JP2019081135A - Distribution device and combination weighing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a new distribution device capable of supplying articles to each scale in a combination weighing device by an appropriate amount without returning overflowing articles to an upstream side even when the operational state of a downstream combination weighing device is deteriorated and to provide the combination weighing device mounting the same.SOLUTION: A distribution device distributing articles conveyed from an upstream side into a plurality of conveyance paths and individually discharging the articles from each conveyance path is provided with: distributing portions being disposed at the inlets of each conveyance path and distributing the articles conveyed from the upstream side into a corresponding conveyance path; and a controlling unit controlling each distributing portion. The controlling unit controls each distributing portion individually based on the amount of the articles conveyed from the upstream side and a discharge amount from each conveyance path in each distributing portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting device for sorting articles transported by a conveyor into a plurality of transport paths arranged in parallel along the conveyor, and a combination weighing device including the sorting device.

  The combination weighing device is known as an automatic weighing device capable of dispensing articles having variations in single mass to a plurality of weighing machines, weighing them, and combining the obtained weighing values to obtain articles of constant mass. ing.

  As it is known that this device needs to supply the articles to a plurality of weighing machines in an appropriate amount, solids which are easily dispersed by the vibratory feeder are distributed while dispersing the articles by the dispersive feeder equipped with the vibratory feeder. The articles are individually supplied to a plurality of weighing devices. However, since articles which are difficult to be dispersed by the vibratory feeder, for example, block meat and the like cut out from a broiler, are not transported by absorbing vibrations, such articles are manually supplied with articles to the respective weighing devices.

  The device described in the following patent document was developed as a device to replace such manual work, in which the articles conveyed by the conveyor are separated into a plurality of conveyance lines arranged in parallel along the conveyor. For example, it is used as an apparatus capable of individually distributing block meat sent from a broiler disassembly line to a plurality of weighing devices.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-214936

  However, even if block meat etc. is sent from the disassembly line, if the combination failure of the combination measuring device on the downstream side or the stagnation of the article occurs in some of the weighing devices, the items sent from the upstream are It overflows before being supplied to the combination weighing device.

  So, in the said patent document 1, the circulation conveyor which returns overflowing goods to the upstream side is provided. However, if the overflowed articles on the front side of the combination weighing apparatus are returned upstream, the newly sent articles and the returned articles join and become excessive on the upstream side, so that they are combined weighing. There is a problem that the operating condition of the combination weighing device is further deteriorated because it is not possible to distribute the articles to a plurality of weighing machines even if it is sent to the device again.

  In order to avoid this, the overflowed articles are collected and stored downstream of the combination weighing device without being returned to the upstream side by the circulating conveyor, and after the series of transport processes have been completed, the accumulated articles are again operated upstream. It will be returned to the side and distributed to each hopper of the combination weighing device, but doing so has the problem that it takes time and effort.

  The present invention solves these problems, and supplies the appropriate amount to each weighing machine of the combination weighing device without returning the overflowed articles to the upstream side even if the operating condition of the downstream combination weighing device is deteriorated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new sorter capable of

  The distribution device according to the present invention is a distribution device which distributes articles conveyed from the upstream to a plurality of conveyance paths, and discharges the articles individually from each conveyance path, and is provided at the inlet of each conveyance path And a distribution unit that distributes the articles transported from the upstream to the corresponding transport path, and a control unit that controls each distribution unit, the control unit being transported from the upstream in each distribution unit The distribution units are individually controlled based on the amount of articles and the discharge amount from each conveyance path.

1 to 8 are model diagrams for explaining the solution principle of the present invention. In these drawings, the sorting apparatus 100 includes a lateral pulling conveyor 10 for conveying an article M, a plurality of conveying paths 21 to 26 arranged in parallel along the conveying direction of the lateral pulling conveyor 10 indicated by the arrow F, and Distribution units 31 to 36 provided at the entrances of the paths 21 to 26 for distributing the articles M on the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 to the corresponding transport paths 21 to 26 and controlling the respective distribution units 31 to 36 described later And a control unit 40. In each of the distribution units 31 to 36, the control unit 40 individually separates the distribution units 31 to 36 based on the amount of the articles M conveyed from the upstream and the discharge amount from each of the conveyance paths 21 to 26. It is configured to control.
In addition, although the example of arrangement | positioning of six lanes is shown as several conveyance path 20 in FIGS. 1-6, this is an example and it is not limited to this lane number. Moreover, in the following description, each of the transport paths 21 to 26 may be collectively referred to as the transport path 20, and the distribution units 31 to 36 may be collectively referred to as the distribution unit 30.

  Each of the distribution units 31 to 36 includes opening and closing arms 31 a to 36 a. Each opening / closing arm 31a to 36a distributes the blocked articles M to the corresponding transport paths 21 to 26 in a first state (see FIG. 1) blocking the articles M transported by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10, and It turns to the 2nd state (refer to Drawing 2) which closes the entrance of conveyance way 21-26. Further, above the pivoting areas 31b to 36b of the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a, sensors (not shown) for detecting articles being conveyed are respectively disposed, and those sensors are disposed in the pivoting areas 31b to 36b directly below. The detection area of the article M is used.

  Although the conveyance path 20 is comprised with the chute | shoot of predetermined length, it is not limited to this, For example, appropriate conveyance means, such as a belt conveyor, may be sufficient. Each of the transport paths 21 to 26 is provided with a stock area SA for stocking a predetermined amount of the articles M. Further, between the opening and closing arms 31 to 36 and the stock areas SA of the conveyance paths 21 to 26, the articles M which can be distributed from the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 by the rotation of the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a are conveyed to the conveyance paths 21 to 26. The hoppers H for guiding to the stock area SA of each are arranged.

  At the start of operation, first, as shown in FIG. 1, all the open / close arms 31a to 36a are held in the first state in which the transport path 20 of the article M is blocked. Then, the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 is driven to convey the articles M conveyed from the upstream to the distribution apparatus 100.

  Then, when it is detected by the upper sensor that the leading article M1 has reached the first rotation area 31b, the control unit 40 rotates the first opening and closing arm 31a, as shown in FIG. The leading article M1 is distributed to the first conveyance path 21. Subsequently, the control unit 40 holds the first opening / closing arm 31a in the second state until the subsequent articles M2 to M6 pass through the first rotation area 31b. Thereby, the subsequent five articles M2 to M6 pass through the first rotation area 31b and are transported to the downstream side. Then, when the passage of the fifth article M6 is completed, the control unit 40 returns the first opening and closing arm 31a from the second state to the first state. As a result, the first opening / closing arm 31 a switches to a posture in which the seventh article M 7 to be sent next is distributed to the first conveyance path 21.

  In the second distribution unit 32, when it is detected by the upper sensor that the second article M2 has reached the second rotation area 32b, the control unit 40 rotates the second opening / closing arm 32a. As shown in FIG. 3, the second article M2 is distributed to the second conveyance path 22. Subsequently, the control unit 40 holds the second opening / closing arm 32a in the second state until the subsequent four articles M3 to M6 pass through the second rotation area 32b. Thereby, the following four articles M3 to M6 pass through the second rotation area 32b and are transported to the downstream side. Then, when passage of the fourth article M6 is completed, the control unit 40 returns the second opening / closing arm 32a from the second state to the first state. As a result, the second opening / closing arm 32 a switches to a posture in which the eighth article to be sent next is distributed to the second conveyance path 22.

  In this manner, also in each of the downstream distributing units 33 to 36, an article which arrives first after the open / close arms 33a to 36a are switched to the first state, that is, in the third rotation area 33b The third article M3 is the fourth article M4 in the fourth pivoting area 34b, the fifth article M5 in the fifth pivoting area 35b, and the sixth in the sixth pivoting area 36b. When the articles M6 of each reach the respective pivoting areas 33b to 36b, the corresponding open / close arms 33a to 36a are switched from the first state to the second state, and the articles M We distribute to 26. When the distribution ends, the third opening and closing arm 33a receives the three articles M4 to M6, and the fourth opening and closing arm 34a receives the fifth articles M5 and M6. The opening / closing arm 35a is immediately returned from the second state to the first state when the sixth article opening / closing arm 36a at the lowermost end distributes the sixth article M6 when the last article M6 passes there.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the articles M1 to M6 are distributed to the transport paths 21 to 26 in this manner. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, if the seventh article M7 follows the sixth article M6, the seventh article M7 is distributed to the first conveyance path 21 as shown in FIG. Therefore, although not shown, the eighth and subsequent articles M are similarly sequentially distributed from the second transport path 23 to the sixth transport path 2.

  Thus, the first open / close arm 31a is returned to the first state when the five articles M are transported downstream in the second state, and the second open / close arm 32a is in the second state in the four articles M Is transported downstream, it is returned to the first state. Similarly, the third opening / closing arm 33a is returned to the first state after the three articles pass, and the fourth opening / closing arm 34a is returned to the first state after the two articles pass, The opening and closing arm 35a is returned to the first state after one article passes. Then, when the sixth opening and closing arm 36a at the most downstream side distributes the arrived articles M to the sixth conveyance path 26, the second opening state is immediately returned to the first state.

  As described above, when the open / close arm 36a on the most downstream side is turned from the first state to the second state, the control unit 40 immediately returns it to the first state, but instead, the open / close arm 36a is always switched to the first state. It may be kept in one state. In this case, the articles M transported by the lateral pulling conveyor 10 are fed to the sixth transport path 26 along the obliquely held opening and closing arms 36a.

  In the above description, the sensors are disposed above the pivoting regions 31b to 36b of the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a, and when the respective sensors detect the specific articles M having reached the pivoting regions 31b to 36b, the control unit 40 However, instead of this configuration, the article detection sensor S described later is provided upstream of the first opening / closing arm 31 a in the conveyance direction, and the sensor S The timer which starts time measurement by article detection is provided only for the number of distribution parts 31-36 (in the example of Drawing 1-Drawing 6, six pieces). Then, when the sensor S detects the first article M1, the first timer starts timing, and when the second article 2 is detected, the second timer starts timing. You can also.

  In this case, the conveyance distance from the article detection position of the sensor S on the upstream side to the turning areas 31b to 36b of the opening / closing arms 31a to 36a and the article conveyance speed of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 are known. The number of seconds after the sensor S detects the article M can determine by calculation whether the article M reaches the pivoting regions 31 b to 36 b. Therefore, each arrival time that has been determined is set to each timer, and each timer starts counting, and when each time is up, if each open / close arms 31a to 36a are rotated in order, The second article M can be distributed to the first conveyance path 21, and the second article M can be distributed to the second conveyance path 22. Therefore, the article detection sensor S is provided on the upstream side of the transport direction of the first opening and closing arm 31a instead of arranging the sensor S above the pivoting areas 31b to 36b, and the article detection order of the sensors S is provided. A configuration may be provided in which timers for starting clocking are provided corresponding to the respective distribution units 31 to 36.

Up to this point, even with the device described in Patent Document 1, similar control can be performed, but in the present invention, stock areas SA for stocking a predetermined amount of articles M are particularly provided in the respective transport paths 21 to 26. The combination weighing device 200 is provided so that even if articles are stagnated by the combination weighing device 200 on the downstream side, the articles M transported from the upstream can be temporarily stocked in each stock area SA, and the operating condition is deteriorated. We are waiting for your recovery.
In addition, in order to distribute the articles M evenly to the respective stock areas SA, the control unit 40 in each of the distribution units 21 to 26, the amount of the articles transported from the upstream, and the discharge from each of the transport paths 21 to 26. The open / close arms 31a to 36a of the distribution units 21 to 26 are individually controlled based on the amount.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, it is assumed that the third transport path 23 is full due to the operation state of the combination weighing device 200 on the downstream side. In this case, the control unit 40 holds the third opening / closing arm 33 a in the second state and closes the entrance of the third conveyance path 23. The other transport paths 21, 22, 24 to 26 individually open and close the open / close arms 31a, 32a, 34a to 36a in the same manner as described above. And since there are three distribution parts 34-36 on the downstream side of the third opening and closing arm 33a, the third opening and closing arm 32a on the upstream side passes the three articles M through the second rotation area 32b. At this point, the second state is returned to the first state to wait for the arrival of the fourth article M to be transported next. When the fourth article M arrives, the second opening / closing arm 32 a pivots to the second state, and distributes the fourth article M to the second transport path 22. Similarly, when the fourth article M passes, the first opening / closing arm 31a is returned from the second state to the first state, and waits for the arrival of the fifth article M to be transported next. Then, when the article arrives, the first opening / closing arm 31 a rotates to the second state, and distributes the fifth article M to the first conveyance path 21.

  In this manner, in each of the distribution units 21 to 26, the control unit 40 is configured such that the amount of the article M conveyed from the upstream is any of the conveyance paths except the conveyance path 26 (the conveyance path 26 in FIG. 5). If the amount discharged from the transport path (in the case of FIG. 5, the transport path 23) is exceeded, the transport path 24 to 26 downstream of the transport path 23 overflows, avoiding the transport path 23 that exceeds the discharge amount. Sort out the goods.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the most downstream transport path 26 is full, the control unit 40 distributes the articles M to the next upstream transport path 25. That is, the article M is distributed with the upstream conveyance path 25 following the conveyance path 26 at the most downstream as the conveyance path at the most downstream. Therefore, the fifth opening / closing arm 35a in this case is returned to the first state immediately after distributing the article M to the fifth conveyance path 25, and waits for the arrival of the next article M. By such control, the overflowed articles M are distributed to the transport path 20 having a margin, avoiding the transport path 20 in which the articles M are full.

  Therefore, when the stock area SA of at least one of the transport paths 21 to 26 is full, the control unit 40 opens and closes the arm corresponding to the full transport path (the transport path 23 in FIG. 5 and the transport path 26 in FIG. 6). (33a, 36a) is held in the second state, the article M is distributed to the other conveyance path (conveyance paths 24 to 26 in FIG. 5, conveyance paths 21 to 25 in FIG. 6), and combined weighing on the downstream side When the operating condition of the apparatus 200 is improved and the stock area SA is not full, the control unit 40 immediately returns the open / close arm (33a, 36a) held in the second condition to the first condition, I will do the open and close control of the street.

  In the above figures, the individual articles M are shown to be transported at a constant interval, but the size of the transported articles M is not constant, and sometimes they overlap vertically or Since the control unit 40 causes the article M having an average size to pass through the detection position of the sensor S, the control unit 40 sets as much as possible the single article M on each conveyance path 21 based on the on time of the sensor. The opening and closing timings of the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a are controlled so as to be fed to.

  Then, even if a plurality of articles M are distributed to the same transport path 20 at one time, the control unit 40 does not discharge the amount from each transport path 21 to 26 by the number but the stock amount of the stock area SA, that is, Since it is judged based on the volume of the stored articles and it can be determined to which conveyance path 21 to 26 the article M can be distributed from the volume change, the opening / closing control of the opening / closing arms 31a to 36a thereafter There is no impact on the On the other hand, when the discharge amount is managed by the number, the amount that can be stocked varies greatly depending on the size of the goods, so it is judged that the stock area SA is full despite the fact that there is room for the stock amount. There is a possibility. However, in the case where the article M is conveyed at a constant interval in the horizontal pulling conveyor 10, and in each of the conveyance paths 21 to 26, the stock amount becomes full with substantially the same number regardless of the size of the article M. It is also possible to manage the amount of emissions of

  On the other hand, since the stock amount in the stock area SA of each transport path 20 changes successively depending on the size of the article, the operation condition of the combination measuring device 20 on the downstream side, etc., the control unit 40 sets the open / close arms 31a to 36a to the second If the stock areas SA of the corresponding transport paths 21 to 26 are full at the time of returning to the first state from the state, the second state is maintained without returning to the first state. Thus, the inlet of the transport path 20 remains closed. Then, when the full state is eliminated, the open / close arms 31a to 36a of the corresponding conveyance paths 21 to 26 are returned to the first state at the elimination point.

  Thus, even if the operating condition of the downstream combination weighing device 200 is deteriorated, the lateral pulling conveyor 10 does not retain the articles and does not collect the articles from the lateral pulling conveyor 10, so stopping the upstream line Instead, the distribution apparatus 100 can be operated. Meanwhile, if the operating state of the combination weighing device 200 is improved, the discharge amount discharged from the combination weighing device 200 is set larger than the discharge amount discharged from the distribution device 100. The stock amount of ~ 26 gradually decreases.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the downstream combination weighing device 200 connected to the distribution device 100 includes a plurality of supply conveyors 210 linearly arranged in parallel and an article supplied from each supply conveyor 210. And a plurality of weighing machines 220 for individually receiving and weighing, and each of the supply conveyors 210 is connected to each of the transport paths 21 to 26 described above, and from each transport path 21 to 26 to each supply conveyor 210 An article is configured to be supplied.

  Further, each supply conveyor 210 is constituted by a stand-up type crosspiece conveyor, the downstream end of each conveyance path 21 to 26 is faced to each supply conveyor 210, and stocking on each conveyance path 21 to 26 by the crosspiece conveyor It is configured to scoop up the articles one by one.

  That is, in a state where two or more articles M of average size overlap, only one sheet is left in the crosspiece 211, and the other articles M fall from the crosspiece 211, the height of the crosspiece 211 and the inclination angle of the conveyor And is set. As a result, even when a plurality of articles are deposited on the transport paths 21 to 26, the articles M are carried one by one on each crosspiece 211 of the supply conveyor 210 and are transported to the combination weighing device 200. ing.

  According to the present invention, even if the operating condition of the downstream combination weighing device is deteriorated, articles can be evenly stocked in each stock area in the distribution device, and recovery of the combination weighing device can be waited for. This eliminates the need for a circulating conveyor, and eliminates the need to collect articles from the downstream of the cross conveyor. Therefore, a compact and labor-saving distribution apparatus can be provided to the market. In addition, since the distribution device distributes the articles conveyed from the upstream to the respective supply conveyors of the combination weighing device, the combined weighing device can promptly improve the deteriorated operating condition.

The top view at the time of the driving | operation start of the distribution apparatus for demonstrating the solution principle of this invention. FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the leading article M1 is distributed to the conveyance path from the state of FIG. 1; The figure of the state where the 2nd article M2 is distributed to a conveyance way from the state of FIG. The figure of the state in which goods M1-M6 were distributed to each conveyance way 21-26 of FIG. The figure in the state where the 3rd conveyance way 23 of Drawing 1 was full with goods. The figure in the state where the 6th conveyance way 26 of Drawing 1 was full with goods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic side view which shows an example of the combination weighing device 200 which mounts the distribution apparatus 100. FIG. Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of Fig. 7; The schematic front view of the combination weighing device 200 seen from the AA arrow direction of FIG. The back view of each hopper and each conveyance path seen from the BB arrow direction of FIG. The control system block diagram of the distribution apparatus 100 of FIG. 7, and the combination weighing device 200. FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which has the function same as the component shown in FIGS. Also, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

<Configuration of distribution device>
In FIG. 7 to FIG. 11, the sorting apparatus 100 includes a lateral pulling conveyor 10 for conveying the articles M conveyed from the upstream, and a plurality of parallel arranged in the conveying direction indicated by the arrow F of the lateral pulling conveyor 10. Distribution units 31 to 36 which are provided at the entrances of the conveyance paths 21 to 26 and the conveyance paths 21 to 26, and distribute the articles M on the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 to the corresponding conveyance paths 21 to 26, and The control unit 40 of FIG. 11 that controls the division units 31 to 36 is provided.

  The article M is a thigh or breast cut from a broiler. Therefore, in the lateral pulling conveyor 10 according to this embodiment, thigh meat, breast meat, and the like that are disassembled at the broiler disassembly line are supplied to the lateral pulling conveyor 10 by riding on the belt conveyor.

  The lateral pulling conveyor 10 is configured by a belt conveyor, and conveys the articles M at a predetermined set speed, and is controlled on / off by the control unit 40. And, in this lateral pulling conveyor 10, six conveying paths 21 to 26 for discharging the articles M being conveyed to the side, in parallel along the conveying direction shown by the arrow F of the lateral pulling conveyor 10, ie, lateral It is arranged in the direction orthogonal to the pulling conveyor 10.

  Further, on the upstream side of the first distribution unit 31 of the cross pulling conveyor 10, a sensor S for detecting an article to be conveyed is disposed in a direction crossing the cross pulling conveyor 10. The sensor S is composed of a light emitter and a light receiver disposed in a direction transverse to the horizontal movement conveyor 10, so that light emitted from the light projector crosses the horizontal movement conveyor 10 and is incident on the light receiver. There is. Therefore, when the article M blocks the light of the sensor S, the signal is input to the control unit 40.

  Each of the transport paths 21 to 26 is constituted by an inclined chute, and at each chute entrance, distribution units 31 to 36 for distributing the articles M to be transported to the transport paths 21 to 26 are provided. On the chute, photoelectric article detection sensors S1, S2, and S3 similar to the sensor S are respectively disposed at the upper, middle, and lower stages along the sliding surface of the chute. These sensors S1, S2 and S3 detect passage of the article M and the stock amount of the article M in the chute. For example, the upper sensor S1 indicates that the stock amount is full.

  In the middle stage of the chute, a shutter 28 is provided. This is because it becomes difficult for the crosspieces 211 of the supply conveyor 210 to scoop up the articles M one by one under the pressure when the articles M of a predetermined amount or more are accumulated at the lower end of the chute. When the articles are accumulated, the shutter 28 is lowered and the articles M are stocked on the upstream side.

  Opening / closing arms 31 a to 36 a are attached to the inlets of the respective distribution units 31 to 36 in a state of being floated from the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. The opening and closing arms 31a to 36a are formed in a crescent shape in which the downstream side in the conveyance direction F of the article M is convex, and the base end thereof is attached to the rotation shaft of the motors 31c to 36c. The first state (state shown by the dotted line in FIG. 8) for interrupting the transport of the article M and the second for closing the entrance of the transport paths 21 to 26 after distributing the blocked article M to the corresponding transport paths 21 to 26 It is configured to be rotatable in a state (state shown by a solid line in FIG. 8). Each opening / closing arm 31 a to 36 a in this case is rotated in parallel with the conveyance surface of the lateral pulling conveyor 10.

  On the opposite side of the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10, the guide 11 having a waveform in plan view slightly floats from the belt conveyor within a range not interfering with the turning areas 31b to 36b of the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a. It is attached along the conveyance direction F. The guide 11 acts to pull the article M pushed to the guide 11 side back to the pivoting regions 31b to 36b of the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a when the opening and closing arms 31a to 36a rotate to the first state. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 10, each hopper H is formed in a funnel shape of a quadrangular pyramid having a large opening at the upper part and a small discharge port at the lower part, and the respective discharge ports face the upper end portions of the transport paths 21 to 26 respectively. It is done. Further, the sensor S1 for notifying that the stock amount is full is attached to the upper stages of the transport paths 21 to 26 (shoots) below the discharge ports.

<Configuration of combination weighing device>
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the combination weighing apparatus 200 includes six feeding conveyors 210 arranged in a straight line, and 12 weighing machines that individually receive and weigh the articles fed from each feeding conveyor 210. 220, and a collection conveyor 230 for collecting and discharging the articles discharged from the combination selected weighing machine 220 as a bundle, and each supply conveyor 210 includes the respective transport paths 21 to 26 of the distribution apparatus 100. The articles are individually supplied to the supply conveyors 210 from the lower end portions of the transport paths 21 to 26 respectively.

  Each of the supply conveyors 210 is configured by a cross-shaped conveyor with a side view “H” shape, and the lower part of the conveyor forming an inclined upper end faces the lower end of each of the transport paths 21 to 26 and the horizontal part The top end of the conveyor is exposed above the combined weighing device 200.

  The feed conveyor 210 configured by a crosspiece conveyor is configured to pick up the articles M one by one from the lower end portions of the conveyance paths 21 to 26 by a plurality of crosspieces 211 attached at regular intervals. That is, when the article M of average size is placed on the crosspiece 211 in a state where two or more sheets overlap each other, only one sheet is left on the crosspiece 211 and the other articles M fall from the crosspiece 211 with the height of the crosspiece 211 The inclination angle of the conveyor is set. As a result, even if a plurality of articles are deposited on each of the transport paths 21 to 26, the articles M are reliably scooped up one by one by the crosspieces 211 of the crosspiece conveyor 210 and supplied to the combination weighing device 200 It has become.

  As shown in FIGS. 7-9, six sorting hoppers DH are linearly arranged at the lower end of the horizontal portion of each feed conveyor 210, and 12 quadrangular pyramidal upper and lower portions are arranged in the lower stage thereof. The shoots DS which penetrated are arranged. Furthermore, 12 weighing machines 220 are arranged at the lower stage.

  As shown in FIG. 9, each sorting hopper DH is provided with left and right opening / closing gates G which individually open and close from a position shown by a solid line to a position shown by a broken line. Further, at the lower part of the left and right opening and closing gates G, a funnel-shaped rectangular chute DS is disposed for guiding the articles M discharged from the respective opening and closing gates G to two adjacent weighing machines 220. Therefore, when the left opening / closing gate G opens / closes, the articles M in the sorting hopper DH are discharged toward the odd-numbered square chute DS toward the left, and when the right opening / closing gate G opens / closes, each even-numbered square chute The item M is discharged to the DS. Accordingly, the articles M transported by the respective supply conveyors 210 are distributed to the two adjacent weighing machines 220 via the respective distribution hoppers DH. Therefore, for example, even if the articles M stay in a part of the weighing machines 220 among the plurality of weighing machines 220 for a long time, if the next weighing machine 220 is selected in combination, the articles M in the line are weighed As it is discharged from the machine 220, the corresponding upstream feed conveyor 210 also transports the articles without stopping. This makes it possible to reduce the stagnation of articles on the supply conveyor that occurs when the supply conveyor 210 and the weighing machines 220 correspond one to one.

  Each weighing machine 220 is composed of an upper pool hopper PH, a middle weighing hopper WH, and a lower booster hopper BH. The upper pool hopper PH temporarily stores the articles M discharged from the sorting hopper DH, and when the middle weighing hopper WH becomes empty, the double opening gate G1 is opened and closed to put the articles M in the middle weighing hopper WH. Discharge. The middle weighing hopper WH is supported by a load detector (not shown), measures the mass of the article M supplied thereto, and transmits the measurement result to control means (not shown). Then, if the lower booster hopper BH is empty, the rotary gate G2 is opened and closed, and the weighed articles M are discharged to the lower booster hopper BH. Subsequently, the discharge request for the article M is output to the upper pool hopper PH.

  The lower booster hopper BH is not supported by the load detector, but has the same structure as the weighing hopper WH, and is provided with a gate G2 which is also the same as a rotary type. Then, the weighed articles discharged from the weighing hopper WH are stored and participate in the combination calculation. At this time, if a new article is supplied to the upper weighing hopper WH, it participates in the combination calculation together with the new article weighing value. When the lower booster hopper BH is selected in combination, the lower booster hopper BH opens and closes, and when the upper weighing hopper WH is selected in combination, the lower booster hopper BH is always selected in combination. The combination selected articles are discharged from the upper and lower hoppers to the collection conveyor 230. Such combination operations are well known, and thus detailed description will be omitted here.

  On the other hand, when the upper pool hopper PH receives a discharge request from the weighing hopper WH, it discharges the articles M stored therein to the weighing hopper WH. Further, if the pool hopper PH is empty, a request for discharging the article is output to the upper sorting hopper DH. If the sorting hopper DH receives this, if the article M is stored inside, the opening / closing gate G on the side of the pool hopper PH for which the ejection request was made is opened and the article M is ejected to the pool hopper PH for which the ejection request is made Do. Then, if the sorting hopper DH is empty or is emptied, the discharge request for the article M is output to the upstream feed conveyor 210.

  When the feed conveyor 210 receives the discharge request, the feed conveyor 210 continues to convey until the discharge of the articles M is confirmed by the sensor S0 provided above the sorting hopper DH. Then, when the discharge of the article M is confirmed, the supply conveyor 210 is stopped. This is because the articles M are not necessarily stored between the bars 211 of the supply conveyor 21. Then, when the supply conveyor 21 is driven, if the articles M are stocked at the lower end portion of the chute constituting the transport path 20, the crosspieces 211 pick up and convey the articles M one by one.

  On the other hand, the control unit 40 of the distribution apparatus 100, regardless of the operating state of the combination weighing apparatus 200, in each of the distribution sections 21 to 26, the amount of articles transported from the upstream, and each of the transport paths 21 to 26. The open / close arms 31a to 36a of the respective distribution units 21 to 26 are individually controlled to open and close based on the discharge amount from 26. Thereby, the articles M conveyed from the upstream are evenly distributed to each stock area SA

  FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of a control system of the sorting device 100 and the combination weighing device 200. In this figure, the control unit 40 of the distribution apparatus 100 is configured by a computer, and there is a signal from the above-mentioned article detection sensor S and a signal from a full sensor S3 provided in each of the transport paths 21 to 26 And will be input. Further, an on / off control signal is output to the lateral pulling conveyor 10, and a control signal for rotating the same is output to the motors 31c to 36c of the open / close arms 31a to 36a. There is.

  Further, the control unit 40 of the distribution device 100 and the combination weighing device 200 are electrically connected to each other by the interlock signal, and when there are no articles M to be transported in the distribution device 100, the stop signal is combined It is output to the weighing device 200.

  In operation, first, the combined weighing device 200 on the downstream side is started, and then the lateral pulling conveyor 10 of the distribution device 100 is started. At that time, the open / close arms 31a to 36a are rotated and held in the first state. In that state, it waits for the block meat of broilers to be transported from the upstream.

  Then, when the article detection sensor S detects the first article M1, the control unit 40 starts the first soft timer provided inside, and subsequently, when the second article M2 is detected, the second soft timer Start Thus, every time the articles M reach the detection position of the sensor S one after another, a total of six soft timers start timing in order, and when the timing ends, they are reset and the time when the next article M is detected Start timing again.

  The clocking time of these soft timers is the time for how many seconds after the sensor S detects the article M that the article M reaches the pivoting areas 31b to 36b, and the time is taken as the default value. It is set to the timer.

  Then, when the first soft timer has timed out, the first article M1 has reached the first pivoting area 31b, so the control unit 40 pivots the first opening / closing arm 31a to perform the first operation. The article M1 is distributed to the first conveyance path 21. Subsequently, the control unit 40 holds the first opening / closing arm 31a in the second state until the second article M2 to the sixth article M6 pass through the first rotation area 31b. Then, when the sixth article M6 passes there, the control unit 40 rotates the first opening and closing arm 31a to return to the first state.

  Similarly, since the second article M2 has reached the second pivoting area 32b when the second soft timer has timed, the control unit 40 pivots the second open / close arm 32a to perform the second The article M2 is distributed to the second conveyance path 22. Subsequently, the control unit 40 holds the second opening / closing arm 32a in the second state until the third article M3 to the sixth article M6 pass through the second rotation area 32b.

  In this way, each time the articles M reach the detection position of the sensor S, the soft timers are sequentially started, and when they time out, the corresponding open / close arms 31a to 36a are successively rotated, as shown in FIG. The open / close control as described in 1 to 6 is performed.

  On the other hand, although the combination weighing device 200 is operated by a system different from that of the distribution device 100, when the operation condition is deteriorated, any of the supply conveyors 210 is temporarily stopped. The articles M are stocked in the corresponding transport path 20. Then, when the stock amount reaches a predetermined amount, the shutter 28 is first lowered to stock the article M on the upstream side. Then, when the fullness of the stocked amount by the fullness sensor S1 is detected, the control unit 40 distributes the articles M to the other conveyance paths 20 while avoiding the full conveyance path 20. The control in that case is as described above.

  During this time, if the operating condition of the downstream combination weighing device 200 is improved, the discharge amount of the articles from the combination weighing device 200 is set larger than the supply amount of the articles supplied to the distribution device 100. Because of this, the articles M stocked in the distribution device 100 gradually decrease.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, Another structure is also employable. For example, in the above description, the combination weighing device 200 provided with 12 weighing machines 220 is disposed for the distribution device 100 of 6 lanes, but the number of lanes of the distribution device 100 may be increased or decreased. For example, the distribution apparatus 100 may have four lanes. However, it is preferable that the number of lanes of the distribution device is smaller than the number of weighing machines 220 of the combination weighing device 200.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 lateral pulling conveyor 20 conveyance path 21 1st conveyance path 22 2nd conveyance path 23 3rd conveyance path 24 4th conveyance path 25 5th conveyance path 26 6th conveyance path 30 distribution part 31 1st distribution part 32 2nd Distribution Unit 33 Third Distribution Unit 34 Fourth Distribution Unit 35 Fifth Distribution Unit 36 Sixth Distribution Unit 31a First Opening and Closing Arm 32a Second Opening and Closing Arm 33a Third Opening and Closing Arm 34a Fourth Opening and Closing Arm 35a Fifth Opening and closing arm 36a Sixth opening and closing arm 40 control unit 100 distribution device 200 combination weighing device 210 supply conveyor 220 weighing machine M article SA stock area

Claims (9)

  An article sorting apparatus for distributing articles conveyed from the upstream to a plurality of conveyance paths, and discharging the articles individually from the conveyance paths, the article provided at the entrance of each conveyance path and conveyed from the upstream Are distributed to the corresponding transport paths, and a control section for controlling each distribution section, the control section controls the amount of articles transported from the upstream in each The distribution apparatus which controls each said distribution part separately based on the discharge amount of and.   The control unit, in each of the distribution units, when the amount of articles conveyed from the upstream exceeds the discharge amount from any of the conveyance paths excluding the most downstream conveyance path, the conveyance path which exceeds the discharge amount The distribution apparatus according to claim 1, which avoids and distributes the articles overflowing to the transport path downstream of the transport path.   Each of the transport paths is provided with a stock area for stocking a predetermined amount of the articles, and when the stock area of the transport path on the most downstream is full, the control unit transfers the articles to the next upstream transport path. The distribution apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein distribution is performed.   4. The conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a lateral pulling conveyor for conveying articles conveyed from the upstream, wherein the conveying paths are chutes arranged in parallel along the article conveying direction of the lateral pulling conveyor. Distribution device.   In each of the distribution units, there is a first state for interrupting the conveyance of articles by the traverse conveyor, and a second state for closing the entrance of the conveyance path after the intercepted articles are taken into the corresponding conveyance path. Open and close arms are provided respectively, and sensors for detecting articles to be conveyed are respectively disposed above the open and close arms, and the control unit is configured to detect the articles by the respective sensors based on the detection results of the articles. The distribution apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the opening and closing arms of each of the distribution units are controlled to open and close.   Instead of each sensor according to claim 5, a sensor that detects the article on the upstream side thereof, and a timer that indicates the time when the article reaches the distribution units from the time of detection of the article by the sensor And the control unit controls opening and closing of the open / close arm of the distribution unit which the article has reached, when the timer notifies the arrival of each of the items to the distribution unit.   The control unit holds the open / close arm corresponding to the transport path in the second state when the stock area of any of the transport paths is full, and the fullness of the stock area is cancelled. The distribution device according to claim 4, wherein the open / close arm in the second state is opened to the first state.   A combination weighing apparatus comprising: a plurality of feed conveyors arranged in parallel; and a plurality of weighing machines which individually receive and weigh the articles fed from the feed conveyors, each feed conveyor comprising A combination weighing device connected to each of the transport paths according to any one of the above, and configured to individually supply the articles from the transport paths to the supply conveyors.   The supply conveyor is a stand-up crosspiece conveyor, and an end of the stock area of the transport path is faced to the crosspiece conveyor, and the crosspiece conveyor is configured to individually pick up articles in the stock area. 9. The combination weighing device according to claim 8, wherein