JP2019104536A - Carrying device and carrying method - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress it from taking a longer time to carry an article to a second container as a carrying destination resulting from a time required to replace a first container as a carrying source.SOLUTION: A carrying device (1) carries some of a plurality of rice balls (W) contained in a product tiered box (T1) to a shipping tiered box (T2). The carrying device comprises a temporary mount part (2) on which contained rice balls are temporarily mounted, a first transport part (3) capable of transporting rice balls from the product tiered box to the temporary mount part, and a second transport part (4) capable of transporting the rice balls from the temporary mount part to the shipping tiered box. The temporary mount part comprises a reception part (6) on which the rice balls transported from the product tiered box by the first transport part are mounted, a transfer part (7) on which the rice balls to be transported to the shipping tiered box by the second transport part are mounted, and a third transport part (8) capable of transferring the articles from the reception part to the transfer part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device and a transfer method, and more particularly to a transfer device and a transfer method used to transfer an article between a plurality of containers.

  In a physical distribution line such as a factory or a distribution center, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, sorting of articles to be conveyed is performed using a container for conveyance having an open upper portion. In this sorting, a container at the transfer source for storing a large number of articles is disposed on the upstream side of the transfer, and a worker from the container at the discharge source stores the required number of items in the container at the transfer destination according to the specific sorting instruction. ing. In Patent Document 1, the container at the transfer destination is transferred to the work position for sorting by the appropriate transfer mechanism before sorting, and is further transferred from the work position to the downstream side of the transfer when sorting is completed. There is.

  Here, from the viewpoint of speeding up and efficient distribution, etc., it is possible to automate the transportation of articles from the container of the transfer source to the container of the transfer destination using a transfer means equipped with a robot etc. instead of the worker. Conceivable. In the case of automation in this manner, in view of the above-described viewpoint, it is conceivable that the container of the transfer source can be automatically replaced by an appropriate transfer mechanism.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 5-242122

  However, when automatically replacing the container of the transfer source as described above, it takes time to set a new container containing a large number of articles at a predetermined position after discharging the empty container. During this time, the transportation of the articles to the transportation destination by the transportation means is interrupted, and there is room for improvement in speeding up and streamlining of the physical distribution.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and by suppressing the increase in time for transporting an article to a second container, which is a transfer destination, depending on the time to replace the first container, which is a transfer source. One object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device and a transfer method that can

  The conveyance apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a conveyance apparatus that conveys a part of a plurality of articles contained in a first container to a second container, and the articles contained in the first container are temporary , A first transfer unit capable of transferring articles from the first container to the temporary placement unit, and an article from the temporary placement unit to the second container A second transfer unit capable of transferring, the temporary placement unit including a receiving unit on which an article transferred from the first container by the first transfer unit is placed, and the second transfer A delivery unit on which the item to be transferred to the second container is placed by the unit; and a third transfer unit capable of transferring the item from the receiving unit to the delivery unit. .

  According to such a configuration, since the temporary placement unit is provided as described above, the articles are transferred from the temporary placement unit to the second container and stored even after the first container becomes empty. Can. Therefore, even if there is no first container, the conveyance of the articles to the second container can be continued, and the time when the conveyance of the articles to the second container is interrupted due to the replacement of the first container as before Can be shortened or eliminated. In addition, since the temporary placement unit is provided with the third transfer unit to transfer the articles, the third transfer unit uses the time when the article is placed on the temporary placement unit, and the second container The arrangement of the articles can be adjusted or aligned, such as at a position suitable for the transport of the articles. In other words, it is possible to replace the empty first container with a new first container in which the articles are stored, using the time for aligning the articles at the temporary placement unit, etc., thereby speeding up the transportation of the articles. Efficiency can be achieved.

  Moreover, the conveyance method according to an aspect of the present invention is a conveyance method for conveying a part of the plurality of articles contained in the first container to the second container, using the above-described conveyance device, An article is transferred from the container 1 to the receiving part of the temporary placing part, and then the article is transferred from the receiving part to the delivery part of the temporary placing part, and then the second delivery Transport the goods to the container.

  According to the present invention, the temporary placement unit is provided, and the temporary placement unit can transport the articles, so the time to transport the articles to the second container is extended by the time for replacing the first container. Can be suppressed.

It is a schematic plan view of a conveying device concerning an embodiment. It is an explanatory view which carried out partial cross-sectional view of product number weight and an extrusion part. It is the schematic perspective view which abbreviate | omitted the one part structure of the conveying apparatus seen from the direction different from FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the 2nd transportation part concerning an embodiment. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected a part of 2nd transfer part which concerns on embodiment by ZX surface. It is sectional drawing which made the YZ surface of the steady motion mechanism the cut surface. It is an explanatory view showing the state where the 2nd transportation part grips an article. It is a side view for explanation showing an example of the state where the 2nd transportation part grips an article. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the flow of conveyance to shipping number. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the state which mounted the rice ball in the temporary mounting part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the present invention. In the following drawings, part of the configuration may be omitted for the convenience of description. Further, in the following description, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “front”, and “rear” use directions indicated by arrows in each drawing as a reference unless otherwise specified. However, the orientation of each configuration in the following embodiments is merely an example, and can be changed to any orientation.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a transport apparatus according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport apparatus 1 is configured to transport a rice ball (article) W accommodated in a product weight T1 as a first container to a shipping weight T2 as a second container. In the transport apparatus 1, the product number T1 and the shipping number T2 are supported and positioned at predetermined positions via a frame, a housing, a moving mechanism, etc. which are not shown. In the present embodiment, when the rice ball W is transported, the product number T1 and the shipping number T2 are aligned in the front-rear direction, and the left and right positions of the product number T1 and the shipping number T2 are aligned.

  Here, the rice ball W to be transported according to the present embodiment is formed by packaging a triangular rice ball as viewed from the left and right direction, and the sheet portion Wa is formed so as to protrude from the top of the upper portion. In the product weight T1, the rice balls W are accommodated in a matrix in a row along two orthogonal directions, front and rear and right and left (see FIG. 9). In each rice ball W accommodated in the product number T1, the thickness direction is oriented in the left-right direction, and the side surface of the triangle is oriented in the vertical direction.

  The transport apparatus 1 is configured to temporarily transfer the rice ball W from the product stacking weight T1 to the temporary mounting unit 2 and the temporary mounting unit 2 on which the rice ball W housed in the product number T1 is temporarily mounted. The transfer unit 3, the second transfer unit 4 capable of transferring the rice balls W from the temporary placement unit 2 to the shipment number weight T 2, and the extrusion unit 5 disposed below the product number weight T 1.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory view in which the product number and the extrusion unit are partially cross-sectionally viewed. As shown in FIG. 2, in the product number T1, the movable bottom plate B is disposed on the upper surface side of the bottom wall T1a. Movable bottom plate B is formed in substantially the same planar shape as bottom wall T1a, and is provided so as to be vertically displaceable inside product number T1. On the upper surface of the movable bottom plate B, the rice ball W accommodated in the product weight T1 is placed. A plurality of openings T1b are formed in the bottom wall T1a of the product number T1. The opening T1b may be formed as a through hole in the thickness direction of the plate-like bottom wall T1a, or the bottom wall T1a may be a mesh-like space formed by the mesh.

  The extrusion unit 5 includes a plurality of cylinders 5 a extending in the vertical direction, and the cylinders 5 a are supported via a frame, a housing, and the like. The cylinder 5a is driven to displace the rod 5b in the vertical direction, and the tip (upper end) side of the rod 5b is inserted into the opening T1b. Accordingly, by moving the rod 5b upward by driving the cylinder 5a, the movable bottom plate B and the rice ball W mounted thereon are raised to the upper end side of the product weight T1 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. can do.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view in which a partial configuration of the transport device is omitted as viewed from a direction different from that in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the temporary placement unit 2 includes a receiving unit 6 located along the right end side of the product weight T1 and a delivery unit 7 located along the front end side of the product weight T1. , And a third transfer unit 8 provided in the receiving unit 6 and the delivery unit 7.

  The receiving unit 6 is configured by a belt conveyor which extends in the front-rear direction and transports the rice balls W in the same direction. The receiving portion 6 is formed such that the left and right width thereof is slightly larger than the thickness of one rice ball W, and the front and rear length thereof is formed substantially the same as the front and back length of the product weight T1. Therefore, the receiving unit 6 can place all the rice balls W (five pieces in the present embodiment) aligned in a line in the front-rear direction with the product weight T1 on the upper surface thereof in the aligned state .

  At a position adjacent to the right side of the receiving portion 6, a guide plate 6a extending in the front-rear direction is provided upright. Further, a boundary plate 6 b is provided upright at a position straddling the product number T 1 on the left side of the receiving unit 6. The rice ball W placed on the receiving unit 6 is transferred in the front-rear direction while maintaining the standing state via the guide plate 6a and the boundary plate 6b. The front end side of the guide plate 6 a extends to the front end side of the delivery unit 7, and the rice ball W can be transferred to the delivery unit 7 forward of the receiving unit 6 by driving the receiving unit 6.

  The boundary plate 6b is provided with an inclined surface portion 6c (see FIGS. 9 and 11) which becomes higher on the product loading weight T1 side as it is separated from the upper end of the product loading weight T1. The function of the inclined surface 6c will be described later.

  The delivery part 7 is comprised by the belt conveyor which extends in the left-right direction and conveys the rice ball W in the same direction. The delivery portion 7 is formed such that the front and rear width thereof is slightly larger than the front and rear width of one rice ball W, and the left and right length is formed longer than the left and right length of the product weight T1. Specifically, the delivery unit 7 is provided at a position and shape in which the left end side is aligned with the left end of the product number T1 and the right end side overlaps the receiving unit 6 in the front and rear direction. The delivery unit 7 can place a plurality (10 in the present embodiment) of rice balls W aligned in a single row in the left-right direction on the upper surface thereof in the aligned state. A guide plate 7 a extending in the left-right direction is erected at a position adjacent to the front side of the delivery unit 7, and the transfer is guided in the left-right direction of the rice ball W on the delivery unit 7.

  At the upper position of the delivery unit 7, an alignment unit 7b is provided. The alignment portion 7 b includes a plurality of partition plates 7 c and a pivoting portion 7 d that independently and rotatably supports the respective partition plates 7 c. The partition plate 7c can be pivoted between a partitioning position (see FIG. 3) which is directed generally in the back and forth direction through the pivoting portion 7d and a retracted position (see FIG. 12) which is generally directed in the vertical direction. There is. The partition plate 7c can be inserted between the rice balls W aligned in the left and right on the delivery unit 7 at the partition position, and can be aligned with the distance in the left and right direction of the rice balls W fixed. Further, the partition plate 7c is disposed in front of the rice ball W on the delivery unit 7 at the retracted position, and the rice ball W on the delivery unit 7 can be transferred in the left-right direction without contacting the partition plate 7c.

  Here, in the temporary placement unit 2, the rice ball W transferred in the forward direction by the receiving unit 6 is transferred to the delivery unit 7, and the rice ball W is transferred in the left direction opposite to the receiving unit 6 in the delivery unit 7. be able to. The third transfer unit 8 is configured by the configuration of the receiving unit 6 that conveys the rice ball W from the receiving unit 6 to the delivery unit 7 and the delivery unit 7 itself. In addition, the third transfer unit 8 is configured to include an alignment unit 7 b which aligns the rice balls W at constant intervals in the left-right direction. The third transfer unit 8 does not prevent the rice ball W from being transferred backward in the receiving unit 6 or to transfer the rice ball W in the right direction from the delivery unit 7.

  The first transfer unit 3 can be exemplified by employing a feed mechanism for performing linear movement such as a linear motor and a feed screw structure. The first transfer portion 3 includes a rail portion 3b extending in the left-right direction and movably supporting the slider 3a in the same direction, and a pushing member 3c provided on the slider 3a.

  The pushing member 3c is provided with pushing surfaces directed in the front and back and up and down directions, and is provided on the movable bottom plate B so as to be in contact with the left side surface of each rice ball W aligned in the front and back direction. In the first transfer unit 3, all the rice balls W on the movable bottom plate B are moved to the right by moving the slider 3a in the right direction after contacting the pushing surface of the pushing member 3c with the left rice ball W on the movable bottom plate B. You can shift it to As a result, the rice balls W arranged in a line in the front-rear direction on the right side on the movable bottom plate B are transferred onto the receiving portion 6 as they are.

  Here, the rice ball W transferred to the receiving unit 6 passes through the boundary plate 6b, but at this time, the inclined surface portion 6c (see FIG. 11) prevents the rice ball W from falling to the right side. The standing state can be maintained and transported to the receiving unit 6.

  Subsequently, a specific configuration of the second transfer unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. Here, in the description of the second transfer unit 4, the description will be made based on the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction indicated by the arrows in the respective drawings, and the above-mentioned longitudinal direction is the X direction, the lateral direction is the Y direction, The direction is the Z direction.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a second transfer unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the second transfer unit according to the embodiment cut along the ZX plane. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second transfer unit 4 includes eight holding mechanisms 9, an upper fixed plate 4a disposed at a predetermined distance in the Z direction (vertical direction), and an intermediate fixed plate 4b. And a lower fixing plate 4c. The second transfer unit 4 is provided linearly movably in the front-rear direction via a moving unit (not shown). As the moving means, it can be exemplified to adopt a feed mechanism for performing linear movement such as a linear motor and a feed screw structure.

  The eight holding mechanisms 9 have substantially the same configuration and are provided at equal intervals in the Y direction. The eight holding mechanisms 9 include a first grip 10, a second grip 20, a support 30 for supporting the grips 10 and 20, and a drive mechanism (drive) 40. ing. In the present embodiment, the support 30 is formed in a quadrangular prism whose axis is directed in the vertical direction (Z direction). The eight holding mechanisms 9 each include a lift cylinder 60 extending in the Z direction, and a steady mechanism 70 supported by the intermediate fixed plate 4 b and the lower fixed plate 4 c.

  The raising and lowering cylinders 60 of the holding mechanisms 9 are connected to each other on the upper end side via the upper fixing plate 4a, and are connected to each other on the lower end side via the intermediate fixing plate 4b. Therefore, eight holding mechanisms 9 aligned in the Y direction are integrated through the upper fixed plate 4a and the intermediate fixed plate 4b. The elevating cylinder 60 has an output shaft that moves back and forth in the Z direction, and the output shaft is connected to the support 30 so that the support 30 and the grips 10 and 20 supported by the support 30 can move back and forth in the Z direction. Be The intermediate fixing plate 4b and the lower fixing plate 4c are formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and are connected at their four corners via a connecting rod 4d extending in the Z direction.

  The first holding unit 10 includes a pair of first holding members 11 a and 11 b arranged in the X direction. The pair of first grips 11 a and 11 b is swingably supported on the lower end side of the support 30. As a result, the lower end portions of the first gripping bodies 11a and 11b are displaced in directions (generally X direction) in which the lower ends of the first gripping bodies 11a and 11b approach and separate from each other and can be opened and closed. It can be done. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a state in which the first gripping bodies 11a and 11b are open, and FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which the first gripping bodies 11a and 11b are closed.

  The second holding unit 20 includes a pair of second holding members 21a and 21b (one second holding member 21b is not shown in FIG. 5) aligned in the Y direction. The second grips 21a and 21b are also swingably supported on the lower end side of the support 30, and in a direction (generally Y direction) in which the lower ends of the second grips 21a and 21b approach and separate from each other. It is displaced and can be opened and closed. The holding position of the first holding unit 10 and the holding position of the second holding unit 20 are different in position (height position) in the Z direction. Although the second gripping unit 20 can grip and hold the object to be transported in the Y direction, in the present embodiment, the case where the first gripping unit 10 grips and transports will be described. The description of the case where the object to be conveyed is held and conveyed by the holding unit 20 is simplified or omitted.

  The drive mechanism 40 includes a cylindrical movable body 41 into which the support 30 is inserted, and a drive source 42 mounted on the movable body 41. The drive mechanism 40 moves the movable body 41 in the Z direction by the operation of the drive source 42, thereby opening and closing the first grip unit 10 and the second grip unit 20 (gripping drive).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the anti-vibration mechanism 70 includes a pair of pressing members 71 aligned in the X direction on both sides of the first gripping portion 10 in the X direction, and the pressing members 71 are relative to each other in the Z direction (vertical direction). A movably supported guide member 76 is also provided. Here, a structure in which the pressing member 71 and the guide member 76 located on the right side in FIG. 5 and the pressing member 71 and the guide member 76 located on the left side are the same is adopted.

  The pressing member 71 is a shaft-like portion 72 formed in a cylindrical (round bar) shape extending in the Z direction (vertical direction), and a contact body attached to the lower end of the shaft-like portion 72 and forming a portion to contact with the rice ball W It has 74 and. In the contact body 74, when the upper surface of the rice ball W contacts the inclined upper surface which slopes in a mountain shape, the hemispherical portion of the tip comes into contact in a substantially point shape.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views in which the YZ plane of the anti-vibration mechanism is a cut surface, and are explanatory views of the operation point. As shown in FIG. 6A, a screw 75 is provided at the upper end of the shaft-like portion 72. The head of the screw 75 is formed in a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 72. Accordingly, the head portion of the screw 75 protrudes in a flange shape from the shaft-like portion 72 and functions as a retaining member in the guide member 76. The shaft-like portion 72 penetrates a hole formed in the lower fixing plate 4c.

  The shaft-like portion 72 is inserted through the inside of the guide member 76, and is fixed to the lower fixing plate 4c. In the guide member 76, linear relative movement in the vertical direction with the shaft-like portion 72 is guided, and thereby relative movement in the vertical direction of the pressing member 71 is guided. The upper surface of the guide member 76 is formed with a hole through which the shaft-like portion 72 is inserted, and the inner diameter of this hole is set smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the screw 75. Accordingly, the head of the screw 75 is placed on the upper surface of the guide member 76 by lowering the pressing member 71 by its own weight without applying an external force, and the downward movement of the pressing member 71 including the screw 75 is restricted.

  Next, an operation when the holding mechanism 9 holds and releases the rice ball W will be described. Here, first, an operation in one holding mechanism 9 in the second transfer unit 4 will be described.

  Before gripping the rice ball W, as shown in FIG. 5, the pressing member 71 is disposed at a position at which the lowering limit is reached, and the contactor 74 is disposed below the gripping portions 10 and 20. In this state, when the rice ball W is unloaded from the delivery unit 7 (see FIG. 1), the holding mechanism 9 in the second transfer unit 4 is separated by a predetermined distance above the rice ball W via moving means (not shown) Move to

  Then, the output shaft of the elevating cylinder 60 is advanced, and the first gripping portion 10 is lowered to a position where the sheet portion Wa of the rice ball W is positioned between the first gripping bodies 11a and 11b. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, after the sheet portion Wa is sandwiched and held by the first holding portion 10, the output shaft of the elevating cylinder 60 is retracted, and the rice ball W held by the first holding portion 10 is Operate up. Then, the contact body 74 of the pressing member 71 is placed in contact with the upper surface of the rice ball W in the middle stage of the rising. By further advancing the contact after this contact, the holding member 71 is raised via the rice ball W, and the weight of the holding member 71 acts on the rice ball W to hold the rice ball W downward.

  When releasing holding of the rice ball W by the holding mechanism 9 from the state shown in FIG. 7, the output shaft of the elevating cylinder 60 is advanced, and the rice ball W held by the first holding unit 10 is lowered and the shipping weight N2 (figure Place it on 1). Thereafter, the first gripping bodies 11a and 11b are swung in an open state to release the pinching of the sheet portion Wa, whereby the gripping is released.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory side view showing an example of a state in which the second transfer unit grips an article. In the second transfer unit 4, a plurality of (eight in the present embodiment) holding mechanisms 9 can hold one rice ball W independently (one body). For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the rice ball W can be gripped in the manner described above by the four holding mechanisms 9 on one side in the Y direction. When holding by the four holding mechanisms 9, in the other four holding mechanisms 9, the elevating cylinder 60 is not driven, and the first holding unit 10 stands by without moving up and down. Become. Thus, in the second transfer unit 4, the rice ball W can be held by the holding mechanism 9 of any position and number among the holding mechanisms 9 of eight bodies, and the rice ball W can be brought into the non-holding state it can.

  Subsequently, a method of transporting the rice ball W from the product number T1 to the shipping number T2 by the transporting device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 24. Here, it is assumed that rice balls W are erected in the product number T1 and a plurality of rows are accommodated in the left and right and the front and back in a state where the thickness direction is directed in the left and right direction. Moreover, in each figure, illustration may be abbreviate | omitted about the structure which is not demonstrated.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9, the product loading weight T1 is disposed below the first transfer unit 3 so that the outer periphery thereof is along the L-shaped temporary placement unit 2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening T1b in the bottom wall T1a of the product weight T1 and the tip of the rod 5b of the pushing portion 5 are aligned. Then, the cylinder 5a is driven to advance the rod 5b upward, and the movable bottom plate B and the rice ball W placed in alignment with the movable bottom plate B are raised. Thereafter, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 and FIG. 10, the drive of the cylinder 5a is stopped and positioned at a position where the movable bottom plate B is aligned with the upper end surface of the product weight T1. At this time, among the rice balls W on the movable bottom plate B, the pushing members 3c of the first transfer portion 3 are disposed along the left side surface of the rice balls W arranged in a line in the front-rear direction at the leftmost side.

  From this state, the pushing member 3 c is moved to the right by driving of the first transfer unit 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the pushing member 3c contacts the left rice ball W on the movable bottom plate B and presses it to the right, and all the rice balls W on the movable bottom plate B move to the right. By this movement, among the rice balls W on the movable bottom plate B, the rice balls W arranged in a line in the front-rear direction on the rightmost side ride over the inclined surface portion 6c of the boundary plate 6b, and then guide the boundary plate 6b and the guide plate 6a It is transported to be placed on the receiving unit 6.

  The rice ball W on the receiving unit 6 is transferred forward by the drive of the belt conveyor which constitutes the receiving unit 6 as shown in FIG. As a result, the plurality of rice balls W on the receiving unit 6 are transferred forward, and the frontmost one of the rice balls W is placed on the right end side of the delivery unit 7. As described above, before and after placing on the delivery unit 7, the rotation unit 7 d is driven in the alignment unit 7 b to rotate the partition plates 7 c upward and move them to the retracted position. In addition, only the leftmost partition plate 7c among the plurality of partition plates 7c is maintained at the partition position, and functions as a stopper that restricts the falling of the rice ball W on the delivery unit 7 in the left direction.

  The rice ball W placed on the right end side of the delivery unit 7 is transferred in the left direction by the drive of the belt conveyor that constitutes the delivery unit 7. When the rice ball W moves leftward by the thickness by this transfer, the rice ball W located behind the rice ball W is transferred from the receiving unit 6 to the delivery unit 7. The forward transfer by the receiving unit 6 and the left transfer by the delivery unit 7 are alternately repeated, as shown in FIG. 13, all the rice balls W placed on the receiving unit 6. Are placed side by side in the left-right direction on the delivery unit 7.

  Then, after the rice ball W disappears on the receiving unit 6, the driving of the first transfer unit 3 is restarted, and the pushing member 3c is moved to the right to move all the rice balls W on the movable bottom plate B to the right. Thus, the rice ball W is placed on the receiving unit 6 again, and the rice ball W is transferred to the delivery unit 7 in the same manner as described above. After the rice ball W is transferred until it reaches the left end side of the delivery unit 7 by this transfer, as shown in FIG. 14, the respective belt conveyors of the receiving unit 6 and the delivery unit 7 are stopped. At this time, the acceptable upper limit number (10 in the present embodiment) of rice balls W is placed on the delivery unit 7. Thereafter, the pivoting portion 7d is driven in the alignment portion 7b, and as shown in FIG. 15, each partition plate 7c is pivoted downward and moved to the partitioning position. As a result, the partition plate 7c is inserted between the left and right adjacent rice balls W, and the rice balls W are aligned at equal intervals in the left-right direction on the delivery portion 7.

  After the rice balls W on the delivery unit 7 are aligned, as shown in FIG. 1, the second transfer unit 4 is moved onto the delivery unit 7, and the second transfer unit 4 moves in the left-right direction on the delivery unit 7 ( A predetermined number (three from the left end side in the present embodiment) of rice balls W arranged in a predetermined direction is held at a predetermined position. Then, after moving the second transfer section 4 holding the rice ball W to the position above the shipping number weight T2, as shown in FIG. 16, the held rice ball W is placed on the shipping number weight T2 and transferred. .

  After the rice balls W are transferred to the shipping number T2, the rotation unit 7d is driven in the alignment unit 7b, and as shown in FIG. 17, the partition plates 7c are rotated upward except the leftmost partition plate 7c. Move to the retracted position. Then, after driving the respective belt conveyors of the receiving unit 6 and the delivering unit 7 and transferring the rice ball W until reaching the left end side of the delivering unit 7 in the same manner as described above, the respective belt conveyors of the receiving unit 6 and the delivering unit 7 Stop. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the rice ball W is additionally placed on the delivery section 7 so as to supplement the three rice balls W transferred to the shipping weight T2. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 19, each partition plate 7 c is pivoted to the partitioning position, and the rice balls W are aligned at equal intervals in the left-right direction, and are brought into a standby state for transportation to the next shipping weight T 2.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 20, in the case where four rice balls W are stored close to the left end side of the shipment number weight T2 and three rice balls W are continuously conveyed to the right of the rice balls W. explain. The second transfer unit 4 is moved onto the delivery unit 7 from the state where the rice balls W are aligned and placed on the delivery unit 7 (see FIG. 19), and the second transfer unit 4 moves the second transfer unit 4 onto the delivery unit 7. Hold the rice ball W. In this holding, three rice balls W are held in the second transfer unit 4 by the fifth to seventh holding mechanisms 9 from the left. Then, after moving the second transfer section 4 holding the rice ball W to the position above the shipping number weight T2, as shown in FIG. 21, the held rice ball W is placed on the shipping number weight T2 and transferred. . As a result, the fifth to seventh rice balls W from the left on the delivery unit 7 disappear, and the rice balls W remain on the left and right sides of the rice balls W.

  From this state, the rice ball W is placed on the delivery unit 7 so as to be replenished while maintaining the positions of the four rice balls W on the left end side on the delivery unit 7. In this replenishment, first, as shown in FIG. 22, in the alignment portion 7b, the partition plate 7c sandwiching the four rice balls W on the left end side on the delivery unit 7 is maintained at the partition position, and the other partition plates 7c are upward Rotate to move to the retracted position.

  Thereafter, the belt conveyors of the receiving unit 6 and the delivery unit 7 are driven to transfer the three rice balls W located near the right end of the delivery unit 7 to the left as shown in FIG. The rice balls W are sequentially transferred onto the delivery unit 7. At this time, since the four rice balls W on the left end side on the delivery unit 7 are sandwiched by the partition plates 7c, movement in the left direction is restricted. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 24, each partition plate 7 c is pivoted to the partition position, and the rice balls W are aligned at equal intervals in the left-right direction, and are brought into a standby state for transportation to the next shipping weight T 2.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, after the plurality of rice balls W are placed on the receiving unit 6 and the delivery unit 7 constituting the temporary placement unit 2, the rice balls W can be transported to the shipping weight T2. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, even if there are no rice balls W stored in the product weight T1, a plurality of (15 in the present embodiment) rice balls W are placed on the temporary placement unit 2. can do. Thus, the empty rice ball W placed on the temporary placement unit 2 is discharged from the state shown in FIG. 25 until the empty product weight T1 is discharged and is replaced with another product weight T1 accommodating the rice ball W. It can be transported to the shipping weight T2 (see FIG. 1). By conveying in this manner, the conveyance of rice balls W to the shipment number T2 can be continued during the replacement time of the product number T1, and avoiding an increase in the conveyance time due to the replacement time. Can.

  Moreover, the temporary placement unit 2 functions as the third transfer unit 8, and the rice balls W arranged in the front and back of the receiving unit 6 can be held in the lateral direction so that the second transfer unit 4 can hold the rice balls W at the delivery unit 7. Can be aligned. In particular, as shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 19 and FIG. 24, before transporting the rice ball W on the delivery unit 7 by the second transfer unit 4, the rice ball W is not Can be aligned side by side. As a result, when the second transfer unit 4 holds and transfers the rice balls W on the delivery unit 7, the upper surface of the transfer unit 7 can hold the rice balls W with all the holding mechanisms 9 of the second transfer unit 4. The arrangement of rice balls W can be made constant. As a result, it becomes possible to select whether or not the rice balls W are to be held by all the holding mechanisms 9 of the second transfer unit 4, and simplification of drive control of the second transfer unit 4 and the like accompanying such selection can be achieved. it can.

  Also, since the first transfer unit 3 transfers the rice balls W aligned in the front-rear direction with the product weight T1 to the receiving unit 6 in a row, the steps such as rearranging the rice balls W in the receiving unit 6 Can be maintained in an aligned state without

  Furthermore, the receiving unit 6 is installed at a position along the right end of the product stacking weight T1 according to the left-right width of the rice ball W, and the delivery unit 7 is installed according to the front-rear width of the rice ball W at a position along the front end of the product loading weight T1. Therefore, the installation space of the receiving unit 6 and the delivery unit 7 is prevented from becoming wide. In other words, the temporary placement unit 2 including the receiving unit 6 and the delivery unit 7 can be installed by securing a small space on the right side and the front side with respect to the position where the product number T1 is set. Space saving can be achieved. Further, in the present embodiment, the rice ball in the delivery unit 7 is at least a part of the process of transporting the rice ball W from the receiving unit 6 to the delivery unit 7 by the third transfer unit 8 (in the embodiment, the receiving unit 6). The rice balls W can be transported in the front-rear direction different from the alignment direction of the Ws. As a result, as in the embodiment, the third transfer unit 8 can be L-shaped in top view to effectively utilize the space, and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Furthermore, if technical progress of the technology or another technology derived therefrom can realize the technical concept of the present invention in another way, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all the embodiments that can be included within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the article to be held is a rice ball W. However, the present invention is not limited as long as the article can be held by the holding mechanism 9. For example, in addition to rice balls packed in bags other than triangles, they may be other food products such as sandwiches, breads, lunch boxes, etc., or may be packed in boxes or trays.

  Moreover, although the case where weight weight T1 and T2 were used as a 1st container and a 2nd container was demonstrated, it is not restricted to this, A various container can be used according to the articles etc. to accommodate. Furthermore, the number of articles (rice balls) aligned in two orthogonal directions can be arbitrary as long as a plurality of articles are arranged in each of the two directions.

  Further, the movable bottom plate B is provided to transfer the rice ball W from the product stacking weight T1 to the receiving unit 6, but instead, the movable bottom plate B along the receiving unit 6 is movable to open and close the side wall of the product loading weight T1. It may be configured to In this case, the height of the temporary placement portion 2 is set according to the height of the bottom wall T1a of the product number T1, and the side wall of the product number T1 is opened, so that the rice ball W is the same as the above embodiment. Can be transferred to the receiving unit 6.

  The holding mechanism 9 in the second transfer unit 4 may be a suction pad for holding the outer peripheral surface of the rice ball W by suction, in addition to the structure for holding the rice ball W as described above. The suction pad communicates with a negative pressure generator to generate a negative pressure, and the outer surface of the rice ball W can be held by vacuum to hold an article.

  Further, as long as the first transfer unit 3 can transfer the rice balls W to the receiving unit 6, various changes can be made, such as a configuration provided with a holding mechanism 9 such as the second transfer unit 4.

  Moreover, although the receiving part 6 and the delivery part 7 were made into the belt conveyor as the 3rd transfer part 8, as long as rice ball W can be transferred to the delivery part 7 from the receiving part 6, it changes into the structure using a roller etc. You may

  Moreover, the area | region which arrange | positions the temporary mounting part 2 is not restricted to illustration structural example, A various change is possible. For example, a belt conveyor that constitutes a receiving unit may be added along the rear end of the product stacking weight T1, and the rice balls W aligned left and right in the receiving unit may be transferred from the product stacking weight T1. In this case, it is possible to transfer the rice balls W from the receiving unit 6 to the delivery unit 7 in the same manner as in the above embodiment by allowing the rice balls W to be transferred from the additional receiving unit to the receiving unit 6 along the right end of the product weight T1. In addition, the mounting number of the rice balls W of the temporary mounting unit 2 can be increased.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 20, after the rice ball W was transferred by the 2nd transfer part 4, the case where the rice ball W was moved to the left on the delivery part 7 was demonstrated, but it is not restricted to this. If it is desired to place the rice ball W in the empty space generated by the transfer, the rice ball W on the left side of the empty space may be controlled to move to the right.

  Further, the moving direction of the second transfer unit 4 is not limited to the linear direction which is the front-rear direction, and may be changed. For example, the trajectory for moving the second transfer unit 4 may be a direction along an arc in top view. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 1 without arranging the load weights T1 and T2 in the same direction. The position of the shipping weight T2 may be shifted to the left or right or the direction may be changed. Furthermore, the second transfer unit 4 may be moved in the left-right direction.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 transport apparatus 2 temporary mounting part 3 1st transfer part 4 2nd transfer part 6 receiving part 7 delivery part 8 3rd transfer part T1 product number stack (1st container)
T2 shipment number (second container)
W rice ball (article)

Claims (5)

A transport apparatus for transporting a part of a plurality of articles stored in a first container to a second container,
A temporary placement unit on which articles stored in the first container are temporarily placed;
A first transfer unit capable of transferring articles from the first container to the temporary placement unit;
A second transfer unit capable of transferring articles from the temporary placement unit to the second container;
The temporary placement unit is a receiving unit on which the article transferred from the first container by the first transfer unit is placed;
A delivery unit on which an article to be transferred to the second container by the second transfer unit is placed;
And a third transfer unit capable of transferring an article from the receiving unit to the delivery unit. The second transport unit is capable of holding and transporting a plurality of articles aligned in a predetermined direction at the delivery unit,
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third transport unit is capable of aligning an article on the delivery unit in the predetermined direction.   3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the third transport unit is capable of transporting the article in a direction different from the predetermined direction during at least a part of the process of transporting the article from the receiving unit to the delivery unit. Transport device as described. The first container contains the items in a row.
The said 1st transfer part can transfer articles | goods to the said receiving part in the state which made the row in the said 1st container, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Transport device. It is a conveying method which conveys a part of a plurality of articles stored in said 1st container to said 2nd container using a conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The article is transferred from the first container to the receiving unit of the temporary placement unit, and then the article is transferred from the receiving unit to the delivery unit of the temporary placement unit, and then the first delivery unit Transferring the article to the second container.

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