JP4013193B2 - Article alignment equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article orientation aligning apparatus that aligns articles conveyed continuously in a certain direction.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When packaging items made up of beverage containers or other packaging containers that are transported in an irregular direction in multiple units, the printed pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the items is fixed in a certain direction during various other processes. There is an article orientation aligning device for aligning so as to align with each other. This aligning device detects a reference mark or a feature point of an article shape attached to an article by a detection means such as a photoelectric sensor or an imaging means, and in a state where a roller, a belt, or the like is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the article, Based on the reference mark and the deviation of the feature point from the alignment position obtained by the detection means, the rotation amount of the roller, belt, etc. is controlled to rotate the article a predetermined amount to align the direction (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-42664 (page 3)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-240617 (page 4)
[0004]
In addition, the article that rotates while the bottom surface is supported by a conveyor having a short roller and a long roller having a speed difference is in a posture in which the side groove provided on the peripheral surface engages with the guide rail. There is one that aligns the direction of an article by transferring it downstream while being held by a rotating belt device (for example, Patent Document 3). Further, the article is rotated by bringing the outer peripheral surface of the article conveyed with the bottom surface supported by the first conveyor into contact with the second conveyor, and the flat surface formed on the article contacts the second conveyor. There is also a device that aligns the direction of the article by transferring the posture to the downstream side while being held by the air blowing means (for example, Patent Document 4).
[0005]
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-11-152110 (pages 6-7, FIG. 5)
[Patent Document 4]
JP 2000-318833 (2nd page, FIG. 1)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Each of the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 requires detection means for detecting the orientation of the article, and a deviation from the current orientation of the article obtained by the detection result with respect to the orientation of the article specified in advance. It is necessary to control the amount of rotation of the article according to the amount, which not only complicates the apparatus but also increases the apparatus cost.
[0007]
In each of the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4, detection means and means for controlling the amount of rotation are not necessary, but the side grooves and flat surfaces formed on the outer peripheral surface of the article have corresponding guide rails and second conveyors. Position regulating means such as a rotating belt device and air ejecting means for holding the article in a posture that abuts against the air is required, and there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost increases.
[0008]
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described problems related to the conventional technology, the present invention has been proposed to suitably solve this problem, and provides an article alignment device that can achieve cost reduction with a simple configuration. Objective.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve an intended object, an article orientation device according to the present invention includes:
A device for aligning the orientation of a cylindrical article provided with a protrusion on a part of its outer peripheral surface,
A multi-row conveyor that conveys a plurality of the articles in a multi-row while standing, and accumulates different types of articles for each row ;
When the articles in the first row of the stacked articles accumulated in each column of the multi-row conveyor are gathered, the cut-out timing of each column is set for each row from the first row under the restriction of the delivery of subsequent articles in each column. Cutting means for sequentially cutting out articles by differently ,
A conveyor that is connected to the downstream side of the multi-row conveyor and conveys the articles cut out from the multi-row conveyor in an upright position;
In the conveying conveyor, the conveying terminal is disposed in an inclined posture displaced downstream so as to block the course of the article, and the peripheral surface of each article conveyed by the conveying conveyor is transferred in contact with the belt surface, An alignment conveyor for delivering articles in a row from the end of the conveyance;
On the downstream side in the article conveying direction of the conveying conveyor from the arrangement position of the aligning conveyor, the peripheral surface of the article contacts the belt surface, and the conveying terminal end is arranged in an inclined posture displaced downstream so as to block the course. Until the article is conveyed toward the conveyance terminal while rotating the peripheral surface of each article that is conveyed in one row at a predetermined interval by the conveyance conveyor and contacts the belt surface, and until the article is transferred to the conveyance terminal A turning conveyor set at a speed capable of rotating the article at least 360 degrees;
In the turning conveyor, the article rotated in a state where the position is not regulated on the opposite surface side of the turning conveyor sandwiching the article contacting the belt surface is arranged downstream with the protrusion supported by the belt surface. Transferred to
The cut- out timing of the cut- out means is set so that the cut-out line-by-line articles are conveyed in a state shifted in the front-rear direction in the article transfer direction of the transfer conveyor corresponding to the inclined posture of the alignment conveyor. carried in a row to the turning conveyor in the order of the articles cut out by means through said alignment conveyor, characterized in that there was Unishi by Ru carried in a row through the turning conveyor.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, a preferred embodiment of the article orientation aligning apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1, an article orientation aligning apparatus 10 according to an embodiment includes a plurality of cylindrical articles 12 in which a straw or the like is attached to a part of the outer peripheral surface of a beverage container and provided with protruding portions 12 a. Is provided with a multi-row conveyor 14 which is transported and accumulated. The multi-row conveyor 14 has a plurality of guide members 16 disposed in parallel along the article conveyance direction, spaced apart in the left-right direction that intersects the article conveyance direction horizontally above the article conveyance surface, and adjacent guides. The lanes defined between the members 16 and 16 are configured to be conveyed toward the downstream side in a state where the articles 12 are arranged in a single row in an upright position. In the embodiment, the multi-row conveyor 14 has five rows of lanes. For convenience, the first lane is sequentially viewed from the right side to the left side when viewed from the downstream side in the article conveying direction of the multi-row conveyor 14. The second lane, the third lane, the fourth lane, and the fifth lane are also referred to, and the articles 12 conveyed through the lanes are also correspondingly referred to as first to fifth articles. Then, a predetermined amount of articles 12 accumulated in each lane at the end of conveyance in the multi-row conveyor 14 are cut out for each leading row by a cutting device 18 described later.
[0012]
A cutting device (cutting means) 18 that cuts out the article 12 toward the transfer conveyor 30 described later is disposed in the vicinity of the transfer end portion of the multi-row conveyor 14. This cutting device 18 is composed of a plurality of cutting sets 20 arranged corresponding to the respective lanes, and each cutting set 20 is arranged below the article transfer surface as shown in FIG. The first air cylinder 22 and the second air cylinder 24 that are spaced apart in the direction, and the first stopper 26 and the second stopper 28 that are disposed corresponding to the rods 22a and 24a that are directed above the air cylinders 22 and 24, respectively. The stoppers 26, 28 are configured to suspend below the article conveying surface by forward / reverse urging of the air cylinders 22, 24 to allow the article 12 to be conveyed, and to protrude upward from the article conveying surface. 12 is configured to move up and down between the restriction positions for restricting the conveyance of 12. The separation distance between the first stopper 26 located on the downstream side and the second stopper 28 located on the upstream side is set so as to substantially correspond to one article.
[0013]
In the embodiment, when the detection means (not shown) detects that the articles 12 in the first row of each lane (column) are aligned, the first stopper 26 is first moved from the restriction position to the standby position, and the first article is moved. 12 is cut downstream, and after the first stopper 26 is returned from the standby position to the restriction position at the timing after the article has passed, the second stopper 28 is moved from the restriction position to the standby position, and the subsequent article 12 is moved to the first position. The air cylinders 22 and 24 are biased and controlled so that the second stopper 28 is returned from the standby position to the restricted position at the timing after passing through the article, and further conveyed to the position regulated by the first stopper 26.
[0014]
The cutout device 18 is set so that when the articles 12 transported in the lanes are of the same type, the cutout groups 20 arranged in all the lanes are simultaneously operated to simultaneously cut out the articles 12 for each row. Is done. On the other hand, when the varieties of the articles 12 conveyed in each lane are different, the cutout group 20 for each lane operates so that the cutout timing is different for each lane (for each column), and the first row Each article 12 is set to be conveyed in a state shifted in the front-rear direction of the article conveyance direction.
[0015]
A transport conveyor 30 that rotates at a higher speed than the multi-row conveyor 14 is disposed at the transfer end of the multi-row conveyor 14, and a plurality of articles 12 cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14 for each row are It is configured to be transferred to the conveyor 30 and conveyed to the downstream side in a standing posture.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, above the conveyor 30, the path of the article 12 conveyed by the conveyor 30 is blocked, and the terminal end of the article is displaced downstream so that the conveying terminal 30 is displaced downstream. The alignment conveyor 32 is arranged in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle in the horizontal direction. The alignment conveyor 32 is arranged such that the belt surface of an endless belt 36 wound rotatably between a pair of pulleys 34 and 34 is orthogonal to the article conveyance surface of the conveyance conveyor 30, and is conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 30. The outer peripheral surface of the article 12 to be manufactured is configured to contact the belt surface of the endless belt 36. In the alignment conveyor 32 of the embodiment, the belt surface directed to the multi-row conveyor 14 is inclined to the downstream side in the article conveying direction of the transport conveyor 30 from the fifth lane toward the first lane, and from the fifth lane side. The vehicle is set to travel toward the first lane side, and is configured to transfer the article 12 in contact with the belt surface from the fifth lane side toward the first lane side while rotating. That is, each article 12 cut out for each row from the multi-row conveyor 14 abuts against the belt surface of the alignment conveyor 32 and is transferred toward the conveyance end portion, so that the conveyance end portion of the conveyor 32 The articles 12 are sent out in one row toward one side (first lane side) in the width direction of the conveyor 30. In addition, the conveyance termination | terminus part of the alignment conveyor 32 of an Example is set to the position which does not contact the 1st goods 12 sent out from the 1st lane in the said multi-row conveyor 14, and this 1st goods 12 is linearly downstream. To be conveyed. As a result, the time for conveying and processing the article 12 to the downstream side is shortened, and higher speed conveyance is achieved. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 38 denotes a motor that is connected to one pulley 34 of the alignment conveyor 32 and drives the endless belt 36 to rotate.
[0017]
Conveying articles so that the path of the articles 12 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 30 is blocked downstream of the arrangement position of the alignment conveyor 32 in the conveying direction of the articles on the conveying conveyor 30 and the conveying terminal end is displaced downstream. A turning conveyor 40 is disposed above the transport conveyor 30 in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle in a horizontal direction with respect to the direction. The turning conveyor 40 is disposed such that the belt surface of an endless belt 44 that is rotatably wound between a pair of pulleys 42 and 42 is orthogonal to the article conveying surface of the conveying conveyor 30. The outer peripheral surface of the article 12 to be conveyed is configured to contact the belt surface of the endless belt 44. As shown in FIG. 1, the turning conveyor 40 is set to have an inclination direction opposite to that of the alignment conveyor 32. That is, in the turning conveyor 40, the belt surface directed to the multi-row conveyor 14 inclines toward the downstream side in the article conveying direction of the conveying conveyor 30 as it goes from the first lane to the fifth lane, and from the first lane side. It is set to run toward the 5th lane side, and while rotating the article 12 in contact with the belt surface, from the 1st lane side to the 5th lane side (on the other side in the width direction of the conveyor 30) Configured to transport towards.
[0018]
Then, in the turning conveyor 40, after the protrusion 12a is hooked on the belt surface and supported by the rotating article 12, the article 12 rotating in contact with the belt surface is transferred toward the conveyance end portion while maintaining its posture. It is like that. Note that no means for restricting the position of the article 12 is disposed on the opposite surface side of the turning conveyor 40 that sandwiches the article 12 that contacts the belt surface of the turning conveyor 40, and the article 12 is restricted in position. It is configured to rotate in a free state, and the protrusion 12a is caught during rotation so that the rotation is not hindered. Further, the turning conveyor 40 has a length from the position where each article 12 fed from the conveying end of the alignment conveyor 32 and conveyed by the conveying conveyor 30 in one row at a predetermined interval contacts the belt surface to the conveying end. , And the speed ratio with the conveyor 30, the article 12 is set to a size and speed at which the article 12 can be rotated at least 360 degrees while the article 12 contacts the belt surface and is transferred to the conveyance terminal end. ing. In other words, all the articles 12 conveyed in a state in which the positions of the protrusions 12a are irregular (the direction of the articles 12 is different) are reliably rotated until the protrusions 12a come into contact with the belt surface. Configured to be able to. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 46 indicates a motor that is connected to one pulley 42 of the turning conveyor 40 and rotationally drives the endless belt 44.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, an unloading conveyor 48, which is a belt conveyor that delivers articles 12 from the transfer conveyor 30, has an article transfer direction in the transfer end of the transfer conveyor 30. They are arranged so as to intersect at right angles. In the article conveyance path of the carry-out conveyor 48, the conveyance terminal portion of the turning conveyor 40 crosses at a predetermined angle from the upstream side to the downstream side in the article conveyance direction of the carry-out conveyor 48, and the conveyance conveyor 48 The article 12 sent out from the end portion is transferred to the carry-out conveyor 48 and is conveyed toward a post-processing device such as a packaging machine (not shown). Further, an article guide 50 for guiding the article 12 conveyed by the carry-out conveyor 48 is disposed above the article conveyance path in the carry-out conveyor 48 on one side in the width direction away from the carry conveyor 30. It arrange | positions so that it may extend toward the downstream of the carry-out conveyor 48 from the position close | similar to a conveyance termination | terminus part. The article 12 is transported in a slidable contact state with the article guide 50 in a posture in which the projection 12a faces the upstream side. Note that an auxiliary article guide 52 is disposed in parallel to the article guide 50 on the opposite surface side of the article guide 50 that sandwiches the article 12 that is in sliding contact with the article guide 50 (the other side close to the conveyor 30). The guide 52 is configured to guide the other side of the article 12. Articles in the auxiliary article guide 52 that are upstream of the carry-out conveyor 48 in the article conveyance direction are set to be located downstream by a predetermined number of articles 12 from the corresponding upstream end of the article guide 50, and are conveyed by the turning conveyor 40. It is comprised so that 12 may not be sent into the articles | goods conveyance path of the carry-out conveyor 48. FIG.
[0020]
Here, when the article 12 is heavy, such as a beverage container, or has a shape with irregularities on the bottom surface and the friction with the belt surface of the carry-out conveyor 48 is increased, the belt of the carry-out conveyor 48 is used. By adopting a belt coated with, for example, silicon, whose material conveyance surface has a low coefficient of friction with respect to the article 12, even if the article 12 is as described above, the article 12 separated from the turning conveyor 40 is It is possible to prevent an abrupt change in posture when being carried over by the carry-out conveyor 48 arranged in a crossing manner, and in addition, the article guide 50 can be well conveyed along the protrusion 12a. It becomes possible to do.
[0021]
[Effect of the embodiment]
Next, the operation of the article orientation apparatus according to the embodiment configured as described above will be described first in the case where articles 12 of the same product type are aligned and accumulated in each lane of the multi-row conveyor 14.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, an article 12 conveyed in five rows by the multi-row conveyor 14 is provided with a first stopper 26 that faces a restriction position of a cutout group 20 arranged for each lane of the cutout device 18. The second stopper 28 regulates and accumulates. Then, when it is detected by the detection means (not shown) that the number of articles 12 has reached a predetermined amount, when all the articles 12 in the first row in each lane (column) are detected by the detection means, The articles 12 are cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14. That is, first, when the first air cylinder 22 is energized and the first stopper 26 moves from the restriction position to the standby position, the articles 12 in the first row are cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14 to the transport conveyor 30. At this time, since the second stopper 28 is held at the restriction position, the subsequent article 12 is not sent out to the conveyor 30. Then, after the first stopper 26 is returned from the standby position to the restriction position, the second air cylinder 24 is urged to move the second stopper 28 from the restriction position to the standby position, so that the articles 12 in the next row are moved. It is conveyed to a position where it abuts on the first stopper 26. Thereafter, the second stopper 28 is returned from the standby position to the restriction position, whereby the conveyance of the subsequent article 12 is restricted.
[0023]
The five articles 12 delivered to the transport conveyor 30 in an aligned state are transported by the conveyor 30, and the outer peripheral surface comes into contact with the belt surface of the align conveyor 32. The first article 12 sent out from the first lane of the multi-row conveyor 14 passes through without contacting the alignment conveyor 32. Further, the other four articles 12 are transferred in a row toward the conveyance end portion as the alignment conveyor 32 rotates, with each of the four articles 12 being in contact with the belt surface of the alignment conveyor 32. And from the conveyance termination part of the alignment conveyor 32, the 2nd-5th goods 12 cut out from the 2nd-5th lane following the 1st goods 12 cut out from the said 1st lane are in the conveyance conveyor 30. In one side in the width direction, the product is conveyed toward the turning conveyor 40 in a state of being arranged in one row at predetermined intervals in the article conveyance direction.
[0024]
The articles 12 that are continuously conveyed by the conveyor 30 sequentially contact the belt surface of the turning conveyor 40, and the articles 12 are rotated by the rotation of the turning conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. Is transported toward the conveyance end portion while being held on the belt surface. Each article 12 is held so as to come into contact with the belt surface of the turning conveyor 40 by the conveying force of the conveying conveyor 30. Since this turning conveyor 40 is set to a length and a speed at which the article 12 can be rotated at least 360 degrees while the article 12 is transferred to the conveyance end portion, the direction (the position of the protruding portion 12a) is irregular. All the articles 12 conveyed in a stable state can be reliably rotated to a position where the projecting portion 12a contacts the belt surface. That is, all the articles 12 are aligned in the direction in which the protrusions 12 a abut against the belt surface while being transferred along the turning conveyor 40. At this time, the article 12 is in a posture in which the protruding portion 12a faces the downstream side.
[0025]
When the article 12 is transferred from the transfer conveyor 30 to the carry-out conveyor 48, the article 12 released from the transfer terminal end of the turn conveyor 40 has a rotational inertia associated with the rotational force of the turn conveyor 40 and the carry-out conveyor 48. A slight rotational force is exerted by the conveying force, so that the protruding portion 12a facing one side of the article 12 on the downstream side comes into contact with the article guide 50. Each article 12 is conveyed downstream by the carry-out conveyor 48 while the other side of the article 12 is guided by the auxiliary article guide 52 in a state where the protruding portion 12 a is in sliding contact with the article guide 50. That is, the carry-out conveyor 48 conveys the articles 12 in a state in which the directions of the articles 12 are aligned in a certain direction, and film-wraps each predetermined number by a packaging machine connected to the downstream side.
[0026]
As described above, the article 12 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 30 is held by the conveying force of the conveying conveyor 30 so as to come into contact with the belt surface of the turning conveyor 40, and the article is generated by the rotational force of the turning conveyor 40. Since the configuration is such that the orientation is aligned by rotating the 12, there is no need for a detecting means for detecting the orientation of the article 12 or a means for controlling the amount of rotation of the article 12, and the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be kept low. Furthermore, there is no need to dispose the position restricting means for the article 12 on the side facing the turning conveyor 40 with the article 12 in between, and the configuration can be further simplified to reduce the manufacturing cost.
[0027]
Next, regarding the case where articles 12 of different varieties are aligned and stacked on each lane of the multi-row conveyor 14, the difference from the case where the same types of articles 12 are aligned and stacked will be described.
[0028]
As described above, the cutout group 20 disposed in the first lane in a state where the conveyance of the articles 12 in the first row is regulated by the cutout device 18 of the multi-row conveyor 14 as described above. Operates and cuts the first article 12 from the first lane onto the conveyor 30. Next, the cutting groups 20 arranged in the second lane, the third lane, the fourth lane, and the fifth lane arranged in the order from the transfer downstream side to the upstream side of the alignment conveyor 32 are set at different timings in that order. The corresponding second to fifth articles 12 are sequentially cut out to the conveyor 30. That is, the five articles 12 cut out from the multi-row conveyor 14 are transported by the transport conveyor 30 in a state of being separated from each other in the direction of transporting the articles, and contact the belt surface of the alignment conveyor 32 to the end of the article. When being transferred, the cutout order by the cutout device 18 is maintained. Therefore, the order of the five articles 12 sent out from the conveying terminal end of the alignment conveyor 32 toward the turning conveyor 40 is the same as the order of cutting out from the multi-row conveyor 14, and after the direction is aligned by the turning conveyor 40. The order of articles conveyed to the packaging machine by the carry-out conveyor 48 is also the same.
[0029]
[Example of change]
The present application is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and other configurations can be appropriately employed.
1 . The number of rows of articles conveyed by the multi- row conveyor 14 is not limited to five, and may be any number of rows.
2. In the embodiment, the article 12 sent from the conveyance end of the turning conveyor 40 is transferred to the carry-out conveyor 48 and conveyed in the direction intersecting with the carry conveyor 30, but the carry conveyor 30 is not provided. May be further extended to the downstream side, and the article 12 fed from the conveyance terminal portion of the turning conveyor 40 may be continuously conveyed to the downstream side by the conveyance conveyor 30. Further, the carry-out conveyor 48 may be linearly connected to the conveyance end portion of the conveyance conveyor 30 so that the conveyance direction is aligned.
3. In the embodiment, the inclination directions of the alignment conveyor 32 and the turning conveyor 40 are set in the opposite directions, but may be inclined in the same direction.
4). Regarding the operation order of each cutout group 20 in the cutout device 18, it is possible to set in any order.
5). Regarding the shape of the article, the cylindrical shape is not limited to a perfect circle shape, but can be applied to a substantially cylindrical shape such as an ellipse or a polygon close to an arc.
6). In the embodiment, the alignment conveyor and the turning conveyor are arranged on one conveying conveyor, but the two conveying conveyors are arranged in series, and the arranging conveyor and the turning conveyor are arranged on each conveying conveyor. May be.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the article orientation aligning apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the turning conveyor is provided above the transport conveyor for transporting the articles in an upright posture so as to block the course of the articles transported by the transport conveyor. Since the article placed in an inclined posture and transferred while rotating the article in contact with the belt surface of the conveyor, the direction of the article can be aligned with a simple configuration. That is, no detection means for detecting the direction of the article, no means for controlling the amount of rotation of the article, and no means for restricting the position of the article so as to contact the turning conveyor are required. Can be kept low. In addition, the articles conveyed in multiple rows can be sent to the orientation aligning device in a single row state, and the orientation can be aligned. Furthermore, when the types of articles accumulated in the multi-row conveyor are different for each row, the direction can be aligned by the turning conveyor while the cut-out order of the cut-out means is maintained, and it can be sent out in one row.
[0031]
請 an article facing orientation device of Motomeko 2, an article orientation aligned in the direction orientation device may carry in a direction intersecting the transport conveyor by the carry-out conveyor.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an article orientation aligning apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the article orientation aligning apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a main part of the cutting device according to the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
12 articles, 12a protrusions, 14 multi-row conveyor 18 cutting device (cutting means), 30 transport conveyor 32 alignment conveyor, 40 turning conveyor, 48 carry-out conveyor 50 article guide

Claims (2)

A device for aligning the orientation of a cylindrical article (12) provided with a protrusion (12a) on a part of its outer peripheral surface,
A plurality of the articles (12) are conveyed in a plurality of rows in a standing posture, and a multi-row conveyor (14) for collecting articles (12) of different varieties for each row ,
When the first row of articles (12) accumulated in each column of the multi-row conveyor (14) is gathered, the delivery of subsequent articles in each column is regulated, and the row from the top row Cutting means (18) for sequentially cutting out the articles (12) by changing the cutting timing of each row ,
A transport conveyor (30) connected downstream of the multi-row conveyor (14) and transporting articles (12) cut out from the multi-row conveyor (14) in an upright position;
In the conveying conveyor (30), the conveying terminal is disposed in an inclined posture displaced downstream so as to block the path of the article (12), and each article (12) conveyed by the conveying conveyor (30) is arranged. An alignment conveyor (32) that transports the peripheral surface in contact with the belt surface, and feeds articles (12) in one row from the end of the conveyance;
On the downstream side of the conveying direction of the article in the conveying conveyor (30) from the position where the alignment conveyor (32) is arranged, the conveying terminal end is located on the downstream side so that the peripheral surface of the article (12) contacts the belt surface and blocks its path. It is arranged in an inclined posture displaced in the direction of the conveyor, and is conveyed in one row at a predetermined interval by the conveying conveyor (30) and is directed toward the conveying terminal while rotating the peripheral surface of each article (12) contacting the belt surface. And a turning conveyor (40) set to a speed at which the article (12) can be rotated at least 360 degrees during the period until the article (12) is transferred to the conveying end.
In the turning conveyor (40), the article (12) rotated in an unregulated state on the opposite surface side of the turning conveyor (40) sandwiching the article (12) in contact with the belt surface, the belt surface Transferred to the downstream side in a posture in which the protruding portion (12a) is supported,
The cut- out timing of the cut- out means (18) is such that the cut-out line-by-line articles (12) correspond to the inclined posture of the alignment conveyor (32) , and are in the front-rear direction of the conveyance direction of the conveyance conveyor (30). is set to be conveyed in a state of offset, it is conveyed by the turning conveyor (40) into one column forward in through said alignment conveyor (32) of articles cut out by cut-out means (18) (12), the turning conveyor (40) an article orientation aligning apparatus characterized by was Unishi by Ru carried in a row through.   A carry-out conveyor (48) intersects with the conveyance end of the conveyance conveyor (30), and the conveyance termination of the turning conveyor (40) intersects with an article conveyance path in the carry-out conveyor (48). An article guide (50) extending toward the downstream side of the carry-out conveyor (48) from a position close to the conveyance end of the turning conveyor (40) is provided on one side in the width direction, The article (12) delivered to (48) is adapted for an article according to claim 1, wherein the protruding part (12a) faces the upstream side and is conveyed in sliding contact with the article guide (50). Alignment device.

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