a has an upper surface portion 19a, a vertical portion 19b, and a lower surface portion 19c, the upper end of the vertical portion 19b is continuous with the upper surface portion 19a, and the lower end of the vertical portion 19b is continuous with the lower surface portion 19c. Yes.
As shown in FIG. 12, one end of leaf springs 21a and 21b, which will be described later, is screwed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15a.
The end member 15b has the same structure as the end member 15a, and one end of leaf springs 21c and 21d, which will be described later, is screwed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15b.
The end members 15a and 15b are disposed so that the vertical portions 19b face each other.
Since the end members 15a and 15b are substantially U-shaped in cross section, and the end members 15a and 15b are arranged so as to connect both ends of the pair of vertical members 8a, the rigidity of the inclined direction conveying portion 3 is high.

  Each hole 14 of the vertical member 8 a supports the shaft 10 a of the roller driving roller 10. That is, the shaft 10 a of the roller driving roller 10 is inserted into each hole 14. As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of grooves 18 a to 18 d are provided in order from the left end in FIG. 11 on the peripheral surface of the roller driving roller 10 at a predetermined interval. The groove depths of the grooves 18a to 18d are formed so as to become shallower from the left (groove 18a side) to the right (groove 18d side) as viewed in FIG. Instead of providing the rollers 18a to 18d in the roller driving roller 10, pulleys having different diameters may be mounted. In FIG. 11, the grooves 18 a to 18 d are exaggerated for easy understanding. Actual grooves 18a to 18d are shallower than those in FIG.

  Of the plurality of roller driving rollers 10, at least one is a driving roller (motor built-in roller), and the other is a driven roller. Each roller driving roller 10 is connected by belts 76a to 76d, and the power of the driving roller is transmitted to each driven roller. Therefore, when the driving roller is driven, all the roller driving rollers 10 rotate at the same time.

  Each roller driving roller 10 is disposed directly below the roller 17 of the urging member 9 installed on the lateral member 8b. The roller driving roller 10 and the shaft 17a of each roller 17 are inclined 15 to 45 degrees in plan view, and the direction of each roller 17 and the direction of the roller driving roller 10 are different. Further, belts 11a to 11d (FIG. 9) are suspended in the respective rollers 17 and grooves 18a to 18d of the roller driving roller 10 immediately below the rollers 17. The belts 11a to 11d are twisted at a portion between the roller 17 and the roller driving roller 10, but transmission of power is possible. That is, when the roller driving roller 10 rotates, a rotational force is transmitted to each roller 17 via the belts 11a to 11d, and each roller 17 rotates.

The rotation speed of each roller 17 is the slowest in the roller 17 where the belt 11a is suspended, and the fastest in the roller 17 where the belt 11d is suspended. That is, the belt 11a is suspended in the deepest groove 18a in the roller driving roller 10, and the belt 11d is suspended in the shallowest groove 18d. The outer peripheral length of the shallow groove is longer than the outer peripheral length of the deep groove. Therefore, the travel distance of the belt per rotation of the common roller driving roller 10 becomes longer as the belt is suspended in the shallow groove. That is, the amount of rotation of the roller per unit time increases as the roller 17 on which the belt having a long travel distance is suspended, and the rotation speed (circumferential speed) of the roller 17 is high.
In each roller driving roller 10, the groove 18 a is arranged on the side closer to the resistance member 6 so that the roller 17 farther from the resistance member 6 has a higher rotational speed (circumferential speed), and the groove 18 d extends from the resistance member 6. It is arranged to be far away.

  Rollers 17 a to 20 e (FIG. 1) are formed in order from the upstream side in the transport direction by the rollers 17 arranged in the direction orthogonal to the transport line L.

  When a conveyed product is placed on the roller 17 having a high rotation speed and the roller 17 having a low rotation speed at the same time, the conveyance object is drawn by drawing a trajectory having the roller 17 side having a low rotation speed on the inner edge side and the roller 17 side having a high rotation speed on the outer edge side. The posture (orientation) is changed.

  When the belts 11a (11b to 11d) are suspended from the two rollers 17 of the urging members 9, the urging members 9 receive a downward force from the two belts 11a (11b to 11d). However, as described above, each roller 17 protrudes from both sides of the transverse member 8b, and the force received from the two belts 11a (11b to 11d) is applied to both sides of the transverse member 8b and is balanced. Therefore, the urging member 9 is equally pressed against the lateral member 8b. That is, the support of the urging member 9 by the lateral member 8b is stable.

The rotational driving of the roller driving roller 10 is controlled by a control device (not shown). That is, the rotation of each roller 17 is controlled by a control device (not shown).
The base member 8, each urging member 9, and each roller driving roller 10 described above are integrated to constitute the inclined direction conveyance unit 3.

Next, the lifting mechanism unit 5 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, the elevating mechanism unit 5 includes a plurality (two in this embodiment) of elevating rollers 22 and elevating cams 24 attached to the elevating rollers 22. The lifting unit is formed between the lifting frames 25 and 26. And in this embodiment, the motor built-in roller by which the motor was incorporated in one raising / lowering roller 22a among these raising / lowering rollers 22 is employ | adopted, and the follower roller is employ | adopted for the other raising / lowering roller 22b.
Note that the motor built-in roller and the driven roller employed in the elevating roller 22 have substantially the same structure as that of the above-described straight traveling direction conveyance unit 2, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The raising / lowering cam 24 is used for the raising / lowering operation | movement of the inclination direction conveyance part 3. As shown in FIG. A plate cam is employed as the elevating cam 24. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14 (a), the elevating cam 24 has a circular base and a shape having a chord part v on a part of its outer periphery (hereinafter, the other arc part is referred to as an arc part s). It has become. In addition to the above-described configuration, a connecting pin 87 that protrudes from the plate surface of the cam is provided on the lifting cam 24a on one side of the lifting roller 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, the connecting pin 87 is not provided on the lifting cam 24b on the other side of the lifting roller 22.

  The pair of elevating frames 25 and 26 employ members having substantially the same external shape and size. That is, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, each of the elevating frames 25 and 26 has such a length that the two elevating rollers 22 can be arranged in parallel with a certain interval therebetween, Furthermore, it has a structure capable of holding a predetermined posture independently. Each of the elevating frames 25 and 26 includes a side wall 47 and a bottom wall 48 as main components.

  The side wall 47 is a rectangle whose front view is long in the horizontal direction, and is provided with a plurality of notches. That is, the side wall 47 is provided with a plurality of roller holding portions 85 a and 85 b (the same number as the number of the lifting rollers 22 in the present embodiment) for supporting the lifting rollers 22.

  The two roller holding portions 85 a and 85 b are notches opened in the member thickness direction on the upper end side in the height direction (short direction) of the side wall 47, and are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the side wall 47. Specifically, the roller holding portions 85a and 85b are provided with a roller holding portion 85a near one end in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 47, and a roller holding portion 85b near the other end in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 47. It has been.

The bottom wall 48 is a portion where the lower end side of the side wall 47 is bent in a horizontal direction and protrudes in a certain direction.
The bottom wall 48 is provided with an overhanging connecting portion 79 that protrudes further outward from the longitudinal end portion of the side wall 47.

  Moreover, the raising / lowering mechanism part 5 has two connection members 84a and 84b. The connecting members 84a and 84b are plate-like members having a predetermined length. As shown in FIG. 10, the other end portions of leaf springs 21a and 21b, which will be described later, are screwed to the central portion of one connecting member 84a. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the other end portions of leaf springs 21c and 21d to be described later are screwed to the center portion of the other connecting member 84b.

  Both ends of the elevating frames 25 and 26 are connected by connecting members 84a and 84b. Specifically, the connecting members 84a and 84b are connected to an overhanging connecting portion 79 disposed on the longitudinal ends of the elevating frames 25 and 26. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the elevating mechanism unit 5 has a frame shape with the elevating frames 25 and 26 and the two connecting members 84a and 84b.

Two elevating rollers 22a and 22b are pivotally supported by a pair of elevating frames 25 and 26 connected by the connecting members 84a and 84b. At this time, the raising / lowering cam 24 is located inside the raising / lowering frames 25 and 26 (the side where the roller body 60 is located) in a state of being attached to both ends of the raising and lowering rollers 22a and 22b.
That is, the lift cam 24 is located between the lift rollers 22 (22a, 22b) and the lift frame 25 and between the lift rollers 22 (22a, 22b) and the lift frame 26.

The elevating rollers 22 a and 22 b are connected by a link member 88 via a connection pin 87. Therefore, the two lifting rollers 22a and 22b can rotate synchronously.
That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the elevating mechanism 5 is provided with a link member 88 as a power transmission member, and as shown in FIG. 16, the connection pin 87 is interposed via the link member 88. It is possible to connect with. Accordingly, the two elevating rollers 22 a and 22 b are coupled by connecting the link member 88 to the connection pin 87. Thereby, the two raising / lowering rollers 22a and 22b become a structure driven interlockingly. As a result, in the elevating mechanism 5, when one elevating roller 22a (or elevating roller 22b) rotates, the other elevating roller 22b (or elevating roller 22a) also rotates simultaneously and in the same direction.

Then, the positional relationship of each member which comprises the attitude | position change apparatus 55 of the attitude | position change apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 2, the posture changing device 55 according to the present embodiment is provided with a lifting mechanism unit 5 serving as a base at the bottom, and an inclined direction conveying unit 3 and a straight direction conveying unit 2 are stacked in this order on the upper side. It is arranged. Specifically, the inclination direction conveyance unit 3 and the straight direction conveyance unit 2 are arranged so as to be superimposed on the upper part of the elevating mechanism unit 5, and the height position of the straight direction conveyance unit 2 is fixed. The direction transport unit 3 is arranged in a state where it can move relative to the lifting mechanism unit 5 within a certain range in the vertical direction.

The inclination direction conveyance part 3 and the raising / lowering mechanism part 5 are combined and engaged as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3, most of the inclined direction transport unit 3 is arranged so as to be positioned inside the pair of lifting frames 25 and 26 of the lifting mechanism unit 5, and is supported by the lifting mechanism unit 5. ing. Specifically, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is supported via four elevating cams 24 of the elevating mechanism unit 5. More specifically, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is supported by placing the passive member 32 on the elevating cam 24. That is, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is arranged so that power from the elevating cam 24 can be input via the passive member 32. When the passive member 32 is placed on the string portion v of the elevating cam 24 (FIG. 17A), the top surface side of the inclined direction conveying unit 3 is in a low-level state, and the arc of the elevating cam 24 is When placed on the part s (FIG. 17B), the top surface side of the inclined direction conveying part 3 is in a high level state.

  On the other hand, since the inclination direction conveyance unit 3 is not stable on the elevating mechanism unit 5 simply by placing the passive member 32 on the elevating cam 24, the inclined direction conveying unit 3 is connected to the elevating mechanism unit 5 via the leaf springs 21 a to 21 d. A connection relationship has been established. That is, when the motive power is input from the lifting cam 24, the inclined direction transport unit 3 is connected to the lifting mechanism unit 5 by the leaf springs 21 a to 21 d that perform a guide function in the moving direction.

  The inclination direction conveyance part 3 and the raising / lowering mechanism part 5 are couple | bonded only by the four leaf | plate springs 21a-21d. Specifically, one end of the leaf springs 21a and 21b is fixed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15a of the inclined direction conveying portion 3 by a fixing means such as screwing, and the other end of the leaf springs 21a and 21b. These ends are fixed to the connecting member 84a of the elevating mechanism 5 by fixing means such as screws. Similarly, one end portion of the leaf springs 21c and 21d is fixed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15b of the inclined direction conveying portion 3 by fixing means such as screwing, and the other end of the leaf springs 21c and 21d. The part is fixed to the connecting member 84b of the elevating mechanism part 5 by fixing means such as screws. Each of the leaf springs 21a to 21d is fixed in the vicinity of the four corners of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 in plan view.

  The leaf springs 21a to 21d are made by punching a thin plate-shaped spring steel, and the planar shape is an oval shape, which has both rigidity and elasticity and bends in a certain direction. That is, the leaf springs 21a to 21d are easily bent in a direction perpendicular to the plane. In other words, when a bending force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the plane, it is easily bent. However, the leaf springs 21a to 21d exert a strong resistance against the force in the twisting direction and are not easily twisted.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the movement in the inclined direction transport unit 3 is restricted by the plate springs 21a to 21d in the horizontal direction, and can reciprocate only in the vertical direction. That is, in this embodiment, the inclination direction conveyance part 3 is controlled by the action of the four leaf springs 21 a to 21 d so as to move in a straight vertical direction with respect to the lifting mechanism part 5.
Moreover, the leaf | plate springs 21a-21d are very thin, and the total height of the attitude | position changing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is low.

  As a result, when power is input from the lifting cam 24, the tilt direction conveyance unit 3 moves up and down while receiving movement restriction of the leaf springs 21a to 21d. That is, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 can be moved in the vertical direction by the leaf springs 21a to 21d.

When lowering the inclined direction conveyance unit 3, the elevating roller 22 is rotated in the normal rotation direction (clockwise direction) with reference to FIG. Then, in conjunction with the rotation of the lifting roller 22, the lifting cam 24 also rotates forward. Thereby, the raising / lowering cam 24 located in the axial direction inside of the raising / lowering roller 22 will be in the state which supports the passive member 32 of the inclination direction conveyance part 3 by the string part v, as shown to Fig.17 (a).
That is, when the passive member 32 of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 moves from the arc portion s of the elevating cam 24 to the chord portion v, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is lowered while being guided in the vertical direction by the leaf springs 21a to 21d.

  On the other hand, when the tilt direction transport unit 3 is raised, the passive member 32 of the tilt direction transport unit 3 is moved from the chord part v of the lifting cam 24 onto the arc part s and supported on the arc part s.

The inclination direction conveyance part 3 is arrange | positioned with respect to the rectilinear advance direction conveyance part 2 as follows.
As shown in FIG. 1, the straight direction conveyance unit 2 and the inclination direction conveyance unit 3 are arranged such that the conveyance roller 28 and the roller rows 20 a to 20 e are alternately arranged. In other words, the roller rows 20 a to 20 e of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 are arranged between the conveyance rollers 28 of the straight direction conveyance unit 2. At the same time, the roller rows 20 a to 20 e intersect the axis of the shaft 17 a of each roller 17 with the axis of the transport roller 28. That is, the rollers 17 of the roller rows 20a to 20e are inclined at a predetermined angle (for example, 30 to 45 degrees) with respect to the conveyance roller 28 of the linear movement direction conveyance unit 2, and the rotation directions of the outer peripheral surfaces are mutually Is different.

The posture changing device 55 of the posture changing device 1 has a structure as described above.
Next, the width adjusting mechanism 4 (width adjusting means) will be described.

The width aligning mechanism 4 (width aligning means) is disposed on the most upstream side in the transport direction of the posture changing device 1 and is a part that causes the transported object W to be width-closed to the side frame member 30 side.
The width adjusting mechanism unit 4 includes a conveyance roller 29 (a driving roller 29a and a driven roller 29b). The transport rollers 29 are connected by a belt 65 so that power can be transmitted to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, each conveyance roller 29 intersects the conveyance direction A but is not orthogonal. That is, the axis of each transport roller 29 is set to the side frame so that the end of each transport roller 29 on the side frame member 30 side is upstream of the end on the side frame member 31 side in the transport direction A. It is fixed to the members 30 and 31.
The interval between the conveyance rollers 29 is the same as the interval between the conveyance rollers 93 of the upstream conveyor device 100 and the downstream conveyor device 101, and is narrower than the interval between the conveyance rollers 28 (straight forward conveyance bodies).
As shown in FIG. 1, a guide member 13 is installed in the vicinity of the fixing portion of each conveyance roller 29 in the side frame member 30. The conveyed product W that has been brought closer to the side frame member 30 by the conveying roller 29 comes into contact with the guide member 13 and is conveyed downstream along the guide member 13.

The posture changing device 1 has a structure as described above.
Next, operation | movement of the attitude | position change apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

The posture changing device 1 according to the present embodiment can bring the conveyed product W conveyed from the upstream side toward one end. For example, when a transport object W having a rectangular shape in plan view has been transported, the transport object W can be brought closer to the side frame member 30 side. And the conveyed product W can be moved along the guide member 13 of the side frame member 30, and the attitude | position of the conveyed product W can be corrected.
For example, it is possible to straighten the distorted posture of the conveyed product W with respect to the conveyance direction.
Furthermore, in the posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment, the posture can be changed by turning the conveyed product W. For example, the transported object W that has been transported with the short side at the top can be turned to transport the long side with the top.
The posture changing device 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to carry the straight line conveyance to the downstream side in a state in which the posture of the conveyed product W is corrected, and to rotate the conveyed product W after correcting the posture of the conveyed product W. It is possible to carry out posture change conveyance.
For example, in the straight conveyance, the posture of the conveyed product W that has been conveyed to the front with the short side facing diagonally forward is corrected, and the short side is directed to the front. And it conveys to a downstream side in the state which faced the short side toward the front.
Further, for example, in posture change conveyance, the posture of the conveyed product W that has been conveyed to the front with the short side facing diagonally forward is corrected, and the short side is directed to the front. After that, the conveyed product W is swung so that the long side is directed to the top, and the long side is directed to the front, and conveyed to the downstream side.

In the posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment, the lifting cam 24 maintains the initial posture until the presence / absence of the posture changing operation of the conveyed product W is determined, as shown in FIG. 19B or 19C. As described above, the upper portion of the urging member 9 (roller 17) of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is made to stand by at a height position above the conveyance surface 7 or at the same height position as the conveyance surface 7.
That is, while the elevating cam 24 is in the initial posture, the passive member 32 of the inclined direction conveying unit 3 is supported by the arc portion s of the elevating cam 24 as shown in FIG.
When the passive member 32 is supported on the arc portion s of the elevating cam 24, the upper portion of the roller 17 protrudes above the conveying surface 7 as shown in FIG.
Further, the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6 is stopped in a posture (rotational position) in which the contact side 39a protrudes on the conveyance path.

  In the present embodiment, information related to the conveyed product W is detected by a stock sensor (not shown) or the like from the upstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the posture changing device 1. Then, for example, in the state shown in FIG. 22A, information detected by the presence sensor is input to the control device (not shown), and whether or not the posture of the conveyed product W is changed by the posture changing device 1. To decide.

As shown in FIG. 1, the posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment is provided between the upstream conveyor device 100 and the downstream conveyor device 101 and forms a part of the transport line L (FIG. 1). It is. That is, the posture changing device 1 changes the posture of the conveyed product W that has been carried in (posture changing conveyance), or sends it to the downstream conveyor device 101 along the conveying line L without changing the posture (straight line conveyance). Is possible.
Hereinafter, the operation in the straight conveyance and the operation in the posture change conveyance will be individually described.
In both cases of linear conveyance and posture change conveyance, the conveyance roller 28 of the straight traveling direction conveyance unit 2 is driven to rotate.

(Linear conveyance)
The conveyed product W transported from the upstream conveyor device 100 (FIG. 1) to the posture changing device 1 is shifted toward the side frame member 30 by the transport rollers 29 of the width shifting mechanism unit 4 while being transported downstream. The That is, the conveyed product W moves to the side frame member 30 side and abuts on the guide member 13 as shown in FIGS. 22 (a) and 22 (b). The conveyed product W is conveyed downstream along the guide member 13 while being supported by the guide member 13. At this time, the conveyed product W advances toward the guide member 13 in an oblique direction with respect to the conveyance direction, contacts the guide member 13, and flows in the conveyance direction along the guide member 13. Therefore, even if the direction of the conveyed product W is distorted, it is corrected by the guide member 13, and the direction is unified.
When the conveyed product W passes through the width adjusting mechanism portion 4, there is no urging toward the side frame member 30, and the straight line advances straight as it is.

A control device (not shown) retracts the urging member 9 of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 below the conveyance surface 7.
That is, the elevating cam 24 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the passive member 32 is supported on the string portion v as shown in FIG. 17A, and the roller 17 (the biasing member 9 is shown in FIG. 18B). ) Is retracted below the conveying surface 7.
Further, the control device (not shown) drives the motor 45 to retract the contact side 39a of the rotating member 39 of the resistance member 6 from the conveyance path as shown in FIGS. 24 (a) and 26 (d). Let
That is, as shown in FIGS. 26A to 26D, the rotating member 39 can be rotated in one direction, and in the case of linear conveyance, the rotating member 39 of FIG. 26C or FIG. In this state, the contact side 39a and the holding side 39b of the rotating member 39 are not arranged on the conveyance path. That is, the engaging member 46 is rotated by the motor 45 so that the rotating member 39 assumes the posture shown in FIG. 26 (c) or FIG. 26 (d).

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 22B to 22D and FIGS. 24A to 24C, the posture changing device 1 transfers the conveyed product W to the downstream side conveyor by the straight direction conveying unit 2. Transport to apparatus 101. That is, the resistance member 6 (the contact side 39a of the rotating member 39) and the biasing member 9 (the roller 17) of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 do not contact or contact the conveyed product W, and the conveyed product W The rotation moment does not work. Therefore, the conveyed product W is conveyed with the attitude | position as it is to the downstream conveyor apparatus 101, without changing an attitude | position.

  As described above, in the posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment, when the posture of the conveyed product W is not changed, the contact side 39a of the rotating member 39 is retracted from the conveying path and the inclined direction conveying unit 3 is moved. The top surface is lowered below the conveying surface 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 19A, the top surface of the straight traveling direction transport unit 2 is used as the transport surface 7, and the conveyed product W carried into the posture change device 1 is sent out downstream without changing the posture.

  When the conveyed product W passes through the attitude changing device 1, the control device (not shown) drives the motor 45 to place the rotating member 39 (contact side portion 39a) of the resistance member 6 on the conveying path, and the lifting roller 22a. (Motor built-in roller) is driven to move the urging member 9 (roller 17) of the inclined conveyance unit 3 upward from the conveyance surface 7. That is, the posture changing device 1 is returned to the initial state.

(Posture change transport)
Next, posture change conveyance will be described.

When the posture of the conveyed product W is changed, the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6 maintains the initial state. That is, the state shown in FIG. 26A in which the contact side 39a protrudes on the conveyance path is set. Specifically, the rotation member 39 protrudes so that the contact side 39a is orthogonal to the transport path, and the holding side 39b is in a posture parallel to the transport path (transport direction). .
Further, the urging member 9 of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is in an initial state in which the upper portion of the roller 17 is disposed at a higher position than the conveyance surface 7 as shown in FIG.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the conveyed product W that has been brought closer to the side frame member 30 side by the width-feeding mechanism portion 4 is shown in FIGS. 20C and 23A. As shown in FIG. 4, the contact member 39 is brought into contact with the contact side 39a of the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6. At this time, the holding side portion 39b of the rotating member 39 holds the rear surface along the rear surface of the conveyed product W. That is, one side (abutting side 39 a) of the rotating member 39 is in contact with the conveyed product W, and the other side (holding side 39 b) holds the conveyed product W.

At the moment when the contact side 39a contacts the conveyed product W, an impact acts on the contact side 39a (resistance member 6) side.
As shown in FIG. 23B, this impact is caused by the rotation of the movable member 27b around the support bolt 36a with respect to the fixed portion 27a of the resistance member 6 and the buffer portion 34b of the stopper member 34 rotating the movable portion 27b. It is generally absorbed by biasing in the opposite direction.
After absorbing the shock, the buffer portion 34b restores the original state as shown in FIG. 23C, and rotates the movable portion 27b in the direction opposite to the above-described rotation direction. The movable part 27b rotated in the reverse direction comes into contact with the stopper 50 and stops, and the movable part 27b returns to the initial state with respect to the fixed part 27a.

In other words, when the conveyed product W collides with the contact side portion 39a, the impact acts on the entire movable portion 27b of the resistance member 6, and the movable portion 27b is pressed against the conveyed product W, and FIGS. As shown in (b), it rotates to the downstream side in the conveying direction around the support bolt 36a against the urging force of the buffer 34b.
Thereby, the impact concerning the conveyed product W is relieved.

A resistance force that resists the downstream movement of the conveyed product W, that is, the movement in the straight direction along the conveyance line L, is applied from the resistance member 6 to the end (corner) of the conveyed product W. The object W turns.
As shown in FIGS. 21A to 21C, the contact side 39a (rotating member 39) with which the conveyed product W collides rotates about the engaging member 46 (FIG. 4).
That is, the rotation member 39 is rotationally driven by the motor 45 at a rotational speed (angular speed) corresponding to the moving speed of the conveyed product W toward the downstream side. Thereby, the conveyed product W becomes easy to turn.

  Further, the rotating member 39 is made to be in a freely rotatable state without depending on the motor 45, and the rotating member 39 is rotated by the contact side 39a being pressed by the conveyed object W that linearly moves downstream. You can also. Even in this case, the rotation member 39 can impart resistance to the downstream side movement to the end of the conveyed product W.

  Further, the control device (not shown) drives the motor 45 at the timing when the conveyed product W comes into contact with the contact side 39a, and rotates the rotating member 39 (the contact side 39a at a rotational speed corresponding to the conveyance speed of the conveyed product W. ).

Here, the rotating member 39 rotates about the engaging member 46, but the rotating member 39 only changes its posture, and its position itself does not change. More specifically, the rotating member 39 only rotates at the same position as the engaging member 46, and does not move in the traveling direction of the conveyed product W and stops.
Then, the conveyed product W is held with its corner portion (end portion) engaged with a portion where the contact side 39a and the holding side 39b of the rotating member 39 intersect. Therefore, the corner portion of the conveyed product W is in contact with the rotating member 39 and is prevented from moving downstream in the traveling direction.
On the other hand, the bottom of the conveyed product W comes into contact with the urging member 9 that rotates in the inclined direction conveying unit 3, and an urging force is applied. The urging member 9 urges the conveyed product W in an oblique direction. The urging direction by the urging member 9 is a direction that promotes the turning of the conveyed product W.
When the urging member 9 (roller 17) of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is driven in a state where the contact side 39a of the resistance member 6 is in contact with the corner (end) of the conveyance object W, the contact of the conveyance object W is reduced. There is a speed difference between the portion where the contact portion 39a abuts and the portion where the urging member 9 (roller 17) of the conveyed product W contacts. Therefore, a rotational moment is generated in the conveyed product W, and the conveyed product W is turned by being simultaneously applied with an external force from the rotating member 39 and the urging member 9.

  Since the shaft 17 a of each roller 17 (the urging member 9) intersects the axis of the conveyance roller 28, the conveyed product W is urged toward the side frame member 30 by each roller 17, and the side frame member 30. Try to move to the side. That is, a rotational moment acts on the conveyed product W, and the conveyed product W turns from the contact side 39a of the resistance member 6 as a starting point. Then, as shown in FIG. 21C, the conveyed product W comes into contact with the guide member 12 and moves downstream along the guide member 12.

  That is, the transported object W easily turns due to the synergistic effect of the transported object W about to move downstream in the transporting direction abuts against the resistance member 6 and is biased in the oblique direction by the inclined-direction transporting unit 3. To do.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 21C, the conveyed product W rotates (turns) 90 degrees, and the posture (orientation) of the conveyed product W is changed. At that time, the conveyed product W comes into contact with the guide member 12 and stops rotating (turning). Then, the conveyed product W moves to the downstream conveyor apparatus 101 along the conveyance line L in a state where the posture is changed by 90 degrees.

When changing the posture of the conveyed product W in the posture changing device 1, the posture changing device 1 is put on standby in a state where the inclined direction conveying unit 3 is raised.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 19C, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is projected upward from the conveyance surface 7. The lifting roller 22 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction (counterclockwise direction) with reference to FIG. Then, in conjunction with this, the elevating cam 24 also rotates in the reverse direction. Thereby, the raising / lowering cam 24 will be in the state which supports the passive member 32 of the inclination direction conveyance part 3 by the circular arc part s. At the same time, the tilt direction transport unit 3 is guided in the vertical direction by the leaf springs 21a to 21d and rises straight in the vertical direction, and the tilt direction transport unit 3 moves to a high position as shown in FIG.

  When the posture changing operation of the conveyed product W by the posture changing device 1 is finished, the control device (not shown) returns the resistance member 6 to the initial state before passing the conveyed product W again. Further, the urging member 9 of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is kept in the high position (initial state).

  Thus, in the posture change device 1 of the present embodiment, when changing the posture of the conveyed product W, the top surface of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is maintained at a high position. And as shown in FIG.19 (c), the top surface of the inclination direction conveyance part 3 (biasing member 9) is made into a conveyance surface, and the conveyed product W carried in to the attitude | position change apparatus 1 is urged | biased in an inclination direction, The posture of the conveyed product W is changed while moving the conveyed product W in a direction inclined with respect to the conveying direction.

  And the control apparatus which is not illustrated acquires the information regarding the subsequent conveyed product W conveyed next from the upstream conveyor apparatus 100 side. When it is determined whether or not the posture of the subsequent transported object W is to be changed, a control device (not shown) repeats the above-described operation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6 has been described as rotating only in one direction. However, the rotation member 39 rotates in the opposite direction after the transported object W has passed, and thus the original rotation member 39 is rotated. You may return to the state.

The resistance member 6 may not have a configuration that rotates like the rotation member 39.
In the present embodiment, the resistance member 6 (contact side 39a) protrudes on the conveyance path by rotation, but may be protruded by raising and lowering. That is, instead of the abutting side portion 39a of the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6, a configuration that protrudes upward from the conveyance surface 7 of the straight direction conveyance unit 2 or retracts downward from the conveyance surface 7 may be employed. .
Further, the resistance member 6 may have a configuration that protrudes straight and horizontally from the side frame member 30 side.

  In the present embodiment, the resistance member 6 completely stops the movement of the conveyed product W in the traveling direction. However, the resistance member 6 may be provided with resistance so as to delay the movement compared to other portions.

  Further, when the passive member 32 is supported on the arc portion s of the elevating cam 24, the upper portion of the roller 17 may coincide with the conveying surface 7 as shown in FIG. 19B. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Posture change apparatus 2 Straight direction conveyance part 3 Inclination direction conveyance part 4 Width adjustment mechanism part 5 Elevating mechanism part (elevating means)
6 Resistance member 10 Roller for roller driving (long rotating body)
11a to 11d Belt 12 Guide member 17 Roller (inclination direction conveyance body)
18a to 18d Groove 28 of roller for roller driving for suspending belt
39 Rotating member (holding part)
W Conveyed items

Claims (10)

A rectilinear transport body that contacts the bottom surface of the transported object and urges the transported object in the straight direction; an inclined direction transport body that contacts the bottom surface of the transported object and biases the transported object in an oblique direction; Elevating means for raising and lowering at least one of the inclined direction conveying bodies, and a resistance member that is in contact with a part of the conveyed product and resists movement of the portion of the conveyed object,
By the elevating means, the height of the part in contact with the conveyed product of the inclined direction conveying body is set to be equal to or higher than the height of the part in contact with the conveyed object of the straight traveling direction conveying body,
An attitude change device characterized in that the tilting direction conveyance body is driven in a state where the resistance member is in contact with a part of the conveyance object, and the attitude is changed by turning the conveyance object from the resistance member as a starting point.   The posture changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member is rotatable.   The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member is rotated by power.   The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member includes a holding unit that holds a corner of the conveyed product, and the holding unit rotates as the conveyed product turns. It has a plurality of straight direction conveyance bodies and inclined direction conveyance bodies,
The linearly traveling body is a roller or roller that rotates by power and is arranged in parallel;
The inclined direction transport body is a roller that is rotated by power, and the inclined direction transport body is disposed between the rectilinear direction transport bodies and is inclined with respect to the transport direction of the rectilinear direction transport body. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   A straight traveling direction transport body is arranged in part or all, and a straight traveling path for moving a conveyed product in the straight traveling direction is configured, and the resistance member is provided at one end in the width direction of the straight traveling transport path. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined direction conveyance bodies are distributed at positions away from the resistance member.   7. A guide member is provided at the end portion on the side where the resistance member is provided to prevent rotation of the conveyed product and guide the conveyed product to move in the straight direction. The posture changing device according to any one of the above.   The tilt direction transport body is a roller rotated by power, and the peripheral speed of the tilt direction transport body at a position away from the resistance member is faster than the peripheral speed of the tilt direction transport body at a position near the resistance member. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the posture changing device is characterized in that   The inclined direction conveying body is a roller, and has a long rotating body and a plurality of pulleys provided on the rotating body, and a plurality of belts are bridged between the inclined direction conveying body and the corresponding pulleys. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined direction conveying body is rotated by a single rotating body.   The conveyed product can be conveyed in one direction by the linearly traveling member, and the conveyed item is moved toward the end on the side where the resistance member in the width direction is provided on the upstream side of the region where the inclined direction conveying member is distributed. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a width adjusting means.

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