JP2022109648A - Conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a conveyance device capable of grasping accurate service life taking individual difference of performance and a use state, etc. of a chain into consideration, accurately determining replacement timing, and adjusting a holder position without depending on the skill of an operator.SOLUTION: A conveyance device comprises: at least a pair of chains having a plurality of holders, respectively, and holding and conveying an article by a set of adjacent holders; a drive part for intermittently driving the chains; and a detection part for photographing each of the chains positioned in a predetermined range when the intermittent drive is stopped. Each of the chains has the holder applied with a predetermined marker as a part of the holder. The detection part detects a positional deviation while identifying each of the holders by detecting a displacement of the photographed holder from the predetermined position and the presence of the predetermined marker.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying device.

In general, a packaging container to be filled with contents such as liquids undergoes processes such as filling the contents and sealing molding on a conveying machine, and a series of these processes are wrapped by a chain provided on the conveying machine. It is processed while conveying the container (Patent Document 1). The chains provided on the conveying device are a pair of endless chains that rotate in opposite directions, and the packaging containers are held and conveyed by holders provided on the chains. A sprocket connected to a power source such as a motor is arranged at the folded portion of the chain to control the drive. In general, the chain is driven to move and stop repeatedly (intermittent drive), and at each position of the conveying device, each process is performed on the packaging container at that position.

JP 2014-213915 A

In the conveying apparatus as described above, the elongation of the chain over time may cause various defects such as seal misalignment and seal failure.

As countermeasures against chain elongation in conveyor equipment, there are generally methods such as making the chain highly durable and evenly distributing the load on the chain to extend the life of the chain. There is a method of replacing the chain before the end of the life of the chain by periodic replacement. However, even if the service life of the chain is extended, the exact service life that takes into consideration the individual differences in chain performance and the usage conditions of the chain cannot be determined, and there is the problem that the chain cannot be replaced at an appropriate time.

Also, if the chain is stretched before regular replacement, the chain can be partially replaced or the stop timing during intermittent drive can be adjusted to optimize the holder position and reduce the effects of chain stretch. There is a way. However, since the operator visually adjusts the holder position based on the markings previously attached to the conveying device, there is a problem that the adjustment accuracy varies depending on the skill of the operator.

Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to accurately determine the life span of the chain taking into account individual differences in chain performance and usage conditions, etc., accurately determine when to replace the chain, and adjust the holder position without depending on the skill of the operator. An object of the present invention is to provide a conveying apparatus capable of

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is at least one pair of chains each having a plurality of holders, holding and conveying an article by a set of adjacent holders, and a drive for intermittently driving the chains. and a detection unit for photographing each of the chains positioned within a predetermined range when the intermittent drive is stopped, each of the chains having a holder with a predetermined marker attached thereto as a part of the holder, and a detection unit is a conveying device that detects positional deviation while identifying each holder by detecting displacement from a predetermined position of a photographed holder and the presence or absence of a predetermined marker.

The present invention makes it possible to accurately determine the life span of a chain taking into account individual differences in chain performance and usage conditions, accurately determine when to replace the chain, and adjust the holder position without depending on the skill of the operator. It is possible to provide a conveying device capable of

1 is a schematic top view of a transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a schematic side view along the AA' plane thereof; FIG. 1 is a partial top view of a conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged top view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

A conveying device according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Conveyor>
FIG. 1(a) is a schematic top view of a conveying device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) is a schematic side view along the plane AA' of FIG. 1(a). be. The conveying device 1 is a device for conveying an article 6 and includes a plurality of chains, a detection section 3 and a driving section 4 .

The chain includes at least a pair of endless chains rotating in opposite directions. A pair of chains are horizontally spaced apart so that an article 6 can be placed between them. A rail 5 capable of supporting the bottom surface of the article 6 is installed between the pair of chains. The transport device 1 may comprise one pair of chains, but may also comprise two pairs of chains (chains 21a, 22a) and (chains 21b and 22b) as shown in FIG. Also, three or more pairs of chains may be provided. The directions in which each chain is driven by the drive unit 4 are illustrated by arrows in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the chains 21a and 21b are arranged vertically, and the chains 22a and 22b are also arranged vertically.

In the following description, as an example, the conveying device 1 includes two pairs of chains (chains 21a, 22a) and (chains 21b and 22b). Also, the chains 21a and 21b that overlap when viewed from the top and bottom are collectively referred to as chains 21, and the chains 22a and 22b that overlap when viewed from the top and bottom are collectively referred to as chains 22. A plurality of holders 210 are provided on the chain 21 and a plurality of holders 220 are provided on the chain 22, respectively. 6 is transported in the transport direction. In addition, in the example of FIG. 1, the conveying direction is the right direction on the paper surface.

The drive unit 4 drives each chain so as to repeat moving and stopping (intermittent drive). The drive unit 4 is installed on either one of the folded portions of the chain 21 and on the folded portion of the chain 22 facing the one of the chains 21 . The drive unit 4 specifically includes power such as a servomotor and a sprocket that transmits the power to the chain. The two drive units 4 are provided so as to be able to drive the chains 21 and 22 independently.

A plurality of holders 210 and holders 220 are provided on the chains 21 and 22 respectively to hold the articles 6 . Holder 210 and holder 220 hold article 6 by a pair of adjacent holders. A set of holders will be described by focusing on the article 6a among the articles 6 shown in FIG. 1 as an example. The set of holders holding the article 6a includes a holder 210a provided on the chain 21a and holding the left front portion of the article 6a in the conveying direction, and a holder 210b provided on the chain 21b and holding the left rear portion of the article 6a in the conveying direction. , a holder 220a provided on the chain 22a for holding the right front portion of the article 6a in the conveying direction, and a holder 220b provided on the chain 22b for holding the right rear portion of the article 6a in the conveying direction. is a holder for

FIG. 2 shows a partial top view of the conveying device 1. As shown in FIG. A marker 41 is attached to one of the plurality of holders 210 of the chain 21 and a marker 42 is attached to one of the plurality of holders 220 of the chain 22 . A marker 41 and a marker 42 are marks provided to distinguish from other holders, and are, for example, V-shaped cutouts. The markers 41 and 42 are detected by the detector 3, which will be described later. Markers 41 and 42 may be applied to respective sets of holders holding the same item on chains 21 and 22, or to different sets of holders. The markers 41 and 42 may have the same shape or different shapes, but preferably have a shape other than a circle so that the detection unit 3 does not erroneously detect water droplets or the like as the markers 41 and 42. .

FIG. 3 shows a partially enlarged top view of the conveying device 1. As shown in FIG. When the intermittent drive of the conveying device 1 is stopped, the detection unit 3 captures an image of the chain positioned within a predetermined range, and detects the displacement of the holders 210 and 220 from the predetermined positions and the presence or absence of the markers 41 and 42 . Also, a plurality of holders 210 and 220 are identified. The predetermined range is a range including at least one set of holders and a base point P serving as a reference for detecting the holder position, and can be, for example, a range X surrounded by dotted lines in FIG. The detection unit 3 may use a camera provided for inspecting the inner surface of the article 6, or may be provided separately. It is preferable that the detection unit 3 be provided at a position away from the drive unit 4 in order to easily detect elongation of the chain. Further, the conveying device 1 may be provided with an acquisition unit that acquires an identifier such as a manufacturing number assigned to the article 6. In this case, the detection unit 3 acquires the identifier of the article 6 acquired by the acquisition unit 6 is generated. The acquisition unit can use, for example, an imaging device such as a camera, an optical sensor capable of reading barcodes, or the like.

<Method for Identifying Holder and Method for Detecting Misalignment>
A method for identifying a holder and a method for detecting misalignment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. Also, the conveying direction in FIGS. 2 and 3 is the right direction on the paper surface.

In identifying the holder and detecting the positional deviation, the conveying device 1 conveys the holder by at least one turn without holding the article 6 . At this time, the detection unit 3 detects the displacement from the predetermined position and the presence or absence of the markers 41 and 42 for each set of holders located in the range X each time the intermittent operation is stopped.

(How to identify the holder)
The detection unit 3 detects the presence or absence of the markers 41 and 42 for a set of holders positioned within the range X. As shown in FIG.

When the detection unit 3 detects the marker 41 of the holder provided on the chain 21, the holder 210c to which the marker 41 is attached and the holder 210d of the same chain 21 are identified as No. 1, and ID (identifier) "L1 ” is given. Then, the detection unit 3 assigns IDs “L2”, “L3”, . Sets of holders on the minute chain 21 become identifiable.

Further, when the detection unit 3 detects the marker 42 of the holder provided on the chain 22, the holder 220b to which the marker 42 is attached and the holder 220a of the same chain 22 are identified as No. 1, and ID "R1" is identified. to give Then, the detection unit 3 assigns IDs “R2”, “R3”, . Sets of holders on the minute chain 22 become identifiable. The variable n is equal to the number of pairs of holders for one round of each of the chains 21 and 22. For example, if the number of holders for one round of the chain 21 is 100, n=50. The number of holders for one round is preferably 54 to 110.

In this way, each holder is assigned an ID for identifiability, and furthermore, the identifier of the article 6 acquired by the acquisition unit as described above is associated with the set of holders. good too. As a result, since the holder holding each article 6 can be identified, the holder serves as quality trace data of the product, and it becomes possible to investigate the cause of defective molding caused by bending loss of the holder. The identifier of the article 6 is, for example, unique information of the article 6 such as a bar code or serial number.

(Method for detecting displacement of holder)
The detection unit 3 detects a displacement from a predetermined position in the transport direction and in the width direction of the transport direction for each set of holders located in the range X each time the intermittent operation is stopped. The predetermined position is a position on the base point P. As shown in FIG. The reference point P may be any mark that can be detected by the detection unit 3, and may be, for example, a point on the boundary between light and dark caused by a step of the rail 5, or may be a separately provided seal, marker, or the like.

First, a method for detecting displacement from a predetermined position in the transport direction will be described. In FIG. 3, the detection unit 3 photographs a set of holders 210e, 210f, 220e, and 220f located in the range X. As shown in FIG. At this time, the detection unit 3 detects displacements A, B, C, and D of the holders 210e, 210f, 220e, and 220f from predetermined positions in the transport direction, respectively. As a result, the detection unit 3 detects the displacements A, B, C, and D and the design ideal displacements A ₀ , B ₀ , C ₀ , and D from predetermined positions of the holders 210e, 210f, 220e, and 220f. A difference from ₀ can be detected as a misalignment.

In this way, the positional deviation with respect to the transport direction can be obtained for each holder. Therefore, based on this, it is possible to identify the degree of deterioration of the chain, such as the overall elongation of the chain and the maximum absolute value of displacement in all holders, and to determine the life and replacement timing of the chain with high accuracy. can do. Each displacement from a predetermined position in the conveying direction and the ID of the holder are, for example, (holder ID of chain 21, displacement A, displacement B)=(10, 10.56 mm, 73.82 mm), (holder of chain 22 ID, displacement C, displacement D) = (32, 12.82 mm, 71.30 mm). Since the displacement of the holder can be quantified in this way, variations in chain adjustment accuracy among operators are less likely to occur.

When the overall elongation of the chain and the resulting displacement of the holder are detected, for example, the drive unit 4 corrects the intermittent drive stop position so as to reduce the displacement. To reduce the influence of elongation on holder misalignment. For example, when the total elongation of the chain 21 is δ, the drive unit 4 delays the stop position so that the chain advances by, for example, about δ/4 from when the elongation of the chain is 0, and the elongation of the chain is The maximum amount of positional deviation is reduced by dispersing the influence on the overall transportation. Further, the drive unit 4 may correct the appropriate stop position for each stop position according to the positional deviation of each holder. Since the displacement of the holder is quantified as described above, when the drive unit 4 is powered by a servomotor, it is possible to automatically correct the stop position of the intermittent operation.

If the total elongation of the chain or the maximum absolute value of the positional deviation of the holder exceeds a predetermined value, the conveying apparatus 1 may determine that the chain has reached the end of its service life and that the chain should be replaced.

Next, a method for detecting displacement from a predetermined position in the width direction of the transport direction will be described. In FIG. 3, the detection unit 3 captures an image of a set of holders 210e, 210f, 220e, and 220f located in the range X. As shown in FIG. At this time, the detection unit 3 detects displacements from predetermined positions in the width direction of the transport direction of 210e, 210f, 220e, and 220f. As a result, the detection unit 3 can detect the difference between the displacement and the design ideal displacement from the predetermined position of the holders 210e, 210f, 220e, and 220f as the positional deviation.

Possible causes of positional deviation in the width direction of the conveying direction include, for example, deviation in the mounting position of the holder with respect to the chain, bending damage of the holder, and the like. In this case, since the absolute value of each displacement from a predetermined position in the width direction of the transport direction can be associated with the ID of the holder, the operator can identify the holder in which the misalignment is detected. It can be re-installed at work.

As described above, in the conveying apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately grasp the life of the chain taking into consideration individual differences in chain performance and usage conditions, etc., to accurately determine the timing of replacement, and to clearly quantify and automate the process. Therefore, the holder position can be adjusted without depending on the skill of the operator.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized as a conveying apparatus of a packaging container.

Reference Signs List 1 Conveyor 21, 22 Chain 3 Detector 4 Drive 6 Article 41, 42 Marker 210, 220 Holder

Claims (7)

at least one pair of chains each having a plurality of holders for holding and conveying an article by a pair of adjacent holders;
a drive unit that intermittently drives the chain;
a detection unit that captures an image of each of the chains positioned within a predetermined range when the intermittent drive is stopped;
each of the chains has a holder with a predetermined marker attached as part of the holder;
The detecting unit detects displacement from a predetermined position of the photographed holder and the presence or absence of the predetermined marker, thereby detecting positional deviation while identifying each of the holders. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein one holder provided with said marker is provided for each of said chains. 3. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined marker is a V-shaped notch formed in said holder. further comprising an acquisition unit that acquires an identifier of the item;
The conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detection unit generates information that associates the identifier of the item acquired by the acquisition unit with a set of holders holding the item. The conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection unit detects positional deviation of the chain with respect to the conveying direction. The conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detection unit detects a positional deviation of the chain with respect to the width direction of the conveying direction. 7. The driving unit according to claim 1, wherein the stop position of intermittent driving is corrected such that a maximum absolute value of displacement from a predetermined position of all holders detected by the detecting unit is minimized. Conveyor.

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