JP3799525B2 - Conveyor posture change device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention changes the posture (orientation) of an article in the course of conveyance in an article conveyance apparatus for receiving the articles transferred at predetermined intervals in each bucket and conveying them to a boxing machine or other processing machine. The present invention relates to a posture change device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an apparatus for receiving an article transferred from a previous process by a conveying means provided with a bucket and taking out the article at a conveyance end by the conveying means and performing a boxing process, for example, the article size varies with a change in the type of boxed goods. In the case of things, depending on the relationship between the size of the box used and the size of the goods to be packed, the goods are packed in the same posture as the conveying direction as necessary, and the boxes are packed in a posture changed by 90 degrees. May be required.
[0003]
In this way, when processing multiple varieties on the same line, it is often performed to change the posture of an article conveyed in a fixed orientation from the previous process until it is processed by various processing machines. It is. In such a case, conventionally, an article posture changing device is provided in the pre-processing unit or the post-processing unit of the conveying means provided with the bucket. Further, when boxing is performed by a robot, it is common to provide a posture changing device on the robot hand.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, when the posture change of an article is performed by the posture change device, the posture of the article cannot be changed reliably, or an installation space for the change device is separately required, so there is a problem that the line becomes long. . Further, when the posture of an article is changed by a robot, various problems are pointed out, including not only that the hand needs to have a complicated configuration but also a significant increase in apparatus cost.
[0005]
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the prior art described above, and has been proposed to suitably solve this problem. The present invention can be realized with a very simple configuration and at a low cost, and the attitude can be changed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a posture change device for a transported article that does not require a separate installation space for the device and that can reliably change posture.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to overcome the above-described problems and achieve the intended purpose suitably, the posture change device for a transported article according to the present invention is:
For a cable body that travels in a loop, a bucket that is disposed at predetermined intervals in the traveling direction and can be rotated in a horizontal direction, and a bucket on which an article is placed are placed between the article receiving position and the article discharging position. A posture change device for a transported article provided with a posture change mechanism that changes the posture of the article by rotating in a horizontal direction during traveling of
The posture changing mechanism is a switching means that is switched by a switching means to a switching means that can rotate integrally with the bucket, an operating position where the switching means can contact when the bucket travels, and a retracted position that does not contact. With members,
When the conversion means abuts on the switching member and rotates as the bucket travels, there is provided a regulating member that abuts and guides the conversion means to restrict sudden rotation of the bucket. To do.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, a posture change device for a transported article according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings with a preferred embodiment.
[0008]
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an entire packaging-boxing line incorporating a bucket conveyor equipped with a posture changing device according to an embodiment, and is an article (packaging) packed in a vertical bag making and filling machine 10. The body) 11 is transferred by a transfer conveyor 12 at predetermined intervals and delivered to a bucket conveyor 13 as a conveying means. The bucket conveyor 13 is provided with a moving table 15 so as to be able to reciprocate substantially horizontally within a predetermined range along the longitudinal direction with respect to the conveyor frame 14 and rotates in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the moving table 15. Each of the shafts 16 is rotatably supported. A sprocket 17 is disposed on each rotary shaft 16 so as to be integrally rotatable, and an endless chain 18 as a rope is wound around the pair of sprockets 17 and 17 in a loop shape. Buckets 19 are arranged at predetermined intervals, and the articles 11 transferred by the transfer conveyor 12 are transferred to the buckets 19. The cable body in which the bucket 19 is disposed is not limited to the chain, and may be a belt or other things. Therefore, instead of the power transmission means including the chain-sprocket, other power transmission such as a belt-pulley is provided. It is possible to adopt means as appropriate.
[0009]
The bucket conveyor 13 includes a chain stretched along a straight traveling portion on the article receiving side from the transfer conveyor 12 in the endless chain 18 and a chain stretched along a straight traveling portion on the opposite article discharge side. The bucket 19 is configured to travel in a loop in a horizontal plane at a predetermined speed by a drive mechanism (not shown) including a motor capable of controlling the rotational position, such as two servo motors that travel and drive. Further, by independently rotating and stopping and driving the two servo motors, the moving table 15 is moved in the longitudinal direction (direction along the linear moving portion of the bucket 19) with respect to the conveyor frame 14, thereby At the article receiving position I from the transfer conveyor 12 of the bucket conveyor 13, the buckets 19 are continuously moved so that the articles 11 transferred by the transfer conveyor 12 are timed so that they can be received by the buckets 19. The bucket 19 can be temporarily stopped at the discharge position O of the article 11 from the bucket conveyor 13.
[0010]
In the embodiment, the article 11 is delivered from the transfer conveyor 12 to the bucket conveyor 13 in a normal posture in which the end seal portion in the vertical bag making and filling machine 10 is positioned before and after in the transport direction, and the posture changing mechanism 33 described later is used. The article 11 which is changed by 90 degrees in a plane during article conveyance and has an end seal portion positioned on the left and right perpendicular to the conveyance direction is discharged from the bucket conveyor 13.
[0011]
The endless chain 18 of the bucket conveyor 13 is provided with brackets 20 spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the running direction, and the buckets 19 formed in a substantially rectangular shape on each bracket 20 in a horizontal direction via bearings 21. It is arrange | positioned so that rotation is possible. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a support shaft 22 is suspended from substantially the center of the bottom of the bucket 19, and the support shaft 22 is pivotally supported by a bearing 21 disposed on the bracket 20. Further, a guide roller 23 is pivotally supported on the opposite side of the bracket 20 to the attachment side with respect to the endless chain 18 so as to be freely rotatable, and the roller 23 is disposed at a position below the article conveyance path on which the bucket 19 travels. By rolling on 24, the article 11 placed in a horizontal state in which the vertical position change of the bucket 19 is prevented is stably conveyed. In addition, a concave portion 19a capable of stably placing and holding the bag-like article 11 is formed on the upper surface of the bucket 19 on which the article 11 is placed.
[0012]
A conversion means 41 is disposed at the open end of the support shaft 22 that extends downward from the bearing 21. This conversion means 41 is free at the conversion arm 25 that is rotatably arranged integrally with the support shaft 22 through one end in the longitudinal direction, and at the other end (open end) in the longitudinal direction of the conversion arm 25. It is comprised from the conversion roller 26 pivotally supported. A pin 27 protrudes from the bottom surface of the bracket 20, and a tension spring 28 as an elastic member is provided between the pin 27 and an open end portion separated from the rotation fulcrum (support shaft 22) of the conversion arm 25. It is stretched. Further, stopper members 29 and 30 that rotate integrally with the conversion arm 25 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the rotation fulcrum of the conversion arm 25, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). When the arm 25 rotates in the forward / reverse direction, the stopper members 29 and 30 corresponding to the shaft portions of the pins 27 come into contact with each other, so that the normal posture and the changing posture of the bucket 19 are positioned. In the embodiment, in the normal posture in which the longitudinal direction of the bucket 19 is along the transport direction, the first stopper member 29 abuts against the shaft portion of the pin 27 as shown in FIG. When the bucket 19 is close to the chain 18 and the transverse direction of the bucket 19 is along the conveying direction, the second stopper member 30 comes into contact with the shaft portion of the pin 27 as shown in FIG. 26 is set to be separated from the endless chain 18. When the conversion roller 26 rotates to the left or right side beyond the branch line L passing through the axis of the pin 27 and the support shaft 22, the tension of the tension spring 28 further causes the conversion arm 25 to remain the same. Thus, the stopper member 29, 30 corresponding to the pin 27 is brought into contact with the pin 27 with a predetermined pressure, so that the bucket 19 is maintained in the normal posture or the conversion posture. In other words, in the embodiment, the changing means 41, the pin 27, the stopper members 29, 30 and the tension spring 28 constitute the posture maintaining means 42 for maintaining the posture of the bucket 19 after the posture change. Note that the conversion means 41 can be formed of one member instead of the two members of the conversion arm 25 and the conversion roller 26.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 4, the bucket 19 that has received the article 11 at the article receiving position I is switched to an appropriate position on the conveyor frame 14 until the bucket 19 reaches the article discharge position O at a level at which the conversion roller 26 can come into contact. A switching guide 31 as a member is pivotally supported via one longitudinal end portion located upstream in the article transport direction. A piston rod 32a of an air cylinder 32 is connected to the switching guide 31 as a switching means pivotally supported on the conveyor frame 14. By switching the cylinder 32 forward and backward, the switching guide 31 is rotated by a fulcrum. Is configured so as to be switched between a retracted position and an operating position. The rotation fulcrum of the switching guide 31 is set at a position away from the movement locus of the conversion roller 26 as the bucket 19 travels, and the retracted position (two-dot chain line in FIG. 4) is the bucket 19. Is set to a position where the conversion roller 26 does not come into contact in any of the normal posture and the conversion posture. On the other hand, the operating position of the switching guide 31 (solid line in FIG. 4) intersects the movement trajectory of the conversion roller 26 in a state where the bucket 19 is in the normal posture at a required angle. It is positioned so as to be in an inclined posture that comes into contact with the side surface. As the bucket 19 travels, the conversion roller 26 rolls while abutting against the side surface of the operation position switching guide 31, whereby the conversion arm 25 rotates to change the bucket 19 from the normal position to the conversion position. It is configured as follows. In other words, in the embodiment, the switching means 41 and the switching guide 31 constitute an attitude switching mechanism 33.
[0014]
The length of the switching guide 31 from the rotation fulcrum to the open end is such that the switching arm 25 is rotated until the switching roller 26 guided by the switching guide 31 positioned at the operating position exceeds the branch point L. It is set to a dimension that can move. In addition, a restricting member 34 is disposed on the conveyor frame 14 so as to be substantially parallel to the operation position switching guide 31 at a position where the movement locus of the conversion roller 26 is sandwiched by the switching guide 31. 26 is configured to once contact the side surface of the regulating member 34 at a position beyond the branch line L. Then, as the bucket 19 travels, the conversion roller 26 rolls while abutting against the regulating member 34, so that the bucket 19 smoothly changes without sudden change of posture when the bucket 19 rotates. The posture change of the placed article 11 during the posture change is prevented.
[0015]
Return as return means at a level at which the conversion roller 26 can come into contact with an appropriate position of the conveyor frame 14 until the bucket 19 from which the article 11 has been taken out at the article discharge position O reaches the article receiving position I again. A guide 35 is disposed on the conveyor frame 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the return guide 35 is disposed in an inclined posture that intersects the movement locus of the conversion roller 26 in a state where the bucket 19 is in the conversion posture at a predetermined angle, and the conversion roller 26 in the conversion posture returns. By rolling while abutting on the guide 35, the conversion arm 25 is configured to rotate to a position where the roller 26 exceeds the branch point L. Thereafter, the conversion arm 25 is urged to rotate to the position where the first stopper member 29 abuts on the pin 27 by the elasticity of the tension spring 28, thereby returning the bucket 19 to the original normal posture. ing.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, a box making machine 36 is arranged on the side of the bucket conveyor 13, and a case 37 made by the box making machine 36 is transferred to a boxing conveyor 38 arranged along the conveyor 13. After being done, it is conveyed to the boxing position corresponding to the article discharge position O of the bucket conveyor 13. At this boxing position, a boxing robot 39 is arranged on the opposite side of the bucket conveyor 13 across the boxing conveyor 38, and the article 11 that has arrived at the article discharge position O of the bucket conveyor 13 is transferred to the case 37 by the robot 39. Configured to box. In addition, a sealing machine 40 is connected to the downstream side of the boxing conveyor 38, and the case 37 in which the articles 11 are boxed is delivered to the boxing machine 40 and sealed. In addition, in the control part (not shown) provided in the box making machine 36, it is comprised so that a kind setting operation can be performed by an input means, and it is necessary to change the attitude | position of the articles | goods 11 delivered from the said transfer conveyor 12. FIG. When a certain product type is selected, the air cylinder 32 is biased and set so that the switching guide 31 is positioned at the operating position.
[0017]
[Effect of the embodiment]
Next, the operation of the posture change device for a conveyed article according to the above-described embodiment will be described in the case where the article is continuously transferred. When a product 11 of a product type that requires posture change is selected by a product setting operation by an input means in the control unit of the box making machine 36, the air cylinder 32 is biased and the switching guide 31 is It is rotated and positioned up to the operating position indicated by the solid line in FIG.
[0018]
The articles 11 packed by the vertical bag making and filling machine 10 are continuously transferred toward the bucket conveyor 13 at predetermined intervals by the transfer conveyor 12 in a normal posture with the end seal portions positioned before and after the transfer direction. The In addition, the endless chain 18 continuously travels by the drive mechanism, the bucket 19 travels in a loop on a horizontal plane, and the article 11 is moved by the sensor (not shown) until the article 11 is transferred from the transfer conveyor 12 to the bucket 19. Drive of the chain stretched on the article receiving position I side so that the bucket 19 in the normal posture that has arrived at the article receiving position I becomes the traveling position corresponding to the feeding timing of the article 11 by detecting the article 11 The rotation of the servo motor is controlled, and the article 11 from the transfer conveyor 12 is transferred with the normal posture, and is conveyed downstream while maintaining this posture.
[0019]
When the bucket 19 on which the article 11 is placed arrives at the arrangement position of the switching guide 31, the conversion roller 26 of the conversion means 41 rolls while contacting the switching guide 31 as the bucket 19 travels, As the conversion arm 25 rotates about the support shaft 22, the bucket 19 also rotates integrally. The conversion roller 26 rotated by the switching guide 31 abuts on the restriction member 34 when the branch line L is exceeded, and the conversion arm 25 and the bucket 19 suddenly rotate to change into the conversion posture at once. This prevents the change in posture such as a positional shift of the article 11 due to the change. As the bucket 19 further travels, the conversion roller 26 rolls along the regulating member 34, whereby the conversion arm 25 and the bucket 19 are further rotated, and the second stopper member 30 is connected to the pin 27. The bucket 19 is positioned by coming into contact with the shaft portion, and the posture of the bucket 19 is maintained. Therefore, the conversion arm 25 and the bucket 19 have a conversion posture that is changed from the normal posture by 90 degrees in a plane, and the posture of the article 11 is also changed by 90 degrees.
[0020]
After the conversion roller 26 crosses the branch line L, the conversion arm 25 is rotated and biased in the direction of the conversion posture by the elasticity of the tension spring 28, and when the conversion roller 26 is separated from the regulating member 34, The second stopper member 30 is urged to abut against the pin 27, whereby the bucket 19 is maintained in the conversion posture. Further, since the guide roller 23 disposed on the bracket 20 rolls on the floor plate 24 and the bucket 19 travels while maintaining a horizontal posture, it is placed on the bucket 19 while reaching the article discharge position O. The posture change of the article 11 is prevented.
[0021]
When the bucket 19 whose posture has been changed arrives at the article discharge position O, the travel of the bucket 19 is temporarily stopped, and the article 11 is taken out by the boxing robot 39 and packed into the case 37. Note that the two servo motors constituting the drive mechanism of the bucket conveyor 13 are independently controlled to rotate, and the moving table 15 is moved in the longitudinal direction with respect to the conveyor frame 14 so that the bucket 19 is moved at the article discharge position O. Can be continuously received in the bucket 19 of the articles 11 from the transfer conveyor 12 at the article receiving position I, and high-speed processing is possible.
[0022]
When the article 11 is discharged from the bucket 19 at the article discharge position O, the traveling of the bucket 19 is resumed. When the bucket 19 arrives at the position where the return guide 35 is disposed, as shown in FIG. With the travel, the conversion roller 26 of the conversion means 41 rolls in contact with the return guide 35 and the conversion arm 25 rotates about the support shaft 22 so that the bucket 19 also rotates integrally. . After the conversion roller 26 crosses the branch line L, the conversion arm 25 is urged to rotate in the normal posture by the elasticity of the tension spring 28, and the first stopper member 29 is in contact with the pin 27. The bucket 19 is returned to the posture and maintained.
[0023]
That is, since the posture is changed while the article 11 is being transported by the bucket conveyor 13, the space for installing the posture changing device in the pre-processing section or the post-processing section of the bucket conveyor 13 is not required, and the line can be downsized. obtain. Further, since the posture changing device has a simple configuration, the device cost can be kept low.
[0024]
When the predetermined number of articles 11 are boxed in the case 37 in the conversion posture by the boxing robot 39, the case 37 is transferred to the sealing machine 40, where it is sealed and carried out to the subsequent process.
[0025]
Next, when the order is changed, the size of the article 11 and the size of the case 37 are changed, and when the article 11 in the normal posture is boxed in the case 37, the product setting operation is performed on the control unit. When the air cylinder 32 is biased, the switching guide 31 is rotated to the retracted position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Accordingly, in this case, the article 11 transferred from the transfer conveyor 12 to the bucket 19 is conveyed to the article discharge position O in a normal posture, taken out by the boxing robot 39 and boxed.
[0026]
[Example of change]
In the bucket conveyor according to the embodiment, the configuration in which the bucket circulates in a loop shape in the horizontal plane has been described, but a configuration in which the bucket circulates in a loop shape in the vertical plane may be employed. Also, the bucket conveyor is a buffer conveyor that moves the bucket at the article receiving position to receive the article and stops the bucket at the article discharge position to discharge the article. It may be a bucket conveyor set to carry. The drive system in the buffer conveyor is not limited to the configuration in which the article receiving side and the discharge side chain are driven by two servo motors as in the embodiment. For example, a motor and a chain that move a moving table are connected. Various other driving methods such as rotational control of the traveling motor can be appropriately employed. Further, the bucket may be in a stopped state or a traveling state at the article receiving position or the article discharging position. Further, in the embodiment, the case where the attitude changing device is used for the bucket conveyor that conveys the article to the boxing position of the robot that performs the boxing processing has been described, but the changing device can be applied to various other conveyors.
[0027]
In the embodiment, the air cylinder (switching means) is operated according to the type of the article so that the posture is changed during the conveyance of the article in the bucket. By actuating, the article may be alternated between a normal posture and a conversion posture. Furthermore, the angle at which the bucket is changed is not limited to 90 degrees in the horizontal direction, but may be changed at an appropriate angle required for post-processing. The switching means is not limited to the air cylinder, and various other means such as a combination of a motor and a link mechanism can be employed. In addition, the switching member operated by the switching means is not limited to the rotary type as in the embodiment, and various other methods such as a configuration that linearly moves back and forth between the operating position and the retracted position are adopted. obtain.
[0028]
Further, in the embodiment, the return guide fixedly arranged as the return means is given as an example, but the return guide is rotatably arranged like the posture changing mechanism and can be switched by the operating means such as an air cylinder. Can do .
[0029]
In addition, the control unit is attached to the box making machine in the embodiment. However, the control unit is attached to various processing machines such as the control unit of the bucket conveyor and the vertical bag making and filling machine, or the entire line can be controlled. It may be a control unit. Furthermore, other specific configurations of the posture changing device according to the present invention are not limited to the embodiments, and other configurations having the same functions can be appropriately employed.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the posture changing device for a transported article according to claim 1 of the present invention, the bucket on which the article is placed is changed in the course of transport by the posture changing mechanism. The position of the apparatus can be reliably changed, and an increase in the installation space of the apparatus is suppressed. Conversion means or attitude conversion mechanism, because the switchably configured by the switching member is switched in the switching means can be actuated switching the switching means relative orientation of the article as required by packing such post-processing side Therefore, even when the same variety is processed, it is possible to freely control the posture change, for example, every other posture or every other posture. Furthermore, since the conversion means that contacts and rotates with the switching member as the bucket travels is configured to abut and guide with the regulating member, it is possible to smoothly change the bucket while suppressing a sudden change in posture of the bucket. It is possible to prevent a change in the posture of the placed article when changing the posture of the bucket. In addition, since the posture changing mechanism is configured by the switching means and the switching member, the configuration is extremely simple, and the cost can be reduced.
[0031]
According to the posture change device according to claim 2, because provided return means undo the posture of the bucket which has been transformed with attitude conversion mechanism, it is reversed automatically the attitude of the bucket the article is discharged In the article receiving position, the article can always be received in the same posture. According to the posture changing apparatus according to the third aspect , the rotation position of the bucket whose posture has been changed can be held by the posture maintaining means, and the posture change of the placed article can be prevented. Further, according to the posture changing device according to the fourth aspect , the changing means is urged by the elastic member and reliably abutted and guided along the regulating member. According to the posture change device according to the fifth aspect , the operator can perform automatic switching by controlling the switching means only by performing the kind setting operation by the input means, for example, of the control unit at the time of switching the article type. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a posture changing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a packaging-boxing line incorporating the posture changing device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of a conversion arm constituting a posture conversion mechanism disposed on the bottom surface side of the bucket according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a relationship between a switching guide and an air cylinder constituting the posture changing mechanism according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a return guide according to the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Items 18 Endless chain
19 buckets
28 Tension spring ( elastic member )
31 Switching guide (switching member)
32 Air cylinder (switching means)
33 Posture change mechanism
34 Restriction member 35 Return guide (return means)
41 Conversion means 42 Posture maintenance means I Article receiving position O Article discharging position

Claims (5)

For the rope (18) that travels in a loop, a bucket (19) that is disposed at predetermined intervals in the traveling direction and that can rotate in the horizontal direction, and a bucket (19) on which the article (11) is placed Of the transported article provided with a posture changing mechanism (33) that rotates in the horizontal direction and changes the posture of the article (11) during traveling from the article receiving position (I) to the article discharge position (O) . In the posture change device ,
The posture change mechanism (33), said bucket (19) and integrally rotatable conversion means (41), a bucket (19) is converted means (41) is contactable operating position when traveling And a switching member (31) that is switched by a switching means (32) at a retracted position that does not contact ,
When the bucket the conversion means with the running of (19) (41) is rotated in contact with the switching member (31), suddenly the bucket (19) said conversion means (41) and abutment guides A posture change device for a transported article, characterized in that a restricting member (34) for restricting rotation is provided .   Return means (35) for returning the posture of the bucket (19) from which the article (11) has been discharged at the article discharge position (O) between the article discharge position (O) and the article receiving position (I). A posture change device for a transported article according to claim 1.   The posture change device for a transported article according to claim 1, further comprising posture maintaining means (42) for maintaining the posture of the bucket (19) after the posture change. An elastic member (28) for urging the switching means (41) to the regulating member (34) so as to be guided and guided along the regulating member (34) when the converting means (41) is rotated. Item 4. The posture change device for a transported article according to any one of Items 1 to 3 . The posture changing device for a transported article according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the switching means (32) is set to operate in accordance with a product type setting operation on the control unit.

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