JP2518556B2 - Transfer method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article transfer method for transferring an article such as a toner cartridge used in an electrophotographic copying machine from a container to a support container on a conveyance line in a predetermined number.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a toner cartridge used in an electrophotographic copying machine is filled with toner, a toner cartridge that cannot stand on its own is supported by a supporting container in a vertical state and conveyed, and the toner is filled during the conveyance. To be done. For this reason, a large number of non-self-supporting toner cartridges arranged in the container are chucked by the chucking head of the transfer device, sequentially transferred by a predetermined number to the support container, and conveyed to the toner filling step. Usually, several toner cartridges are mounted in the supporting container, and the transfer of the toner cartridges to the supporting container is performed by collectively transferring the maximum number of toner cartridges that can be transferred to the supporting container from the container to the supporting container. It is supposed to be posted. Such a transfer method will be described with reference to FIG.

The container 20 contains nine toner cartridges 10 arranged in 3 rows and 3 columns. Then, the toner cartridges 10 in the container 20 are transferred by the transfer machine 50 to the support container 30 one by one (three rows). Transfer machine 5
0 is three chucking heads 51 arranged in the horizontal direction.
The chucking heads 51 simultaneously chuck the openings of the three toner cartridges 10 in the vertical state. The arrangement pitch of the three chucking heads 51 in the transfer machine 50 and the storage pitch of the toner cartridges 10 in the container 20 are the three toner cartridges 1 in the support container 30.
It matches the mounting pitch P of 0. The support container 30 in which the toner cartridge 10 is mounted is sequentially conveyed to the toner filling line.

[0004]

In the toner filling line, the toner cartridges 10 of various sizes are conveyed on the same line in accordance with the tendency of high-mix and low-volume production. Therefore, the support container 30 has a common outer shape even if the toner cartridges that it supports differ. The storage pitch P of the toner cartridges 10 in the container 20 cannot be changed due to the relationship between the arrangement pitch P of the chucking heads 51 in the transfer machine 50 and the mounting pitch P of the toner cartridges 10 in the support container 30. Therefore, the support container 30
When the toner cartridge 10 having an extremely small size is conveyed to the toner filling line, as shown in FIG.
A large empty space is generated in the container 20 that stores the toner cartridge 10, and the storage efficiency is significantly reduced.
The toner cartridge 10 is installed in the container 20 ignoring the mounting pitch P of the toner cartridge in the support container 30.
When loaded, as shown in FIG.
If the arrangement pitch of the chucking heads 51 cannot be adjusted freely, the transfer from the container 20 to the support container 30 becomes impossible. As a result, the transfer machine 50 becomes complicated because the pitch varying mechanism of the chucking head 51 is required.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to efficiently store articles having a size smaller than that of a supporting container in a container, and yet to have a pitch changing mechanism. An object of the present invention is to provide an article transfer method capable of reliably transferring all the articles in a container to a support container using a transfer machine.

[0006]

According to the article transfer method of the present invention, a large number of articles contained in a container are sequentially transferred to a support container in which N articles are mounted in a row at a predetermined pitch P. A method of mounting, comprising a step of accommodating an article having a size equal to or smaller than 1 / n (n is an integer of 2 or more) of a mounting pitch P of the article in the support container in the container at a pitch of P × 1 / n, and supporting By a transfer machine provided with N chucking heads for chucking the container at the same pitch as the article mounting pitch P in the supporting container, N × arranged in a line at a pitch of P × 1 / n in the container. A transfer process of selectively chucking N products lined up at a pitch P from among the n products by each chucking head and transferring them to the support container, and this transfer process is performed n times per row. And the step of repeating at a rate of The objects can be achieved.

[0007]

In the article transfer method of the present invention, the number N of articles mounted on the support container per row is N or less (n is an integer of 2 or more) of the article mounting pitch P of the articles on the support container. It is efficiently stored in the container at a ratio of n times. For the articles stored in the container at a rate of N × n per row, the articles having the pitch P in one row are selectively chucked by the chucking head of the transfer machine and collectively transferred to the support container. Listed. Therefore, a mechanism for changing the pitch of the chucking head of the transfer machine is unnecessary, and by repeating this operation at a rate of n pieces in a line, all the articles in the container are transferred to the support container.

[0008]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below with reference to examples.

The article transfer method of the present invention is carried out, for example, when the toner cartridge 10 used in the electrophotographic copying machine is transferred from the container 20 to the support container 30 by the transfer machine as shown in FIG. To be done. The support container 30 has a configuration in which three cylindrical toner cartridges 10 are mounted in one row at a predetermined pitch P larger than the outer diameter thereof.

In the container 20, toner cartridges having essentially the same outer diameter as the cartridge mounting pitch P in the support container 30 are originally arranged at the mounting pitch P of the support container 30 in the row direction (X direction) and the column direction ( Store 3 each in the Y direction). However, here, the outer diameter is P / 3 to P / 2.
The remaining toner cartridges 10 are stored at a pitch of P / 2, 6 in the X direction and 6 in the Y direction. The container 20 moves in the Y direction on the carry-in line 21 and is carried into the transfer position below the transfer machine 40. Then, the 36 toner cartridges 10 in the container 20
Are sequentially mounted on the support container 30 by the transfer machine 40. The support container 30 is conveyed to the toner filling step via the transfer position below the transfer device 40 by the X-direction transfer line 31 passing in front of the transfer line 21. The emptied container 20 is carried out by a carry-out line 22 provided in parallel with the carry-in line 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer machine 40 has three chucking heads 41 arranged at equal intervals in the X direction. The three chucking heads 41 are movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the vertical direction (Z direction). At the lower end of each chucking head 41, a chucking member 41a for chucking the mouth of the toner cartridge 10 from the inside is provided. Each chucking member 41a is an inflatable type in which a rubber bag is inflated with pressurized air so that each mouth portion of various toner cartridges 10 having an outer diameter of P or less can be clamped. The arrangement pitch of the three heads 41 in the transfer machine 40 is the cartridge mounting pitch P in the support container 30.
Is set to the same pitch P.

In the article transfer method of the present invention, first, the container 20 in which sixty-six toner cartridges 10 are stored in the X and Y directions, respectively, is transferred to the transfer position below the transfer machine 40 by the carry-in line 21. Is brought in. Next, the empty support container 30 is moved in the X direction by the carry-in line 31 and stopped in front of the container 20. When the container 20 stops, among the six toner cartridges 10 arranged in the front row in the container 20, every other toner cartridge (shown by diagonal lines) having the mounting pitch P of the supporting container 30 is transferred to the transfer machine 40. It is chucked by the chucking head 41 and mounted on the support container 30. The support container 30 in which the toner cartridge 10 is mounted is conveyed toward the toner filling step, and then the empty support container 30 is newly conveyed to the transfer position below the transfer machine 40. The three toner cartridges 10 remaining in the front row are arranged at the mounting pitch P of the support containers 30, and in the next step, the empty support containers 3 are placed.
The three cartridges 10 are transferred to 0 by the transfer device 40. In the same manner, the toner cartridges 10 arranged in the second to sixth rows are sequentially transferred to the two support containers 30, three every other row. By doing so, the toner cartridges 10 having an outer diameter of P / 2 to P / 3 are housed in the container 20 in a close contact state at a pitch of P / 2. Moreover, in the transfer machine 40, it is not necessary to change the arrangement pitch of the chucking heads 41.

The outer diameter of the toner cartridge 10 is P / 4.
~ P / 3, 81 toner cartridges 10
Are stored in a pallet 20 at a pitch P / 3 in 9 rows and 9 columns. In this case, transfer is performed three times, three for each row.

The article transfer method of the present invention can be applied to the transfer of articles other than the toner cartridge 10.

[0015]

As described above, the article transfer method of the present invention is as follows.
Articles having dimensions smaller than the transfer pitch of the articles in the support container can be densely stored in the container at a pitch smaller than the mounting pitch. Therefore, the article storage efficiency in the container is improved. Further, although the articles are densely housed in the container, the arrangement pitch of the chucking heads in the transfer machine can be made to match the mounting pitch of the articles in the support container. Since it is not necessary to provide a pitch varying mechanism for the chucking head, the structure of the transfer machine itself is simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an implementation state of an article transfer method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conventional article transfer method.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining a conventional article transfer method.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining another problem of the conventional article transfer method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Toner Cartridge 20 Container 30 Support Container 40 Transfer Machine 41 Chucking Head

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of sequentially transferring a large number of articles contained in a container to a support container in which N articles are mounted in a row at a predetermined pitch P, wherein the articles are mounted in the support container. In the support container, the step of storing articles having a size of 1 / n or less (n is an integer of 2 or more) of the pitch P in the container at a pitch of P × 1 / n, and a chucking head for chucking the support container By the transfer machine provided with N pieces at the same pitch as the article mounting pitch P, P is put in the container.
From N × n articles arranged in a line at a pitch of × 1 / n, N articles arranged at a pitch P are selectively chucked by each chucking head and transferred to a supporting container. An article transfer method including a mounting step and a step of repeating this transfer step at a rate of n times per row.