JP4209667B2 - Inspection system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inspection system for a plurality of articles that are continuously conveyed, and more particularly to an inspection system that conveys the articles while controlling the interval between the articles and continuously inspects the articles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, in a production line for articles such as processed foods, various inspections such as metal detection and weight check are performed on the articles. Since such an inspection needs to be performed individually for each article, it is necessary to provide a predetermined interval between the articles during the inspection. On the other hand, articles are produced with a relatively small interval between articles and flow through the line. Therefore, it is necessary to widen the interval between articles by the transport device. Conventionally, in an apparatus that conveys while controlling the interval between articles, the article is held by a side conveyor and decelerated, and then the article is accelerated by another conveyor to widen the interval with the following article ( For example, see Patent Document 1.)
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application No. 7-61569 (page 3-5, FIG. 5)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a device, there is a problem that an article conveyed at high speed collides with the tip portion of the side conveyor and the article is damaged, or an overload occurs when a plurality of articles are sandwiched and the drive motor is destroyed. is there.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an inspection system capable of preventing an article or a drive source from being damaged and transporting the article to an inspection apparatus at a predetermined interval necessary for performing an inspection.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, the inspection system of the present invention receives articles supplied from upstream one after another and conveys the articles downstream in a state of being separated from each other, thereby controlling the interval between the articles. In an inspection system comprising an intake unit that performs inspection and an inspection device that inspects an article conveyed by the intake unit, the intake unit is provided in order from the first, second, and third conveyors And a conveying device of the second conveyor, the conveying speed of the second conveyor is set to a value smaller than the conveying speed of the first conveyor upstream and the third conveyor downstream, the receiving portion of the second conveyor, The guide portion of the third conveyor is provided adjacent to the width direction of the transfer portion of the first conveyor, the receiving portion of the third conveyor is provided adjacent to the width direction of the transfer portion of the second conveyor, and the guide The device is provided obliquely with respect to the driving direction of the transfer section of the first conveyor and contacts the side surface of the article on the transfer section of the first conveyor, so that the transfer direction of the article is changed. A first direction changing section for guiding the movement of articles from the first conveyor passing section to the second conveyor receiving section, and a driving direction of the second conveyor passing section By changing the conveyance direction of the article obliquely with respect to the transfer section of the second conveyor by contacting the side surface of the article on the transfer section of the second conveyor, A second direction changing section for guiding the movement of articles from the conveyor section to the receiving section of the third conveyor, wherein the second direction changing section is approximately the same as the conveying speed of the third conveyor around a substantially vertical line. Rotation driven at peripheral speed The rotating member has a rotating member, and the circumferential surface of the rotating member contacts the side surface along the conveying direction of the article transferred from the transfer section of the second conveyor to the receiving section of the third conveyor. Accelerating means for increasing the speed is further provided.
[0007]
When the article is conveyed to the downstream transfer section by the first conveyor of the take-in section, the article contacts or contacts the first direction changing section provided obliquely and is conveyed obliquely to the receiving section of the second conveyor. Thereafter, the article is transported at a small transport speed of the second conveyor and decelerated. As a result, the preceding and succeeding articles are conveyed on the second conveyor in a state where the distance between them is reduced. Thereafter, the article is transferred onto the third conveyor having a high conveyance speed, and thereby the article is carried into the inspection apparatus in a state where the article is at a predetermined large interval.
[0008]
As described above, the articles can be smoothly transferred by the direction changing section, and the articles can be gathered in a close state on the second conveyor downstream of the first direction changing section. Therefore, the article can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, unlike the transport belt, it does not have a drive source, so that no load is applied to the drive source.
[0009]
In the present invention, receiving portion of the third conveyor is provided in a state adjacent to the width direction of the transfer portion of the second conveyor, wherein the guide device that are provided by the second direction changing unit. The second direction changing unit, by contact with the driving direction of the transfer portion of the second conveyor is provided obliquely on the side surface of the articles on the pass portion of said second conveyor, wherein the conveying direction of the article By changing obliquely with respect to the transfer section, the movement of articles from the transfer section of the second conveyor to the receiving section of the third conveyor is guided.
[0010]
As described above, by providing the second direction changing unit, the conveyance direction of the article can be returned to the conveyance direction of the first conveyor.
[0011]
In the present invention, acceleration means for increasing the conveying speed of the article is provided in the receiving portion of the third conveyor . The acceleration means has a circumferential surface that contacts a side surface of the article while rotating around a substantially vertical line.
When a part of the circumferential surface of the accelerating means comes into contact with the article, only the article is rapidly accelerated by the frictional force with the article. Thereby, the space | interval of the said article | item and a subsequent article spreads to a predetermined space | interval.
[0012]
In addition, the structure of a guide apparatus becomes simple by comprising a guide apparatus with the bar which guides the both sides | surfaces of an article | item.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection system includes a take-in part A, a metal detector B and a weight checker C as inspection devices. The take-in part A receives the articles M of FIG. 2 supplied from the upstream production line one after another, and conveys the articles M downstream in a state of being separated from each other, thereby controlling the interval between the articles. To do. On the other hand, the metal detector B and the weight checker C are for checking the presence / absence of metal and the weight of the article M conveyed by the take-in part A. In addition, the weight checker C compares the weight measured with a well-known weighing conveyor with a threshold value, and performs the pass / fail judgment regarding the weight.
[0014]
The intake section A includes a first conveyor 1, a second conveyor 2, and a third conveyor 3, an acceleration device (acceleration means) 4, and a guide device 5 that are provided in order from the upstream. The guide device 5 includes, for example, a pair of upper and lower rail-shaped guide bars 50 provided in the width direction of each conveyor. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide bar 50 is formed by winding a member 59 having a small friction coefficient such as a resin around the surface of the metal bar 58. In the case of this embodiment, each guide bar 50 in FIG. 1 is divided into two in the longitudinal direction.
[0015]
As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the second conveyor 2 is provided adjacent to the first conveyor 1 and the third conveyor 3 in the width direction. That is, the receiving part 21 upstream of the second conveyor 2 is provided so as to overlap the transfer part 12 of the first conveyor 1 in the state adjacent to the width direction. On the other hand, the transfer section 22 of the second conveyor 2 is provided so as to overlap in a state adjacent to the width direction of the receiving section 31 of the third conveyor 3. In addition, each conveyor 1-3 is comprised by the plastic top chain conveyor which connected many resin plates, for example.
[0016]
The guide device 5 includes a first direction changing unit 51 and a second direction changing unit 52.
The first direction change unit 51 is provided obliquely with respect to the driving direction Y of the transfer unit 12 of the first conveyor 1 and contacts the side surface of the article M on the transfer unit 12 of the first conveyor 1. By changing the conveying direction of the article M obliquely with respect to the transfer section 12, the movement of the article M from the transfer section 12 of the first conveyor 1 to the receiving section 21 of the second conveyor 2 is guided. The second direction changing unit 52 is provided obliquely with respect to the driving direction Y of the transfer unit 22 of the second conveyor 2 and contacts the side surface of the article M on the transfer unit 22 of the second conveyor 2. By changing the conveying direction of the article M obliquely with respect to the transfer section 22, the movement of the articles from the transfer section 22 of the second conveyor 2 to the receiving section 31 of the third conveyor 3 is guided.
[0017]
That is, in the present embodiment, the first diagonal portions 50 a and 50 b of the guide bar 50 constitute the first direction changing portion 51, while the second diagonal portions 50 c and 50 d are the second direction changing portion 52. Is configured. The first direction changing unit 51 is provided in the deceleration area Ds, while the second direction changing unit 52 is provided in the speed increasing area Us. The guide device 5 has first, second, and second portions along the widths of the first, second, and third conveyors 1 to 3 except for the first and second direction changing portions 51 and 52. Three parallel portions 53, 54, and 55 are formed.
[0018]
The transport speed of the second conveyor 2 is set to a value smaller than the transport speed of the upstream first conveyor 1 and the downstream third conveyor 3. Therefore, the interval between the articles M is reduced in the deceleration area Ds, and the article M is in a state where the intervals are clogged on the second conveyor 2 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. On the other hand, the interval between the articles M increases in the speed increasing area Us provided with the second direction changing unit 52.
[0019]
The acceleration device 4 is provided in the acceleration area Us, and includes a disk-shaped rotating member 41 that protrudes from the second oblique portion 50d of the guide device 5 into the conveyance path of the article M, and a motor that rotates the rotating member 41. And a drive source (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating member 41 conveys the article M by contacting the side surface of the article M while the circumferential surface 42 rotates around a substantially vertical line V by the rotation of the drive motor. The speed is increased rapidly.
[0020]
The circumferential speed of the circumferential surface 42 is set to be approximately the same as the conveyance speed of the third conveyor 3. Thereby, the operation | movement which isolate | separates each articles | goods M at predetermined intervals becomes smooth.
[0021]
On the opposite side of the rotating member 41, a number of acceleration assisting rollers 43 are provided. These acceleration assist rollers 43 are rotatably provided and rotate while being in contact with the side surfaces of the article M during acceleration by the rotating member 41, whereby the article M is smoothly accelerated.
[0022]
Next, the control of the interval between the articles M will be described.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the change in the interval between the articles M in an easy-to-understand manner by showing only two articles M. FIG.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 4A, when the preceding article M1 and the following article M2 are conveyed while being guided by the first parallel part 53 on the first conveyor 1 at intervals of about one article. Eventually, while the article M1 is in contact with and guided by the first direction changing portion 51 of the guide device 5, the article M1 is conveyed obliquely from the transfer section 12 of the first conveyor 1 as shown in FIG. Transfer to the receiving section 21 of the second conveyor 2. At this time, since the conveying speed of the second conveyor 2 is slower than that of the first conveyor 1, the interval between the article M1 and the article M2 becomes narrower as shown in FIG.
As described above, when the articles M1 and M2 are decelerated, the articles M1 and M2 are brought into contact with or in contact with the first direction changing unit 51, whereby the articles M1 and M2 are decelerated, and the first direction changing unit 51 is driven. Because it does not have a part, it will not be damaged by overload.
[0024]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), when the two articles M1 and M2 reach the second parallel portion 54, the articles M1 and M2 are conveyed at a low conveyance speed of the second conveyor 2. The interval is clogged. In this state, the articles M1 and M2 are conveyed at a low speed, and eventually the preceding article M1 comes into contact with the second direction changing unit 52 of the guide device 5 as indicated by the solid line in FIG. Is changed diagonally.
[0025]
Thereafter, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4E, when the article M1 reaches the speed increasing area Us, the article M1 enters between the rotating member 41 and the acceleration auxiliary roller 43 and rotates at a high speed. The rotary member 41 is rapidly accelerated by the circumferential surface 42 and is transferred from the transfer unit 22 onto the high-speed receiving unit 31. Thereby, as shown in FIG.4 (f), the space | interval of the goods M1 and the goods M2 spreads large. Thereafter, the article M1 is guided by coming into contact with the third parallel portion 55 and conveyed in the same direction as the first conveyor 1 in FIG. 1, and the individual articles are separated, and the metal detector B in FIG. And is loaded into the weight checker C.
[0026]
FIG. 5 (a) shows a modification of the transport path of the take-in portion A.
The first direction changing unit 51 and the second direction changing unit 52 in FIG. 2 are inclined in the same direction, and the first conveyor 1 and the third conveyor 3 are provided in parallel as shown in FIG. Also good.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the case where the high-speed third conveyor 3 is arranged in a straight line on the low-speed second conveyor 2 without providing the second direction changing unit 52 is included in the present invention. Absent.
[0027]
Further, when the article M is an article having a shape that does not easily fall over, the guide bar 50 is partially provided even if the guide bar 50 of the guide device 5 is not provided in all the take-in portions A of FIG. Also good .
[0028]
As described above, the preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand various changes and modifications within the obvious scope by looking at the present specification.
For example, each conveyor may be a roller conveyor instead of a plastic top chain conveyor.
Further, the inspection apparatus may be an X-ray inspection apparatus or a seal checker.
Moreover, you may form a guide bar in a row in the longitudinal direction. The guide device may be constituted by a free roller or the like.
Accordingly, such changes and modifications are to be construed as within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the articles can be smoothly transferred by the direction changing unit, and the articles can be gathered in close contact on the second conveyor at a low speed. Therefore, the article is not damaged, and a load is not applied to the drive source of the conveyor belt.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inspection system showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a take-in part.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an acceleration device.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a conveying method for increasing the interval between articles to a predetermined interval.
5 (a) is a plan view showing a modification of the arrangement of the conveyor take-in portion is a plan view showing a reference example to help understanding of the (b) the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
A: take-in part B, C: inspection device 1: first conveyor 12: transfer part 2: second conveyor 21: receiving part 22: transfer part 3: third conveyor 31: receiving part 4: acceleration means 42: circumference Surface 5: Guide device 50: (Guide) bar 51: First direction changing unit 52: Second direction changing unit M: Article V: Vertical line Y: Driving direction

Claims (3)

An intake unit that receives articles supplied from the upstream one after another and conveys the articles downstream while keeping the articles separated from each other, and an article conveyed by the intake unit In an inspection system equipped with an inspection device for performing inspections of
The intake section includes a first conveyor, a second conveyor and a third conveyor provided in order from upstream, and a guide device.
The transport speed of the second conveyor is set to a value smaller than the transport speed of the upstream first conveyor and the downstream third conveyor,
The receiving portion of the second conveyor is provided adjacent to the width direction of the transfer portion of the first conveyor,
The receiving portion of the third conveyor is provided in a state adjacent to the width direction of the transfer portion of the second conveyor,
The guide device is provided obliquely with respect to the driving direction of the transfer section of the first conveyor and contacts the side surface of the article on the transfer section of the first conveyor, so that the conveyance direction of the article is changed to the first conveyor. A first direction changing unit that guides the movement of the article from the transfer unit of the first conveyor to the receiving unit of the second conveyor by changing obliquely with respect to the transfer unit of
By being provided obliquely with respect to the driving direction of the transfer section of the second conveyor and contacting the side surface of the article on the transfer section of the second conveyor, the conveyance direction of the article is set with respect to the transfer section of the second conveyor. A second direction changing unit that guides the movement of articles from the transfer unit of the second conveyor to the receiving unit of the third conveyor by changing diagonally;
Here, there is a rotating member that rotates around a substantially vertical line at a peripheral speed similar to the conveying speed of the third conveyor, and is transferred from the transfer section of the second conveyor to the receiving section of the third conveyor. An inspection system further comprising acceleration means for increasing the conveyance speed of the article by contacting the circumferential surface of the rotating member with a side surface along the conveyance direction of the article to be manufactured. In claim 1,
  The accelerating unit further includes a plurality of rollers that rotate while being in contact with the side surface opposite to the side surface of the article with which the rotating member is in contact during acceleration by the rotating member. In claim 1 or 2 ,
The said guide apparatus is an inspection system comprised by the bar which guides the both sides | surfaces of articles | goods.

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