JP4424875B2 - Article alignment and transport device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article aligning and conveying means (apparatus) typically applied to agricultural products.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a means for aligning and conveying a large number of articles that are particularly suitably applied to agricultural products, it is arranged in a matrix or zigzag pattern suitable for boxing agricultural products that are randomly transported in the front, rear, left and right, and waiting for the next stage of packing Aligning and conveying means (apparatus) for conveying and transferring into the area is known. Specifically, taking agricultural products as an example, in order to streamline the mechanized work of arranging and packing a large number of agricultural products, and simplifying the picking device such as a packing robot, the equipment cost can be reduced. It is important to enable efficient alignment suitable for boxing of agricultural products, and in particular, articles of different sizes such as agricultural products are sorted by size, and a predetermined number is grouped for each size. When the boxes are packed in different alignment modes, the above-mentioned problem becomes more important because the alignment modes to be collected for each size are often different.
[0003]
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-62147 discloses a technique proposed from such a viewpoint. This is because the fruits picked up by class (by size) by the fruit sorter are distributed and transferred to the four sided passages with partition walls (partitions) in the horizontal direction while being vibrated by a vibrating conveyor. The stop projections provided at the end portions are arranged in a staggered manner, for example, and a similar configuration is described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-331.
[0004]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-321342 proposes a device for forcibly arranging a large number of cylindrical bodies such as can bodies in a staggered arrangement form with little free space. Forcibly moving means in the lateral direction of conveyance is provided at the entrance end of the alignment guide member for aligning the cylindrical bodies, and if necessary, the cylindrical body is pushed laterally in the lateral direction by a piston device etc. It is intended to prevent.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the proposal described in the above Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-62147 has the following problems. That is, since the vibration conveyor is used to distribute the agricultural products in the transport width direction, the probability of distributing the agricultural products to the multiple rows of passages is likely to be biased because there is a high probability of following by chance, and agricultural products accumulate smoothly in certain passages ( However, it is difficult to collect agricultural products in some other passages, which may lead to a reduction in the overall efficiency of the boxing operation. Also, in the area where the agricultural products are collected smoothly, there is a risk that the agricultural products will accumulate excessively, causing bridges and the like, resulting in clogging.
[0006]
Further, the proposal described in the latter JP-A-6-321342 has the following problems. In other words, it is a system that forcibly moves the article to be transported in the lateral direction of transport, and is suitable for the case of hard and constant-sized articles such as steel cans, aluminum cans, and bottles. However, since it is poor in versatility and is a method of forced movement, there is a risk of falling if it is lightweight.
[0007]
In addition, when the object to be transported is an agricultural product, the size, shape, and surface state are not constant, so if it is forced to move in the lateral direction of the transport, it may bite strongly and produce a bridge depending on the combination of agricultural products. There is a risk of causing a suspension of operations. Furthermore, it does not describe a configuration for securing the number of boxed packaging units.
[0008]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the conventional example. The purpose of the present invention is to arrange a large number of articles such as agricultural products conveyed at random intervals in the front, rear, left, and right directions on the conveying surface between alignment guides. As you send in one line. The number of articles for each column required in the next process is supplied to efficiently perform the boxing process.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  Article alignment / conveying apparatus of the present inventionIs a thingEach area of the product random transport area and the lined transport area is sequentially provided from the transport upstream side to the downstream side of the article transport surface for transporting a large number of articles, and the lined transport area is separated by a partition wall. A plurality of row sections are formed adjacent to each other in the conveyance width direction, and a means for counting the number of articles passing through each passage for counting the number of articles passed through each row passage is provided. Based on the above, a sorting device is provided that allows or prevents the conveyance of articles in each row passage and distributes the articles to each passage, and the sorting device is further provided at the upstream end of the partition wall, and is arranged on the random conveyance area side. There is a sorting roller that rotates in the forward rotation around the vertical axis or rotates in the reverse rotation so that the articles conveyed fromThe direction of forward and reverse drive rotation of the sorting roller is determined according to the counting result of the number of articles passing through the row passage.It is characterized byThe
[0011]
Articles covered by the above-mentioned invention are generally the same size, for example, ones that are stacked in a matrix or zigzag form and packed in a box, in addition to cans, bottles, etc. Agricultural products such as apples can be illustrated, especially when agricultural products that are easily damaged if not handled softly are collected and aligned and boxed, and the agricultural products themselves are transported by a conveyor, etc. It is effective when placed on the means. Moreover, when the article to be transported is an agricultural product, any of the cases where the agricultural product is placed on a transport conveyor as it is and placed on a free tray (a tray) to be transported can be adopted. A free tray typically refers to a flat dish (known in this field) having a flat circular shape with a recessed center, where agricultural products are placed one by one on top of each other.
[0012]
  Areas sequentially provided in the transport direction for transporting articles, that is, random transportArea,Lined transferAreaEach has the following characteristics.
[0013]
  Ie random transportArea, For example, grades of agricultural products (external quality such as surface scratches and color, internal quality such as sugar content), and grades (size, weight, shape, etc.) and substantially the same standard selected from others This is a region where a group of agricultural products belonging to No. 1 is delivered from the sorting region without being particularly aligned.
[0014]
  Lined transferArea, Random transportAreaIt is an area provided with a lined passage for lined and conveyed articles such as agricultural products transferred and transferred, and has partition walls (partitions) for dividing the line of articles on each line. This partition is provided as an alignment guide wall or the like that is long in the transport direction, and the transport conveyor in this region is an upside down operation of agricultural products as described in the embodiment by changing its feed speed stepwise in the transport direction, etc. It is preferable that the interval before and after the conveyance of the article during storage can be kept appropriate.
[0015]
  Lined transferIn the areaIs provided with a sorting device that collects and stores a line of agricultural products and other packaging units for packaging.The
[0017]
  Also random transportAreaLined transferTo the areaAt the upstream end of the partition wall, which is the transition part, a sorting roller as one of the sorting devicesSet upTheTheAs the sorting roller, various mechanisms can be adopted as long as they can softly apply a lateral conveying force with respect to the advancing (conveying) direction of the article, but the mechanism is simple and the lateral conveying is possible. This is the one that can easily switch the power., DroopSorting roller that can select forward rotation or reverse rotation around the straight axisPickedUsed.
[0022]
  From aboveClearlyThe rotation direction of the sorting roller means is determined in accordance with the counting result of the number of articles passing through the row passage, and for example, an optical sensor, a counter, and an arithmetic unit are used.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be further described based on an example embodiment shown in the drawings in which the present invention is applied to a boxing apparatus for agricultural products.
[0025]
Embodiment 1
In FIG. 1, A indicates a random transport area, and the upstream side of the random transport conveyor (belt type conveyor) 1 is a drawer conveyor 101 from a sorting conveyor (not shown) that sorts agricultural products P according to the required items of equal class. Agricultural products P selected so as to belong to one equal class are randomly transported on the random transport conveyor 1 in a state in which the front-rear and left-right intervals in the transport direction are indefinite.
[0026]
B denotes an arrayed transport area, and the upstream side is connected to the random transport area A. In this example, the arrayed passages 2 extending in the transport direction of the four strips in the transport width (lateral) direction are aligned guide walls ( Partition wall 3). Further, the downstream side of the lined transfer area B is connected to an aligned storage area C, and a reversing device 4 shown in detail in FIGS. 8 and 9 is arranged in the middle of the lined transfer area B of this example. Yes. In addition, when explaining each passage of the lined conveyance area B separately, the lowest passage in the drawings of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the first passage 201, the upper portion is the second passage 202, and the upper portion thereof. Is the third passage 203 and the uppermost side is the fourth passage 204.
[0027]
D is a boxing standby area, and a plurality of agricultural products P grouped together to be boxed in the aligned storage area C are aligned in a manner suitable for boxing so as to facilitate the boxing operation (the width is adjusted in the conveyance width direction). It is an area | region which is changed to the aspect and made it wait.
[0028]
E indicates a box supply / discharge area in which the empty packaging box 6 is supplied to the packaging position and the packaging box 6 after packaging is discharged.
[0029]
Between the random conveyance area A and the lined conveyance area B, there is provided a distribution device 5 that distributes and transfers the agricultural products to the four lined passages. As shown in FIG. 2, a sorting unit 501 having a sorting roller 5011 for the upstream agricultural product P, a stopper unit 502 having a stopper lever 5021 provided subsequently, and a passage provided further downstream thereof. The sorting unit 501 includes a path switching unit 503 having a switching lever 5031. The sorting unit 501 is forcibly rotated around a vertical axis when the randomly-produced agricultural product P contacts the sorting roller 5011. As a result, the agricultural product P is distributed and sent to one of the adjacent row passages 2, and for this reason, the sorting roller 5011 is placed at the upstream end of each alignment guide wall 3. Re respectively are provided. Note that the rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 is forcibly rotated in a direction in which a large amount of the agricultural product P is fed into the lined passage 2 on the side that has not yet been filled in accordance with the full state of each lined passage 2. Yes. Further, in this example having four rows of passages 2 (the same reference numerals are used for the corresponding four rows of storage passages described later), the central distribution roller 5011 projects toward the random transport area A. The sorting rollers 5011 on both sides of the rollers are arranged at different positions on the downstream side of the conveyance. In addition, the random transport conveyor 1 is set to a transport speed higher than that of the drawer conveyor 101, and the transport agricultural product P is separated back and forth at the time of sorting so that the sorting can be performed smoothly.
[0030]
3 to 7 show the operating states of the sorting unit 501 and the lined passage opening / closing means 502 of the sorting device 5, and FIG. 3 shows that a predetermined number of agricultural products P have been carried into the first passage 201. 4 shows the rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 and the posture of the stopper lever 5021. FIG. 4 shows the rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 and the posture of the stopper lever 5021 when a predetermined number of agricultural products P are carried into the second passage 202. 5 shows the rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 and the posture of the stopper lever 5021 when a predetermined number of agricultural products P are carried into the third passage 203. FIG. 6 shows a predetermined number of agricultural products in the fourth passage 204. The rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 and the posture of the stopper lever 5021 when P is carried in are shown. Reference numeral 5022 denotes an air cylinder device that operates the stopper lever 5021. As can be seen from these figures, the passage in which the predetermined number of agricultural products P has been carried in prevents the agricultural products P from being carried into the passages by the stopper lever 5021 swinging, and the agricultural products P into the passages. The rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 is determined so as not to carry in as much as possible. Thereby, carrying in of the agricultural products P to the passage where the predetermined number of agricultural products P has not yet been carried in is promoted. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, since the predetermined number of agricultural products P has already been carried into the first passage 201, the stopper lever 5021 closes the passage so as to prevent further carrying of the agricultural products P into the passage, The forced rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 is set as shown by the solid line in the figure so as to minimize the feeding of the agricultural product P into the passage. As a result, the delivery of the agricultural product P to the first passage 201 is prevented, and the distribution of the agricultural product P to this passage is also reduced, so that the supply and delivery of the agricultural product P to other passages is promoted. Become. In the case of FIGS. 4 to 6 as well, the possibility that a predetermined number of agricultural products P are carried into each passage is averaged.
[0031]
In this example, the passage direction is closed by the stopper lever 5021 to prevent further transport of the agricultural product P, and the rotation direction of the sorting roller 5011 for reducing the possibility of feeding the agricultural product P into the passage is set in this example. This is done as follows. That is, in this example, an object presence sensor 505, a number count sensor 504, and an object presence confirmation sensor 506 for safety confirmation of the switching lever are arranged for each item from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. When the number of agricultural products P required for each packaging unit is detected by the number counting sensor 504, the passage for closing further agricultural products P by the stopper lever 5021 is closed and shaken. Necessary setting of the forced rotation direction of the minute roller 5011 is performed. In addition, the presence confirmation sensor 506 for confirming the safety of the switching lever is for preventing an operation failure caused by sandwiching the produce P when the lever is swung, and is separately dealt with by increasing the transport distance. However, in a practical apparatus, since the transport distance can be shortened by arranging the sensor as in this example, the significance of the configuration is extremely large.
[0032]
In addition, this example is characterized in that the path switching lever 5031 provided in the path switching unit 503 of the distribution device 5 is operated as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the passage switching lever 5031 of this example is located at the start end of each passage between the first passage 201 and the second passage 202 and between the third passage 203 and the fourth passage 204. It is possible to change the carry-in of the carried agricultural product P to the adjacent passages (the first passage 201 and the second passage 202, or the third passage 203 and the fourth passage 204). The movement of the passage switching lever 5031 is controlled according to information confirmed by the number counting sensor 504, the presence sensor 505, and the presence confirmation sensor 506. That is, when it is detected that the number of the agricultural products P carried into the third passage 203 has reached a predetermined number, in principle, the transportation of the agricultural products P into the third passage 203 is blocked by the stopper lever 5021 and moved to the fourth passage 204 side. Is carried out (see FIG. 5), but the agricultural product P carried into the fourth passage 204 is interrupted, and the agricultural product P stopped on the stopper lever 5021 of the third passage 203 is an object sensor. When detected at 505, the stopper lever 5021 of the fourth passage 204 is swung to the passage side, and the agricultural product P that has been previously loaded into the stopper lever 5021 of the third passage 203 and stopped is guided to the fourth passage. Thus, the passage switching lever 5031 is swung (see FIG. 7). Reference numeral 5032 denotes an air cylinder device that operates the passage switching lever 5031. Accordingly, it is possible to quickly carry in the agricultural product P into the fourth passage 204 while preventing the unnecessary delivery of the agricultural product P into the third passage 203.
[0033]
With the above configuration, it is possible to speed up the delivery of the agricultural products P from the random transport area A to the passages of each row of the lined transport area B to be aligned in a row, thereby improving the efficiency of the alignment that has not been considered in the past. As a result, the packaging operation in the packaging box 6 can be made more efficient.
[0034]
In addition, this example illustrates an apparatus having a characteristic configuration in which the agricultural product P is automatically boxed, and in particular, the agricultural product P such as “柿” is sold in a boxed state if the stickers are not aligned upward. Since the value of the product tends to be remarkably lowered, it is preferable to turn the agricultural product P upside down as necessary. In this example, the reversing device 4 having the following configuration is adopted as such a device. That is, the reversing device 4 of this example is arranged in the vicinity of the end portion of the lined conveyance area B, and the configuration shown in FIGS. Will be described later).
[0035]
Furthermore, one of the characteristic configurations in this example is that the conveyance speed is appropriately controlled in order to allow the agricultural product P to be reversed on a predetermined conveyance line. That is, in order to continuously perform the reversal of the agricultural product P, which has conventionally been considered without being linked to the efficiency of alignment, on the one conveyance line, depending on the structure of the reversing device 4, for example, the operation time (work) Time) takes about 2 seconds, the conveying speed in the reversing device 4 is at least three times higher than the conveying speed in the sorting device 5 described above so as to increase the interval before and after conveying the bag, preferably There is a place where a plurality of conveyors having different set conveying speeds are installed so that agricultural products P can transfer them so that they are 4 times or more, optimally 6 times or more. By doing so, it is possible to avoid a long trajectory in the transport direction of the apparatus by performing processing at a relatively low speed from the random transport area A to the lined transport area B, while the end of the lined transport area B. In the reversing device 4 part arranged in the vicinity of the part, the front-rear interval of the agricultural product P (柿) sent in the same region B is increased in consideration of the fact that the conveyance feed is stagnated due to reversal. .
[0036]
Next, the reversing device 4 of this example will be described. FIG. 8 is a side view of the reversing device 4, and FIG. 9 is a view taken along the line CC of FIG. 8 and shows the downward bracket 402 fixed to the fixed frame 401. A rotating portion of an inverted L-shaped inverted rotating arm 403 pivotally attached to a lower end by a pin 405 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis is connected to an air cylinder device 406 in which the upper end of the cylinder housing is fixed to the fixed frame 401. The lower end of the piston rod is connected by a pin 407, and the reverse rotation arm 403 is rotated upward by a predetermined angle by the expansion / contraction of the air cylinder device 406. Then, a sponge engagement plate 404 having a large coefficient of friction with the ridge P is attached to the contact surface with the ridge (agricultural product P) on the reversing rotation arm 403, and further, The rotation speed of the reverse rotation arm 403 and the conveyance speed of the conveyor 410 are set so as to keep the contact.
[0037]
Further, when the kite is transported with the stitches facing upward by the stitch presence / absence detection sensor 408, the position sensor 409 detects the position of the tip of the kite and stands by in the state of the two-dot chain line in FIG. The reverse rotation arm 403 is rotated to the state shown by the solid line in FIG.
[0038]
As described above, in the lined transport area B, the orientation of the shears is aligned downward, and in this example, a total of 16 agricultural products (柿) P are arranged in the aligned storage area. An arrayed conveyance area in which the intervals between the strips are provided relatively wide by arranging various devices such as the presence sensor 409 of the reversing device 4 which are fed into the storage passages 2 (201 to 204) of C. Compared with B, it is provided so that the interval in the width direction is partitioned only by a thin partition wall.
[0039]
In the aligned storage area C of the present example, the first storage unit 7 that stops conveyance until a predetermined number or more of the agricultural products P are stored in each row, and a mode (when the predetermined number of stored agricultural products P are boxed) In this example, there is provided a second storage portion 8 for storing and stopping in a zigzag manner. The overall outline of this configuration is shown in FIG. 1, and the details of the first reservoir 7 and the details and operation of the second reservoir 8 are shown in FIGS. That is, the first storage section 7 is provided in the middle of the aligned storage area C, and the stopper device 701 that stops the conveyance until at least a predetermined number of the lined agricultural products P collects, and the agricultural products P in each column The presence sensor 702 detects that the predetermined number has been accumulated. In this example, the presence sensor 702 packs four pieces of agricultural products P in a box, and therefore, at a position (see FIG. 10) when four agricultural products P are accumulated from the position of the stopper device 701, a predetermined time is reached. When the agricultural product P is detected as described above, it is determined that “a predetermined number of agricultural products P has accumulated”. When a predetermined number of agricultural products P are collected in each strip, the transportation stop of the stopper device 701 is canceled and the agricultural products P are transported to the second storage unit 8 side. However, a predetermined number (four strips in this example) When the feeding is finished, the conveyance drive of the first storage unit is stopped, and then the conveyance drive control of the stopper device 701 and the first storage unit 7 is performed by the presence sensor 801 provided in the second storage unit 8. When the first agricultural product P passes through the stopper device 701, the conveyance drive is stopped, and then the stopper device 701 is started to return to the conveyance stop state. . In addition, the conveyance speed of the conveyor (belt conveyor etc.) of this 1st storage part 7 is set so that it may be lower than the conveyance speed of the inversion apparatus 4 of the lined conveyance area B, and the front-back space | interval of the agricultural products P conveyed is determined. I have to.
[0040]
The second storage unit 8 is provided at the end of the aligned storage region C, and includes a gate device 802 that aligns a predetermined number of agricultural products P that are lined up and conveyed from the first storage unit 7 in a staggered manner, The presence sensor 8017 for detecting that the agricultural product P has reached the gate device 802, and the above-described stopper device 701 for the first storage section 7 are provided for returning the agricultural product P from the released state to the stopped state. The sensor 801 is configured to change the plurality of agricultural products P into a staggered alignment state at the time of packaging, and keep the storage standby until the packaging standby area D becomes acceptable. ing.
[0041]
The gate device 802 applies a predetermined number (four in this example) of agricultural products P received from the first reservoir 7 to an odd number of items (first passage 201, third passage 203). A gate member 8013 provided with an even-numbered engagement piece 8016 for shifting the position of the strip (the second passage 202 and the fourth passage 204) by half is provided at the end of the second reservoir 8. The gate member 8013 is provided with a lower end pivotable in the transport direction. In addition, an object presence sensor 8017 that stops the operation of the transfer conveyor 803 by detecting the top agricultural product P is disposed (see FIG. 12).
[0042]
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the gate device 802 includes an air cylinder device 8014 in which a gate member 8013 rotatably supported by a pivot pin 8012 by a fixed frame 8011 is fixed to the fixed frame 8011. The stopper piece 8016 provided at the lower end of the rotating arm 8013 is rotated by the reciprocating piston rod 8015 and is locked to the agricultural product P (illustrated in the drawing) to stop its conveyance. When it is detected that the number has accumulated and the downstream packaging standby area D becomes empty, the lower end of the gate member 8013 is rotated in the transport direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 13), and the second The agricultural product P on the storage unit 8 is conveyed to the second storage unit 8 in the boxing standby area D.
[0043]
With this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, a predetermined number (16 in this example) of agricultural products P arranged in a staggered pattern are stopped by the gate member 8013 and packed in the next process. Prepared and waited for.
[0044]
The 16 agricultural products P of the present example, which have been queued in a staggered manner as described above, are supplied to the area D by opening the gate device 802 when the boxing waiting area D becomes empty. .
[0045]
The details and operation of the construction of the packaging standby area D are shown in FIGS. That is, the gate member 8013 of the gate device 802 of the second storage unit 8 is opened, and each predetermined number (16 in this example) of agricultural products P received in the boxing standby area D is shifted in the lateral direction of conveyance. The device 9 is changed to an aligned state in which the width is justified by the device 9 and remains in the boxed state.
[0046]
Specifically, the width adjusting device 9 is detected by the presence sensor 901 provided with the gate member 8013 opened and the top of the agricultural product P carried into the boxing waiting area D facing the top stop position. The conveyance drive of the conveyance conveyor 902 is stopped at the time. In this state, a total of 16 agricultural products P, each of the four strips, are stopped as they are stored in the second storage section 8 of the aligned storage area C (see FIG. 14). However, this stopped state is the same as the state at the time of packaging, but it is the same as the zigzag in the transport direction, but the gap in the width direction is divided by the partition wall, so the packaging state is Different. Therefore, in this example, by moving the piston rod 9041 extending and shortening in the horizontal direction of the air cylinder device 904 and the width adjusting rod 903 extending to the lower side of the fourth passage and connected to the guide rod 9042, FIG. The state is changed to the state shown in FIG. In addition, in this example, it crosses in the conveyance horizontal direction so that it may touch the last end side surface of the last agricultural product P of the even number path | route (2nd path | pass 202, 4th path | pass 204) which has shifted | deviated to the conveyance direction upstream by half. The alignment state maintaining rods 905 provided as described above suppress the force that the rows of agricultural products P try to spread in the conveying direction when the width is reduced, and thereby, the 16 pieces arranged in a staggered manner in the second reservoir 8. The agricultural product P alignment posture is not disturbed. The arrangement position and the opening / closing operation of the alignment state maintaining rod 905 are performed in conjunction with the carry-in of the agricultural product P carried into the boxing standby area D from the second reservoir 8 and the stop of the conveyor 902 due to the completion of the carry-in. It is provided as follows. Reference numeral 9051 is a fixed frame, 9052 is a pivot pin, 9053 is a rotating arm, 9054 is an air cylinder device, and 9055 is a piston rod. Reference numeral 9042 denotes a guide rod for guiding the extension and shortening of the piston rod 9041.
[0047]
FIG. 17 shows a series of movements from the second storage section 8 of the aligned storage area C to the boxing standby area D, and it is arranged for the boxing supplied to the boxing standby area D as described above. A process for boxing a predetermined number of agricultural products P will be described.
[0048]
As described above, the group of agricultural products P in which the row of agricultural products in the width direction is brought closer to each other in a boxed state coincides with the aligned state in which they are packed in a packaging box 6 prepared as described later. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, a total of 16 agricultural products P are suspended as they are by the boxing device 10 provided in the boxing standby area D, and the packaging box 6 is not changed without changing its state. Packed in. That is, the packaging device 10 has 16 suction cups 1001 arranged in a staggered pattern at the same height, and the group of suction cups 1001 can be moved up and down without changing the arrangement posture. It is provided to move and move in the lateral direction of conveyance. Specifically, a suction cup support member 1002 that suspends a group of suction cups 1001 arranged in a staggered manner is suspended by an air cylinder device 1003 so as to be vertically movable. This air cylinder device 1003 is provided with the above-mentioned packaging standby position 910 by means of a slide mechanism capable of reciprocating in a horizontal direction (conveyance width direction) with respect to a fixed frame 1004 constructed over the packaging standby position 910 and the packaging position 1005. To the box supply position 1005 in the box supply / discharge area E. As a result, a series of operations of lifting suction / lifting-moving in the horizontal direction-falling / lifting suction release is performed on the packaging box 6 prepared / waited at the packing position 1005 for the agricultural product P group at the packing standby position 910. And box it. Then, the packaging box 6 in which the boxing of the predetermined agricultural product P has been finished is lowered onto the discharge conveyor 1007 by the lift device 1006 and conveyed to a predetermined place.
[0049]
One feature of this example is that this group of suction cups 1001 moves in the middle of a series of operations of lifting suction / lifting-horizontal movement-falling / lifting suction release. Although it moves up and down, it does not change the relative position in the horizontal direction, so it can work with only a simple lateral movement mechanism, and it can adopt a simple work robot, and work control is also simple There is a place where
[0050]
The packaging box 6 prepared at the packing position 1005 is supplied by a known empty packaging box supply device 11 as shown in FIGS. The partition sheet 1206 to be inserted into the packaging box 6 is supplied by the partition supply device 12. In this partition supply device 12, a sheet suction stand 1202 having a suction pad 1201 can reciprocate between the laminated sheet portion 1205 and the packing position 1005 by a parallelogram link mechanism 1204 having a pair of link rods 1203. The uppermost partition sheet 1206 on the laminated sheet portion 1205 is inserted into the packaging box 6 at the packing position 1005.
[0051]
Reference numeral 1207 denotes an elevating device that moves the link mechanism 1204 up and down, and positions the suction pad 1201 at an appropriate height.
[0052]
FIG. 21 shows the operation control of the sorting roller 5011, the stopper lever 5021, and the passage switching lever 5031 when aligning and supplying the agricultural products P as described above, with the presence sensor 505, the number count sensor 504, and the presence presence confirmation sensor 506. An example of a control flow for performing the opening / closing control of the stopper lever 5021 which is a lined passage opening / closing means for switching the conveyance / stop of the lined conveyance area B which is essential in this example according to the measurement information is shown. The outline of the entire control flow of the dispensing device 5 is shown. By this operation, the sorting device 501 that guides the agricultural products P that are carried from the random transport area A to each passage in the lined transport area B, and the stopper unit 502. The operation of switching and swinging the stopper lever 5021 and switching and swinging the passage switching lever 5031 of the passage switching unit 503 is performed. The
[0053]
That is, in this example, starting from the time when the stopper device 701 of the first storage section 7 in the next stage is opened, the stopper levers 5021 of each row are all opened, and the number count sensors 504 respectively arranged in the row passages 2. Counts the passage of the agricultural product P for each row, and when it is detected that the agricultural product P of one packaging unit has passed, the stopper lever 5021 of the rowing passages 201 to 204 of the row in which this is detected is closed. By this operation, in principle, the agricultural products P in the number of packaging units are always carried downstream of the stopper levers 5021 in each row. Further, the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 is obtained by controlling the rotational drive direction of the sorting roller 5011 of the sorting unit 501, opening / closing control by swinging the stopper lever 5021, and path switching control by swinging the transport path switching lever 5031. When the rowing and sorting of the agricultural products P indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure proceeds, a predetermined number of agricultural products P are carried into the first reservoirs 7 of the respective row passages. Starting from the time when the stopper device 701 is opened, the stopper lever 5021 of the stopper portion 502 first closes the passage. Then, almost in synchrony with this, the distribution roller 5011 reduces the distribution of the agricultural products P to the side where the passage is closed as much as possible, and carries the agricultural products P to the side which is adjacent to this and has not closed the passage yet. Driven around the direction to promote. Furthermore, when the agricultural product P is excessively carried into the passage in which the stopper lever 5021 is closed at the timing of switching, the transport passage switching lever 5031 is adjacent to the extra agricultural product P (not yet reached the number of packaging units). ) Swing the passage so that it moves in the transverse direction. By doing as described above, it is possible to limit the distribution of excess agricultural products P to each lined passage, and it is possible to increase the number of distribution of agricultural products P to the lined passages where there is little distribution. As a whole, efficient distribution control can be realized.
[0054]
According to this example, it is particularly effective when packing and arranging agricultural products that are easily damaged unless they are handled softly, and the agricultural products themselves are placed directly on a conveying means such as a conveyor. This is particularly effective when using (free tray).
[0055]
In addition, when the conveyance distance to the stopper apparatus 701 of the 1st storage part 7 becomes long by providing the inversion apparatus 4 like this example, it is also preferable to aim at the device for improving the speed of a process, for example, A time point when three of the four rows are full and the remaining one row is almost full is regarded as a starting point at which the stopper device 701 of the first storage section 7 in the next stage is opened. It may be. The timing for presuming such a starting point in advance can be found, for example, experimentally or empirically.
[0056]
In addition, a large number of items such as agricultural products that are transported at random intervals on the transport surface are sent in a row between the alignment guides. The number of articles for each column required in the next process can be supplied to efficiently perform the boxing process.
[0057]
In addition, operations such as line-up operation, operation for storing and storing, and operation for waiting in the form of boxing and lifting and packing in the alignment mode are performed, and the conveyance speed of articles is changed between the processes. Thus, the boxing operation can be performed more smoothly.
[0058]
Embodiments 2 and 3
FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case in which three even-numbered strips and four odd-numbered strips in four rows are packed in a staggered manner (second embodiment). FIG. 23 shows an alignment state in the second reservoir 8 of FIG. 5 and FIG. 23 is for explaining an example (Embodiment 3) in the case of packing each row of four rows into five in a matrix shape. The alignment state from the 2nd storage part 8 of the alignment storage area C to the boxing waiting area D is shown.
[0059]
Also in the boxing process in such an example, the same effect as the said embodiment can be acquired.
[0060]
【The invention's effect】
  As explained above,In the present inventionAccording to the article conveyed randomlySort by the sorting roller,The boxing operation can be performed efficiently by aligning in a predetermined alignment state.
[0061]
  SpecialIn addition, a large number of articles such as agricultural products that are conveyed at random intervals in the front, rear, left, and right on the conveyance surface are sent in one row between the alignment guides, and the number of articles for each row required in the next process is supplied, The boxing process can be performed efficiently.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of a sorting device portion according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of the operation of the sorting apparatus portion of the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of the operation of the sorting apparatus portion of the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the operation of the sorting apparatus portion of the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of the operation of the sorting apparatus portion of the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of the operation of a path switching lever of the path switching unit of the first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a side view of the reversing device according to the first embodiment.
9 is a view of the inverting device taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a configuration outline in the aligned storage area C of the first embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an initial state when a group of agricultural products is conveyed from the first storage section of the aligned storage area C to the second storage section.
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an end state when a group of agricultural products is conveyed from the first storage part of the aligned storage area C to the second storage part.
FIG. 13 is a side view showing a configuration of a second storage part of the aligned storage area C;
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an initial state in which a group of agricultural products has been sent to the boxing standby area D of the first embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a view showing a state in which the agricultural products in each row are brought in the width direction in FIG. 14;
16 is a side view showing an outline of the configuration of a width adjusting device for adjusting the width of agricultural products in each row of the boxing waiting area D of FIG. 14;
FIG. 17 illustrates the entire processing state until a predetermined number of groups of agricultural products are sent from the second storage section of the aligned storage area C to the boxing standby area D and changed to the aligned position in the boxed position. Overview diagram for.
18 is a front view showing the outline of the configuration of the boxing device, as seen from the direction of arrows BB in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 19 is a plan view of supplying a partition sheet.
20 is a view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1 and is a diagram for explaining an outline of an apparatus for inserting and setting an intermediate partition sheet in the packaging box at the packing position in FIG. 19 and its operation. .
FIG. 21 is a view showing a part of an operation flow (such as opening / closing control of stopper levers in the lined passage) when aligning and supplying agricultural products.
FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment in which a total of 14 of four rows, three even and four odd, are packed in a staggered manner.
FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining Embodiment 3 in which each row in four rows is boxed in a matrix of five.
[Explanation of symbols]
A: Random transport area
B: Lined transport area
C: Aligned storage area
D: Packing waiting area
E: Box supply / discharge area
1: Random transfer conveyor
101: Drawer conveyor
2: Lined passage
201: 1st passage
202: Second passage
203: Third passage
204: Fourth passage
3: Alignment guide wall
4: Inversion device
401: Fixed frame
402: Bracket
403: Reverse rotation arm
404: engagement plate
405: Pin
406: Air cylinder device
407: Pin
408: Stickiness detection sensor
409: Sensor with object
410: Conveyor
5: Sorting device
501: Distribution part
5011: Sorting roller
502: Stopper
5021: Lined passage opening / closing means
5022: Air cylinder device
503: Transfer path switching means
5031: Passage switching lever
5032: Air cylinder device
504: Piece count sensor
505: Object sensor
506: Object confirmation sensor
6: Packaging box
7: First reservoir
701: Stopper device
702: Object sensor
8: Second reservoir
801: Sensor with object
802: Gate device
8011: Fixed frame
8012: Pivot pin
8013: Gate member
8014: Air cylinder device
8015: Piston rod
8016: Positioning engagement piece
8017: Sensor with object
803: Conveyor
9: Alignment device
901: Sensor with object
902: Conveyor
903: Alignment rod
904: Air cylinder device
9041: Piston rod
9042: Guide rod
905: Rod for maintaining alignment
9051: Fixed frame
9052: Pivot pin
9053: Rotating arm
9054: Air cylinder device
9055: Piston rod
10: Boxing equipment
1001: Adsorption cup
1002: Suction cup support member
1003: Air cylinder device
1004: Fixed frame
1005: Packing position
1006: Lift device
1007: Discharge conveyor
11: Packaging box feeder
12: Middle partition sheet supply device
1201: Adsorption pad
1202: Sheet adsorption stand
1203: Link rod
1204: Parallelogram link mechanism
1205: Laminated sheet part
1206: Partition sheet
1207: Lifting device

Claims (1)

The random conveyance area and the lined conveyance area of the articles are sequentially provided from the conveyance upstream side to the downstream side of the article conveyance surface for conveying a large number of articles, and the lined conveyance area is separated by a partition wall. A plurality of row sections are formed adjacent to each other in the conveyance width direction, and a means for counting the number of articles passing through each passage for counting the number of articles passed through each row passage is provided. A sorting device that allows or prevents the conveyance of the articles in each row passage based on the
The sorting device is further provided at the upstream end of the partition wall, and rotates in the normal direction around the vertical axis so as to distribute the articles transported from the random transport zone side to any of the lined passages on both sides of the partition wall. have a distribution roller to reverse rotated, the forward rotation of the distributing roller, the determination of the direction of rotation of the reverse rotation are those determined according to the counting result of the passage number of the middle of the article of the strung passage An article aligning and conveying apparatus.

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