JP2020152502A - Device for entrapping article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a device for entrapping an article adapted to carry an article toward a downstream of an entrapping unit in an entrapping state while entrapping an article by the entrapping unit.SOLUTION: A device for entrapping an article includes an article entrapping unit 100 comprising a horizontal drawing conveyor 10 that carries an article along a transport passage R, a first article entrapping unit 11 that is provided at one side in a width direction in the transport passage R and entraps an article M from the transport passage R onto a first transport passage 21, and a guide wall 30 that is provided at the other side in a width direction in the transport passage R. The first article entrapping unit 11 has a first entrapping arm 11a that is changed over between an entrapping state in which projected in the transport passage R from the one side in the width direction in the transport passage R so as to entrap the article M onto the first transport passage 21 and a retraction state where is retracted from the transport passage R. When the first entrapping arm 11a is in the entrapping state, a spacing between a tip of the first entrapping arm 11a and the guide wall 30 is equal to or greater than an article-passing width allowing an article M to pass through.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an article capture device.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes an article capture device including a capture unit that captures a plurality of articles transported by a conveyor into a downstream device. In this article capture device, the capture section projects an arm onto the conveyor to receive the article to be conveyed and draws the article into the downstream device. Further, in this article taking-in device, the arm blocks the entire width direction of the transport path so that the arm can reliably receive the article.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-214936

Here, when the arm of the take-in portion is projected to take in the article, the article is not conveyed to the downstream side because the article is received by the take-in portion. Therefore, the article taking-in device cannot perform processing such as, for example, another taking-in portion taking in the article at a position downstream of the taking-in portion in the taken-in state. Therefore, in the present technical field, there is a demand for an article capture device capable of transporting an article to the downstream side of the capture section in the captured state while capturing the article by the capture unit.

The article take-in device according to one aspect of the present invention is provided on one side in the width direction of the transport section and the transport section for transporting the article along the transport path, and the article is fetched from the transport path to the downstream device. A take-in portion and a guide wall provided on the other side in the width direction of the transport path are provided, and the first take-in portion is projected from one side in the width direction of the transport path into the transport path to bring the article downstream. It has a first arm that can be switched between a state of being taken into the device and a state of being retracted from the transport path, and when the first arm is in the state of being taken in, the distance between the tip of the first arm and the guide wall. Is greater than or equal to the article passage width through which the article can pass.

This article taking-in device can convey an article to the downstream side of the first taking-in portion through the gap between the tip end portion of the first arm and the guide wall even when the first taking-in portion is in the taking-in state. Therefore, the article taking-in device can convey the article to the downstream side of the first taking-in portion in the taken-in state while taking the article into the downstream side device by the first taking-in portion.

The article importing device is provided on the downstream side in the article transporting direction and on one side in the width direction of the transport path from the first fetching section, and further includes a second fetching section for fetching the article from the transport path to the downstream device. The second intake unit is a second arm that can be switched between a capture state in which an article is projected into the transport path from one side in the width direction of the transport path and the article is taken into the downstream device, and a retracted state in which the article is retracted from the transport path. The distance between the tip of the second arm and the guide wall may be less than the article passage width through which the article can pass when the second arm is in the intake state.

In this case, even if the first arm is in the capture state, the article is conveyed toward the second capture portion through the gap between the first arm and the guide wall. That is, the second capture unit can capture the article into the downstream device regardless of whether or not the first capture unit is in the article capture state. Therefore, the article taking-in device does not need to wait for taking in the second taking-in part until the taking-in of the first taking-in part is completed, and the article taking-in device does not need to wait for taking in the first taking-in part and the second taking-in part. Each of them can take in goods in a timely manner. Further, the distance between the tip of the second arm and the guide wall is less than the article passage width. In this case, the article capture device can more reliably capture the article that was not captured by the first capture unit by the second capture unit. As a result, the article taking-in device can prevent the article conveyed by the conveying unit from being conveyed without being taken into the downstream device.

The article importing device is provided on the downstream side in the article transporting direction and on one side in the width direction of the transport path from the second fetching section, and is provided with a third fetching section for fetching the article from the transport path to the downstream device. A control unit for controlling the operation of the second arm is further provided, and the third intake unit has a capture state in which the article is projected into the transport path from one side in the width direction of the transport path and the article is taken into the downstream device. It has a third arm that can be switched to a retracted state retracted from the transport path, and the control unit operates the second arm so that the second arm is in the intake state when the third arm is in the retracted state. You may control it.

In this way, when the third arm is in the retracted state and the article cannot be taken in by the third taking-in portion, the second arm is controlled to be in the taking-in state. That is, when the third taking-in portion cannot take in the article, the article conveyed by the conveying section is not conveyed to the third taking-in portion side because it is received by the second arm. As a result, the article taking-in device can prevent the article conveyed by the conveying section from being conveyed without being taken in by each taking-in section.

In the article taking-in device, the width on the upstream side of the position where the first taking-in portion is provided in the carrying path may be wider than the width of the position where the first taking-in portion is provided in the carrying path.

In this case, the article taking-in device can prevent the article conveyed by the conveying section from being clogged at a position upstream of the first taking-in section. Further, since the article taking-in device has a wider width on the upstream side than the position where the first taking-in portion is provided in the transport path, the portion of the first arm in the taken-in state and the tip portion of the first arm. The article can be transported to both parts of the gap between the and the guide wall. As a result, the article capture device can more reliably convey the article to the downstream side of the first capture section in the captured state while capturing the article by the first capture section.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the article can be transported to the downstream side of the capture section in the captured state while the article is captured by the capture section.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a combination weighing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the combination weighing device of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of the article intake portion of the article capture unit of FIG. FIG. 4 is a rear view of each hopper and each transport path as viewed from the direction of the IV-IV arrow in FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the combination weighing unit as viewed from the direction of the VV arrow in FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control device for the article capture unit. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of the article intake portion of the article capture unit of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the combination weighing device including the article loading device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or equivalent elements will be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combination weighing device 1 includes an article capturing unit (article capturing device) 100 and a combination weighing unit 200. The combination weighing unit 200 is a device that weighs articles M having varying masses by themselves with a plurality of weighing machines and combines the obtained weighing values to obtain an aggregate of articles M having a constant mass. The article taking-in unit 100 distributes and supplies the article M to each weighing machine so that the article M can be weighed by the plurality of weighing machines of the combination weighing unit 200.

<Structure of article capture unit>
The article taking-in unit 100 includes a horizontal pulling conveyor (conveying unit) 10, a first article taking-in section (first taking-in section) 11, a second article taking-in section (first taking-in section) 12, and a third article taking-in section. Take-in part (1st take-in part) 13, 4th article take-in part (2nd take-in part) 14, 5th article take-in part (3rd take-in part) 15, 6th article take-in part (3rd) Intake unit) 16, 1st conveyor 21, 2nd conveyor 22, 3rd conveyor 23, 4th conveyor 24, 5th conveyor 25, 6th conveyor 26, guide wall 30, and control device 40. (See FIG. 6).

Article M is, for example, thigh meat or breast meat cut out from a broiler. Thigh meat, breast meat, etc. disassembled by the dismantling line of the broiler are supplied to the article supply position P of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 by the belt conveyor. The horizontal pulling conveyor 10 is composed of, for example, a belt conveyor. The horizontal pulling conveyor 10 conveys the article M at a preset speed, and the control device 40 controls the on / off of the conveying operation. The horizontal pulling conveyor 10 conveys the article M supplied to the article supply position P along the transport path R extending along the transport direction indicated by the arrow F.

The first transport path 21, the second transport path 22, the third transport path 23, the fourth transport path 24, the fifth transport path 25, and the sixth transport path 26 are upstream in the transport direction of the article M in the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. They are arranged in this order from the side to the downstream side. The end on the inlet side of the first transport path 21 to the sixth transport path 26 is located near one side portion in the width direction of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. The first transport path 21 to the sixth transport path 26 extend along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the article M in the horizontal pulling conveyor 10.

The first transport path 21 to the sixth transport path 26 are each composed of inclined chutes. As shown in FIG. 1, the sixth transport path 26 is provided with a stock area SA for stocking a predetermined amount of the article M. Photoelectric sensors S1, S2, and S3 are arranged at the upper position, middle position, and lower position of the sixth transport path 26, respectively. These sensors S1 to S3 can detect the passage of the article M and the stock amount of the article M in the sixth transport path 26. For example, the upper sensor S1 can detect that the stock amount of the article M in the sixth transport path 26 is full.

The sensor S1 includes, for example, a floodlight and a receiver arranged so as to sandwich the sixth transport path 26, and the light emitted from the floodlight crosses the sixth transport path 26 and is incident on the receiver. The sensor S1 detects the passage of the article M or the like depending on the presence or absence of light reception by the light receiver. Similar to the sensor S1, the sensors S2 and S3 include a floodlight and a receiver, respectively.

A shutter ST is provided at an intermediate position of the sixth transport path 26. By lowering the shutter ST, the sixth transport path 26 can stock the article M at a position upstream of the shutter ST. As a result, the sixth transport path 26 can prevent the article M from accumulating a predetermined amount or more at the lower end portion of the sixth transport path 26.

Similar to the sixth transport path 26, the first transport path 21 to the fifth transport path 25 is provided with a stock area SA for stocking the article M. Further, in the first transport path 21 to the fifth transport path 25, the sensors S1, S2 and S3, and the shutter ST are arranged, respectively, as in the sixth transport path 26.

The first article taking-in section 11, the second article taking-in section 12, the third article taking-in section 13, the fourth article taking-in section 14, the fifth article taking-in section 15, and the sixth article taking-in section 16 are The articles M on the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. That is, the second article taking-in section 12 is provided on the downstream side of the first article taking-in section 11 in the transport direction of the article M. The third article taking-in section 13 is provided on the downstream side of the second article taking-in section 12 in the transport direction of the article M. The fourth article taking-in section 14 is provided on the downstream side of the third article taking-in section 13 in the transport direction of the article M. The fifth article taking-in section 15 is provided on the downstream side of the fourth article taking-in section 14 in the transport direction of the article M. The sixth article taking-in section 16 is provided on the downstream side of the fifth article taking-in section 15 in the transport direction of the article M.

The first article capture section 11 to the sixth article capture section 16 are provided at the entrances of the first transport paths 21 to the sixth transport paths 26, respectively, and the articles M transported by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 are carried through the first transport path. Take in each of the 21st to 6th conveyor paths 26. As described above, the first transport path 21 to the sixth transport path 26 are downstream devices in which the article M is taken in from the transport path R by the first article capture section 11 to the sixth article capture section 16.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the sixth article taking-in portion 16 is provided on one side in the width direction (one end side in the width direction) of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 (conveyor path R). That is, the sixth article taking-in portion 16 is provided on the side of both ends of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 (conveyor path R) in the width direction where the end portion on the inlet side of the sixth conveyor path 26 is located. The sixth article taking-in unit 16 takes in the article M from the transport path R into the sixth transport path 26.

The sixth article capture unit 16 includes a sixth capture arm (third arm) 16a and a sixth motor 16b. The sixth take-in arm 16a is provided so as to float from the transport surface of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. The base end portion of the sixth intake arm 16a is connected to the rotation shaft of the sixth motor 16b. The sixth take-in arm 16a is swung on the transport surface of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 by the sixth motor 16b. More specifically, the sixth intake arm 16a is swung by the sixth motor 16b so that the article M is projected from one side in the width direction of the transport path R into the transport path R to bring the article M into the sixth transport path 26. It can be switched between a capture state (shown by a broken line in FIG. 3) and a retracted state (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) retracted from the transport path R.

The sixth capture arm 16a is curved so that the intermediate portion protrudes toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the article M in the capture state shown by the broken line in FIG. When the sixth take-in arm 16a is in the take-in state, the sixth take-in arm 16a receives the article M to be conveyed and draws it toward the sixth transfer path 26 side. When the sixth take-in arm 16a is in the retracted state, the sixth take-in arm 16a closes the entrance of the sixth transport path 26.

Similarly to the sixth article acquisition section 16, the first article capture section 11 to the fifth article capture section 15 also has the first capture arm (first arm) 11a, the first motor 11b, and the second capture arm. (1st arm) 12a and 2nd motor 12b, 3rd intake arm (1st arm) 13a and 3rd motor 13b, 4th intake arm (2nd arm) 14a and 4th motor 14b, and 5th It includes a take-in arm (third arm) 15a and a fifth motor 15b. The capture arms 11a to 15a of the first article capture section 11 to the fifth article capture section 15 are also in the capture state and the retracted state, similarly to the sixth capture arm 16a of the sixth article capture section 16. Can be switched to.

Between the sixth take-in arm 16a and the end on the inlet side of the sixth transport path 26, the article M taken in from the transport path R by the swing of the sixth take-in arm 16a is placed in the sixth transport path 26. A hopper H that guides to the stock area SA is arranged. Similarly, the hopper H is also arranged between the first intake arm 11a and the first transport path 21 and the like. As shown in FIG. 4, the hopper H is formed in the shape of a funnel of a quadrangular pyramid having a large opening at the top and a small outlet at the bottom. Each discharge port of each hopper H faces the end on the inlet side of the first transport path 21 to the sixth transport path 26, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide wall 30 is on the transport surface of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 along the transport direction of the article M so as to face the first article capture section 11 to the sixth article capture section 16. Is provided. The guide wall 30 is provided so as to float from the transport surface of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. The guide wall 30 defines a side portion of the transport path R opposite to the first article intake portion 11 and the like. That is, the transport path R is formed between the first take-in arm 11a to the sixth take-in arm 16a and the guide wall 30 in the retracted state on the transport surface of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. As described above, the first article taking-in section 11 to the sixth article taking-in section 16 are provided on one side of the transport path R in the width direction, and the guide wall 30 is provided on the other side of the transport path R in the width direction. Be done.

The upstream end of the guide wall 30 extends to the article supply position P upstream of the first article capture section 11. An upstream guide wall 31 is provided at a position upstream of the first article taking-in portion 11. The upstream guide wall 31 is provided so as to float from the transport surface of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. The upstream guide wall 31 defines a side portion of the transport path R opposite to the guide wall 30 at a position upstream of the first article intake portion 11. That is, at a position upstream of the first article intake portion 11, the transport path R is formed between the upstream guide wall 31 and the guide wall 30.

The guide wall 30 has an upstream wall portion 30a, a first connecting portion 30b, a wide portion 30c, a second connecting portion 30d, and a narrow portion 30e in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the article M. ing. The upstream wall portion 30a extends along the transport direction of the article M. The upstream wall portion 30a faces the upstream guide wall 31 with the article supply position P in between. The wide portion 30c faces the first article capture section 11 to the third article capture section 13. The first connecting portion 30b connects the upstream wall portion 30a and the wide portion 30c. The narrow portion 30e faces the fourth article capture section 14 to the sixth article capture section 16. The second connecting portion 30d connects the wide portion 30c and the narrow portion 30e.

The wide portion 30c extends along the transport direction of the article M. The wide portion 30c faces the tip portions of the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a when the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a are in the capture state. When the first take-in arm 11a to the third take-in arm 13a are in the take-in state, the distance W between the tip end portion of the first take-in arm 11a and the wide portion 30c (the length in the width direction of the transport path R). The distance W between the tip of the second take-in arm 12a and the wide portion 30c and the distance W between the tip of the third take-in arm 13a and the wide portion 30c are each equal to or larger than the article passing width. The article passing width is the minimum width through which the article M conveyed by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 can pass. For example, when the shape of the article M varies, the smallest possible width of the article M may be used as the article passing width. That is, if the interval W is equal to or larger than the article passage width, the article M can pass through the gap between the tip end portion and the wide portion 30c of the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a in the capture state. As a result, even if the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a are in the capture state, the article M has the tip portion and the wide portion 30c of the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a. Can be transported to the downstream side through the gap of.

In this way, the first article taking-in section 11 takes the article M into the first transport path 21 by setting the first taking-in arm 11a in the taking-in state, and is downstream from the first article taking-in section 11. Can carry the article M to. Similar to the first article capture section 11, the second article capture section 12 and the third article capture section 13 also take the article M into the second transport path 22 and the third transport path 23, respectively, on the downstream side. Article M can be transported.

The narrow portion 30e extends along the transport direction of the article M. The narrow portion 30e faces the tip portions of the fourth capture arm 14a to the sixth capture arm 16a when the fourth capture arm 14a to the sixth capture arm 16a are in the capture state. When the 4th take-in arm 14a to the 6th take-in arm 16a are in the take-in state, the distance between the tip portion of the 4th take-in arm 14a and the narrow portion 30e (the length in the width direction of the transport path R). The distance between the tip of the fifth take-in arm 15a and the narrow portion 30e and the distance between the tip of the sixth take-in arm 16a and the narrow portion 30e are less than the article passage width, respectively. That is, the article M cannot pass through the gap between the tip portion and the narrow portion 30e of the fourth capture arm 14a to the sixth capture arm 16a in the capture state. In the present embodiment, the distance between the tip portion of the fourth capture arm 14a to the sixth capture arm 16a and the narrow portion 30e in the capture state is substantially zero.

As a result, the fourth article capture unit 14 can reliably capture the article M into the fourth transport path 24 by setting the fourth capture arm 14a in the capture state. Similarly, the fifth article capture unit 15 and the sixth article capture unit 16 can reliably capture the article M by setting the fifth capture arm 15a and the sixth capture arm 16a in the capture state, respectively. it can.

Further, the narrow portion 30e is formed so as to have a wavy shape in a plan view. The narrow portion 30e is a fourth capture of the article M pushed toward the narrow portion 30e when the fourth capture arm 14a to the sixth capture arm 16a are swung from the retracted state to the capture state. It has a function of pulling back to a swing region such as a built-in arm 14a.

As described above, the width of the transport path R in the portion provided with the wide portion 30c is wider than the width of the transport path R in the portion provided with the narrow portion 30e. The width of the transport path R in the portion where the second connecting portion 30d is provided gradually narrows toward the downstream in the transport direction. The second connecting portion 30d transfers the article M, which is conveyed downstream through the vicinity of the wide portion 30c without being captured by the first capturing arm 11a to the third capturing arm 13a, to the fourth article capturing portion 14 side. Move to.

The distance between the upstream wall portion 30a and the upstream guide wall 31 is wider than the width of the transport path R in the portion where the wide portion 30c is provided. That is, the width on the upstream side of the transport path R on the upstream side of the position where the first article capture portion 11 is provided is wider than the width of the position on the transport path R where the first article capture portion 11 is provided. The width of the transport path R in the portion where the first connecting portion 30b is provided gradually narrows toward the downstream in the transport direction. The first connection portion 30b moves the article M transported to the downstream side through the vicinity of the upstream wall portion 30a to the first article intake portion 11 side.

Here, the center position of the article supply position P in the width direction of the transport path R and the position of the tip end portion of the first capture arm 11a in the capture state (the position in the width direction of the transport path R) substantially coincide with each other. The position of the article supply position P may be set. That is, the center position of the transport of the plurality of articles M on the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 (the center position in the width direction of the transport path R) and the position of the tip end portion of the first capture arm 11a in the capture state are substantially the same. The first intake arm 11a may be installed in the above. In this case, the plurality of articles M supplied to the article supply position P spread to some extent on the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 due to the angle of repose of the article M. As a result, the article capture unit 100 has the article M that is conveyed by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 when the plurality of articles M supplied to the article supply position P are conveyed to the first article acquisition unit 11 side. About half of the article is taken in by the first article taking-in section 11 to the third article taking section 13, and the remaining about half of the article M is taken in by the first article taking section 11 to the third article taking section 13. Can be transported to the side. That is, the article capture unit 100 can convey the article M to a position where the article M cannot be captured by the first article capture unit 11 to the third article capture unit 13. As a result, the article capture unit 100 can also transport the article M to the downstream side of the first article capture section 11 to the third article capture section 13.

<Structure of combination weighing unit>
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the combination weighing unit 200 includes a supply conveyor group 50, 6 sorting hoppers DH, 12 square chute DSs, 12 weighing machines 60, and a collecting machine. A conveyor 70 is provided. The supply conveyor group 50 includes a first supply conveyor 51, a second supply conveyor 52, a third supply conveyor 53, a fourth supply conveyor 54, a fifth supply conveyor 55, and a sixth supply conveyor 56.

The first supply conveyors 51 to 6 are arranged so as to be parallel to each other. The first supply conveyors 51 to 6 are connected to the first transfer passages 21 to 6 of the article acquisition unit 100, respectively. Articles M are supplied to the first supply conveyors 51 to 6 from the lower ends of the first transfer paths 21 to 6 and the sixth transfer paths 26, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sixth supply conveyor 56 is composed of a cross-shaped conveyor having a bent shape in a plan view, which has an obliquely inclined rising portion and a horizontal portion extending in the horizontal direction. The lower portion of the obliquely inclined rising portion of the sixth supply conveyor 56 faces the lower end portion of the sixth transport path 26. The tip of the horizontal portion of the sixth supply conveyor 56 faces above the distribution hopper DH.

The sixth supply conveyor 56, which is composed of a conveyor with rails, is configured to scoop up articles M one by one from the lower end of the sixth transport path 26 by a plurality of rails 56a attached at regular intervals. That is, when two or more articles M of an average size are stacked on the crosspiece 56a, only one of the articles M remains on the crosspiece 56a, and the other articles M fall off the crosspiece 56a. The height and the inclination angle of the rising portion of the sixth supply conveyor 56 are set. As a result, even if a plurality of articles M are deposited in the lower part of the sixth transport path 26, the sixth supply conveyor 56 can scoop up the articles M one by one by the crosspiece 56a and convey them to the weighing machine 60.

The first supply conveyors 51 to 5 have the same configuration as the sixth supply conveyor 56. That is, the first supply conveyors 51 to 5 and the fifth supply conveyors 55 are composed of crosspiece conveyors provided with crosspieces 51a to 55a (see FIG. 5) similar to the crosspiece 56a.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, six distribution hoppers DH are linearly arranged below the tip of the horizontal portion of the first supply conveyor 51 to the sixth supply conveyor 56, and distribution is performed. In the lower part of the hopper DH, twelve square pyramidal chute DSs penetrating vertically are arranged in a straight line. Further, 12 weighing machines 60 are arranged in the lower stage of the square chute DS.

As shown in FIG. 5, each distribution hopper DH includes left and right opening / closing gates G that individually open / close from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the broken line. Further, square chute DSs are arranged in the lower stages of the left and right opening / closing gates G so as to guide the articles M discharged from each opening / closing gate G. A weighing machine 60 is arranged at the lower stage of each square chute DS.

Therefore, when the opening / closing gate G on the left side in FIG. 5 opens / closes, the article M in the distribution hopper DH is discharged to the odd-numbered square chute DS in FIG. 5, and when the opening / closing gate G on the right side opens and closes. , Article M is discharged to each even-numbered square chute DS in FIG. 5 counting from the left. As a result, the articles M conveyed by the first supply conveyors 51 to 6 are distributed to the two adjacent weighing machines 60 via the respective distribution hoppers DH. Therefore, for example, even if the article M stays in some of the weighing machines 60 among the plurality of weighing machines 60 for a long time, if the adjacent weighing machine 60 is selected in combination, the article M in the line is the weighing machine 60. The article M can be conveyed without stopping the first supply conveyor 51 and the like on the upstream side corresponding to the discharge from the first supply conveyor 51. As a result, the retention of the article M on the first supply conveyor 51 or the like that occurs when each of the first supply conveyors 51 to 6 and the weighing machine 60 is associated with each other on a one-to-one basis is suppressed.

The twelve weighing machines 60 receive the article M from each of the twelve square chute DSs and weigh the article M. Each weighing machine 60 includes an upper pool hopper PH, a middle weighing hopper WH, and a lower booster hopper BH. The upper pool hopper PH temporarily stores the article M discharged from the distribution hopper DH. When the measuring hopper WH in the middle stage becomes empty, the pool hopper PH opens and closes the double-door gate G1 to discharge the article M to the measuring hopper WH in the middle stage.

The measuring hopper WH in the middle stage is provided with a load detector (not shown) and is supported by the load detector to measure the mass of the article M supplied. If the lower booster hopper BH is empty, the weighing hopper WH opens and closes the rotary gate G2 to discharge the weighed article M to the lower booster hopper BH. Subsequently, the weighing hopper WH outputs a discharge request for the article M to the pool hopper PH in the upper stage.

The lower booster hopper BH is not supported by the load detector, but has the same structure as the weighing hopper WH. The booster hopper BH stores the weighed articles M discharged from the weighing hopper WH and participates in the combination calculation. At that time, if a new article M is supplied to the upper weighing hopper WH, it participates in the combination calculation together with the weighing value of the new article M. When the lower booster hopper BH is selected in combination in the combination calculation, the rotary gate G3 of the lower booster hopper BH opens and closes, and the article M is discharged to the collection conveyor 70. When the upper weighing hopper WH is selected in combination in the combination calculation, the lower booster hopper BH is always selected in combination, and the article M selected in combination from the upper and lower weighing hopper WH and booster hopper BH is collected by the collection conveyor 70. Is discharged to. Well-known techniques can be used for such combination operations. The collection conveyor 70 collects the discharged articles M together and conveys them.

On the other hand, when the pool hopper PH in the upper stage receives the discharge request from the measuring hopper WH, the stored article M is discharged to the measuring hopper WH. Further, if the pool hopper PH is empty, the pool hopper PH outputs a discharge request for the article M to the upper distribution hopper DH. In response to this, if the distribution hopper DH stores the article M inside, it opens and closes the opening / closing gate G on the pool hopper PH side where the discharge request is made and discharges the article M to the pool hopper PH where the discharge request is made. To do. Then, the distribution hopper DH outputs the discharge request of the article M to the first supply conveyors 51 to 6 supply conveyors 56 on the upstream side if the distribution hopper DH is empty or empty.

The first supply conveyor 51 to the sixth supply conveyor 56 that received the discharge request until the discharge of the article M is confirmed by the sensor S0 (see FIG. 1) provided above the distribution hopper DH that outputs the discharge request. , Continue transporting article M. Then, when the discharge of the article M is confirmed, the first supply conveyors 51 to 6 and the sixth supply conveyors 56, which have received the discharge request, stop the transportation. When the first supply conveyor 51 or the like is driven, if the article M is stocked at the lower end of the first transport path 21 or the like, the crosspiece 51a or the like scoops up the article M one by one and conveys it.

Here, the control device 40 of the article taking-in unit 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 40 controls the operation of each part of the article taking-in unit 100. The control device 40 is an electronic control unit having, for example, a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], a communication device, and the like. The control device 40 controls the hardware based on the signal output by the CPU, and realizes various types of control. The control device 40 may be integrally configured with a control device that controls the operation of the combination weighing unit 200.

The control device 40 functionally includes a transport control unit 41 and a capture control unit (control unit) 42. The transport control unit 41 controls the operation of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 and conveys the article M by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10. The capture control unit 42 sends a control signal to the first motor 11b to the sixth motor 16b of the first article capture unit 11 to the sixth article capture unit 16 regardless of the operating state of the combination measuring unit 200, respectively. By outputting, the operation of the first capture arm 11a to the sixth capture arm 16a is individually controlled.

Here, the capture control unit 42 of the first capture arm 11a to the sixth capture arm 16a so that the article M is evenly distributed to each stock area SA of the first transport path 21 to the sixth transport path 26. Control the operation. For example, the capture control unit 42 controls the opening / closing timing of the first capture arm 11a and the like based on the detection results of various sensors provided in the article capture unit 100 such as the sensors S1 to S3.

For example, when the sensor S1 provided in the first transport path 21 detects that the article M in the stock area SA of the first transport path 21 is full, the capture control unit 42 is in a retracted state. The first take-in arm 11a is controlled so that the article M is not taken into the first transport path 21. The capture control unit 42 also controls the other second capture arm 12a to the sixth capture arm 16a in the same manner as the first capture arm 11a.

Further, the capture control unit 42 laterally pulls the article M supplied to the article supply position P of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 without being fetched by any of the first article fetching units 11 to the sixth article fetching unit 16. The operation of the first intake arm 11a and the like is controlled so that the conveyor 10 is not conveyed outside the conveyor 10.

Hereinafter, an example of control for preventing the article M from being conveyed to the outside of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 without being taken in by the first article taking-in unit 11 or the like will be described. Here, even if the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a are in the capture state as described above, the tip portions of the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a in the capture state The article M can be conveyed to the downstream side of the third article taking-in portion 13 through the gap with the guide wall 30 (wide portion 30c). On the other hand, when the fourth capture arm 14a is in the capture state, the fourth capture arm 14a can block the transport of the article M to the downstream side by receiving the article M to be transported. Similarly, the fifth capture arm 15a and the sixth capture arm 16a can also block the transport of the article M to the downstream side by receiving the article M to be transported in the capture state.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, in the capture control unit 42, both the fifth capture arm 15a of the fifth article capture unit 15 and the sixth capture arm 16a of the sixth article capture unit 16 are retracted. In this state, the fourth capture arm 14a is controlled so that the fourth capture arm 14a of the fourth article capture unit 14 is in the capture state. As a result, when the fifth capture arm 15a and the sixth capture arm 16a are in the retracted state, the article M is received by the fourth capture arm 14a.

That is, the capture control unit 42 causes the fourth capture arm 14a on the most upstream side capable of blocking the transport of the article M to the downstream side as a stopper for blocking the transport of the article M. For example, when the article M is full in the stock area SA of the fifth transport path 25 and the stock area SA of the sixth transport path 26, and the fifth capture arm 15a and the sixth capture arm 16a are in the retracted state. The capture control unit 42 controls the fourth capture arm 14a so that it is in the capture state. As a result, the transportation of the article M to the downstream side of the fourth article taking-in section 14 is blocked. Then, while the fourth take-in arm 14a shuts off the transportation of the article M, the combination weighing unit 200 repeatedly performs the combination weighing, so that the stock area SA of the fifth article take-in portion 15 and the sixth article take-up are performed. The number of articles M in the stock area SA of the inclusion portion 16 is reduced. After that, when the stock area SA of the fourth transport path 24 becomes full, the capture control unit 42 controls the fourth capture arm 14a to be in the retracted state, and the fifth capture arm 15a or The sixth capture arm 16a is controlled so as to be in the capture state. In this way, by making the fourth capture arm 14a of the fourth article capture section 14 on the upstream side of the sixth article capture section 16 most downstream in the transport direction function as a stopper, the fourth article capture section Even if the article 14 can no longer take in the article M, the article M can be taken in by the fifth article taking-in section 15 and the sixth article taking-in section 16. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the article M from being taken out of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 without being taken in.

As described above, in the article capture unit 100, the distance between the tip of the first capture arm 11a and the guide wall 30 (wide portion 30c) when the first capture arm 11a is in the capture state is It is more than the article passage width. Similarly, for the second take-in arm 12a and the third take-in arm 13a, the distance between the tip end portion and the guide wall 30 is equal to or larger than the article passage width. As a result, the article capture unit 100 is in the capture state even if at least one of the first article capture sections 11 to the third article capture section 13 is in the capture state, the first capture arm 11a to The article M can be conveyed to the downstream side of the third article take-in portion 13 from the gap between the tip end portion of the third take-in arm 13a and the guide wall. Therefore, the article importing unit 100 takes in the article M into the first transport path 21 to the third transport path 23 by the first article capture section 11 to the third article capture section 13, respectively, and the third article capture unit 100. Article M can be transported to the downstream side of 13.

In the article capture unit 100, the fourth article capture section 14 to the sixth article capture section 16 are provided on the downstream side of the article M in the transport direction from the third article capture section 13. The distance between the tip of the fourth take-in arm 14a and the guide wall 30 (narrow portion 30e) when the fourth take-in arm 14a is in the take-in state is less than the article passing width. Similarly, for the fifth take-in arm 15a and the sixth take-in arm 16a, the distance between the tip end portion and the guide wall 30 is less than the article passage width. As described above, even if at least one of the first capture arm 11a to the third capture arm 13a is in the capture state, the first capture arm 11a to the guide wall 30 pass through the gap between the tip of the capture arm and the guide wall 30. 4 The article M is conveyed toward the article taking-in section 14. That is, in the fourth article taking-in section 14 to the sixth article taking-in section 16, regardless of whether the first article taking-in section 11 to the third article taking-in section 13 is in the article M taking-in state. The transported article M can be taken in. Therefore, the article acquisition unit 100 does not need to wait for the acquisition of the fourth article acquisition unit 14 until, for example, the acquisition of the first article acquisition unit 11 is completed, and the article acquisition unit 11 does not need to wait for the acquisition of the first article acquisition unit 11. The article M can be taken in timely by each of the fourth article taking-in section 14. In this way, the article capture unit 100 is timely by the first article capture section 11 to the sixth article capture section 16 while suppressing bias with respect to the first transport path 21 to the sixth transport path 26. Goods M can be supplied. Therefore, the article M is supplied from the article taking unit 100 to the line requesting the article M in the combination weighing unit 200 in a timely manner, and the number of hoppers that can participate in the combination calculation in the combination weighing unit 200 increases. This can improve the accuracy, capacity, and operating rate of the combination weighing in the combination weighing unit 200.

Further, the distance between the tip of each of the fourth capture arm 14a to the sixth capture arm 16a and the guide wall 30 in the capture state is less than the article passage width. In this case, the article taking-in unit 100 picks up the articles that were not taken in by the first article taking-in section 11 to the third article taking-in section 13 by the fourth article taking-in section 14 to the sixth article taking-in section 16. It can be taken in surely. As a result, the article capture unit 100 can prevent the article M conveyed by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 from being conveyed to the outside of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 without being taken in.

The capture control unit 42 operates the fourth capture arm 14a so that the fourth capture arm 14a is in the capture state when the fifth capture arm 15a and the sixth capture arm 16a are in the retracted state. To control. As a result, when the 4th take-in arm 14a and the 5th take-in arm 15a are in the retracted state and the 5th article take-in section 15 and the 6th article take-in section 16 cannot take in the article, the 4th take-in The intake arm 14a is controlled so as to be in the intake state. That is, when the fifth article taking-in section 15 and the sixth article taking-in section 16 cannot take in the article M, the article M conveyed by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 is received by the fourth taking-in arm 14a. It is not conveyed to the fifth article taking-in section 15 side. As a result, in the article taking-in unit 100, the article M conveyed by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 is conveyed to the outside of the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 without being taken in by the first article taking-in section 11 to the sixth article taking-in section 16. It can be suppressed from being stored.

In the article capture unit 100, the width on the upstream side of the transport path R from the position where the first article capture section 11 is provided is wider than the width of the position where the first article capture portion 11 is provided on the transport path R. Is also wide. In this case, the article taking-in unit 100 suppresses that the article M conveyed by the horizontal pulling conveyor 10 is clogged at a position upstream of the first article taking-in section 11 (the article M is clogged and cannot be conveyed). it can. Further, since the article acquisition unit 100 has a width on the upstream side of the transport path R on the upstream side of the position where the first article acquisition unit 11 is provided, the portion of the article capture arm 11a is in the capture state. , The article can be conveyed to both the tip portion of the first intake arm 11a and the gap portion between the guide wall 30 (wide portion 30c). As a result, the article taking-in device takes in the article M by the first article taking-in section 11 to the third article taking-in section 13, and the first article taking-in section 11 to the third article taking-in section 13 in the taken-in state. The article M can be more reliably transported to the downstream side of the above.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the article capture unit 100 includes six article capture units of the first article capture unit 11 to the sixth article capture unit 16, but the number of article capture units is not limited to six. .. In the above embodiment, the distance between the tip of each capture arm of the first article capture section 11 to the third article capture section 13 and the guide wall 30 is set to be equal to or greater than the article passage width, and the fourth article capture section 14 to The distance between the tip of each take-in arm of the sixth article take-in portion 16 and the guide wall 30 is set to be less than the article passage width. However, the position of the article importing portion, which is the boundary of whether or not the distance between the tip of the capturing arm and the guide wall 30 is equal to or greater than the article passing width, is the position of the third article capturing portion 13 and the fourth article described above. It is not limited to the intake unit 14. For example, the distance between the tip of each capture arm of the first article capture section 11 and the second article capture section 12 and the guide wall 30 is set to be equal to or greater than the article passage width, and the third article capture section 13 to 6 articles. The distance between the tip of each take-in arm of the take-in portion 16 and the guide wall 30 may be less than the article passage width.

Further, the article capture unit 100 is a portion where the distance between the tip of the capture arm in the capture state and the guide wall 30 is equal to or larger than the article passage width (the first article capture section 11 to the third article capture section described above). 13 parts) and the part where the distance between the tip of the taking-in arm in the taken-in state and the guide wall 30 is less than the article passing width (the part of the above-mentioned fourth article taking-in part 14 to 6th article taking-in part 16) ) And one by one. However, the number of portions whose spacing is greater than or equal to the article passage width and the number of portions whose spacing is less than the article passage width are not limited to one. For example, in the article capture unit 100, in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the article M, a portion having an interval of less than the article passage width, a portion having an interval of more than the article passage width, and an interval of the article passage width It may have less than a portion. That is, the article taking-in unit 100 may include two portions having an interval of less than the article passing width and one portion having an interval of more than the article passing width. The article taking-in unit 100 may include a portion having an interval less than the article passing width on the downstream side of a portion having an interval equal to or larger than the article passing width.

At least a part of the above-described embodiments and various modifications may be arbitrarily combined.

10 ... Horizontal pulling conveyor (conveyor), 11 ... 1st article capture section (1st capture section), 11a ... 1st capture arm (1st arm), 12 ... 2nd article capture section (1st) Take-in part), 12a ... 2nd take-in arm (1st arm), 13 ... 3rd article take-in part (1st take-in part), 13a ... 3rd take-in arm (1st arm), 14 ... 4 Article capture section (2nd capture section), 14a ... 4th capture arm (2nd arm), 15 ... 5th article capture section (3rd capture section), 15a ... 5th capture arm ( 3rd arm), 16 ... 6th article capture section (3rd capture section), 16a ... 6th capture arm (3rd arm), 21-26 ... 1st to 6th conveyor paths (downstream side) Device), 30 ... guide wall, 42 ... capture control unit (control unit), 100 ... article capture unit (article capture device), M ... article, R ... transport path.

Claims (4)

A transport unit that transports goods along the transport path,
A first intake unit provided on one side in the width direction of the transport path and capturing the article from the transport path to the downstream device,
A guide wall provided on the other side in the width direction in the transport path, and
With
The first take-in portion is in a take-in state in which the article is projected into the transport path from the one side in the width direction of the transport path to take in the article into the downstream side device, and a retracted state in which the article is retracted from the transport path. Has a first arm that can be switched
An article taking device in which, when the first arm is in the taking-in state, the distance between the tip end portion of the first arm and the guide wall is equal to or larger than the article passing width through which the article can pass. A second intake section provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the article and on the one side in the width direction of the transport path from the first capture section, and fetches the article from the transport path into the downstream device. Further prepare
The second take-in portion is in a take-in state in which the article is projected into the transport path from the one side in the width direction of the transport path to take in the article into the downstream side device, and a retracted state in which the article is retracted from the transport path. Has a second arm that can be switched
The article according to claim 1, wherein when the second arm is in the taken-in state, the distance between the tip end portion of the second arm and the guide wall is less than the article passing width through which the article can pass. Capture device. A third intake unit provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the article and on the one side in the width direction of the transport path from the second capture section, and fetches the article from the transport path into the downstream device. ,
A control unit that controls the operation of the second arm,
With more
The third take-in portion is in a take-in state in which the article is projected into the transport path from the one side in the width direction in the transport path to take in the article into the downstream side device, and a retracted state in which the article is retracted from the transport path. Has a third arm that can be switched
The article capture device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the second arm so that the second arm is in the capture state when the third arm is in the retracted state. .. The width of the upstream side of the transport path from the position where the first intake portion is provided is wider than the width of the position where the first intake portion is provided in the transport path, claim 1 to 3. The article capture device according to any one of the items.

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