JP3514395B2 - Container stopping device in transport path - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container stopping device for temporarily stopping a container on a conveying path, particularly a lightweight container such as a PET container. More specifically, it relates to an improvement for preventing the container from falling when releasing the stop operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in various work lines in a bottling system or the like, there are cases in which containers on a conveying path such as a multi-row or single-row conveyor are temporarily stopped. In such a case, it is widely practiced to stop the container without stopping the operation of the transfer device itself by blocking the transfer path by using a movable stopper member orthogonal to the transfer path.
In particular, the second transport path is connected to the first transport path for transporting the container group in an orthogonal state, the container group is batch-transferred to the second transport path while being aligned, and then the transport by the second transport path is started. In the case of the transport method, it is necessary to temporarily stop the transport action of the container through the second transport path until the batch transport is completed, and prioritize the batch transport. By the way, the conventional container stopping device of this type has a problem that the container at the leading portion is likely to fall over when the stopping operation is canceled and the transfer of the container is restarted. That is, when a movable container is forcibly prevented from conveying a container that is in a conveying operation, particularly a light container such as a PET container, the container at the leading end of the container is not supported by the movable stopper member due to the pressing force from the subsequent container group. It receives a compressive action between them and absorbs the compressive force by elastic deformation or the like. Then, when the movable stopper member is retracted from the transport path and the blocking of the transport path is released in the state of being subjected to such a compression action, a reaction that the compression action is suddenly canceled and the transport by the transport device is canceled. There was a problem that the container at the front part became unstable due to the shock due to restarting, and it was easy to fall forward.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to retract the stop operation by retracting the movable stopper member that is blocking the conveyance path. To reduce the fall of the container that tends to occur when
It is another object of the present invention to provide a container stopping device for a smooth transporting path.

[0004]

The invention according to claim 1 is
Air ejecting means for ejecting air toward the container when the movable stopper member is retracted is provided. Further, the invention according to claim 2 is further embodied as a contact guide for a movable stopper member that is removably arranged in a second transport path that is connected orthogonally to a first transport path that transports a container group. The portion is arranged on the extension of the guide means of the first transport path, and air injection means for injecting air toward the container when the movable stopper member is retracted is provided.

[0005]

According to the present invention, when the movable stopper member is retracted, air is jetted through the air jetting means toward the leading container which starts transporting when the stop is released. As a result, the fall of the container caused when the suspension is released is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional case.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a layout when applied to a pallet unloading apparatus as an example of an application scene of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a pallet unloading device. The actual pallet 3 in which the containers 2 are stacked is carried into the unloading position A, and the container group 2a of the uppermost one stage constitutes the first transport path by the unillustrated double-type extrusion mechanism or the like. The container group 2b that has been extruded to the upper standby position B and simultaneously extruded last time and waiting at the standby position B is transferred to the discharge position C on the discharge conveyor 5 that constitutes the second transport path. In this case, the discharge conveyor 5 is continuously operated, but an abutting guide portion of a container stopping device 7, which will be described later, is arranged on an extension of the fixed guide 6 which is a guide means of the first transport path. Since the container group 2b is guided by the contact guide portion, smooth transfer to the discharge position C is performed. Also,
This discharge conveyor 5 is configured so that it can be tilted downward toward the carry-out direction, for example, up to about 7 degrees during the discharge process to the carry conveyor 8 on the downstream side, and a container group hits the carry-out conveyor 8. The reaction at the time of contact prevents the container in the rear part from falling down. Thus, the container 2 extruded on the discharge conveyor 5 in continuous operation.
Are temporarily stopped by the container stopping device 7, are transferred to the carry-out conveyor 8 on the downstream side at a timing, and are sequentially carried out row by row to a predetermined process. The used intermediate sheet is discharged to the discharge position D by the suction transfer means 9, and the empty pallet after the unloading is completed is discharged to a predetermined position E below the discharge position D.

FIG. 2 shows a container stopping device 7 which is a feature of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an operating state of FIG. 3 and 4 show specific examples thereof, and are a partial front view and a left side view of the container stopping device 7 as seen from the upstream side in the transport direction, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the container stopping device 7 includes an arm portion 11 that is rotatably pivoted to a pillar 10 that is erected on both sides of the discharge conveyor 5 that constitutes a second transport path, The movable stopper member 13 including the contact guide portion 12 attached to the arm portion 11 is a main element. As described above, the contact guide portion 12 has a stop function for the conveying action of the discharge conveyor 5 which is the second conveying path, and is arranged on the extension of the guide means such as the fixed guide 6 of the first conveying path. By being provided, it has a guide function for the container 2. Further, the arm portion 11 is provided with an air jetting means 14 formed of a pipe-shaped air header having a large number of jet holes formed therein.

Next, the operation of the container stopping device 7 will be described with reference to FIG. (A) shows the stopped state. In this stopped state, the arm portion 11 of the movable stopper member 13 is substantially vertically hung, and the container 2 abuts on the abutment guide portion 12. Therefore, even when the discharge conveyor 5 is in the continuous operation state, the movable conveyor member 13 moves in the conveying direction. Advance is blocked. On the other hand, in this state, since the contact guide member 12 functions as a guide member on the extension of the fixed guide 6 of the first transport path, the container group 2b is transferred from the transfer plate portion 4 to the discharge conveyor 5. Smooth transfer can be obtained without disturbing the alignment. The air injection unit 14 is in the injection stopped state.

In the stopped state of (a), however, the container group 2 from the transfer plate portion 4 onto the discharge conveyor 5
When the transfer of b is completed, as shown in (b),
The discharge conveyor 5 itself is inclined so as to be lower in the transport direction. That is, the rear of the discharge conveyor 5 is tilted high so that the inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal is, for example, about 7 degrees. As described above, the inclination of the discharge conveyor 5 is such that when the container stop device 7 is released from the stopped state and the leading portion of the container group comes into contact with the carry-out conveyor 8, the container 2 located in the rear is recoiled by the reaction. It is a means to prevent the trouble of falling.

(C) shows the initial state of the stop release operation. When releasing the stop, air is ejected from the air ejecting means 14 toward the leading container 2 for a predetermined time at a predetermined timing after the movable stopper member 13 starts to rotate. This air injection prevents the front portion of the container 2 from falling forward. The on / off control of air injection can be performed using a timer or the like.

(D) shows the state of the latter half of the stop release operation. As illustrated, in the latter stage of the stop release operation, the air injection is stopped before the arm portion 11 of the movable stopper member 13 is fully opened in the horizontal state. Then, when returning to the stopped state again, the arm portion 11 may be rotated to return to the substantially vertical state of (a) while the air injection is stopped. After the return to the stopped state, the next container group 2b waiting at the waiting position B is transferred to the discharging position C. The installation height of the air injection means 14, the injection direction of air to the container 2, the injection timing, etc. can be selected in consideration of the type of container, the speed of the conveyor, and the like. Further, as will be described later, the air injecting means 14 avoids interference with the container 2 that advances when the stop is released, so that the air injecting means 14 relatively moves with respect to the movable stopper member 13 as the movable stopper member 13 rotates. It can be configured to be able to retract in the traveling direction of the container 2.

Next, a specific embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in the figure, the pillars 10 are erected at appropriate positions on the fixed side portions on both sides of the discharge conveyor 5, and the inclination of the discharge conveyor 5 itself as shown in (b) to (d) of FIG. Tilts with. Further, the upper ends of the columns 10 are connected and supported by a connecting plate 15. A rotary shaft 16 of the movable stopper member 13 is rotatably supported on the upper portions of the columns 10, one end of which is projected from the column 10 and a drive mechanism 17 is attached to the protruding portion. ing. In the figure, 18 shows an air cylinder as an example of the driving means, the lower part of the main body is rotatably supported by a support fitting 19 fixed to the column 10 side, and the operating shaft 20 is the rotary shaft 16 described above. It is rotatably connected to a drive arm 21 fixed to. Then, when the air cylinder 18 is driven to extend the operating shaft 20 from the state of FIG. 4, the rotating shaft 16 is rotated rightward through the drive arm 21, and the movable stopper member 13 is rotated rightward to retract from the transport path. As a result, the stop release operation is performed.

On both sides of the rotary shaft 16, the left and right arm portions 11a and 11b constituting the movable stopper member 13 are formed.
Is stuck. These arm portions 11a and 11b
The lower end portion of the contact member 12 is connected and supported by a connecting member 22, and the contact guide portion 12 and the air ejecting means 14 can be moved forward and backward by an air cylinder 24 at appropriate left and right portions of the connecting member 22 via a mounting member 23. Is attached to. In the case of the present embodiment, the contact guide portion 12 is the upper contact guide member 1.
2a and the lower contact guide member 12b, and a pipe-shaped air header having a large number of ejection holes constituting the air ejection means 14 is disposed in the middle thereof. Then, as described above, the rotary shaft 16 is rotated by the air cylinder 18.
When releasing the stop by retracting the movable stopper member 13 from the conveyance path via the air cylinder 24, the air cylinder 24 is contracted to move the upper and lower contact guide members 12a, 1a.
By retracting the 2b and the air ejection means 14 relatively to the arm portions 11a and 11b, it is possible to more reliably avoid the interference with the container 2 that moves forward with the release of the stop. In the drawing, 25 is a tightening handle for adjustingably fixing the air cylinder 24 to the fitting 23, 26 is a support plate for the upper and lower contact guide members 12a and 12b and the air ejection means 14, and 27 is a support plate. It is a transport chain portion of the discharge conveyor 5.

[0014]

According to the present invention, when the movable stopper member is retracted from the conveying path, air is jetted toward the leading portion of the container via the air jetting means. As a result of preventing the tipping over, it is possible to greatly reduce the overturning of the container that occurs at the time of releasing the stop as compared with the related art. In addition, when applied to orthogonal transport paths,
The abutment guide portion of the movable stopper member functions as a guide means to the second conveyance path in cooperation with the guide means of the first conveyance path, and the abutment of the stop device for causing the flow to the second conveyance path in a timely manner. Since it also functions as a section, it is suitable for an extrusion mechanism such as a pallet unloading device, and is effective in preventing the container from falling.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a layout of an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view showing an operating state of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pallet unloading device, 2 ... Container, 3 ... Actual pallet, 5 ... Ejection conveyor, 7 ... Container stop device, 8 ... Outgoing conveyor, 10 ... Struts, 11 ... Arm part, 12 ... Contact guide part, 12a ... Upper contact guide member, 12b ... Lower contact guide member, 13 ... Movable stopper member, 14 ... Air injection means, 16 ... Rotating shaft, 17 ... Drive mechanism, 18 ... Air cylinder, 20 ... Actuating shaft, 21 ... Drive arm , 22 ... Connecting member, 23 ... Mounting bracket, 24 ... Air cylinder, 25 ... Tightening handle, 27 ... Conveying chain section

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A container stopping device for a transporting path, which is disposed orthogonally to the transporting path and includes a movable stopper member configured to be retractable, in which air is jetted toward the container when the movable stopper member is retracted. An apparatus for stopping a container in a conveyance path, characterized in that: 2. A container stopping device for a transport path in which a movable stopper member is retractably disposed on a second transport path that is connected orthogonally to a first transport path that transports a group of containers. The conveyance path is characterized in that the contact guide section is provided on an extension of the guide means of the first conveyance path, and that air injection means for injecting air toward the container is provided when the movable stopper member retracts. Container stop device.