JP4799980B2 - Transport device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device that transports a relatively flat article received at a receiving position to a discharge position after stacking a predetermined number of articles in a standing posture, and belongs to the technical field of article transport.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, packaged articles such as snacks are sometimes packed in a cardboard box or a large bag and then shipped after being accumulated in a predetermined number in a predetermined posture. In recent years, it has been required to automate the integration process to improve productivity.

  As a response to this requirement, for example, there is a conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 19, the transport apparatus 100 includes a holding unit 110... 110 that holds a plurality of articles X... X received at the receiving position P <b> 1 in the front-rear direction, and the holding unit 110. As shown in Fig. 2, the belt has two parallel conveying belts 120 and 121 for circulating and conveying from the receiving position P1 via the discharging position P2.

  In that case, the holding portions 110... 110 are defined by a plurality of partition plate sets 111... 111, 112... 112, and each partition plate set 111 is directed from one transport belt 120 to the other transport belt 121. The other partition plate set 112 is extended so as to overhang from the other transport belt 121 toward the one transport belt 120, and the partition plate sets 111 and 112 are alternately arranged in the transport direction x. ing. Each of the conveyor belts 120 and 121 is driven independently, and while one of the belts intermittently travels at 7 pitch, 5 pitch,..., 7 pitch, 5 pitch, the other is 5 pitch, 7 pitch,. It is controlled to run intermittently at 5 and 7 pitches.

  As a result, the articles in a standing posture (four in the illustrated example) X... X which are supplied while maintaining a predetermined distance from each other at the receiving position P1 are widened between the pair of front and rear partition plates 111 and 112. Due to the difference in the traveling speed between the conveyor belts 120 and 121 described above during the conveyance in the direction of the arrow x via the conveyor belts 120 and 121 through the holding unit 110, the pair of partition plate sets 111 and 112 When the interval is narrowed and the discharge position P2 is reached, the articles X... X are brought into close contact with each other and then discharged together. In the meantime, the holding part 110 with a wide space between the partition plate sets 111 and 112 is located at the receiving position P1, and a new set of articles X... X is supplied to the holding part 110. Such operations are repeated to automate the accumulation process.

Japanese Patent No. 2553999

  By the way, in the conveying apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 1, since the plurality of articles X... X that hold a predetermined interval from each other are supplied to the holding unit 110 at the receiving position P1, the target article X is self-supporting. There is a problem in terms of versatility because it is limited to a possible one, and a special device that supplies the holding unit 110 with a plurality of articles X.

  Further, one of the pair of left and right conveying belts 120 and 121 travels at 7 pitch, 5 pitch,..., 7 pitch, 5 pitch, and the other travels at 5 pitch, 7 pitch,. A running speed difference is generated between the conveyor belts 120 and 121. Since the articles X ... X are placed and transported in such a state as being straddled between the belts 120 and 121, the posture is disturbed during the transportation, and the arrangement is disturbed even when the width is shifted. As a result, the subsequent discharge process may not be performed smoothly. In particular, when the article X... X is a packaged article that is difficult to stand on or a boxed article with a small thickness, the problem becomes more prominent, and the conveying device 100 is limited to the one that allows the target article X to stand on its own. Will be.

  Therefore, the present invention conveys a relatively flat and difficult-to-stand article without disturbing the posture when the article received at the receiving position is held in a standing posture and conveyed to the discharge position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device that is excellent in versatility.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows.

First, the invention according to claim 1 is a transport device that holds a plurality of articles received at a predetermined receiving position in a standing posture and is transported to a predetermined discharge position. Receiving means for receiving articles supplied from the outside at the receiving position one by one and delivering them in a standing posture downstream, and a plurality of endless conveying members that circulate via the receiving position and the discharging position; and driving means for independently driving the respective endless transport member, the attached one or more of the endless conveying member, each group of which is placed in a standing posture transferred from the transfer unit A holding unit for holding an article, and each of the holding units is attached to each of the endless conveyance members so as to be alternately positioned in the article conveyance direction, and a leading partition member and the partition member Connected to And a bottom member, and, the partition member and the bottom member, extends in one width direction from the endless conveying member side to the other endless conveying member side, of the bottom member with respect to the endless conveying member The height is lower toward the upstream side, and each holding unit is attached to one endless conveying member and is attached to the upstream side of the preceding holding unit and the other endless conveying member and follows the holding unit. The holding unit is configured to be able to overlap with the downstream side of the holding unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the conveying apparatus according to the first aspect, each of the driving means is attached to one endless conveying member and is upstream of the preceding holding unit and the other endless shape. A group of articles placed in an upright position is held by both partition members provided on the holding member and overlapped with the downstream side of the holding unit following the holding unit. Each endless conveying member is driven so as to define a space for this purpose.

The invention according to claim 3 is the transfer device according to claim 1, wherein each of the driving means is attached to one endless transfer member and upstream of the preceding holding unit and the other endless form. A group of articles placed in an upright position is held by both partition members provided on the holding member and overlapped with the downstream side of the holding unit following the holding unit. And when a group of articles held in the holding space at the discharge position is discharged, the downstream side of the preceding holding unit overlaps the upstream side of the subsequent holding unit, Each endless conveying member is driven so that the next holding space is defined by both partition members provided in the both holding units.

  First, according to the first aspect of the present invention, instead of supplying a plurality of articles having a predetermined distance to each other at the receiving position all at once in the receiving position, the articles are delivered by the delivery means. Since each item is delivered to the holding unit one by one, it is not limited to ones that can be self-supporting, and a special device that supplies a plurality of items to the holding unit at the same time is not required, so that it has excellent versatility. It will be.

And the partition member which comprises each holding unit, and the bottom face member connected to this partition member move integrally, and the bottom face member is the width direction from one endless conveyance member side to the other endless conveyance member side Therefore, even if there is a difference in travel speed between these endless conveying members, not only the self-supporting articles but also the packed articles that are difficult to stand by themselves or the thin-packed boxed articles Since the bottom member stably supports the bottom member, a versatile transport device that can transport to the discharge position without disturbing the posture is realized.

Further, the bottom surface member of each holding unit is lower toward the upstream side with respect to the endless conveying member, and then the upstream side of the holding unit attached to one endless conveying member and the other endless shape are attached thereto. Since it is configured to be able to overlap with the downstream side of the holding unit that is attached to the conveying member and follows the holding unit, for example, by changing the overlap amount, the number of articles to be held and the thickness of the articles are changed. It is possible to respond flexibly, and it is more versatile.

According to the second and third aspects of the invention, the drive pattern of each endless conveying member by the drive means is embodied. That is, according to the invention described in claim 2, since the article holding space in which the partition member is located in front and rear is defined, stable article holding and conveyance are realized. According to the invention described in claim 3, The partition member of the preceding holding unit operates to hold the foremost end of the article and to hold the last end of the article held by the succeeding holding unit when the article is discharged. As a result, stable article holding and conveyance can be efficiently performed with less members.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.

  The conveyance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 conveys a relatively flat packaged article X such as a snack, and the articles X are indicated by arrows a in order from the upstream side. The delivery conveyor 11 that carries in the delivery position P1, the delivery device 12 that receives the article X from the delivery conveyor 11 and delivers it to the downstream side, and the articles X... X that are delivered from the delivery device 12 in an accumulated state. As shown by b, it has a stacking and conveying apparatus 13 that conveys it to the discharging position P2, and a discharging apparatus 14 that discharges a group of articles X ... X conveyed to the discharging position P2.

  The carry-in conveyor 11 is of a flat belt type, and the conveyance surface of the carry-in conveyor 11 is inclined substantially in accordance with the receiving posture of a delivery table of a delivery device 12 described later. That is, the conveyance surface is inclined by the angle α so as to become lower toward the accumulation conveyance device 13 side.

  The delivery device 12 receives the articles X one by one from the carry-in conveyor 11 at the receiving position P1 and converts them into a standing posture, and delivers the articles X while being sequentially packed in the downstream stacking and conveying device 13 from the front side. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the delivery device 12 includes a pair of support plates 21 and 21 that are connected to each other and have protrusions that are located inside and outside the main body case 1 a and protrude in four orthogonal directions in a side view. , A fixed shaft 22 that passes through the center of the support plates 21, 21, rotary shafts 23... 23 that are rotatably attached to the protrusions, and a delivery stand fixed to the rotary shafts 23. 24... 24 are provided. The support plate 21 rotates in the direction of arrow c about the fixed shaft 22.

  The delivery table 24 is configured to erect the article X by rotating in the standing posture direction as indicated by an arrow d, and deliver the article X to the stacking and conveying apparatus 13 by moving forward. In this case, the delivery table 24 is configured such that the receiving posture is slightly inclined from the horizontal posture to the rotation direction d. In the illustrated example, the delivery table 24 is moved from the horizontal posture to the rotation direction d. It is inclined by an angle α. And the rotating shaft 23 which is a rotation fulcrum of the delivery stand 24 is located inside the front side edge part in the said receiving attitude | position.

  Toothed pulleys 25, 26,... 26 are fixed to the fixed shaft 22 and the rotary shafts 23,. In that case, the number of teeth of the former pulley 25 is twice the number of teeth of the latter pulley 26. Then, the four guide pulleys 27 erected on the outer support plate 21 so as to be arranged in the vicinity of the central toothed pulley 25 on the central toothed pulley 25 and the surrounding four toothed pulleys 26. 27, a single toothed timing belt 28 is wound around as shown in the figure.

  A motor 29 is installed relatively above the main body case 1a, and is fixed on the opposite side of the pulley 30 assembled to the output shaft of the motor 29 and the central toothed pulley 25 of the outer support plate 21. A timing belt 32 is wound around the pulley 31. As a result, the driving force of the motor 29 is transmitted to the outer support plate 21, and the support plate 21 rotates once in the direction of the arrow c around the fixed shaft 22, that is, the central toothed pulley 25, due to the aforementioned number of teeth. In the meantime, the four toothed pulleys 26... 26, that is, the rotary shafts 23... 23 rotate twice in the direction of the arrow d via the toothed timing belt 28.

  That is, when the motor 29 is driven, the delivery tables 24... 24 fixed to the rotary shafts 23... 23 rotate in the direction of the arrow d to realize the above-described predetermined receiving posture and standing posture, and support. The plate 21 moves forward, that is, in the direction of the arrow b through the rotation in the direction of the arrow c. When the support plate 21 rotates once in the direction of the arrow c, the delivery tables 24... 24 return to their original positions and postures again.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the delivery table 24 that receives the article X supplied from the direction of the arrow a and transfers it in the direction of the arrow b orthogonal to the supply direction a includes the mounting surface 24 a and the mounting table 24 a. It has the mounting wall 24b and the jumping-out control wall 24c which stand up from the surface 24a. The placement surface 24a is a flat surface on which the article X to be supplied is placed, and has a comb-teeth shape so as to be able to intersect with the accumulation transport device 13 described later. The mounting wall 24 b is a part coupled to the rotating shaft 23. The jump-out restricting wall 24c is located at the rear end in the receiving posture as shown in the figure, and the delivery table 24 rotates in the direction of the arrow d with the rotation shaft 23 as a fulcrum, so that the mounting surface 24a is This is a part that regulates the projection of the article X from the delivery table 24 when it is converted from the receiving posture to the standing posture in the forward direction, that is, in the direction of the arrow b.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the stacking and conveying apparatus 13 stacks a predetermined number of articles X in a standing posture delivered from the delivery apparatus 12 in the posture, and the articles X. It is transferred to the discharge position P2, and has a pair of upper and lower support shafts 41... 41 supported rotatably in the main body case 1a, and a pulley 42 is assembled to each support shaft 41. Further, a flat belt 43 is wound around the corresponding pulleys 42 in the upstream and downstream.

  And, to each flat belt 43, buckets 44, 45 for holding and transferring the articles X,. In this case, the flat belt 43 and the buckets 44 and 45 are inclined downward toward the downstream side. In particular, the buckets 44 and 45 are inclined by an angle β, as will be described in detail later.

  A pair of motors 46 and 46 are installed on the lower downstream side of the main body case 1 a, and the driving force of each motor 46 is assembled to the pulley 46 a assembled to the output shaft of the motor 46 and the support shaft 41. It is transmitted to the support shaft 41 via a timing belt 47 wound around the pulley 41a. That is, each flat belt 43 travels independently, so that each bucket 44, 45 is transported independently.

  Here, the configuration of each bucket 44 and 45 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, each bucket 44 and 45 includes a leading partition member 51 extending perpendicularly to the transport direction b and the partition member 51. .., 52 which are connected to each other, and these members 51, 52... 52 can be moved together, and each bucket 44, 45 has 12 as shown in the figure. The individual articles X ... X are held in a standing posture and in an accumulated state.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the bucket 45 as an example of the partition member 51 is provided with a support portion that is attached to the flat belt 43 on the right side of the example via spacers 53 and 53 and extends upward and rearward. 51a, a flat part 51b extending from the support part 51a perpendicularly to the conveyance direction b and extending above the left flat belt 43, and standing upward from the front end of the flat part 51b and having a comb-teeth shape in front view And a rear inclined surface portion 51d extending obliquely downward from the rear end portion of the flat surface portion 51b.

  On the other hand, the bottom member 52 provided in the bucket 45 is attached to the right flat belt 43 via spacers 53, 53 and extends upward and rearward, and perpendicular to the conveying direction b from the support portion 52a. A flat surface portion 52b extending above the left flat belt 43, a front inclined surface portion 52c extending obliquely upward from the front end portion of the flat surface portion 52b, and a rear inclined surface portion 52d extending obliquely downward from the rear end portion of the flat surface portion 51b; have.

  The flat portions 51b and 52b, the front inclined surface portion 52c, and the rear inclined surface portions 51d and 52d are inclined by an angle γ so as to become lower toward the left side in the width direction. Further, the height of the bottom surface members 52... 52 with respect to the flat belt 43 is lower toward the upstream side, and the partition member 51, the bottom surface member 52, and the bottom surface members 52, 52 are inclined rearward of the front members 51, 52. The surface portions 51d, 52d and the front inclined surface portion 52c of the rear member 52 are overlapped with the former on the lower side, so that the downstream side is inclined downward by an angle β and the width direction is lowered toward the left side. A conveyance surface inclined by an angle γ is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 9, the bottom surface member 52 provided in the bucket 44 is attached to the flat belt 43 on the left side in the illustrated example via spacers 53, 53 and extends upward and rearward. 52a, a flat portion 52b extending from the support portion 52a perpendicular to the conveying direction b and extending upward of the right flat belt 43, and a front inclined surface portion 52c extending obliquely upward and obliquely downward from the front and rear end portions of the flat portion 52b, respectively. And a rear inclined surface portion 52d.

  In this case as well as the bucket 45 described above, the flat portion 52b, the front inclined surface portion 52c, and the rear inclined surface portion 52d are inclined by an angle γ so as to become lower toward the left side in the width direction. Further, the height of the bottom surface members 52... 52 with respect to the flat belt 43 is lower toward the upstream side, and the rear inclined surface portion 52d of the front bottom surface member 52 and the front inclined surface portion 52c of the rear bottom surface member 52 are the former. By overlapping on the lower side, a conveyance surface is formed which is inclined downward by an angle β toward the downstream side and inclined by an angle γ so as to become lower toward the left side in the width direction.

  And in each bucket 44 and 45, since the height of the bottom face member 52 ... 52 with respect to the flat belt 43 is lower toward the upstream side, the upstream side of the preceding bucket 44 attached to the left flat belt 43 and It can be overlapped with the downstream side of the bucket 45 attached to the right flat belt 43 and following the bucket 44.

  Further, each motor 46 for driving each flat belt 43 is attached to the left flat belt 43 and upstream of the preceding bucket 44 and downstream of the bucket 45 attached to the right flat belt 43 and following the bucket 44. Each group of articles X placed in an upright position by overlapping the partition members 51, 51 provided in the buckets 44, 45 to become a front end holding member and a rear end holding member, respectively. ... a space for holding X and a group of articles X ... X held in the holding space at the discharge position P2 are discharged, the downstream side of the preceding bucket 44 is placed on the succeeding bucket 45. The two partition members 51 and 51 provided in the buckets 44 and 45 are respectively replaced with the front end holding member and the rear end holding member. So as to define the next holding space, it drives the Kakutaira belt 43.

  Here, an intersecting structure between the delivery table 24 and the partition members 51 of the buckets 44 and 45 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the placement surface 24a of the delivery table 24 and the upright portion 51c of the partition member 51 can be passed through without interfering with each other when the article is delivered to the buckets 44 and 45. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the buckets 44 and 45 that form the conveyance surface of the article X in the accumulation and conveyance device 13 are lowered by the inclination of the angle γ, that is, on the left side in the figure, on the buckets 44 and 45. A plate-like side guide member 61 that contacts and guides the side of the held article X is provided. The side guide member 61 extends in the direction of the discharge position P2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, a lower guide member 62 extending from the lower position of the delivery device 12 to the upper upstream end of the stacking and conveying device 13 is provided. The lower guide member 62 supports and guides the lower end portion of the article X delivered from the delivery device 12 to the buckets 44 and 45 of the stacking and conveying device 13, and extends from a predetermined portion of the main body case 1a to be stacked and transported. It is set as the structure along the inclined conveyance surface mentioned above in the apparatus 13 vicinity. 6 and 10, the lower guide member 62 is formed in a comb-teeth shape so as to be able to intersect the placement surface 24 a of the delivery table 24 and the standing surface 51 c of the partition member 51.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the upper part for aligning the upper position of the standing articles X delivered from the delivery device 12 to the buckets 44 and 45 of the stacking and transporting device 13 above the upstream side of the stacking and transporting device 13. A guide mechanism 71 is provided. The guide mechanism 71 includes a pressing member 72 that presses the article X from above, and an air cylinder 73 that moves the pressing member 72 up and down as indicated by arrows e and e ′. In synchronization with the delivery of the article, before the article is delivered to the buckets 44 and 45, the presser member 72 is moved up to be retracted to a position where the delivery of the article X is not hindered, and after the article is delivered, the presser member 72 is moved downward. The article X is driven so as to be pressed from above. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the pressing member 72 of the upper guide mechanism 71 has a comb-teeth shape so as to be able to intersect with the placement surface 24 a of the delivery table 24.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the discharge device 14 discharges a group of articles X... X transported to the discharge position P2 by buckets 44 and 45 provided in the accumulation transport device 13 all at once. A pusher device 81 is provided on the side of the conveyance surface having the 44 and 45 therebetween. The pusher device 81 includes a motor 82 attached to the main body case 1a, a flat belt conveyor 83 that reciprocates as the traveling surface is indicated by arrows f and f 'by driving the motor 82, and a traveling surface of the conveyor 83. And a plate-like pusher member 85 attached to the tip of a rod that advances and retreats so as to be orthogonal to the conveying direction b of the air cylinder 84. In this case, the pusher device 81 can be moved in synchronization with the buckets 44 and 45, and the pusher member 85 can be replaced with one having dimensions corresponding to the thickness and number of articles X ... X to be discharged. is there.

  The discharge device 14 includes a discharge guide device 91 on the lower side of the conveying surface with the buckets 44 and 45 sandwiched in a positional relationship facing the pusher device 81. The discharge guide device 91 includes a motor 92 attached to the main body case 1 a, a flat belt conveyor 93 that reciprocates as the traveling surface is indicated by arrows f and f ′ by driving the motor 92, and the traveling of the conveyor 93. And a cradle 94 attached to the surface. In this case, the discharge guide device 91 is movable in synchronization with the buckets 44 and 45, and the cradle 94 is replaced with one having a size corresponding to the thickness and number of discharged articles X ... X. Is possible. The side guide member 61 described above is installed on the side upstream side where the discharge guide device 91 is provided.

  Next, the operation of the transport device 1 will be described. Note that a series of operations to be described later is an example, and is not necessarily limited to this order.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when a relatively flat packaged article X is supplied from the upstream carrying conveyor 11 whose conveying surface is inclined in the width direction by an angle α, the loading surface is placed at the receiving position P <b> 1. The delivery table 24 of the delivery device 12 in which 24a is inclined from the horizontal direction to the rotation direction d by the angle α receives the articles X one by one and converts them into a standing posture, into the bucket 44 of the downstream stacking and conveying device 13. Deliver.

  Hereinafter, the stacking operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 16. However, in order to avoid the complication of the drawings and clarify the operations of the delivery device 12 and the stacking and transporting device 13, the width of the transport surface of the stacking and transporting device 13. The description of the buckets 44 and 45 is simplified by neglecting the inclination of the direction. Further, in order to clearly show the operation of the delivery table 24, a unique reference numeral is appropriately attached to each delivery table 24 and each article X.

First, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, predetermined 12 articles X _{1 to} X ₁₂ are already held in a standing posture in the preceding bucket 44 in the stacking and conveying apparatus 13, and the bucket 44 almost reaches the discharge position P2. In addition, five articles X _{1 to} X ₅ are held in a standing posture in the subsequent bucket 45. Transfer table 24 ₁ preceding the delivery device 12 from behind the article X ₅ tail end is attempting to retreat rearward upward rotated in the arrow d direction. In the receiving position P1, a new article X ₆ in the transfer table 24 ₂ the subsequent is supplied. The remaining delivery tables 24 ₃ and 24 ₄ are in the positional relationship shown in the figure. Then, the air cylinder 72 of the upper guide mechanism 71 moves the presser member 73 upward so that it is retracted to a position that does not hinder delivery of the article X.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the articles X _{1 to} X ₁₂ held in the bucket 44 are discharged all at once during the movement by driving the pusher device 81 of the discharging device 14 that moves in synchronization with the buckets 44 and 45. The bucket 44 discharged toward the guide device 91 and emptied retreats from the discharge position P2 as indicated by an arrow b and moves to attach to the upstream side of the succeeding bucket 45.

On the other hand, in the receiving position P1 near to the landing transfer table 24 ₂ holding an article X ₆ are close to the bucket 45 while rotating in the arrow d direction, the lower end portion of the article X ₆ in the lower guide member 62 while, gather the article _{X 6} in the article _X 1 to X ₅ direction which is held in the bucket 45. At this time, the transfer table 24 _2, which is shaped to not interfere with each other as described above and the lower guide member 62 intersect.

Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the bucket 45 while moving in the arrow b direction by one minute article transfer table 24 ₂ is being passed articles X ₆ in the bucket 45 is further rotated in the arrow d direction standing with the posture, gather the article _{X 6} in an upright position behind the article _X 1 to X ₅ in the bucket 45. On the other hand, transfer table 24 ₃ subsequent is close to the receiving position P1, and is about to become a predetermined receiving position.

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the conveying surface of the bucket 45 is inclined by an angle γ in the width direction, so that the article X ₆ delivered to the bucket 45 is on the lower side due to the inclination. The movement is restricted by the side guide member 61 located on the side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, since the conveyance surface of the bucket 45 is inclined downward by an angle β toward the downstream side, the article X ₆ delivered to the bucket 45 is inclined forward from the inclination. It is held in stuff.

Further, the pressing member 73 by the operation of the air cylinder 72 of the upper guide mechanism 71 moves downward as indicated by arrow e, hold the upper portion of the article X _5, etc. of the article X ₆ or the vicinity.

The empty bucket 44 overlaps within a predetermined range on the upstream side of the bucket 45 that is receiving the article, and the predetermined 12 pieces of X ₁ are separated by the partition members 51 and 51 of the buckets 44 and 45. space for holding to X ₁₂ are defined. After the overlap, both buckets 44 and 45 move in synchronization.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15, is on the bucket 45 in the article receiving and six articles X ₁ to X ₆ is held in a standing position, the transfer table 24 ₂ having been subjected to transfer the times in the direction of arrow d and moving, it is being retracted from behind the article X ₆ rearmost rearwardly upwardly. In that case, by the operation of the air cylinder 72 of the upper guide mechanism 71, the pressing member 73 is pressed down an upper end of such article X ₆ is moved upward as indicated by an arrow e '. Then, the transfer table 24 ₃ which follows, which is a predetermined receiving position at the receiving position P1, and a new article X ₇ is supplied.

As described above, the delivery device 12 is provided with the _four delivery tables 24 _{1 to} 24 _4, which are replaced and can receive the article X from the upstream side, thereby speeding up the accumulation process at the delivery position P 1. .

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, when the _twelfth article X12 is delivered to the bucket 45 by the delivery table 24, when the bucket 45 moves toward the discharge position P2 as indicated by the arrow b, a transfer table 24 to be retracted to pivot serves as the partition member 51 of the subsequent bucket 44 in the arrow d direction of the end holding member from behind of the article X ₁₂ is to be crossed. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, since the standing portion 51 a of the partition member 51 and the placement surface 24 a of the delivery table 24 are formed in a comb-teeth shape, the partition member 51 of the bucket 44 has the delivery table interchanged intersects the 24 holding the article X ₁₂ of the rearmost end.

  With the above-described configuration, at the receiving position P1, as in the past, a plurality of articles that maintain a predetermined distance from each other are not supplied to the buckets 44 and 45 all at once, but the article X is delivered by the delivery device 12. Are transferred to the buckets 44 and 45 one by one, so that the target article X is not limited to one that can stand on its own, and there is also a special device that supplies a plurality of articles X. Since it is unnecessary, it is excellent in versatility.

  And the partition member 51 which comprises each bucket 44 and 45, and the bottom face member 52 ... 52 connected to this partition member 51 move integrally, and also the bottom face member 52 ... 52 is the other from the one flat belt 43 side. Since the belt extends in the width direction toward the flat belt 43, even if there is a difference in traveling speed between the flat belts 43, 43, not only articles that can be self-supported, Even a thin boxed article is stably supported from below by the bottom members 52... 52 of the buckets 44 and 45, and can be conveyed to the discharge position P2 without disturbing the posture. 1 is realized.

  Further, the bottom surface members 52... 52 of the buckets 44 and 45 are lowered toward the upstream side, and then the upstream side of the preceding buckets 44 and 45 attached to one of the flat belts 43 and the other flat belt 43. Is attached to the downstream side of the buckets 44, 45 that follow the buckets 44, 45 so that they can overlap. Therefore, for example, by adjusting the amount of overlap, the number of articles X to be held and the articles X It is possible to respond flexibly to changes in the thickness of the film, and it is more versatile.

  The partition members 51 of the preceding buckets 44 and 45 hold the foremost ends of the articles X... X, and when the articles X... X are discharged, the articles X. By operating so as to play the role of holding the rearmost end of X, stable article holding and conveyance can be performed efficiently with less members. As described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, by moving the discharge device 14 in synchronization with the buckets 44 and 45, it is possible to discharge the article during the movement of the article, and there is an advantage that the time can be reduced.

  Next, another embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the motors 46, 46 that independently drive the flat belts 43, 43 to which the buckets 44, 45 are attached are respectively connected to the upstream side of the preceding bucket 44 attached to one of the flat belts 43. It is attached to the other flat belt 43 and overlaps with the downstream side of the bucket 45 following the bucket 44, and is placed in a standing posture by both partition members 51, 51 provided in the buckets 44, 45. Each flat belt 43 is driven so as to define a space for holding each group of articles X ... X.

  According to this, since the article holding space in which the partition members 51 and 51 are positioned in front and rear is defined, stable article holding and conveyance are realized. It should be noted that there is an advantage that the drive control is simplified because the article reception and the article discharge are not performed in parallel.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment that has been specifically described in detail, and may be any that are within the spirit of the present invention. For example, the inclination angles α, β, and γ are not shown using specific numerals, but are set in a range where the article X is stably conveyed and delivered, and may be zero.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the motors 46 and 46 may drive the buckets 44 and 45 so as to operate separately. That is, one bucket 44 moves to the discharge position P2 if a predetermined number (for example, 10) of articles X... X is accumulated, while the other bucket 45 delivers regardless of the operation of the bucket 44. Articles X ... X are received from the device 12.

  In this case, since each bucket 44, 45 does not have a partition member 51 as a rear end holding member for holding the collected last end article X, such a drive pattern mainly accumulates the article X that is easy to stand on its own. It is preferably applied to conveyance. As described above, when the conveyance surfaces of the buckets 44 and 45 are inclined downward toward the downstream side, the article to be held is in a forward leaning posture, and thus the drive pattern is an article that is difficult to stand on its own. It is preferably applied to X.

  The stacking and conveying device 13 is provided with a pair of flat belts 43 and 43 and buckets 44 and 45, which can be added respectively.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even when an article received at the receiving position is transported to the discharge position while being held in a standing posture, the article is relatively flat and difficult to stand by itself. Provided is a versatile transport device that can transport without disturbing the posture. That is, the present invention is widely suitable for the technical field of article conveyance.

It is a side view of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an arrow view by the II-II line of FIG. 1, and shows a carrying-in conveyor and a delivery apparatus. It is an enlarged arrow line view by the III-III line of FIG. 2, and shows the rotation structure of a delivery stand. It is an expanded sectional view by the IV-IV line of FIG. 1, and shows the structure of a delivery stand. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. It is a front view for demonstrating the overlap structure between a pair of buckets. It is a side view similarly. It is a top view of the partition member and bottom face member with which one bucket was equipped. It is a top view of the bottom face member with which the other bucket was equipped. It is a top view of a lower guide member and an upper guide mechanism. It is a top view of a discharge device. It is a typical side view for explaining accumulation operation, and shows the state where a delivery stand received a new article. Similarly, it shows a state where an article starts to be delivered from the delivery platform to the bucket. Similarly, the state in which the article is held in a standing posture in the bucket is shown. Similarly, the subsequent delivery table shows a state where a new article has been received. Similarly, the state immediately before the delivery table and the partition member of the bucket intersect is shown. It is a typical side view for demonstrating the case where a bucket is driven with the drive pattern which concerns on other embodiment. It is a typical side view for demonstrating the case where a bucket is driven with another drive pattern. It is a side view of the conventional conveying apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 Conveying device 12 Delivery device (delivery means)
43 Flat belt ( endless conveying member)
44, 45 bucket (holding unit)
46 Motor (drive means)
51 Partition member 52 Bottom member P1 Acceptance position P2 Discharge position X Article

Claims (3)

A conveying device that holds a plurality of articles received at a predetermined receiving position in a standing posture and is accumulated in the front-rear direction, and conveys the group of articles to a predetermined discharge position,
Delivery means for receiving articles supplied from outside at the receiving position one by one and delivering them in a standing posture downstream;
A plurality of endless conveying members that circulate via the receiving position and the discharging position;
Driving means for independently driving the endless conveying members;
One or more attached to each of the endless transport members, and a holding unit for holding each group of articles delivered from the delivery means and placed in a standing posture,
Each holding unit is attached to each endless conveying member so as to be alternately positioned in the article conveying direction, and has a leading partition member and a bottom member connected to the partition member,
The partition member and the bottom member extend in the width direction from one endless transport member side to the other endless transport member side, and the height of the bottom member relative to the endless transport member becomes lower toward the upstream side. And
Each holding unit is attached to one endless conveying member and can be overlapped with the upstream side of the preceding holding unit and the downstream side of the holding unit that is attached to the other endless conveying member and follows the holding unit. It is comprised in the conveying apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
Each of the driving means is attached to one endless conveying member, and the upstream side of the preceding holding unit overlaps with the downstream side of the holding unit that is attached to the other endless conveying member and follows the holding unit. Each endless conveying member is driven so as to define a space for holding each group of articles placed in an upright posture by both partition members provided in the both holding units. Conveying device to do. In the conveying apparatus according to claim 1,
Each of the driving means is attached to one endless conveying member, and the upstream side of the preceding holding unit overlaps with the downstream side of the holding unit that is attached to the other endless conveying member and follows the holding unit. And defining a space for holding each group of articles placed in a standing posture by both partition members provided in the both holding units,
When the group of articles held in the holding space at the discharge position is discharged, the downstream side of the preceding holding unit overlaps the upstream side of the subsequent holding unit, and both the holding units are provided. Each of the endless conveying members is driven so as to define the next holding space by the partition member.

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