JP3076435B2 - Nursery box accumulation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an accumulating apparatus in a transport system for automatically performing processing such as washing and disinfection of a nursery box and accumulating and packing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The inventor has suspended a seedling rack on which a plurality of seedling boxes in which seedlings have already been planted are mounted, rotated, and changed the positions of the inner and outer shelves, so that all of the suspended seedling racks are the same. A patent has been filed for a rotary seedling raising machine that raises seedlings under conditions. However, the seedling box to be mounted on the seedling rack of the rotary seedling machine,
It is necessary to perform treatments such as washing and disinfection, and to pack and manage them so as to be suitable for mounting on the nursery rack. For this purpose, it is desirable that there be a transport system that transports the seedling boxes on a belt conveyor, automatically performs processing such as washing and disinfection, and accumulates and packs them. The integrated device therein is not publicly known.

[0003]

In order to obtain a transfer system by the automatic control as described above, the seedling boxes conveyed one after another on the belt conveyor are automatically closed, a certain number of the seedling boxes are accumulated, and then the next seeding box is collected. You need an automatic accumulator that sends it out to the packing machine.

[0004]

The present invention uses the following means in order to achieve the above objects. In claim 1, the seedling raising box 2 for conveying on the belt conveyor 1 is closed with a gate 4, the stacking is performed by a stacking lift 5, the gate 4 is opened after the stacking is completed, and the seedling box collecting apparatus is transferred to the next step. The gate 4 is vertical
The gate shaft 4a erected in the direction is rotatable about a pivot point.
And the gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV1
Arranged in parallel with the transport direction, and a gate above the left and right gates 4
Piston rod of open / close air solenoid cylinder SV1
The tip is connected configuration, the integrated lift 5 lift lifting air solenoid cylinder SV2, a rod 5a which is connected to the lifting elevating air solenoid cylinder SV2,
An accumulating claw 6 pivotally connected to a pivot 7 which is laterally parallel to the side surface of the seedling raising box 2 at the upper end of the rod 5a, and which supports the lower edge of the seedling raising box 2; Rod 5a
Is lowered, and the stacking claws 6 press against the edge of the seedling box 2 on the belt conveyor 1 and rotate upward. When the rod 5a rises, the collecting claw 6 cannot rotate downward, and rises while supporting the seedling raising box 2.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the nursery box stacking device according to the first aspect, a box stacking completion detection switch LS1 for detecting completion of stacking of the seedling box 2, and a box setting detecting presence / absence of the seedling box in a fixed position. A position detection switch LS2 is provided, and a gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV1 that opens and closes the gate 4 is controlled by the box integration completion detection switch LS1,
The Hakojo position detecting switch LS2, and controls the lift elevator air solenoid cylinder SV2 operating the integrated lift 5.

[0006]

[Function] The nursery box that has been transported on the belt conveyor,
The gate is securely stopped at the fixed position, the seedling box in the fixed position is lifted and supported by the collecting claw, and when the next seedling box reaches the fixed position, the collecting claw is lowered and the supporting seedling box is fixed. The seedling boxes are stacked by placing the seedling boxes in the position and lifting the whole seedling box in the fixed position again with the stacking claws. When the seedling box, which has been accumulated and raised, is brought down to the home position when the last one of the specified number of seedlings is brought to the home position, when the seedling box is lowered, the gate is opened and the accumulated seedling box is placed next. The gate is closed in preparation for the next nursery box accumulation again. The series of opening and closing of the gates and the raising and lowering of the stacking claws are automatically performed by the operation of the solenoid valve by the limit switch, and the stacking of the seedling boxes is reliably performed.

[0007]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a process of the entire nursery box transport system, FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an accumulation device D,
3 is a side view, FIG. 4 is a front view, FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing the configuration of the stacking claws 6 in the stacking lift 5,
6 is a partial front view, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the automatic control mechanism in the integrated device D, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the setting of the delay time.

Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of the entire nursery box transport system will be described. The transport system transports the seedling boxes sequentially on the belt conveyor at regular intervals.First, the seedling boxes are lowered onto the belt conveyor driven by the seedling box supply device A, and the seedling boxes are washed by the washing device B. Next, in the draining / disinfecting device C, water droplets of the cleaning liquid remaining in the box in all the steps are removed, and a disinfectant is sprayed. Then, a certain number of seedling boxes that have been subjected to such processing are accumulated in the accumulation device D, and are conveyed to the packaging device E in the next step.

The configuration of the integrated device D will be described with reference to FIGS. The nursery box 2 is transported on the belt conveyor 1. The stacking device D is installed in the middle of the belt conveyor 1 and closes the machine frame 3 for supporting and forming the stacking device D and the conveyed seedling raising box 2 to open and send out the next process after the stacking is completed. , A stacking lift 5 for stacking a fixed number of seedling boxes 2 closed and the like.

An actuator for opening / closing the gate 4 is driven by driving a gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV1, and an actuator for raising / lowering the stacking lift 5 is driven by driving a lift lifting / lowering air solenoid cylinder SV2. Both solenoids are connected to the belt conveyor 1
A box integration completion detection switch LS1, which is a sensor that is turned on when a certain number of seedling boxes 2 conveyed above are collected, and a box fixed position detection, which is a sensor that is turned on when the box reaches a fixed position. It is driven by the signal of the switch LS2.

The machine frame 3 has column members 3a erected at four corners, left and right column members 3a are erected at an upper portion, upper horizontal members 3b are erected, and each column member 3a is supported at a lower portion below the belt conveyor 1. It is connected and supported by the member 3c. Also, the rear column member 3
3d, a conveyance guide 3d on the belt conveyor 1 behind
So that the left and right positions of the seedling box 2 to be transported are constant in the stacking device D. The gate 4 is rotatable around a gate shaft 4a provided in parallel with the column members 3a outside the two left and right column members 3a standing upright in the transport direction among the column members 3a. Attached to.

A gate opening / closing air solenoid is provided at the center of the upper horizontal member 3b of the machine frame 3 on the front side in the transport direction.
The cylinder SV1 is arranged parallel to the transport direction, and the gate links 4b are connected to the end of the piston rod of the gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV1 from above the left and right gates 4.4. Then, air solenoid sheet for the gate opening and closing
In the case of the Linder SV1, the gate 4 is closed in the normal state, and the rod is driven in the retracting direction when the power is supplied, and the gate 4 is opened as shown by the dashed line in FIG.

The stacking lift 5 is provided on the lower supporting member 3 of the machine frame 3.
central portion of the c is connected to the lift elevating air solenoid cylinder SV2 fixedly provided perpendicularly shape, the piston rod end of the lift the lift air solenoid cylinder SV2 is connected to the bottom lift support members 5b, rod on both sides 5
erected a a, the rod 5a is inserted into a pipe-shaped guide 10 which is fixed to the supporting member of the belt conveyor 1, becomes the position where the piston rod is lowered during normal lift lifting air solenoid cylinder SV2, when energized The piston rod is raised to move the stacking lift 5 up and down as shown in FIG.

At the upper end of each rod 5a, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pivot shaft 7 is laid across and parallel to the side surface of the seedling raising box 2, and the collecting claws 6 are attached to the pivot shaft 7. The two lowering edges of the seedling box 2 are supported by two collecting claws 6 pivotally connected to each other in the front-rear direction of the transport direction. Further, the two collecting claws 6 are connected and fixed to each other with a connecting rod 8. 6 are simultaneously pivotably supported above the horizontal. In this way, the stacking claws 6 connecting the front and rear two are arranged on both left and right sides of the seedling box 2 to which the belt conveyor 1 is conveyed. As shown in FIG. Presses against the edge of the seedling raising box 2 on the belt conveyor 1, rotates upward, and returns to a horizontal state by further descending to support the edge of the seedling raising box 2. When 5a rises, the stacking claws 6 do not rotate downward, so they rise while supporting the seedling raising box 2.

A method of stacking the seedling raising boxes 2 by raising and lowering the stacking lift 5 will be described. When the nursery box 2 reaches the box fixed position of the stacking device D and presses against the closed gate 4 and stops,
The stacking claw 6 is lowered to the lower part of the seedling box 2 by lowering the stacking lift 5 from the upper part, and is raised again to support the edge of the seedling box 2 with the stacking claw 6. Up above the home position. Next, the seedling box 2 pulled up earlier is placed on the next seedling box 2 that has been conveyed on the belt conveyor 1 and reached the home position by lowering the stacking lift 5.

After lowering the stacking lift 5 again, the stacking lift 5 is raised again, and the stacking claws 6 support the edge of the seedling raising box 2 corresponding to the lowermost stage of the stacked seedling raising box 2, and further raise the fixed position. Pull up the whole seedling box 2 collected in the above to the fixed position. This operation is repeated until the seedling boxes 2 are collected at the fixed position by one less than the specified number of accumulations, and when the seedling box 2 corresponding to the last one of the specified number of accumulation reaches the home position, the stacking lift 5 is reached. Is lowered, the seedling box 2 that has been accumulated and raised is lowered onto the seedling box 2 in a fixed position, the gate 4 is opened, and the seedling box is carried out in the next step.

Next, the arrangement of the box integration completion detection switch LS1 and the box fixed position detection switch LS2 will be described.
First, the box accumulation completion detection switch LS1 is pushed to the side of the edge of the seedling box 2 corresponding to the uppermost part of the column member 3a of the machine frame 3 corresponding to the front in the unloading direction when the accumulated seedling boxes 2 reach a fixed number. Attach in the appropriate position. Further, the box home position detection switch LS2 is provided in the stacking device D, for the column member 3a of the machine frame 3 corresponding to the front end of the home position where the seedling raising boxes 2 are to be stacked.
It is attached at a position where the side of the edge of the conveyed nursery box 2 is pressed.

The automatic control structure of the integrated device D having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. When the power of the stacking device D is turned on, first, whether the seedling box 2 is in the fixed position and the stacking is completed is checked by the box stacking completion detection switch LS1, and the box stacking completion detection switch LS1 is turned off. If there is, after the accumulated seedling box 2 is conveyed or when the seedling box 2 is being accumulated (01), the gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV1 is not driven, and the gate 4 is closed. (02).

In this state, when the seedling raising box 2 is transported on the belt conveyor 1 and reaches a fixed position in the stacking device D, the box fixed position detecting switch LS2 is turned ON (0).
3) Even after the nursery box 2 presses the switch, the nursery box 2 is conveyed by the belt conveyor 1 for the delay time T1 and still advances, hits the gate 4 and stops reliably. After the delay time T1 has passed (04), the energization of the lift lifting / lowering air solenoid cylinder SV2 is stopped, and the stacking lift 5 is lowered (05). securely placed on the nursery box 2 at the position of the conveyor 1, after the elapse of the delay time T2 (06), lifting the lift air solenoid cylinder SV2 is energized, being driven to raise the integrated lift 5 (07) The seedling box 2 collected by the collecting nail 6 is supported and pulled up.

When the next seedling raising box 2 has not reached the home position, the box home position detection switch LS2 is in the OFF state (08). In this case, the lift lifting / lowering air solenoid cylinder SV2 is turned on. With the stacking lift 5 raised (09), the stacked seedling raising boxes 2 are supported by the stacking claws 6 above the fixed position. Then, when the next seedling box 2 reaches the home position (03), the raised seedling box 2 is lowered onto the seedling box 2 at the fixed position on the belt conveyor 1 (04-05), and the lift for raising and lowering again is returned. 5 and raise the accumulated seedling raising box 2 (06-0)
7), support until the next nursery box 2 arrives (08).

When all the seedling boxes 2 to be accumulated and raised are accumulated and raised, the box accumulation completion switch LS1 is turned ON (10), and in conjunction with this, the energization of the lift lifting / lowering air solenoid cylinder SV2 is stopped, and the accumulation is completed. Lift 5 descends (11). Then, the accumulated seedling box 2 is lowered onto the seedling box 2 corresponding to the last one of the specified number of sheets conveyed to the home position, and the lowered accumulated seedling box 2 is securely placed on the seedling box 2 at the home position. as is placed on, after a delay time T2 (12), open the gate 4 gating air solenoid cylinder SV1 is driven (13), the integrated pre nursery box 2 is surely at the belt conveyor 1 After being carried out of the accumulation device D to the next step, and after a delay time T3 (14), the power supply to the gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV2 is stopped again, the gate 4 is closed (15), and the next seedling box 2 is accumulated. Be prepared for.

Finally, the setting of the delay times T1 to T3 in the above automatic control mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. The belt conveyor 1 always moves at a constant speed of Vmm / sec. The length of the seedling box 2 in the transport direction is X mm. From the position of the gate 4 to the pushing position of the box fixed position detection switch LS2 to the seedling box 2. , The distance between the front and rear nursery boxes 2 during the normal belt conveyor conveyance is Z mm, and the distance between the integrated nursery box 2 carried out from the gate 4 and the next nursery box 2 reaching the home position. Z'mm.

First, in setting the delay time T1, after the box home position detection switch LS2 is turned on, the time Y / V at which the seedling raising box 2 is pressed against the gate 4 and reliably stopped at the home position.
Seconds are assumed. Next, the stacking lift 5 is lowered, and the stacked seedling raising box 2 that has been lifted up is securely placed on the seedling raising box 2 stopped at a fixed position. The delay time T2 is set to ensure that the belt 2 is lowered onto the belt conveyor 1.

However, the operation of lowering the stacking lift 5 and raising it again to raise the seedling raising box 2 is completed within the time (X + Z) / V seconds until the next seedling raising box 2 reaches the home position. The delay time T2 is also set based on the required time. The delay time T3 is set as a time for keeping the gate 4 open for sending the completed seedling raising box 2 to the next step. After the gate 4 is opened, the accumulated seedling raising box 2 is moved to the rearmost end. At the point Z ′ mm away from the gate 4 position, the next seedling box 2
Reaches the home position, the delay time T3 must be set between X / V seconds and (X + Z ') / V seconds.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained by the configuration described above. The nursery box 2 transported on the belt conveyor 1 is connected to the gate 4 as claimed in claim 1.
In the nursery box stacking device, in which the gate 4 is opened after the stacking is completed, and the gate 4 is conveyed to the next step, the gate 4 is a vertically mounted gate shaft.
4a is configured to be rotatable with the pivot as a fulcrum, for opening and closing the gate.
Air solenoid cylinder SV1 is arranged parallel to the transport direction
And an air solenoid for opening and closing the gate above the left and right gates 4
The tip of the piston rod of the cylinder SV1 is connected, and the collecting lift 5 is an air solenoid cylinder for lifting and lowering.
And da SV2, air solenoids said lift lifting cylinders S
The rod 5a is connected to the seedling box 2 at the upper end of the rod 5a, and the collecting nail 6 is pivotally connected to a pivot 7 which is parallel to the side of the seedling raising box 2 at the upper end of the rod 5a. So as to support the lower part of the rim, the rod 5a descends,
The stacking claws 6 press against the edge of the seedling box 2 on the belt conveyor 1, rotate upward, return to a horizontal state by descending, and support the edge of the seedling box 2, Next, when the rod 5a rises, the collecting claw 6 cannot rotate downward and is configured to rise while supporting the seedling box 2, so that the seedling box is automatically cleaned and disinfected. Accumulate,
In the packing transport system, the cleaned and disinfected seedling boxes that are transported one after another on the belt conveyor are automatically collected, so that no manual collecting work is required, and the transport speed is taken into consideration. Since the gates are opened and closed and the stacking claws are raised and lowered appropriately, the stacking of seedling boxes is labor-saving and reliable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a box accumulation completion detection switch LS1 for detecting completion of accumulation of the seedling box 2 and a box fixed position detection switch LS2 for detecting the presence or absence of the nursery box at a fixed position are provided. The gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV1 for opening and closing the gate 4 is controlled by the detection switch LS1, and the lift lifting / lowering air solenoid cylinder SV2 for operating the stacking lift 5 is controlled by the box fixed position detection switch LS2. By securely stopping the seedling raising boxes at the fixed position for accumulation, even if the seedling raising boxes are stacked, there is no displacement, so that the seedling raising boxes are not collapsed and are reliably accumulated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the steps of the entire nursery box transport system.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an integrated device D.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing a configuration of a stacking claw 6 in the stacking lift 5;

FIG. 6 is a partial front view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an automatic control mechanism in the integrated device D.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating setting of a delay time.

[Explanation of symbols]

D Stacking device 1 Belt conveyor 2 Nursery box 4 Gate 5 Stacking lift 6 Stacking claw SV1 Gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV2 Lift lifting / lowering air solenoid cylinder LS1 Box integration completion detection switch LS2 Box fixed position detection switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A Sho 61-178729 (JP, U) JP-A 4-1837 (JP, U) JP-A 47-264 (JP, Y1) JP-A 43- 7536 (JP, Y1) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65G 57/00-57/32

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A nursery box (2) for conveying on a belt conveyor (1).
Is blocked by the gate 4 and collected by the stacking lift 5,
The gate 4 is opened in the vertical direction in the nursery box stacking device in which the gate 4 is opened after the stacking is completed and transported to the next step.
The gate shaft 4a is configured to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum.
The air solenoid cylinder SV1 for opening and closing the
Arranged in parallel, gate opening / closing air above the left and right gates 4
Connects the tip of piston rod of solenoid cylinder SV1
The accumulating lift 5 comprises a lift elevating air solenoid cylinder SV2 and the lift elevating air solenoid
A rod 5a connected to the cylinder SV2;
a stacking claw 6 pivotally connected to a pivot 7 which is transversely parallel to the side surface of the seedling raising box 2 at the upper end of the seedling raising box 2, and the collecting nail 6 supports the lower edge of the seedling raising box 2 and has a rod 5a. Of the seedling box 2 on the belt conveyor 1
When the rod 5a is lifted, it is pivoted upward, and is further lowered to return to a horizontal state to support the edge of the seedling raising box 2. Then, when the rod 5a is raised, A seedling box stacking device, wherein the stacking claws 6 cannot rotate downward, and are configured to rise while supporting the seedling box 2. 2. The seedling box stacking device according to claim 1, wherein a box stacking completion detection switch LS1 for detecting completion of stacking of the seedling box 2 and a box fixed position detection switch LS2 for detecting the presence or absence of the seedling box at a fixed position. A gate opening / closing air solenoid cylinder SV1 for opening and closing the gate 4 is controlled by the box accumulation completion detection switch LS1, and a lift lifting / lowering air solenoid cylinder SV2 for operating the accumulation lift 5 is controlled by the box fixed position detection switch LS2. A nursery box accumulation device characterized by controlling.