JP2692528B2 - Tile arrangement method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for arranging a plurality of tiles in a grid. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of arranging tiles having different colors and arranging the tiles so as to draw a specific character or graphic. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tile arrangement method suitable for use in the step of creating a mosaic tile unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A mosaic tile unit is a tile unit in which tiles of various colors are combined to express a specific character or graphic pattern. For example, tiles are arranged so as to express this character or pattern. It is made by pasting a piece of paper on the front side of the body. After the tile unit is attached to the wall surface, the paper is peeled off to construct the mosaic tile wall.

Incidentally, concrete or mortar may be cast on the back surface of the tile array to form a mosaic tile panel.

The conventional method of arranging tiles of various colors in a specific pattern has been manual. That is, a worker manually fits a tile of a specific color into each square of a tile alignment frame in which squares into which tiles are fitted are arranged vertically and horizontally.

[0005]

However, there has been a problem that such a tile arranging work by hand is extremely inefficient.

[0006]

According to the tile arranging method of the present invention, a tile arranging frame, in which tiles for fitting tiles are arranged vertically and horizontally, is moved horizontally in a horizontal plane, and the tile arranging frame is colored in different colors. In a method of forming a tile alignment body having a pattern according to the pattern by loading tiles according to a predetermined pattern, tiles of the same number as the number of cells in the row direction of the tile alignment frame are arranged in the horizontal row direction, A tile column and a row in which more tiles than the number of squares in the column direction of the tile alignment frame are arranged in the horizontal column direction are arranged adjacent to the moving area of the tile alignment frame for each color, and each tile At the top of the row and column, there are the same number of tile check sections as the squares of the tile alignment frame, and the tile check sections are arranged in the same vertical and horizontal directions as the squares. And install a tile transfer machine that transfers the tiles in the tile row and column to the same row and column in the tile row and column of the tiles in the tile alignment frame. Every time, among the squares of the tile alignment frame, the row and column positions of the squares in which tiles of the same color should be inserted are stored in the storage device, and the tile alignment frame is stopped in front of each tile vertical and horizontal row, Based on the signal from the storage device, all the tiles of the rows and columns to be transferred in the row are conveyed to the tile alignment frame by the tile transfer machine at one time and once in the corresponding row and column grids. Fit in,
In addition, in the tile vertical and horizontal row in which the tiles are extracted, the tile row is advanced so as to close the tile missing trace in the row direction.

[0007]

According to the tile arrangement method of the present invention, a storage device for recognizing an arrangement pattern for each hue of each tile, which constitutes a mosaic tile unit in a tile alignment frame, and a tile transfer controlled by the storage device. Depending on the machine, the tile arranging work, which used to rely on human labor, can be performed easily and efficiently.

The tile aligning frame is moved on a work table (conveyor), and tiles are fitted into the aligning frame for each hue by the transfer machine. The mounting tiles are lined up on another workbench, and the transfer machine reciprocates between the mounting tile workbench and the tile alignment frame workbench for transfer and mounting work. Do.

[0009]

Embodiments of the tile arrangement method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of an apparatus for tile array work according to this embodiment. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the tiles are shown in a disk shape for the sake of clarity, but the actual tiles are square.

In FIG. 1, a conveyor 1 is a conveyor for moving a tile alignment frame 2 for combining mosaic tile units. A tile supply conveyor 3 for each hue of tiles is installed on the conveyor 1 in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the conveyor 1. For example, if the mosaic tile unit uses three hues A, B, and C, three tile supply conveyors 3 are in operation. In the following, when the tile supply conveyor 3 is limited to each hue and called, the tile supply conveyors 3A, 3B, 3
Called as C.

The tile supply conveyors 3A, 3B, 3C
Are installed at equal intervals, and the tile alignment frame 2
Also, the tiles are placed on the conveyor 1 at the same intervals (or intervals of a whole number) as the installation intervals of the respective tile supply conveyors 3 and flow. Therefore, each tile alignment frame 2 is set so as to move stepwise so as to temporarily stop at the intersection of the longitudinal center line of each tile supply conveyor 3 and the conveyor 1.

The tiles 4 supplied to the tile alignment frame 2 are aligned on the tile supply conveyor 3, and the tiles 4 are arranged.
In order to convey and fit into the tile alignment frame 2, one tile transfer machine 5 (not shown) is installed for each tile supply conveyor 3 of each hue. The tile 4 and the tile transfer machine 5
Tile 4A, 4B, 4C, tile transfer machine 5 for each hue
Sometimes referred to as A, 5B, 5C.

FIG. 2 (a) is a perspective view of the tile supply conveyor 3 and FIG. 2 (b) is a plan view thereof. In FIG. 3A, the tile supply conveyor 3 conveys tiles 4 in the arrow direction. The tile supply conveyor 3 conveys the tile 4 in one direction, and then holds the tile on the tile supply conveyor 3 until the tile 4 is fitted into the tile alignment frame 2 by the tile transfer machine 5. Therefore, a stopper 6 for stopping the tile 4 is provided at the downstream end of the tile supply conveyor 3 in the transport direction. Further, the tile supply conveyor 3 is divided into arbitrary rows by the partition 7.

While the tile 4 is stopped by the stopper 6, the tile supply conveyor 3 continues to move. Therefore, since the lower surface of the tile 4 is urged by the friction with the tile supply conveyor 3 in the conveying direction, an arbitrary number of the tiles 4 are extracted from an arbitrary row by the tile transfer machine 5. Even if the tiles 4 are conveyed to the tile alignment frame 2, the supplemental tiles 4 are always sent from the upstream side in the conveying direction.

FIG. 1B is a plan view of the tile supply conveyor 3, and the tiles 4 on the tile supply conveyor 3 are shown in FIG.
Shows how to refill. The tile supply conveyor 3
When the number of tiles 4 in an arbitrary row of n decreases by a preset number n from the end on the upstream side in the transport direction, the supplementary table 8
To n tiles 4 are refilled. The replenishment may be performed by using a tile transfer machine or may be performed by an operator.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the tile transfer machine 5.
The tile transfer machine 5 has been generally and widely used for transferring tiles, and the components to be transferred are transferred by the negative pressure generated by the suction hose 9 connected thereto. 5 is attracted to the lower surface and moved. As shown in FIG. 3, small tiles 10 made of rubber, for example, are arranged on the lower surface of the tile transfer machine 5 at the same pitch as the tile arrangement of the alignment frame 2. The suction and suction release of each of the suction cups 10 can be independently controlled by an electromagnetic valve or the like, and the negative pressure transmitted through the suction hose 9 is used to adsorb the tiles.

One of the tile transfer machines 5 is installed for each of the tile supply conveyors 3, and the tiles 4 aligned on the tile supply conveyor 3 are fitted into the tile alignment frame 2 or the like. The work is controlled by a computer.

An apparatus for tile array work having such a configuration was used. The tile arrangement method of this embodiment will be described below.

An empty tile alignment frame 2 is placed on the conveyor 1 and conveyed. Since the conveyor 1 operates in steps, the tile alignment frame 2 stops in front of the tile supplying conveyor 3A. Computer-controlled tile transfer machine 5A
The tile 4A on the tile supply conveyor 3A is transferred to the tile alignment frame 2 and fitted therein.

When the above work is completed, the tile alignment frame 2
Moves again on the conveyor 1 and stops in front of the adjacent tile supply conveyor 3B. Another empty tile alignment frame 2 is sent in front of the tile supply conveyor 3A.

Thereafter, similarly, the transfer and fitting work of the tile 4 is repeated for each hue necessary to form the mosaic tile unit, and the mosaic tile unit is completed in the tile alignment frame 2. . Further, this work can be continuously performed by continuously supplying the empty tile alignment frame 2 to the conveyor 1.

Incidentally, as an example, as shown in FIG.
An example of manufacturing a mosaic tile unit including a total of 16 tiles of white tiles, 4 red tiles, and 8 blue tiles will be described. (In actuality, the number of tiles is larger than this, but for simplicity, one set of 16 units is taken as an example.) The tile alignment frame is provided with 4 × 4 = 16 squares. There is.

The tile supply conveyor 3A conveys four rows of white tiles, the tile supply conveyor 3B conveys four rows of red tiles, and the tile supply conveyor 3C conveys four rows of blue tiles.

In FIG. 4, 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent column coordinates, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent row coordinates.

For tiles in the first and second columns of the first and second columns of the tile aligning frame 2 stopped before the tile supplying conveyor 3A, the first and second columns of the tile supplying conveyor 3A Two rows of white tiles are transferred at once by the tile transfer machine 5A.

The tile aligning frame 2 is then sent to the front of the tile supplying conveyor 3B and stopped, and the tile aligning frame 2 is moved to the third and fourth rows of the third and fourth columns to the third and third of the tile supplying conveyor 3B. 4th row, 3rd and 4th row red tiles are tile transfer machines 5B
Will be reprinted at once.

The tile aligning frame 2 is then sent in front of the tile supplying conveyor 3C and stopped, and the tile aligning frame 2 is placed in the third and fourth rows of the first and second columns and the first and second rows of the third and fourth columns. For the eyes, the blue tiles in the third and fourth rows of the first and second columns and the first and second rows of the third and fourth columns of the tile supply conveyor 3C are the tile transfer machines 5
Reprinted at once in C.

As a result, a mosaic tile array in which tiles of a predetermined color are arrayed in all the squares is completed. For this array, for example, paper is attached,
The mosaic tile unit is completed.

In FIG. 4, in the tile supply conveyors 3A, 3B, and 3C, the traces on which the tiles have been transferred are blank areas. The tile row advances, eliminating this blank area.

[0031]

According to the tile arranging method of the present invention, the arranging work of the mosaic tile unit, which conventionally relies on the manual work of the worker, can be completely mechanized by computer control. Therefore, the working time can be shortened and the working accuracy can be improved, and the working efficiency is significantly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a tile arrangement method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view and a plan view of a tile supply conveyor according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tile transfer machine according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a tile packing order in the embodiment method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Conveyor 2 Tile alignment frame 3 Tile supply conveyor 4 Tile 5 Tile transfer machine

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pattern is formed by horizontally moving a tile alignment frame in which tiles for fitting tiles are arranged vertically and horizontally and horizontally loading the tile alignment frame in a predetermined pattern. In the method for forming a tile array having a street pattern, the same number of tiles as the number of squares in the row direction of the tile alignment frame are arranged in the horizontal row direction, and the number of squares in the column direction of the tile alignment frame. A tile column row in which a larger number of tiles are arranged in the horizontal column direction is arranged adjacent to the moving area of the tile alignment frame for each color, and the tile row is arranged on the top side of each tile column row. It has the same number of tile check parts as the squares in the frame and in the same vertical and horizontal arrangement as the squares, and the tiles are checked by the tile check parts, , A tile transfer machine that transfers the tiles to the same row and column as the row and column in the tile row and column in the tiles , The row and column positions of the squares where the tiles of the same color should be placed are stored in the storage device, the tile alignment frame is stopped in front of each tile row and column, and based on the signal from the storage device, All the tiles of the rows and columns to be transferred in the row are conveyed to the tile alignment frame by the tile transfer machine at a time and fitted into the cells of the corresponding rows and columns at one time, and the tiles are extracted. In a tile row and column formation, a tile arrangement method is characterized in that the tile row is moved forward so as to close up the trace of the tile missing in the front in the row direction.