JP2020011238A - Article sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent lifting of tips of support pieces.SOLUTION: An article sorting device includes: multiple pedestals 4 attached along a longitudinal direction of an endless member 3; multiple support pieces 11, each of which is supported on the pedestal 4 by a support shaft 11b and in which its tip 11e can rotate around the support shaft 11b in a vertical direction; lock mechanisms B, each of which locks the support piece 11 to restrict downward rotation of the tip 11e from a placeable state in which an article A can be placed on the support piece 11; and a release mechanism C which releases the lock. The lock mechanism B includes: a lock pin 11a which is provided closer to the rear end 11f side than the support shaft 11b in the support piece 11; and a lock piece 12 which engages with the lock pin 11a to restrict the downward rotation of the tip 11e of the support piece 11. The lock piece 12 includes rotation prevention contact parts 22a, 23b, 24a, 25a which contact with a lower surface of the support piece 11 in the placeable state at the rear end 11f side relative to the support shaft 11b to prevent the tip 11e of the support piece 11 from rotating upward further than the placeable state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an article sorting device.

  In the step of selecting various articles, the articles to be sorted are selected according to various conditions such as size, weight, shape, color, and other external factors, or the quality, evaluation, type, etc. of the articles. Is used.

  In particular, in facilities and facilities that handle agricultural products, when handling fruits and vegetables that are heavy to some extent, only items that meet the specified conditions among the items that flow along the flow direction on the conveyor A drop-type sorting device is used in which the material is dropped and sorted. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose, for example, such a drop-type sorting device.

  The sorting apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are arranged along a flow direction of a conveyor to identify the contents of an article by various sensors and cameras, and the like, and are disposed downstream of the identifying section and satisfy specified conditions. And a sorting unit for discharging only the articles out of the conveyor.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the conveyor 2 is provided with a large number of support pieces 11 that are rotatable in the vertical direction along the flow direction of the conveyor 2. The pedestal 4 is supported by an endless member 3 made of a chain or the like, and the support piece 11 is rotatable around an axis of a support shaft 11b provided on the pedestal 4. Further, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 is urged downward by a torsion coil spring b fitted on the outer periphery of the support shaft 11b. The axial direction of the support shaft 11b is generally a direction parallel to the flow direction of the conveyor 2.

  The conveyor 2 includes a lock mechanism B that locks the support piece 11 in a mountable state (sideways state) where an article can be mounted on the support piece 11.

  The lock mechanism B includes a lock pin 11 a provided on the support piece 11, and a lock piece 12 that locks the lock pin 11 a and restricts downward rotation of the support piece 11. The lock piece 12 is rotatable around the axis of the shaft 12b, and is urged in the locking direction to the lock pin 11a by a torsion coil spring a fitted on the outer periphery of the shaft 12b.

  Since the support piece 11 moves in the same direction together with the lock mechanism B in accordance with the movement of the endless member 3 in the longitudinal direction, the article A placed on the support piece 11 locked in the mountable state is also included. , Moving along the flow direction.

  Further, a release mechanism C that releases the lock of the support piece 11 by the lock mechanism B is disposed in the sorting unit. The release mechanism C includes a lever 6c that presses the lock piece 12, a solenoid device 6b that includes a retractable rod 6d that operates the lever 6c, and the like.

  When the rod 6d is extended and presses the lever 6c by energizing the solenoid device 6b, the tip of the lever 6c pushes the rear end of the lock piece 12 downward, and the tip of the lock piece 12 rotates upward. By this rotation, the lock of the lock pin 11a by the lock piece 12 is released. As a result, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 rotates downward, and the support piece 11 enters a non-placeable state (tilted state) where the article A is dropped. The article A placed on the support piece 11 falls downward and is discharged to the next step D. The operation of the release mechanism C is performed only on the support piece 11 on which the article A satisfying the condition corresponding to the sorting unit is placed according to a signal from the identification unit.

  Further, the support piece 11 passes through all the sorting units provided on the conveyor 2 and then turns over to the return side, or a return mechanism (not shown) provided up to the inversion unit. 2), the tip of the torsion coil spring b is lifted upward against the urging force of the torsion coil spring b to return to the mountable state. At this time, the lock of the support piece 11 by the lock mechanism B is also automatically restored.

JP 2008-18354 A (see page 5, paragraphs 0040 to 0043, page 23, FIGS. 1 and 2) JP 2000-246185 A (see paragraphs 0057 to 0059 on page 9; FIG. 1 on page 8 and FIG. 6 on page 9)

  In the above-described sorting device, the support piece 11 is normally restricted from rotating downward by the lock piece 12, and is held in a mountable state. That is, unless the lock pin 11a is released from the lock by the lock piece 12, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 does not swing downward.

  However, in this mountable state, the upward swing of the support piece 11 is not particularly restricted, and the tip 11 e of the support piece 11 rises upward due to the vibration of the conveyor 2 and the centrifugal force at the reversing section. Sometimes. Lifting of the support piece 11 is not preferable because it hinders stable operation of the conveyor 2.

  In order to prevent the tip 11e of the support piece 11 from rising, a method of increasing the elastic force of the torsion coil spring b urging the support piece 11 can be considered. Increasing the elastic force of the torsion coil spring b is not preferable because it increases the size and weight of the spring member.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the tip of the support piece from rising.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a plurality of pedestals attached along the longitudinal direction of an endless member, and a tip supported on the pedestal by a support shaft, and a tip thereof is vertically moved around the support shaft. A plurality of support pieces that are rotatable to the support piece, a lock mechanism that locks the support piece from turning downward from the mountable state where an article can be mounted on the support piece, and the lock mechanism, A release mechanism for releasing the lock of the support piece, wherein the lock mechanism comprises a lock pin provided on the rear end side of the support piece with respect to the support shaft, and the tip of the support piece by locking the lock pin. A lock piece that restricts downward rotation of the support piece, wherein the lock piece abuts on a lower surface of the support piece in a state in which the support piece can be placed on the rear end side with respect to the support shaft. The tip is higher than the state described above. It was screened device article comprising a rotation preventing contact portion to prevent the pivots.

  In this aspect, it is possible to adopt a configuration including the support piece having a springless structure in which installation of an elastic member for urging the support piece in a direction in which the tip rotates downward is omitted.

  Further, in each of these aspects, it is possible to adopt a configuration including a weight for urging the support piece in a direction in which the tip rotates downward.

  According to the present invention, the lifting of the tip of the support piece can be prevented by providing the lifting prevention means.

Sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention. Perspective view showing the same embodiment The perspective view which shows the connection state of the endless member and the base 4. (A) is a sectional view showing a state where a support piece can be placed, and (b) is a sectional view showing a state where a support piece cannot be placed. (A) (b) (c) is sectional drawing which shows 2nd to 4th embodiment, respectively. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows 5th Embodiment, respectively. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows 6th and 7th embodiment, respectively. Sectional view showing a conventional example

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an article sorting device 1 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the article sorting apparatus 1 is simply referred to as a sorting apparatus 1. Here, examples of the article A to be handled include fruits and vegetables as agricultural products. Examples of fruits include oranges and apples, and examples of vegetables include root vegetables such as potatoes and sweet potatoes. Each of them has a certain weight and is of a type that is allowed to move while falling or rolling.

  The conveyor 2 includes an identification unit that identifies the contents of the article A by various sensors and cameras along the flow direction, and is disposed downstream of the identification unit, and conveys only the article A that satisfies the designated condition. And a sorting unit for discharging to the outside. In the sorting section, according to various conditions such as the size, weight, shape, color, and other appearance factors of the target articles A, or the quality, evaluation, type, and the like of the articles A, the articles A are Be sorted out.

  The configuration of the conveyor 2 and the configuration of the sorting device 1 used to exhibit the sorting function in the sorting unit will be described.

  The conveyor 2 is supported between an upper guide 5a and a lower guide 5b of the conveyor frame 5, and is capable of moving in the longitudinal direction (an endless member) 3 and moving the chain 3 in the longitudinal direction. And a driving source (not shown) for driving.

  In addition, the conveyor 2 includes a large number of support pieces 11 supported by the chain 3 and rotatable in the vertical direction along the flow direction of the conveyor 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the supporting structure is such that a shaft 3a connecting the inner link and the outer link of the chain 3 is extended to the outside of the chain 3, and the extended shaft 3a is attached to the pedestal 4. Is supported. The shaft 3a is inserted into a hole 4d formed in the pedestal 4, and a stopper 4c is fitted to the tip of the shaft 3a, so that the pedestal 4 and the chain 3 are fixed.

  In this embodiment, one pedestal 4 is fixed to two shafts 3a, but the number of shafts 3a that support one pedestal 4 can be set freely. For example, one pedestal 4 may be fixed to one shaft 3a, or one pedestal 4 may be fixed to three or more shafts 3a.

  The pedestal 4 is provided with a pair of protrusions 4a that protrude upward. A support shaft fixing hole 4b is formed in each of the pair of protrusions 4a. A support shaft 11b for rotatably supporting the support piece 11 is inserted into the support shaft fixing hole 4b.

  The axial direction of the support shaft 11b is generally a direction parallel to the flow direction of the conveyor 2. For this reason, the support piece 11 is disposed so that the tip 11e projects in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the conveyor 2, and the tip 11e on the protruding side of the support shaft 11b extends vertically about the support shaft 11b. It is rotatable. In addition, the projecting direction of the support piece 11 is not limited to the direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the conveyor 2, and a mode in which the support piece 11 intersects with the flow direction of the conveyor 2 at an angle other than 90 degrees can be considered.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support piece 11 is formed of a longitudinal member, and has walls at both ends thereof along the flow direction of the conveyor 2, and support shaft fixing holes 11d are respectively formed at the walls at both ends in the flow direction. Is formed. A space is formed between the walls at both ends in the flow direction, and the pair of projections 4a of the pedestal 4 enters into this space. Then, the support shaft fixing hole 4b and the support shaft fixing hole 11d are aligned, and one support shaft 11b is inserted into the support shaft fixing hole 4b and the support shaft fixing hole 11d. Thereby, the support piece 11 is rotatable around the axis of the support shaft 11 b with respect to the pedestal 4.

  The support piece 11 has a lock pin 11a arranged in a direction parallel to the support shaft 11b. As shown in FIG. 2, the lock pins 11 a are inserted into lock pin fixing holes 11 c provided on the walls at both ends in the flow direction, and are fixed to the support pieces 11. The lock pin 11a constitutes a part of a lock mechanism B that locks the support piece 11 in a nearly horizontal state in which articles can be placed on the support piece 11, that is, in a mountable state (horizontal state). I have.

  The lock mechanism B includes a lock pin 11a provided on the support piece 11 and a lock piece 12 for locking the lock pin 11a and restricting the tip 11e of the support piece 11 from rotating downward. As shown in FIG. 2, the lock piece 12 has walls at both ends in the flow direction of the conveyor 2, and shaft fixing holes 12c are formed in the walls at both ends in the flow direction. A space is formed between the walls at both ends in the flow direction, and the pedestal 4 enters into this space. The pedestal 4 has a shaft fixing hole 4e. Then, the shaft fixing hole 12c and the shaft fixing hole 4e are aligned, and one shaft 12b is inserted into the shaft fixing hole 12c and the shaft fixing hole 4e. Thereby, the lock piece 12 is swingable about the axis 12b with respect to the pedestal 4.

  The lock piece 12 includes a hook-shaped locking portion 12a protruding upward. The locking portion 12a has a downward surface, and the upper surface of the lock pin 11a is locked by the downward surface, thereby restricting the tip 11e of the support piece 11 in a mountable state from rotating downward. In this embodiment, since the lock pin 11a is located on the rear end 11f side of the support shaft 11b, the locking portion 12a of the lock piece 12 has its downward surface locking the upper surface side of the lock pin 11a. Is restricted from rotating toward the non-placeable state (inclined state). If the lock pin 11a is located on the tip end 11e side of the support shaft 11b, the locking portion 12a of the lock piece 12 has its upward surface locked with the lower surface of the lock pin 11a, and the support piece 11 is mounted. This is a mode of restricting rotation to the non-placeable state (tilted state) side.

  Further, the lock piece 12 is urged in the locking direction to the lock pin 11a by a torsion coil spring a (see FIG. 1) fitted on the outer periphery of the shaft 12b.

  The support piece 11, the lock piece 12, the lock mechanism B, and the like constitute a transport sorting unit 10 that moves along the flow direction of the conveyor 2 together with the chain 3 and the pedestal 4.

  Further, a release mechanism C for releasing the lock of the support piece 11 by the lock mechanism B is disposed in the sorting unit. The release mechanism C is fixed so as not to move by a fixing means 6a such as a bolt and a nut in a fixing groove 5c extending along the longitudinal direction of the frame 5.

  On the other hand, the supporting piece 11 moves in the same direction along with the movement of the chain 3 in the longitudinal direction together with the other members constituting the transport sorting unit 10, that is, the lock piece 12 and the lock mechanism B. The article A placed on the support piece 11 locked in a possible state also moves along the flow direction.

  The release mechanism C includes a lever 6c that presses the rear end of the lock piece 12, a movable rod 6d that operates the lever 6c, and a solenoid device 6 that includes a solenoid portion 6b that moves the rod 6d by energization. ing.

  When the rod 6d is extended and presses the lever 6c by energizing the solenoid portion 6b, the tip of the lever 6c pushes the rear end of the lock piece 12 downward, and the tip of the lock piece 12 rotates upward. By this rotation, the downward surface of the locking portion 12a is separated from the upper surface of the lock pin 11a, and the locking of the lock pin 11a by the lock piece 12 is released. As a result, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 rotates downward, and the support piece 11 enters a non-placeable state (tilted state) where the article A is dropped. The article A placed on the support piece 11 falls downward and is discharged to the next step D.

  The unlocking operation by the unlocking mechanism C is performed only on the support piece 11 on which the article A satisfying the condition corresponding to the sorting unit is placed by the signal from the identifying unit. The article A is not always placed on one support piece 11 and is often placed on a plurality of adjacent support elements 11, so that the release mechanism C The lock is released for all the support pieces 11 on which the corresponding article A is placed. These release mechanisms C also constitute a part of the sorting device 1.

  Further, the support piece 11 passes through all the sorting sections provided on the conveyor 2 and then returns to the reversing section, or a return mechanism such as a guide member provided between the reversing sections. (Not shown), the tip 11e is lifted upward, and returns to the mountable state. At this time, the lock of the support piece 11 by the lock mechanism B is also automatically restored, and is used for the next conveyance.

  Here, the transport sorting unit 10 includes a lifting prevention unit 20 that prevents the tip 11e of the support piece 11 from rotating upward in the mountable state. By providing the lifting prevention means 20, it is possible to prevent the tip 11e of the support piece 11 from lifting due to vibration of the conveyor 2, centrifugal force at the reversing portion of the conveyor 2, and the like. In particular, it is effective for the stability and safety of the apparatus to prevent the support piece 11 from being lifted up after the article A has been dropped and carried out to the next step D in a state where the support piece 11 has returned to the mountable state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the lifting prevention means 20 of the first embodiment is provided on the lock piece 12 and has a rotation preventing contact portion 21a that contacts the lock pin 11a.

  The rotation preventing contact portion 21a is configured by an upward surface of the protruding piece 21 provided on the lock piece 12, as shown in a mountable state shown in FIG. 4A and a non-placeable state shown by a solid line in FIG. Then, the lower surface side of the lock pin 11a is locked by the upward surface, thereby restricting the tip 11e of the support piece 11 in the mountable state from rotating further upward.

  In this embodiment, since the lock pin 11a is located on the rear end 11f side of the support shaft 11b, the upward surface of the rotation preventing contact portion 21a locks the lower surface of the lock pin 11a. This restricts the tip 11e of the support piece 11 from turning upward. If the lock pin 11a is located on the tip end 11e side of the support shaft 11b, the rotation preventing contact portion 21a becomes a downward surface, and the downward surface locks the upper surface side of the lock pin 11a to support the lock pin 11a. In this embodiment, the tip 11e of the piece 11 is restricted from rotating upward.

  Further, the lifting prevention means 20 of the second embodiment is provided with a rotation preventing contact portion 22a provided on the lock piece 12 and abutting on the support piece 11, as shown in FIG. .

  The rotation preventing contact portion 22a is configured by the upper surface of the upward convex portion 22 provided on the lock piece 12, and the upper surface of the upward convex portion 22 is closer to the rear end 11f than the support shaft 11b, and By contacting the lower surface 22b, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 is restricted from turning upward. Since the upper surface of the upward convex portion 22 is formed in an arc shape, the sliding with the lower surface 22b of the support piece 11 is smooth.

  The lifting prevention means 20 of the third embodiment also includes a rotation preventing contact portion 23b provided on the lock piece 12 and abutting on the support piece 11, as shown in FIG. It is.

  The rotation preventing contact portion 23b is formed of a flat upward surface provided on the lock piece 12, and the upward surface is a downward convex portion provided on the support piece 11 on the rear end 11f side of the support shaft 11b. By contacting the lower surface 23a of the support member 23, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 is restricted from rotating upward. Since the lower surface 23a of the downward convex portion 22 is formed in an arc shape, the sliding of the lock piece 12 with the upward surface is smooth.

  The lifting prevention means 20 of the fourth embodiment is also provided with a rotation preventing contact portion 24a provided on the lock piece 12 and abutting on the support piece 11, as shown in FIG. .

  The rotation preventing contact portion 24a is configured by the upper surface of the upward convex portion 24 provided on the lock piece 12, and the upper surface of the upward convex portion 23 is closer to the rear end 11f than the support shaft 11b. By contacting the flat downward surface 24b, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 is restricted from turning upward. Since the upper surface of the upward convex portion 24 is formed in an arc shape, sliding with the downward surface 24b of the support piece 11 is smooth.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the lifting prevention means 20 of the fifth embodiment is provided with a rotation preventing contact portion 25a provided on the lock piece 12 and abutting on the support piece 11. is there.

  The rotation preventing contact portion 25a is formed by the upper surface of a ridge 25 provided on the side surface of the lock piece 12, and the upper surface of the ridge 25 is closer to the rear end 11f than the support shaft 11b, and By contacting the downward surface 25b, the tip 11e of the support piece 11 is restricted from turning upward.

  The rotation prevention contact portions 25a are provided on both side surfaces of the lock piece 12, but the rotation prevention contact portions 25a may be provided on only one side surface of the lock piece 12.

  In the example of FIGS. 6A and 6B, the rotation preventing contact part 25a and the lifting prevention means 20 (rotation preventing contact part 21a) in the first embodiment are used together. Without such a combination, the rotation preventing contact portion 25a alone can exhibit the effect of preventing lifting. Further, the rotation preventing contact portion 25a of the fifth embodiment is replaced with the lifting prevention means 20 (rotation preventing contact portion 22a of the second, third, and fourth embodiments). , 23b, 24a).

  In the conventional sorting and storage device, a torsion coil spring b (see FIG. 8) that urges the support piece 11 from the mountable state to the non-mountable state side is provided. The torsion coil spring b urges the support piece 11 so that the article drops promptly after the lock is released by the release mechanism C. At the same time, the biasing direction is the support piece 11. In the direction of preventing the tip 11e from floating. In the present invention, since the support piece 11 is not lifted by the provision of the lift prevention means 20, the installation of the torsion coil spring b can be omitted at all. In addition, even if the torsion coil spring b was omitted, it was confirmed that the article A having a certain weight would drop immediately after releasing the lock due to its own weight. Therefore, if the present invention is adopted, the elastic member (urging the support piece 11 from the mountable state to the non-mountable state side) urges the tip 11e of the support piece 11 in the direction of turning downward. It is possible to employ a selection device 1 having a springless structure in which the installation of the torsion coil spring b) is omitted.

  If an article A with a small weight is handled (for example, seaweed of seafood), or if particularly necessary, an elastic member that urges the tip 11e of the support piece 11 in a downward rotating direction is installed. However, even in the case of handling a small-weight article A, as shown in FIGS. If the weight 30 for urging the support piece 11 is provided, the installation of the elastic member can be omitted.

  FIG. 7A shows the sixth embodiment, in which a weight 30 is installed only near the tip 11 e of the support piece 11. FIG. 7B shows the seventh embodiment, in which a weight 30 is installed in a wide range on the tip 11e side of the support shaft 11b of the support piece 11. The weight and shape of the weight 30 and the mounting range thereof can be freely set according to the specifications of the conveyor 2 and the article A to be handled. In addition, the fixing method and the fixing structure of the weight 30 to the support piece 11 can employ various methods such as, for example, adhesive fixing, welding fixation, and insert molding when the support piece 11 is made of resin or rubber.

  Although the chain 3 is employed as the endless member 3 in the above embodiment, the configuration of the present invention can be applied to a conveyor 2 employing another member such as a belt as the endless member 3.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sorting device 2 Conveyor 3 Chain (endless member)
3a shaft 4 pedestal 4a projecting portion 4b support shaft fixing hole 4c retaining 4d hole 4e shaft fixing hole 5 conveyor frame 5a upper guide 5b lower guide 5c fixing groove 6 solenoid device 6a fixing means 6b solenoid portion 6c lever 6d rod 10 transport sorting unit 11 Support piece 11a Lock pin 11b Support shaft 11c Lock pin fixing hole 11d Support shaft fixing hole 11e Tip 11f Rear end 12 Lock piece 12a Locking portion 12b Shaft 12c Shaft fixing hole 20 Floating prevention means 21 Projection pieces 21a, 22a, 23b, 24a, 25a Rotation preventing contact portion 22 Upward convex portion 23 Downward convex portion 24 Upward convex portion 25 Ridge 30 Weight A Article B Lock mechanism C Release mechanism D Next step

Claims (3)

A plurality of pedestals (4) attached along the longitudinal direction of the endless member (3);
A plurality of support pieces (11) that are supported by the support shaft (11b) with respect to the pedestal (4) and whose tips (11e) are rotatable vertically about the support shaft (11b);
A lock mechanism (B) for locking the support piece (11) from being placed on the support piece (11) so that the article (A) can be placed on the support piece (11);
A release mechanism (C) for releasing the lock of the support piece (11) by the lock mechanism (B);
With
The lock mechanism (B) locks the lock pin (11a) with the lock pin (11a) provided on the rear end (11f) side of the support piece (11) with respect to the support shaft (11b). A lock piece (12) for restricting downward rotation of the tip (11e) of the support piece (11).
The lock piece (12) is in contact with the lower surface of the support piece (11) in a state in which the lock piece (12) can be placed at a position closer to the rear end (11f) than the support shaft (11b). An article sorting device including a rotation preventing contact portion (22a, 23b, 24a, 25a) for preventing the tip (11e) from rotating upward from the above-described mountable state. 2. The article according to claim 1, comprising the spring-less structure support piece (11) in which installation of an elastic member for urging the support piece (11) in a direction in which the tip (11 e) rotates downward is omitted. Sorting equipment. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a weight (30) for urging the support piece (11) in a direction in which the tip (11e) rotates downward.

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