JP2023084026A - Article separating and feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article separating and feeding device which can separate an article conveyed by a carrying conveyor, as an article group in which a specified number of articles are gathered, without allowing the article to be brought down or damaged, and stably supply the article.SOLUTION: A stopper 12 which blocks PET bottles 10 conveyed in multiple rows by a carrying conveyor 11 is arranged between each rows of the PET bottles 10. A restriction member advancing to an article conveyance passage, on the downstream than the PET bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12 is provided. The restriction members 13, 13 which receive the PET bottle 10 conveyed due to release of block by the stopper 12, are moved to a downstream side at a speed slower than an article conveyance speed due to the carrying conveyor 11. An article group 14 in which a specified number of articles are gathered is separated, by blocking the PET bottle 10 subsequent to a rearmost part of the article group 14 by the stopper 12. Transfer means 16 which sandwiches the separated article group 14 from the front and back to supply the article group to the downstream side is disposed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a separating and supplying apparatus for separating and supplying articles conveyed by a conveyer as an article group in which a predetermined number of articles are assembled.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-100003 proposes a supply device that separates articles conveyed by a conveyer into a group of articles that are collected in a predetermined number and supplies the articles to a post-processing section. In the supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, an endless chain having a plurality of fingers arranged at predetermined intervals is disposed movably under a conveyor that conveys articles in a state of being pushed, and the fingers are attached to the conveyor. By protruding above the conveying surface and traveling at a speed slower than that of the conveyor, a predetermined number of articles are separated from the group of articles conveyed in a pressed state, and the separated group of articles travels at a speed faster than that of the fingers. It is configured to be separated from a group of articles on the upstream side by a conveyor that conveys the article to the downstream side.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-18653

In the supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the fingers enter from below the conveyor between the articles before and after being conveyed by the conveyor, the fingers push up the bottom surface of the article and knock it over, which makes it necessary to stop the operation. Problems that arise are pointed out. In addition, there is a problem that the fingers rub the side surface of the article and damage it. Furthermore, it is also pointed out that a group of articles whose fingers are submerged from the conveying surface of the conveyor and are no longer supported by the fingers is accelerated by the conveyor and may topple over depending on the height of the articles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an article separating and feeding apparatus capable of separating and stably supplying articles conveyed by a conveyer as a group of articles in which a predetermined number of articles are assembled without falling down or damaging the articles.

The apparatus for separating and supplying articles of the invention according to claim 1 of the present application comprises:
An article separating and supplying device for separating articles (10) conveyed in multiple rows by a conveying conveyor (11) into an article group (14) in which a predetermined number of articles are assembled and supplying them onto a sheet-shaped member (17),
a damming means (12) disposed between the rows of the articles (10) conveyed by the conveying conveyor (11) and damming the articles (10) in each row by moving to the damming position;
It is disposed on the side of the transport conveyor (11) and downstream of the damming means (12) in the transport direction of the articles (10), and moves back and forth with respect to the transport path of the articles (10), a movement restricting means (13) that reciprocates back and forth in the conveying direction;
A front supporting member (32) disposed above the conveying path and capable of supporting the front side of the group of articles (14) in the conveying direction, and a rear supporting member (32) capable of supporting the rear side of the group of articles (14) in the conveying direction. 33) are spaced apart in the transport direction, and both support members (32, 33) can move back and forth with respect to the transport path and can reciprocate back and forth in the transport direction. ,
When the damming is released by the damming means (12), the leading article (10) conveyed by the conveyer (11) advances into the conveying path and moves at a speed slower than the article conveying speed of the conveyer (11). restricting the transportation of the article (10) received by the movement restricting means (13) moving downstream;
The last article (10) separated from the article group (14) conveyed by the conveyer (11) as the movement restricting means (13) moves downstream passes through the damming means (12). At this position, the movement restricting means (13) is stopped, and the damming means (12) is moved to the damming position to dam the succeeding article (10);
A conveying path is formed between the article (10) dammed by the damming means (12) and the last article (10) by resuming the downstream movement of the movement restricting means (13). The rear supporting member (33) advances into the gap (T) of the movement limiting means (13) and moves to the vicinity of the front supporting member (32) which advances into the conveying path downstream of the movement limiting means (13) and stands by. withdrawing the means (13) from the transport path;
The front support member (32) and the rear support member (33) extending into the transport path sandwich the article group (14) from the front and rear, and move the support members (32, 33) downstream. The article group (14) is configured to be fed onto a sheet-like member (17) positioned downstream of the transport conveyor (11).
According to the first aspect of the invention, the articles are dammed by the damming means positioned between the rows of articles, and the articles are dammed by the movement restricting means extending from the side of the conveyer into the conveying path downstream from the damming means. Since the articles are separated as a group in which a predetermined number of articles are gathered, the article group can be preferably separated from the following articles without knocking over or damaging the articles. In addition, since the group of articles is moved downstream while supporting the front side of the group of articles separated from the following articles by the movement limiting means that moves at a speed slower than the conveying speed of the conveyer, the group of articles can be stably moved downstream. can be moved to Furthermore, since the movement restricting means moves to the vicinity of the front supporting member waiting on the downstream side and withdraws from the conveying path, the separation distance between the article that is no longer supported by the restricting member and the front supporting member is short. Also, it is possible to suppress disorder of the row of the article group due to reaction when the article comes into contact with the front supporting member. Furthermore, since the separated group of articles is sandwiched from the front and back by the supporting members and transferred, the articles can be supplied onto the sheet-like member without falling over, thereby preventing the occurrence of a situation such as stopping the operation. can be prevented.

In the invention according to claim 2, the front support member (32) is provided with an alignment guide (44) extending toward the upstream side in the conveying direction for the articles (10) conveyed by the conveyer (11). It is characterized in that it is provided so as to be located between each row.
According to the second aspect of the invention, when transferring a group of articles sandwiched between the front and rear support members, the alignment guides restrict the movement of the articles in each row in the width direction, thereby preventing the articles from being out of order. Since it is possible to prevent this, it is possible to supply a group of articles on the sheet-like member in which the state of alignment is maintained, so that the sheet-like member can be satisfactorily made into a box or the like.

In the invention according to claim 3, a side guide (18) extending along the conveying direction and defining a conveying lane (19) for each row of articles (10) in the conveying path is provided,
The side guide (18) is integrally formed with the damming means (12) so as to be movable and adjustable in the width direction intersecting the conveying direction.
According to the invention of claim 3, the article can be properly guided and dammed according to the size change of the article.

In the invention according to claim 4, the damming means (12) is an arc-shaped plate member having a concave surface extending in the vertical direction,
The damming means (12) is characterized in that it is configured to rotate about a vertical axis and dam the article (10) on the concave side at the damming position.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the side end portion of the arc-curved plate member can be easily inserted between the front and rear articles, and the articles can be suitably dammed up.

According to the present invention, the articles are dammed by the damming means positioned between the rows of the articles, and the articles are moved while the movement of the articles by the transport conveyor is restricted by the movement limiting means positioned downstream from the damming means. Since the articles can be separated into a group of articles in which a predetermined number of articles are collected by pressing the squeegee, a predetermined number of articles can be collected without knocking over or damaging the articles. In addition, since the group of articles is sandwiched from the front and back by the front and rear support members and transported, the group of articles can be fed onto the sheet-like member while maintaining the aligned state without overturning the articles. I will not invite you.

It is a schematic side view which shows a separation supply apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a separation supply device; It is the schematic which looked at the separation supply apparatus from the downstream of the goods conveyance direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a stopper and articles|goods. It is process drawing which isolate|separates a goods group and supplies it to a boxing part.

Next, a preferred embodiment of an article separating and supplying apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the article separating and supplying apparatus according to the embodiment includes a conveying conveyor 11 for continuously conveying articles 10 in multiple rows, and damming means for damming the articles 10 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 11. 12, a movement restricting means 13 that moves downstream while restricting the transport of the articles 10 conveyed by releasing the damming by the damming means 12; a conveying means 16 for sandwiching the collected article group 14 from the front and rear and feeding it onto a corrugated cardboard sheet (sheet-like member) 17 positioned downstream of the conveying conveyor 11 . A wrap-around caser (not shown) is arranged downstream of the transport conveyor 11, and the corrugated cardboard sheets 17 taken out from the magazine of the caser are placed in the boxing section 15 adjacent to the downstream of the transport conveyor 11, where the bottom panel constituting the body is placed. Side panels 17b, 17b connected to 17a are bent upward and placed in a semi-raised state opening in the conveying direction of articles 10 by conveying conveyor 11 (article conveying direction). A top panel 17c is connected to one of the side panels 17b at an end spaced apart from the bottom panel 17a. Then, the transport means 16 feeds the article group 14 onto the bottom panel 17a through the side opening. In the embodiments, a PET bottle having a cylindrical body 10a and a cap 10b attached to the mouth of the body 10a will be described as the article 10, but glass or metal is used as the material. It may be a container or other article.

The conveying conveyor 11 conveys the PET bottles 10 placed on the conveying surface of an endless conveying body 11a that continuously travels in one direction along an article conveying path (conveying path). As shown in FIG. 2, in the article conveying path, a plurality of side guides 18 extending along the article conveying direction are separated upward from the conveying surface and spaced apart in the width direction intersecting the article conveying direction. 5 in the example) are arranged, and between the adjacent side guides 18, 18, a transport lane 19 in which the PET bottles 10 are transported in a line is defined. In the example, four transport lanes 19 are defined in parallel on the article transport path. The side guide 18 is set to guide the body portion 10a of the PET bottle 10. As shown in FIG. Although not shown, a sorting device is arranged on the upstream side of the transport conveyor 11, and the PET bottles 10 conveyed in a single row from the upstream side of the sorting device are sorted into the respective transport lanes 19 by the sorting device. configured to be A table 45 is provided between the conveying end of the conveyer 11 and the boxing section 15 , and the group of articles 14 on the conveyer is moved onto the bottom panel 17 a of the boxing section 15 by sliding the table 45 with the transfer means 16 . supplied to

As shown in FIG. 2, fixed frames 20, 20 are arranged on both sides in the width direction of the article conveying path, and a plurality of ( In this embodiment, two guide shafts 21 are installed in parallel. A reference support 22 is fixed at the center of the guide shaft 21 in its extending direction (width direction). , are movably supported on the guide shaft 21 . Damping devices 24 are provided on the four supports 22, 23, ie, the reference support 22 and the three moving supports 23 excluding the moving support 23 positioned at one of the outermost sides in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the damming device 24 includes a stopper 12 as the damming means supported rotatably around a vertical axis with respect to the supports 22 and 23, and the stopper 12 rotating at a predetermined angle. and an actuating means 25 consisting of an air cylinder or the like. The stopper 12 is a plate-like member elongated in the vertical direction, and is arranged between the conveying lanes 19, 19 (between the rows of the PET bottles 10), and is attached to the body portion 10a of the PET bottle 10 by a predetermined length. It extends downward to a contactable position. Then, the operating means 25 rotates the stopper 12 so that the stopper 12 protrudes into the corresponding conveying lane 19 and comes into contact with the body portion 10a of the PET bottle 10 at a damming position (solid line position in FIG. 4). The stopper 12 is configured to be positioned at the dam release position (the two-dot chain line position in FIG. 4 ) at which the PET bottle 10 is allowed to be transported without the PET bottle 12 protruding into the transport lane 19 . The stopper 12 is an arc-shaped plate member having a concave surface extending in the vertical direction. In the position, the open end is set to face obliquely to the side. In the embodiment, the stopper 12 is configured to dam the PET bottle 10 by contacting the body portion 10a of the PET bottle 10 on the concave side at the damming position.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the PET bottles 10, 10 before and after being transported in the state of being pushed on the transport lane 19 are brought into contact with the cylindrical bodies 10a, 10a, so that both the PET bottles 10, 10 are pushed. Between 10 is defined a concave cavity S which opens to the side. The stopper 12 moves from the damming release position to the damming position when the space S between the PET bottles 10, 10 before and after being conveyed by the conveyor 11 reaches the arrangement position of the stopper 12. By doing so, it is configured to come into contact with the body portion 10a of the PET bottle 10 on the rear side to dam it up.

The reference support 22 is provided with the side guide 18 positioned at the center of the article conveying path in the width direction, and corresponding to each movement support 23 so as to move integrally with the movement support 23. Positional side guides 18 are provided. An adjustment screw 26 is rotatably supported between the fixed frames 20 , 20 , and a center portion of the adjustment screw 26 where no screw is provided is rotatably supported by the reference support 22 . The adjusting screw 26 has a right-handed thread in a portion extending from the reference support 22 toward one fixed frame 20 and a left-handed thread in a portion extending toward the other fixed frame 20 . there is Two movable supports 23 spaced apart on one side in the width direction with respect to the reference support 22 are screwed into right-hand threads via female screw members (not shown) and Two moving support bodies 23 spaced apart on the other side in the width direction are screwed into left-hand threads via female screw members (not shown). The adjustment screw 26 is provided with an adjustment handle (not shown). By rotating the adjustment screw 26 clockwise or counterclockwise with the adjustment handle, the four moving supports 23 are moved with respect to the reference support 22. so that the distance between the reference support 22 and the moving supports 23 on both sides of the reference support 22 and the distance between the opposing moving supports 23, 23 are the same. configured to be adjustable. That is, by moving each movable support 23 in the width direction with respect to the reference support 22, the stopper 12 and the side guide 18 can be moved and adjusted in the width direction according to the article size. In the embodiment, the adjustment screw 26 and the supports 22, 23 constitute adjustment means for moving and adjusting the stopper 12 and the side guides 18. FIG.

A restricting device 27 having a restricting member 13 as the movement restricting means capable of restricting the transport of the plastic bottle 10 transported by the transport conveyor 11 is disposed downstream of the position of the stopper 12 in the article transport direction. ing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the restricting devices 27 are arranged opposite to each other in the width direction of the conveyer 11, and both restricting devices 27, 27 move the restricting members 13, 13 synchronously. controlled to Each restricting device 27 includes a restricting member 13, an air cylinder (advancing/retreating means) 28 for moving the restricting member 13 back and forth with respect to the article conveying path, and moving the restricting member 13 back and forth in the article conveying direction together with the air cylinder 28. and a moving mechanism 29 capable of reciprocating movement. The air cylinder 28 is configured to position the restricting member 13 in the width direction at a retracted position retracted outward from the article conveying path and a restricting position at which the restricting member 13 can advance into the article conveying path and come into contact with the PET bottle 10 . be. The restricting member 13 is a plate-shaped member, and the height position at the restricting position is set to a position where it can contact the lower side of the body portion 10a of the PET bottle 10 conveyed from the upstream side. In this embodiment, of the PET bottles 10 transported in four rows by the transport conveyor 11, the transportation of two bottles is restricted by the left and right restricting members 13, 13, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the moving mechanism 29 of the limiting device 27 employs a linear slide mechanism operated by a drive motor 30 such as a servomotor, and the moving mechanism 29 extends along the article conveying direction. The air cylinder 28 is configured to reciprocate back and forth in the article conveying direction by a moving mechanism 29 . The moving mechanism 29 moves the restricting member 13 positioned at the restricting position to a restriction starting position P1 (damming in FIG. a position close to the device 24), a separation position P2 separated by a predetermined distance downstream from the start position P1 (position indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 2), and further downstream from the separation position P2. It is constructed so as to be able to stop so as to be positioned at the limit end position P3 (the two-dot chain line position shown in the vicinity of the transfer end of the transfer conveyor 11 in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 5(b), the separation position P2 is the position at which the rearmost PET bottle 10 of the article group 14 to be separated (in the embodiment, the sixth bottle from the head of the article group 14) has passed the stopper 12. , the top PET bottle 10 of the next article group 14 following the rearmost PET bottle 10 is set at a position where it can be dammed by the stopper 12, and the restricting member 13 is stopped at the separation position P2. moves from the damming release position to the damming position, the PET bottle 10 at the head of the next article group 14 is dammed (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 5(c), the end position P3 of the transfer means 16 is located between the PET bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12 and the last PET bottle 10 of the preceding article group 14. It is set at a position that defines a gap T that allows the rear support member 33, which will be described later, to advance into the article conveying path.

The moving mechanism 29 moves the restricting member 13 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the article conveying direction so that it moves downstream at a speed slower than the traveling speed (conveying speed) of the conveying body on the conveying conveyor 11 . set. The moving mechanism 29 is set so that when moving the restricting member 13 from the downstream side to the upstream side in the article conveying direction, it moves at a faster speed than when moving from the upstream side to the downstream side. Further, the air cylinder 28 advances the restricting member 13 positioned at the retracted position corresponding to the starting position P1 to the restricting position to advance it into the article conveying path, and moves the restricting member 13 to the restricting position at the end position P3. By retracting the restricting member 13 to the retracted position, it is set to be retracted from the article conveying path.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a group of articles 14 separated by the restricting devices 27, 27 is placed in the boxing section 15 on a support frame 31 disposed above the conveying conveyor 11 (conveying path). The transfer means 16 for transferring (supplying) the corrugated cardboard sheet 17 onto the bottom panel 17a is provided. The transfer means 16 includes a front supporting member 32 capable of supporting the front side (downstream end side) of the article group 14 in the article conveying direction, and a rear supporting member 32 capable of supporting the rear side (upstream end side) of the article group 14 in the article conveying direction. A support member 33 is spaced apart in the article conveying direction. In addition, the transfer means 16 includes elevating mechanisms 34 and 35 for vertically moving the support members 32 and 33 to advance and retreat with respect to the article conveying path, and lifting mechanisms 34 and 35 for moving the support members 32 and 33 forward and backward in the article conveying direction. and reciprocating mechanisms 36 and 37 that reciprocate. A front reciprocating mechanism 36 for reciprocating the front supporting member 32 and a rear reciprocating mechanism 37 for reciprocating the rear supporting member 33 have the same structure, and the reciprocating mechanisms 36 and 37 are provided on the support frame 31. A slider 39 provided with corresponding elevating mechanisms 34 and 35 is movably supported on a rail member 38 extending in the article conveying direction. A cord-like body 41 such as an endless belt running along is connected. By running the cord body 41 back and forth in the article conveying direction by the servomotor 40, the corresponding support members 32 and 33 are configured to be independently reciprocated back and forth in the article conveying direction. The reciprocating mechanisms 36 and 37 feed the group of articles 14 separated on the conveyer 11 to the boxing section 15 while the front and rear supporting members 32 and 33 sandwich the group of articles 14 separated on the conveyor 11 from the front and rear. Further, the rear reciprocating mechanism 37 moves the rear supporting member 33 from the front supporting member 32 to a position spaced apart from the article group 14 in the conveying direction, and moves the article group 14 from the front and rear to the front supporting member 32 . configured to move to a clampable position.

A front elevating mechanism 34 for elevating the front support member 32 and a rear elevating mechanism 35 for elevating the rear support member 33 have the same structure, and employ a linear slide mechanism operated by a drive motor 42 such as a servomotor. . That is, as shown in FIG. 1, each lifting mechanism 34, 35 has a front supporting member 32 or a rear supporting member 33 corresponding to a moving body 43 that moves vertically by the lifting mechanism 34, 35. . The lifting mechanisms 34 and 35 move the corresponding support members 32 and 33 into an upper retracted position that does not interfere with the PET bottles 10 moving on the article transport path, and a supporting position that can support the PET bottles 10 that move on the article transport path. configured to ascend and descend between

The front reciprocating mechanism 36 shifts the front support member 32 positioned at the support position to a standby position M1 (FIG. 2) near the end position P3 of the limit members 13, 13 and downstream of the end position P3. 2) and a supply position M2 near the rear end of the bottom panel 17a located in the boxing section 15 away from the conveyor 11 (double-dot chain line position in FIG. 2). Further, the rear reciprocating mechanism 37 moves the rear support member 33 positioned at the support position to the rearmost PET bottle 10 of the preceding article group 14 when the restriction members 13, 13 stop at the separation position P2. , the waiting position N1 (the position of the dashed line in FIG. 2) facing the gap T between the PET bottles 10 blocked by the stopper 12, and the bottom panel 17a located in the boxing section 15, which is close to the conveyer 11. It is configured to be positioned at the supply position N2 (the two-dot chain line position in FIG. 2) in the vicinity of the front end.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, on the front support member 32, alignment guides 44 extending toward the upstream side in the article conveying direction are spaced apart in the width direction so as to be positioned between the rows of the article group 14. are arranged parallel to each other. The alignment guide 44 is set to have a length extending from the first PET bottle 10 to the last PET bottle 10 between each row in the article group 14 . Also, the alignment guide 44 is set at a height corresponding to the vicinity of the lower end portions of the caps 10b, 10b of the adjacent PET bottles 10, 10 at the support position of the front support member 32. As shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the article separating and supplying apparatus according to the embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5(a), the PET bottles 10 conveyed from the upstream side on each conveying lane 19 of the conveying conveyor 11 are conveyed by the corresponding stoppers 12 positioned at the damming positions. is restricted, and the PET bottle 10 conveyed from the upstream side by the conveying conveyor 11 that continuously travels contacts the top PET bottle 10 whose conveyance is regulated by the stopper 12, and the conveyance is regulated, and a plurality of PET bottles 10 are sequentially dammed and stored in a pushed state.

The left and right limiting members 13, 13 positioned at the outer retracted position corresponding to the starting position P1 are moved forward to the limiting position by the corresponding air cylinders 28, 28, thereby moving the limiting members 13, 13 to the starting position P1. positioned in When detecting means (not shown) detects that the number of PET bottles 10 blocked by the stoppers 12 has reached a predetermined number (24 bottles in this embodiment), the operating means 25 of all the blocking devices 24 stop the stoppers. 12 is moved from the damming position to the damming release position. As a result, the dammed PET bottles 10 are transported downstream by the transport conveyor 11 that is continuously running. When the damming by the stopper 12 is released, the limiting devices 27, 27 start moving the limiting members 13, 13 to the downstream side by the moving mechanisms 29, 29. As shown in FIG. Since the moving speed of the restricting member 13 is slower than the article conveying speed of the conveying conveyor 11, the first PET bottle 10 conveyed by the conveying conveyer 11 catches up with the restricting member 13 when the damming is released by the stopper 12, and the restricting member 13 Received and movement restricted. Along with the movement of the restricting member 13, a plurality of PET bottles 10 are gathered in a pressed state from the first PET bottle 10 to the upstream side, and move downstream on the transport conveyor 11.例文帳に追加

When the last PET bottle 10 in the preceding article group 14 passes through a position where it can be dammed by the stopper 12 of the damming device 24, as shown in FIG. 13, 13 are stopped at the separation position P2. Then, the damming device 24 moves the stopper 12 to the damming position, dams the PET bottle 10 at the head of the next article group 14, and separates the preceding article group 14 from the next article group. After that, the restricting devices 27, 27 resume the movement of the restricting members 13, 13 to the downstream side. , and a gap T is formed between the rearmost PET bottle 10 and the PET bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12, as shown in FIG. 5(c).

Before the restricting members 13, 13 reach the separation position P2, the transfer means 16 moves the front and rear support members 32, 33, which are positioned at the retracted position by the front and rear reciprocating mechanisms 36, 37, to the standby position. While moving above M1 and N1, the front support member 32 is lowered by the front lifting mechanism 34, and the front support member 32 advances into the article conveying path on the downstream side of the restricting members 13, 13 that are moving downstream. and positioned at the support position (see FIG. 5(b)). The limiting devices 27, 27 limit the limiting members 13, 13 by air cylinders 28, 28 when the limiting members 13, 13 move to the end position P3 near the front supporting member 32 waiting at the supporting position. Move from position to retracted position. When the restricting members 13, 13 move to the retracted position, the article group 14 is conveyed downstream by the conveyer 11, and the PET bottle 10 at the front comes into contact with the front support member 32, which is already waiting at the support position, and the conveyance is stopped. Regulated. After that, the transfer means 16 lowers the rear supporting member 33 by the rear lifting mechanism 35 and advances it into the gap T, thereby positioning the rear supporting member 33 at the supporting position (see FIG. 5(c)). Then, the transfer means 16 advances the rear supporting member 33 by the rear reciprocating mechanism 37, and when the rear supporting member 33 comes into contact with the PET bottle 10 at the tail end of the article group 14 from behind, the front reciprocating mechanism 36 moves forward. , the front supporting member 32 starts to move forward, and moves downstream while holding the article group 14 from the front and rear (see FIG. 5(d)). The transfer means 16 moves the front and rear support members 32, 33 holding the article group 14 between them to the supply positions M2, N2, so that the corrugated cardboard sheets 17 placed in the boxing section 15 in a semi-raised state are removed. A group of articles 14 is provided on the bottom panel 17a.

After moving the limiting members 13, 13 to the retracted position, the limiting devices 27, 27 move the restricting members 13, 13 to the retracted position corresponding to the starting position P1 by the moving mechanisms 29, 29. Air cylinders 28, 28 push limiting members 13, 13 laterally into the clearance T between the PET bottle 10 at the tail end of the article group 14 and the PET bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12 to reach the limiting position. (starting position P1) and waits for separation of the next article group 14; The transfer means 16, which has supplied the group of articles 14 to the bottom panel 17a, raises the support members 32 and 33 to the retracted position by means of the elevating mechanisms 34 and 35, and then moves the support members 32 and 33 to the standby positions M1 and N1. It is positioned above the transport conveyor 11 to wait for the transfer of the next group of articles 14 .

In the separating and supplying apparatus of the embodiment, the PET bottles 10 are dammed by the stopper 12 positioned between the rows of the PET bottles 10, and the PET bottles 10 are restricted by the restricting members 13, 13 extending laterally into the article conveying path downstream from the stopper 12. Since the bottles 10 are separated as the group of articles 14 in which the predetermined number of bottles are gathered, the group of articles 14 can be preferably separated from the following PET bottles 10 without knocking over or damaging the PET bottles 10.例文帳に追加In other words, unlike the conventional device, the fingers are not protruded from below the conveying surface, so there is no danger of pushing up the PET bottle 10 and knocking it over. In addition, the restriction members 13, 13 for collecting a predetermined number of PET bottles 10 are positioned downstream from the PET bottles 10 blocked by the stopper 12 (restriction start position P1) from the side of the conveyor to the article conveying path. Since the restricting members 13, 13 advance to the article conveying path, the PET bottle 10 is not scratched and damaged. In addition, since the front side of the group of articles 14 separated from the following PET bottle 10 is supported by the restricting members 13, 13 which move at a speed lower than the article conveying speed of the conveyer 11, the group of articles 14 is moved downstream. The article group 14 can be stably moved downstream. Furthermore, since the restricting members 13, 13 move to the vicinity of the front supporting member 32 waiting at the standby position M1 and exit the article conveying path, the restricting members 13, 13 no longer support the article group 14. The separation distance between the leading PET bottle 10 and the front supporting member 32 is short, and the row of the article group 14 can be suppressed from being disturbed by reaction when the leading PET bottle 10 comes into contact with the front supporting member 32.例文帳に追加Furthermore, since the separated article group 14 is sandwiched from the front and rear by the front and rear support members 32 and 33 and is supplied onto the bottom panel 17a of the corrugated cardboard sheet 17 positioned in the boxing section 15, the PET bottle 10 can be knocked down. The cardboard sheet 17 can be supplied to the cardboard sheet 17 without any trouble, and the box-making process of the cardboard sheet 17 can be performed satisfactorily.

In the separating and feeding device of the embodiment, since the front support member 32 of the transfer means 16 is provided with the alignment guides 44 extending between the rows of the article group 14, the front and rear support members 32 and 33 sandwich the articles from the front and rear. When the group of articles 14 is transferred, the movement of the PET bottles 10 in the width direction is regulated by the alignment guide 44 to prevent the group of articles 14 from being disturbed such as staggering. In other words, it is possible to supply the group of articles 14 in an aligned state onto the bottom panel 17a of the boxing section 15, thereby preventing the box making process of the corrugated cardboard sheets 17 in the boxing section 15 from being hindered. can be done. Further, the stopper 12 has an arcuate concave surface extending in the vertical direction, and is configured to rotate around the vertical axis to dam the PET bottle 10 at the damming position on the concave side. (The end part separated from the rotating shaft) can be easily inserted between the front and rear PET bottles 10, 10, and the PET bottle 10 on the rear side can be suitably blocked. In addition, since the stopper 12 is moved so that its tip enters the space S from the upstream side to dam the PET bottle 10, the surface of the PET bottle 10 is not rubbed by the stopper 12, and the PET bottle 10 is removed. I can't hurt you. Further, since the stopper 12 and the side guide 18 are configured to be movable and adjustable integrally in the width direction, the PET bottle 10 can be properly guided and dammed according to the size change of the PET bottle 10.例文帳に追加

A moving mechanism 29 for reciprocating the restricting member 13 of the restricting device 27 in the article conveying direction, and a reciprocating mechanism 36, 37 for reciprocating the front and rear supporting members 32, 33 of the transfer means 16 in the article conveying direction. Since it is configured to use a controllable mechanism, each position of the restricting member 13 and the support members 32, 33 can be appropriately changed according to the size of the PET bottle 10 and the number of the PET bottles 10 gathered as the article group 14. be able to. In addition, as the lifting mechanisms 34 and 35 for moving the front and rear support members 32 and 33 of the transfer means 16 up and down, a mechanism capable of servo control is used. Depending on the height of the PET bottle 10, it can be set at a position where it can be properly supported.

(Change example)
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment, and can be modified, for example, as follows. In addition, without being limited to the following modified examples, various embodiments can be adopted for the configurations described in the examples within the scope of the present invention.
(1) In the embodiment, the restricting devices 27 are arranged on both sides of the conveyer 11 in the width direction. A configuration in which only one of the limiting devices 27 is provided can be adopted by setting the length dimension to be contactable.
(2) The restricting member 13 is not limited to a plate-like shape, and may be configured by arranging a plurality of bar-like members vertically so that the article 10 can be abutted and supported within a predetermined height range.
(3) In the embodiment, the stopper 12 has an arc shape, but it may be configured with a non-curved plate-like member or a rod-like member.
(4) In the embodiment, the stopper 12 that rotates around the vertical axis is used as the damming means. It may be one that advances and retreats linearly from one side.
(5) In the embodiment, the plurality of stoppers 12 are configured to be moved by the corresponding operating means 25, but the plurality of stoppers 12 may be linked by a linking mechanism and the linking mechanism may be operated by a single operating means. , a configuration in which a plurality of stoppers 12 are moved at the same time can be adopted.
(6) As mentioned above, the article 10 may be not only a PET bottle but also other articles. A cross-sectional shape that is
(7) The sheet member to which the group of articles 14 is supplied is not limited to the corrugated cardboard sheet 17 in a semi-raised state, but may be in a flat state in which the side panels 17b are not folded. Further, the material of the sheet member is not limited to corrugated cardboard, and may be other various materials such as carton paper.

10 PET bottle (goods), 11 transport conveyor, 12 stopper (damming means)
13 restriction member (movement restriction means), 14 article group, 16 transfer means 17 cardboard sheet (sheet-like member), 18 side guide, 19 transport lane 32 front support member, 33 rear support member, 44 alignment guide, T gap

Claims (4)

An article separating and supplying device for separating articles conveyed in multiple rows by a conveying conveyor into an article group in which a predetermined number of articles are gathered and supplying the articles onto a sheet-like member,
a damming means disposed between each row of articles conveyed by the conveying conveyor and damming the articles in each row by moving to a damming position;
a movement restricting means disposed on the side of the conveying conveyor and downstream of the damming means in the article conveying direction, moving back and forth with respect to the article conveying path, and reciprocating back and forth in the conveying direction; ,
A front supporting member that is arranged above the conveying path and that can support the front side of the group of articles in the conveying direction and a rear supporting member that can support the rear side of the group of articles in the conveying direction are separated from each other in the conveying direction, a transfer means capable of moving both supporting members forward and backward with respect to the conveying path and reciprocating back and forth in the conveying direction;
When the damming is released by the damming means, the leading article conveyed by the conveyer is received by the movement restricting means that advances into the conveying path and moves downstream at a speed slower than the article conveying speed of the conveyer. restrict the transportation of goods,
At a position where the rearmost article separated as a group of articles conveyed by the conveyer as the movement restricting means moves downstream passes the damming means, the movement restricting means is stopped and the damming is performed. moving the means to a damming position to dam the subsequent item;
resuming the downstream movement of the movement restricting means, causing the rear support member to advance into a gap in the conveying path created between the article blocked by the blocking means and the last article; retreating from the transport path the movement restricting means that has moved to the vicinity of the front support member that advances into the transport path downstream from the movement restricting means and stands by;
A sheet in which a group of articles is positioned downstream of the conveying conveyor by sandwiching the group of articles from the front and rear by the front supporting member and the rear supporting member extending into the conveying path and moving both supporting members to the downstream side. 1. An article separating and feeding device, characterized in that it is configured to feed onto a shaped member. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the front support member is provided with alignment guides extending toward the upstream side in the conveying direction so as to be positioned between the rows of articles conveyed by the conveyer. Separation and feeding device for articles. a side guide extending along the conveying direction and defining a conveying lane for each row of articles in the conveying path;
3. An apparatus for separating and feeding articles according to claim 1, wherein said side guide is configured to be movable integrally with said damming means in a width direction intersecting the conveying direction. The damming means is an arc-shaped plate member having a concave surface extending in the vertical direction,
4. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the damming means rotates around a vertical axis and dams the article on the concave surface side at the damming position. Separate feeding device.

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