JP2021123352A - Product collection feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a product feeding apparatus capable of suppressing, as much as possible, cargo collapsing or the like caused by traversing or the like of individual products constituting a product group during movement on a transportation conveyor device.CONSTITUTION: The product feeding apparatus comprises: a first transportation conveyor device that transports a product 1; a second transportation conveyor device that transports a box 5; and a transfer robot that holds the product and feeds the product to the second transportation conveyor device side. The second transportation conveyor device is configured to intermittently move by a distance shorter than a transportation pitch of the box 5, and the transfer robot is configured to perform product feeding during the temporary stop of the intermittent movement and stack a plurality of products in the box. Article feeding positions X1, X2, and X3 are changed following transportation of the second transportation conveyor device, and cargo collapsing is made difficult by shortening a moving distance of a group 2 of stacked products to reduce a transportation speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a product integrated supply device.

The boxing device that packs a plurality of products in a stacked state is, for example, a first conveyor that conveys products in a flat state, a second conveyor that intermittently conveys a box with an upper opening, and a first conveyor. It is equipped with a transfer robot or the like that picks up products on the conveyor and supplies the picked up products in a box that stands by on the second conveyor that is temporarily stopped. The transfer robot repeats the pick-up and supply transfer processes of the above products for a predetermined number of times, and at the time of the second and subsequent transfers, it is placed on top of the products supplied in the box in the previous transfer. By placing it, a predetermined number of products are stacked in the box.

That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1A, first, the product 1 is robotically supplied into the empty box 5 that is temporarily stopped at the product supply position X. Then, the robot supply of the product 1 is repeatedly stopped in the box 5, and as shown in FIG. 1 (b), a predetermined number (3 in the figure) of the products 1 are stacked in the box 5. do. The second conveyor then moves one pitch and then pauses again (see FIG. 1 (c)). As a result, the next empty box 5 reaches the product supply position X by the transfer robot, and waits there to receive the supply of the product 1. This type of device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

JP-A-2017-1685

In the conventional device described above, after packing a predetermined number of products in a box, the second transfer conveyor transfers one pitch of products before the transfer robot transfers the next product, and a new empty box is created. It needs to be located at the product supply position X. Therefore, for example, when the moving speed of the product on the first conveyor is fast, the time until the transfer of the next product is started is short, or one pitch on the second conveyor is long, the boxed box is used. It is necessary to move one pitch at high speed. Therefore, the products stacked in the box may collapse. This is particularly noticeable when the product is a bag-like object such as a package or a non-rectangular box object.

The above-mentioned problems are described as independent of each other, and the present invention does not necessarily have to be able to solve all of the described problems, as long as at least one problem can be solved. In addition, we have the intention to acquire the rights to the structure for solving this problem independently by divisional application, amendment, etc.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the product supply device of the present invention includes (1) a transport device that directly or indirectly transports a product group in which a plurality of products are integrated, and a transport device that holds the product and the transport device. A robot for supplying to the side is provided, the transfer device intermittently moves at a distance shorter than the transfer pitch of the product group, and the robot supplies the products while the intermittent movement is temporarily stopped, thereby stacking the products. It is configured so that the article supply position is changed with the transportation of the transfer device.

In the present invention, products are supplied to the transport device side by a robot, stacked to form a product group, and transported as they are. Then, the products are sequentially stacked and stacked by the robot, and after the last product is stacked to form a product group consisting of a predetermined number of products, the distance that the product group moves is before and after the product group in the transport device. Since it is shorter than one pitch and can be conveyed at a low speed, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the possibility that the stacked products may collapse.

The transfer device corresponds to the second transfer conveyor device 12 in the embodiment. Further, in the embodiment, the product held by the robot is a product picked up by the first conveyor device 11, but the present invention is not limited to the product conveyed by the conveyor device. ..

(2) The transport device transports a box, the robot supplies the product into the box, and the transport device transports the box and stores the product in the box. It is preferable to indirectly transport the finished product group. In this way, it is possible to pack a plurality of products in a box while accumulating them vertically, and it is possible to prevent the products from collapsing in the box as much as possible. It is more preferable that the transport device has, for example, a function of transporting while holding the front and back of the box, but for example, it may be transported by contacting the rear side, and further, there is no positioning member such as a belt conveyor. You may. However, if the front and rear are held, it is preferable that the box can be reliably prevented from being displaced on the transport surface during intermittent movement.

(3) The transport device may be a bucket conveyor. For example, it is preferable to place the product group on the transport surface of the bucket conveyor and directly transport the products.

(4) The product may be a bag-shaped object or a non-rectangular box. These products are unstable and may be misaligned laterally, but by intermittently moving a short distance at a low speed, it is possible to prevent the load from collapsing due to the misalignment.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the individual products constituting the product group from laterally moving and causing the load to collapse when the transport device is intermittently moved.

It is a figure which shows the conventional example. It is a figure which shows one preferable embodiment of the product integrated supply apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation of one preferable embodiment of the product integrated supply apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not construed as being limited to this, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The product integrated supply device 10 is mounted on the first conveyor device 11 for transporting the product 1, the second conveyor device 12 for transporting the box 5 for stacking and storing the product 1, and the first conveyor device 11. It is provided with a transfer robot 15 that holds the moving product 1 and transfers it to the box 5.

The product 1 has a flat bag shape such as a four-sided seal package or a three-way seal package, and a desired article is stored in the bag shape. The product group 2 is formed by stacking the products on top of each other.

The first conveyor device 11 conveys the products 1 one by one in a flat posture, and may be composed of, for example, a belt conveyor. In the illustrated example, each product 1 is arranged in a single column at predetermined pitches, and the posture of each product 1 is also such that the long side is parallel to the transport direction. It is not necessary to do so, and the distance between the front and rear products 1 and / or the transport posture may be changed at random, but if they are aligned as shown in the figure, the transfer can be easily, smoothly, and quickly. Further, it is preferable to dispose a product detection sensor at a predetermined position above the transport path of the first conveyor device 11 to detect the product 1 on the transport path.

The second conveyor device 12 is arranged along the first conveyor device 11, and in the present embodiment, the transfer directions of both conveyor devices are parallel and opposite, but they may be in the same direction, and further, both. The conveyor devices do not have to be arranged in parallel. The second conveyor device 12 may be composed of a bucket conveyor, a finger conveyor, and other conveyor devices that intermittently convey the box 5 while the box 5 is positioned on the conveyor. In the illustrated example, an endless member 16 constituting a transport path, a drive mechanism (not shown) for rotationally moving the endless member 16, and a predetermined interval along the rotation direction on the outer peripheral surface of the endless member 16. The front finger member 17 and the rear finger member 18 attached in the above are provided. As the endless member 16, for example, an endless belt, a large number of free rollers extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction are arranged and arranged along the transport direction, and various other configurations may be applied.

Further, the front finger member 17 and the rear finger member 18 may be fixedly in contact with each other, for example, to have a fixed distance between them, or at least one of them moves relatively forward and backward to match the dimensions of the box 5. The distance may be adjustable, and various structures may be used.

In the present embodiment, the front and rear finger members 17 and the rear finger members 18 that are adjacent to each other in the front and rear contact the front and rear walls of the box 5 to position and hold the box 5, and the box 5 can be stably conveyed in that state. The empty box 5 is conveyed with the upper part open, and the products 1 conveyed by the first transfer conveyor device 11 are transferred into the box 5 one by one by the transfer robot 15. As a result, a plurality of products 1 are stacked in the box 5 so as to be stacked one above the other. Then, when a predetermined number of products 1 are stacked and stored in the box 5, the next empty box 5 is packed in a box.

Although not shown, the transfer robot 15 includes, for example, a robot arm and a suction portion attached to the tip of the robot arm. In the suction unit, for example, a plurality of suction nozzles are arranged in a grid pattern on the base member, and even in the case of a flat bag-shaped product 1, for example, the plurality of suction nozzles come into overall contact with each other and suck on the entire surface. , Can be held stably. The moving area of the suction portion by the robot arm includes the upper part of the transfer surface of the first transfer conveyor device 11 and the upper part of the transfer surface of the second transfer conveyor device 12.

With this configuration, the transfer robot 15 sucks and holds the product 1 moving on the first conveyor device 11 based on the detection signal of the product detection sensor, and drives the suction portion by driving the robot arm while holding the product 1. The product 1 is supplied into the box 5 by being positioned above the box 5 and moving downward to release the suction. Then, when the supply of the product 1 into the box 5 is completed, the transfer robot 15 moves the suction portion to a predetermined position on the first conveyor device 11 by driving the robot arm and stands by, and at a predetermined timing. Holds the product 1 by adsorption. Next, the transfer robot 15 positions the suction portion above the box 5 by driving the robot arm while holding the robot arm, and moves downward to release the suction and supply the product 1 into the box 5. As a result, the second and subsequent products 1 for the same box 5 are placed on the already supplied products 1 and stacked.

Here, in the present invention, the moving distance of the second conveyor device 12 for intermittent transportation is shorter than the arrangement interval of the front and rear boxes 5 (1 pitch: for example, the distance between the front walls of the boxes 5 arranged in the front and rear). The distance was set to pause a predetermined number of times while moving one pitch. Then, when the product is temporarily stopped, the transfer robot 15 is configured to perform the transfer process of the product 1. That is, instead of supplying all the number of products 1 to be boxed to the box that is paused and waiting at one product supply position, the box 5 that is moved a short distance and is paused is not supplied. One product or a number of products 1 less than a predetermined number is supplied into the box 5.

In this way, the box 5 in which a predetermined number of products 1 are packed is moved by a predetermined distance shorter than one pitch of the product group 2 to position the subsequent empty box 5 at the product supply start position. Can be done. Therefore, for example, even if the moving speed of the product 1 in the first conveyor device 11 is high and the time until the transfer of the next product 1 starts is short, or even if one pitch in the second conveyor device 12 is long, the product 1 moves. Since the distance is short and the time required for movement is short, the transfer speed in the second transfer conveyor device 12 can be slowed down. As a result, the possibility that the products 1 stacked in the box 5 may collapse can be suppressed as much as possible.

As an example, when three products 1 are supplied into the box 5, the product 1 is robotically supplied at the first product supply position X1 as shown in FIG. 3A. Then, when one product 1 is supplied, the second transfer conveyor device 12 conveys the box 5 by a predetermined distance, for example, 1/3 pitch, and temporarily stops at the second product supply position X2. Then, the transfer robot 15 robot-supplies the product 1 to the box 5 that stands by at the second product supply position X2 (see FIG. 3B). When one product 1 is supplied into the box 5 in this way, the second transfer conveyor device 12 conveys the box 5 by a predetermined distance, for example, 1/3 pitch, and temporarily stops at the third product supply position X3. The transfer robot 15 then supplies the product 1 to the box 5 that stands by at the third product supply position X3 (see FIG. 3C). As a result, the product group 2 in which a predetermined number of three products 1 are stacked is stored in the box 5, and the boxing process for the box 5 is completed.

After that, the second conveyor device 12 conveys the box 5 by a predetermined distance, for example, 1/3 pitch, and temporarily stops. Then, the empty box one after the box 5 in which the predetermined number of products 1 are packed reaches the first product supply position X1, and the transfer robot 15 starts supplying the products to the empty box 5. do.

In this way, since the box 5 may move at a low speed of 1/3 pitch, it is possible to prevent the product 1 from collapsing in the box 5. In the illustrated ordinance, the number of products 1 to be stacked is three, but the number of products may be four or more, or the number of products to be supplied when the product is temporarily stopped may be a plurality.

In the above-described embodiment, the product 1 is supplied and integrated by the transfer robot 15 so as to be stacked directly above the products in the box 5, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the transport direction in the box. Alternatively, a plurality of products may be supplied in a row or in a matrix in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, with or without stacking at each position. Further, when the products are accumulated in the box, it may be applied to a product to be supplied in a sashimi shape so that a part of the products overlaps. Even when storing a group of products in an integrated form that shifts the products from the beginning like a sashimi, if you move one pitch at a stretch after supplying multiple products, the degree of misalignment between the products will be different. For example, there is a possibility that the products may not be in the desired sashimi state, such as when the products are clogged with each other. Since the moving distance is shortened and the transport speed can be slowed down, the posture collapse can be suppressed as much as possible.

In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the second transfer conveyor device 12 has described an example in which a box is conveyed and the product 1 is packed in a box, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the second transfer conveyor device. It may be applied to a product in which the product 1 is supplied on the transport surface of the twelve and the product group 2 in which a plurality of products 1 are accumulated directly above or in a sashimi shape is placed on the transport surface. In such a case, the second conveyor device 12 may be composed of, for example, a bucket conveyor, a finger conveyor, or other conveyor device having a fixed product supply position on the conveyor surface. Especially, it is good to use a bucket conveyor.

The box transport device is not limited to one in which the transport surface moves as shown in the embodiment or the like, and is attached to a box placed on a transport path that does not move, for example, toward the front by a pusher means or the like. It can be configured in various ways, such as for momentum and transportation.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above with reference to embodiments and modifications, these embodiments and descriptions have not been made for the purpose of limiting the scope of the present invention, and are intended for understanding the present invention. It should be added that it was provided to contribute. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations and manufacturing methods explicitly described herein, but also includes combinations of various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. Of the present invention, the configuration for which a patent is sought is specified in the appended claims, but even if the configuration is not currently specified in the claims, it is disclosed in the present specification. I would like to mention that there is a possibility of claiming a patent for this configuration in the future.

1: Product 2: Product group 5: Box 10: Product integration and supply device 11: First conveyor device 12: Second conveyor device 15: Transfer robot 16: Endless member 17: Front finger member 18: Rear finger member

Claims (4)

A transport device that directly or indirectly transports a group of products in which multiple products are integrated,
A robot that holds the product and supplies it to the transfer device side is provided.
The transport device intermittently moves at a distance shorter than the transport pitch of the product group.
The robot is stacked by supplying the product during the temporary stop of the intermittent movement, and is characterized in that the product is configured to change the article supply position as the transport device is transported. Feeding device. The transport device transports a box and conveys the box.
The robot supplies the product into the box.
The product integrated supply device according to claim 1, wherein the transport device indirectly transports a product group housed in the box by transporting the box. The product integration and supply device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device is a bucket conveyor. The product integrated supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the product is a bag-shaped object or a non-rectangular box body.

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