JP4883611B2 - Direction change device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a direction changing device that changes the direction of an article and conveys the article.

  For example, in a palletizer in which articles such as cardboard boxes are stacked on a pallet, the articles are arranged in accordance with a stacking pattern for one stage stacked on the pallet at the inlet of the palletizer, and the stacking pattern 1 Articles are stacked one by one on the pallet. A direction changing device is provided at the inlet of the palletizer to change the direction of the article 90 degrees to the left or right according to the stacking pattern, or to carry the article straight without conveying it. It is used.

  The conventional direction changing device includes two rows of conveyors on which articles are straddled. Each of these conveyor rows can individually change the conveyance speed for each of a plurality of blocks along the conveyance direction, and does not change direction. When conveying articles, the two conveyor lines are controlled at a constant speed to convey the articles in a fixed direction, and when conveying articles that change direction, the two conveyor lines are controlled at different speeds to different conveying speeds. Then, the article is redirected and conveyed by the speed difference.

Then, when changing the direction of the article, only the block on which the article is directly placed among the plurality of blocks in the two conveyor rows is switched from the constant speed control to the different speed control, along with the movement of the article to the downstream block, The direction of the article is changed by sequentially shifting the switching from the constant speed control to the different speed control to the downstream block (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-322059 (page 6-7, FIG. 1)

  However, in the conventional direction changing device, the switching from the constant speed control to the different speed control is sequentially shifted to each downstream block as the article moves to each downstream block of the two conveyor rows. The direction of the article such as the shift data for sequentially shifting the switching from the constant speed control to the different speed control to the downstream block does not match the actual article position, and the direction change of the article is insufficient or excessive. There is a possibility that the change cannot be made accurately, and there is a problem that the direction change is not stable.

  Furthermore, with the movement of articles to each block downstream of the two conveyor rows, there is a hassle in adjusting the exact timing for sequentially shifting the switching from constant speed control to different speed control to each downstream block. There is such a problem.

  In addition, since each block on which the articles in the two conveyor rows are sequentially transferred is controlled at different speeds from constant speed control, it is necessary to change the transport speed of each block instantaneously. There is a problem that requires equipment.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can change the direction of an article accurately and stably without sequentially shifting the different speed control to each block on the downstream side of the conveyor row. It is an object of the present invention to provide a direction changing device that can easily control and adjust the motor, and that does not require high-performance driving equipment.

The direction changing device according to claim 1 has a plurality of conveyor rows on which articles are straddled, and each of these conveyor rows can be individually driven for each of a plurality of blocks along the conveying direction. Detects the transport conveyor that transports while changing the direction of the article to be redirected when the row is controlled to different transport speeds, and the position in the transport direction of the articles that are carried into the transport conveyor and the articles that are transported by the transport conveyor Detecting means for detecting a direction change object to be conveyed to the conveyor by the detecting means, and a plurality of blocks from the upstream block in the conveying direction of the plurality of conveyor rows to the block at which the direction change of the article is completed. the blocks and control means for Kotosoku control at a time, the control means, when attempting to Kotosoku control at a time a plurality of blocks, the different If an article to be transported in advance is located in a downstream block among the blocks to be controlled, only the block on the downstream side of the block to be transported continues the control based on the transport of the article to be transported in advance. a shall be Kotosoku control after passing.

  The direction changing device according to claim 2 is the direction changing device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the block through which the article has passed among the blocks subjected to the different speed control at the same time and completes the direction change. When the article reaches the block, the block where the article is located is controlled at a constant speed.

Diverting device 請 Motomeko 3 wherein, in the direction changing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means controls a constant speed conveyor train of a plurality of rows in the normal direction, which is carried into the conveyor by detecting means When detecting an article to be converted, a plurality of blocks from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the plurality of conveyor rows to at least a block where the direction change of the article is completed are switched from constant speed control to different speed control at a time, and detecting means Thus, the constant speed control of the plurality of conveyor rows is maintained when the non-direction change target article carried into the conveyor is detected.

According to the direction changing apparatus according to claim 1, when the article to be changed into the conveyance conveyor is detected by the detecting means, at least the article is changed from the upstream block in the conveying direction of the plurality of conveyor rows. Since multiple blocks up to the completed block are controlled at different speeds at a time, it is possible to accurately and stably change the direction of goods compared to sequentially shifting the different speed control to each block downstream of the conveyor row, The control and adjustment of the direction change of the article can be easily performed, and a high-performance drive device capable of instantaneous speed change is not necessary and can be made inexpensive. In addition, when a plurality of blocks are to be controlled at different speeds at the same time, if an article to be transported in advance is located in a downstream block among the blocks to be controlled at different speeds, only the downstream block is selected. Since the control based on the conveyance of the article to be conveyed in advance is continued and the different speed control is performed after passing the article to be conveyed in advance, it is possible to cope with the case where the conveyance interval of the article is small.

  According to the direction changing apparatus according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of the direction changing apparatus according to claim 1, in order to control the blocks through which the article has passed among the blocks subjected to the different speed control at the same time, the subsequent articles When the article reaches the block where the direction change is completed, the block where the article is located can be controlled at a constant speed, and the article after the direction change can be conveyed.

According to the diverting apparatus 請 Motomeko third aspect, in addition to the effect of turning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, to control a constant velocity conveyor train of a plurality of rows in a normal, is carried into the conveyor by detecting means When the article to be turned is detected, the plurality of blocks from the upstream block in the conveying direction of the plurality of conveyor rows to the block at which the turning of the article is completed are switched from constant speed control to different speed control at a time, When detecting the non-direction change target article carried into the conveyor by the detection means, it is possible to process the direction change article and the non-direction change article in order to maintain the constant speed control of the plurality of conveyor lines. The direction of the goods to be performed can be changed accurately and stably.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3, 11 is a direction changing device, and this direction changing device 11 is installed between a conveying device (not shown) on the upstream side in the conveying direction F and an inlet portion of a palletizer (not shown) on the downstream side. The direction of an article 13 such as a cardboard case fed from the apparatus is rotated 90 ° to the left or right according to the stacking pattern arranged at the inlet of the palletizer, or is moved straight without rotation, and the inlet of the palletizer. To the part.

  The direction changing device 11 has a base 16 installed on the floor surface or the like, and a transport conveyor 17 for placing the article 13 on the base 16 and transporting it in the transport direction F is disposed. This conveyor 17 has two conveyor rows 18a and 18b arranged in parallel in the direction intersecting the conveying direction F, and an article 13 is straddled on these two conveyor rows 18a and 18b. The articles 13 are conveyed in the direction of change or straightly by the conveyor lines 18a and 18b.

  Each conveyor row 18a, 18b has a mounting frame 20 supported by a plurality of mounting bases 19 installed on a base 16, and outer sides arranged outside the conveying conveyor 17 at both ends of the mounting frame 20. A frame 21 and an inner frame 22 arranged on the inner side which is the center side of the conveyor 17 are respectively attached, and the outer frame 21 and the inner frame 22 are integrally connected by a plurality of transverse members 23.

  A plurality of rollers 24 are arranged in parallel along the transport direction F between the outer frame 21 and the inner frame 22 of each conveyor row 18a, 18b. Each roller 24 has a roller shaft 25 attached to both the outer frame 21 and the inner frame 22 in a non-rotating state, and a roller portion 26 rotatably attached to the roller shaft 25. A pulley portion 27 is provided on the outer end side. Blocks B1 to B5 that can be individually driven as a set of three rollers 24 in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction F are configured, and the pulley portion 27 of the roller 24 of each block B1 to B5 is a belt. A conveyor unit 29 is configured in which the three rollers 24 rotate integrally with each other so as to be capable of interlocking rotation in the same direction. One roller 24 at the center of each of the blocks B1 to B5 is a motor roller 24a having a built-in motor, and the roller 24 of each of the blocks B1 to B5 is rotationally driven by the driving of the motor roller 24a. The motor roller 24a performs, for example, two-speed control to a first conveyance speed and a second conveyance speed that is higher than the first conveyance speed. When one of the two conveyor rows 18a, 18b is controlled to the first transport speed and the other to the second transport speed, the article 13 is transported while changing the direction due to the speed difference, Further, when the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b are controlled at a constant speed by either the first conveyance speed or the second conveyance speed, the articles 13 are conveyed in a constant posture without changing the direction.

  The rollers 24 of the two conveyor rows 18a, 18b are inwardly inclined with the height of the inner end side of the rollers 24 approaching each other of the two conveyor rows 18a, 18b lower than the outer end side, It is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane.

  One conveyor row 18a is supported by a slide guide 30 disposed on the base 16 so as to be movable toward and away from the other conveyor row 18b. At the time of use, one conveyor row 18a is used in a state of approaching the other conveyor row 18b, and at the time of maintenance, etc., one conveyor row 18a is separated from the other conveyor row 18b, and each conveyor The motor rollers 24a arranged in the rows 18a and 18b are configured to be easily maintained.

  Also, one side position above the axis of the most upstream roller 24 of the block B1 at the start end of the block B1 of the direction changing device 11, and the most downstream roller of each block B1 to B5 at the end of each block B1 to B5 Sensors PR0, PR1 to PR5 for detecting the article 13 are arranged at one side above the 24 axis. Each of these sensors PR0, PR1 to PR5 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor, which projects sensor light from one side of the direction changing device 11 to the other side and is reflected by the reflector 31 disposed on the other side of the direction changing device 11. When the sensor light is detected when the sensor light reflected by the reflector 31 is in the light receiving state, and the sensor light is blocked by the article 13 and the sensor light is not received. The presence of an article is detected.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each motor roller 24 a of the direction changing device 11 is connected to a control board 51 provided with a motor driver for controlling the driving, and the control board 51 includes the entire palletizer including the direction changing device 11. Is connected to a control panel 52 for controlling. The control panel 52 includes a control unit 56 having a CPU 53, a memory 54, a counter 55, and the like. The control unit 56 includes an input device 57 for inputting the product type of the article 13, and sensors 58 including sensors PR0 and PR1 to PR5. Are connected to each other.

  The CPU 53 of the control unit 56 determines the function of the detection means 59 that detects the position of the article 13 carried into the conveyor 17 and the article 13 conveyed by the conveyor 17 in the conveying direction F, and the type and size of the article 13 Function of setting means 60 for automatically generating and setting a direction change completion position where the direction change of the article 13 is completed on the conveyor 17, and a control means 61 for controlling the two conveyor rows 18 a and 18 b at different speeds or at constant speed control It has the function of

  The detection means 59 directly detects the position of the article 13 in the conveyance direction F by the sensors PR0, PR1 to PR5, and conveys the count value by the counter 55 after detection of the sensors PR0, PR1 to PR5 and the article 13. The position in the conveyance direction F of the article 13 is obtained from the speed.

  The direction change completion position set by the setting means 60 is an area subdivided into, for example, 11 equal parts in the transport direction F for each of the blocks B2 to B5 on the downstream side of the transport conveyor 17, and the articles on the transport conveyor 17 This is a direction change completion area A1 to A11 where 13 direction changes are completed.

  Then, the control means 61 controls the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b at a constant speed during the normal time when the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b are not controlled at different speeds. Blocks B2, B3, in which at least the direction change of the article 13 is completed from the block B1 upstream in the conveyance direction of the two conveyor rows 18a, 18b when the articles to be changed into the conveyance conveyor 17 detected by PR0 are detected. B4 or B5, for example, the blocks B1 to B5 are switched from the constant speed control to the different speed control at a time, and the article 13 passes among the blocks B1 to B5 subjected to the different speed control at a time, for example, the blocks B1 and B2 When the article 13 reaches the direction change completion areas A1 to A11 of the blocks B2 to B5 set by the setting means 60 based on the detection by the detection means 59, the articles in the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b are controlled. Constant speed control of blocks B2 to B5 where 13 is located In addition, when the sensor PR0 of the detection means 59 detects the non-direction change target article 13 carried into the transport conveyor 17, it has a function of maintaining constant speed control of the plurality of conveyor rows 18a, 18b. Yes.

  Furthermore, when switching the plurality of blocks B1 to B5 from the constant speed control to the different speed control at a time, the article 13 that is transported in advance to, for example, the blocks B3, B4, B5, etc. on the downstream side where the different speed control is to be performed. If it is located, only the blocks B3, B4, B5, etc. on the downstream side have the function to continue the control based on the conveyance of the preceding article 13 and to control the different speed after passing the preceding article 13. is doing.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

  By inputting the product type such as the size and mass of the article 13 to be processed by the input device 57, the setting means 60 completes the change of the direction of the article 13 on the conveyor 17 by the setting means 60. A11 is automatically generated and stored in the memory 54. For example, in the example of the article 13 of W1 shown in FIG. 5, the direction change completion area A5 of the block B4 is set.

  In the standby state in which the direction changing device 11 is ready to receive the article 13 of W1, the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b are driven at the same speed by rotating the motor rollers 24a at the first conveyance speed.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (a), when the article 13 of W1 to be redirected that is carried in by the upstream transport device is detected by the sensor PR0 at the start end of the direction change device 11, two conveyor rows 18a , 18b, the blocks B1 to B4 from the block B1 on the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream block B4 on which the direction change of the article 13 of W1 is completed are switched from constant speed control to different speed control at one time (hereinafter referred to as blocks B1 to B4). B5 which is controlled at different speeds is indicated by hatching in the figure), for example, blocks B1 to B4 of one side conveyor row 18a remain at the first transport speed and blocks of the other side conveyor row 18b B1 is switched to a second transport speed that is faster than the first transport speed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the article 13 of W1 placed across the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b of the direction changing device 11 is transferred to the blocks B1 to B4 of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b. The sheet is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction F while changing its direction counterclockwise in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (c), among the blocks B1 to B4 subjected to the different speed control at once, the upstream block B1 through which the article 13 of W1 has passed by the sensor PR1 is returned from the different speed control to the constant speed control. That is, the block B1 of the other conveyor row 18b is returned to the first transport speed.

  While the W1 article 13 is being conveyed, the position of the W1 article 13 in the conveyance direction F is monitored by detection by the detection means 59, and is set by the setting means 60 by the detection means 59 as shown in FIG. When it is detected that the article 13 of W1 has reached the direction change completion area A5 of the block B4, the blocks B2 to B4 in which the article 13 of W1 is located and are controlled at different speeds are switched to constant speed control. That is, the blocks B2 to B4 of the other conveyor row 18b are returned to the first transport speed. As a result, all the blocks B1 to B5 of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b are switched to the constant speed control of the first transport speed.

  When the article 13 of W1 reaches the direction change completion area A11 of the block B4, the change of direction of the article 13 of W1 is 90 °, and the article 13 of W1 of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b is completed. By switching the blocks B2 to B4 where is located to constant speed control, the article 13 of W1 after completion of the 90 ° direction change is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction F in that direction.

  In addition, the blocks B1 to B5 of the other conveyor row 18b are switched to the second conveyance speed higher than the first conveyance speed while the blocks B1 to B4 of the one conveyor row 18a remain at the first conveyance speed. Thus, the article 13 can be turned in the clockwise direction in FIG.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the transport interval between the preceding W1 article 13 and the subsequent W2 article 13 is small and the preceding W1 article 13 is still on the blocks B3 and B4, When the subsequent product W2 13 to be redirected is detected by the sensor PR0, the downstream side of the block B1 in the transport direction upstream of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b is completed on the downstream side. Blocks B1 to B4 up to block B4 try to switch from constant speed control to different speed control at a time, but because the article 13 of W1 preceding the blocks B3 and B4 to be controlled at different speeds is located, The blocks B3 and B4 continue the control based on the conveyance of the preceding article 13 of W1, that is, the constant speed control, and the blocks B1 and B2 are switched from the constant speed control to the different speed control at a time.

  Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6 (b) and 6 (c), the preceding W1 article 13 is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction F in the post-change orientation, and the preceding W1 article 13 passes through the block B3, B4 is controlled at different speeds in order. Further, the subsequent W2 article 13 that has been straddled across the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b has the blocks B1 and B2 that are controlled at different speeds of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b, and further the blocks B3 and B4. The sheet is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction F while changing its direction counterclockwise in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (d), when the detection means 59 detects that the article 13 of W2 has reached the direction change completion area A5 of the block B4 set by the setting means 60, the article 13 of W2 is located. The blocks B2 to B4 that are under different speed control are switched to constant speed control.

  When the subsequent W2 article 13 reaches the direction change completion area A11 of the block B4, the direction change of the W2 article 13 is 90 °, and the W2 of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b is changed. By switching the blocks B2 to B4 where the article 13 is located to constant speed control, the article 13 of W2 after the 90 ° direction change is completed is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction F in that direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, when the W3 article 13 to be redirected is carried in after the W2 article 13, two conveyor rows 18a, Each block B1 to B5 of 18b is controlled at a constant speed, and the article 13 of W3 is transported downstream in the transport direction F without changing its direction.

  In the case of the articles 13 of W1 and W2 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the direction change is completed by the different speed control of the blocks B1 to B4. However, the direction change is smaller and lighter than the articles 13 of W1 and W2. In the case of the easy article 13, the direction change is completed by the different speed control of the blocks B1 to B3. On the contrary, in the case of the article 13 which is larger and has a larger mass than the articles 13 and 13 of W1 and W2, and is difficult to change the direction, the direction change is completed by the different speed control of the blocks B1 to B5.

  As described above, when the detection means 59 detects the direction change target article 13 carried into the conveyor 17, at least the change in the direction of the article 13 from the block B 1 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the two conveyor rows 18 a and 18 b is performed. Completion of the direction of the article 13 compared to sequentially shifting the different speed control to each block on the downstream side of the conveyor rows 18a, 18b, for example, to control the plurality of blocks B1 to B4 up to the block B4 at a different speed at a time. The conversion can be performed accurately and stably, the direction change of the article 13 can be easily controlled and adjusted, and a drive device such as a high-performance drive motor capable of instantaneous shifting can be made inexpensively.

  Further, among the blocks B1 to B4 that have been controlled at different speeds at a time, the blocks B1, B2, etc. through which the article 13 has passed are controlled at the same speed, so that it is possible to wait for the subsequent article 13 to be carried in.

  Also, when the plurality of blocks B1 to B4 are to be controlled at different speeds at the same time, when the article 13 to be transported in advance is located in the downstream blocks B3, B4, B5, etc. to be controlled at the different speed The blocks B3, B4, B5, etc. on the downstream side continue the control based on the conveyance of the preceding article 13 and perform different speed control after passing the preceding article 13, so that the conveyance interval of the article 13 is small Can also respond.

  Further, the direction change completion position set by the setting means 60 is an area subdivided into, for example, 11 equal parts in the transport direction F for each of the blocks B2 to B5 of the transport conveyor 17, and the article 13 on the transport conveyor 17 Since it is the direction change completion areas A1 to A11 where the direction change is completed, setting according to the type of the article 13 can be easily performed.

  In the above embodiment, the direction changing device 11 shows an example of changing the direction of the article A by 90 °. However, the direction changing device 11 is not limited to 90 °, and can change the direction of any angle. For example, when the side surface of the article A facing the outer periphery of the pallet to be aligned is set to a specified direction, the direction can be changed by 180 ° and conveyed.

  In addition, the target to be controlled at different speeds at a time is the downstream side where the direction change of the article 13 is completed, for example, the block B4, but all the blocks B1 to B5 may be the target.

  In normal operation (when the article 13 is not located or when the article 13 is moved straight without changing its direction by constant speed control), the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b are set to the first transport speed, and at the time of changing direction. One of the two conveyor rows 18a, 18b has been switched to the second conveyance speed, which is higher than the first conveyance speed, but in the normal state, the two conveyor rows 18a, 18b are set to the second conveyance speed to change the direction. In some cases, one of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b may be switched to the first conveyance speed lower than the second conveyance speed, and the processing capacity of the article 13 can be improved.

  In addition to the first and second transport speeds, it is possible to perform different speed control by multiple speeds such as third and fourth. For example, the first speed is set to the lowest speed to the fourth speed is set to the maximum speed. As a result, for example, it is possible to complete a change of direction in a short distance due to a large difference in speed between the first speed and the fourth speed in response to a large difference in the size of a conveyed product for each type, and this is combined with area control. For example, even a large transported object can be reliably changed over a short distance. On the other hand, for example, a poorly stable transported object can be stably and reliably changed its direction over a distance by different speed control that does not make much difference between the first speed and the second speed.

  Further, when the article 13 is rotated only in one direction and changed in direction, the blocks B1 to B5 are set only in one of the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b, and the blocks B1 to B5 are set in the other. Instead, it may be driven at the same speed by one drive source, and the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, in addition to the rollers 24, belt conveyors using belts may be adopted for the two conveyor rows 18a and 18b.

  Further, the conveyor row is not limited to two rows, and the direction may be changed to three or more rows.

It is a top view of the direction change apparatus which shows one embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of a direction change apparatus same as the above. It is an end view of a direction change apparatus same as the above. It is a block diagram of a direction change apparatus same as the above. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a direction change apparatus same as the above to (a)-(d). It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement following FIG. 5 of a direction change apparatus same as the above to (a)-(d). It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement following FIG. 6 of a direction change apparatus same as the above to (a)-(c).

11 Direction change device
13 Goods
17 Conveyor
18a, 18b conveyor train
59 Detection means
61 Control means
B1-B5 block

Claims (3)

It has a plurality of conveyor rows on which articles are straddled, each of these conveyor rows can be individually driven for each of a plurality of blocks along the conveyance direction, and the plurality of conveyor rows are controlled at different speeds to different conveyance speeds. A transport conveyor that sometimes transports the direction change target article while changing the direction;
Detecting means for detecting the position of the article carried in the conveyor and the article conveyed in the conveyor in the conveying direction;
When the direction change target article carried into the conveyor is detected by this detection means, a plurality of blocks from the upstream block in the conveyance direction of the plurality of conveyor rows to at least the block in which the direction change of the article is completed at a time Control means for controlling different speeds ,
The control means, when trying to control a plurality of blocks at a different speed at a time, when an article to be conveyed in advance is located in a downstream block among the blocks to be controlled at a different speed, the downstream side diverting device of the block only, wherein you Kotosoku control after the passage of the article the preceding conveying by continuing the control based on the carrier of the article the preceding conveying. The control means controls the block through which the article has passed among the blocks that have been controlled at different speeds at the same time, and controls the block where the article is located at the same speed when the article reaches the block where the direction change is completed. The direction changing device according to claim 1 . The control means normally controls the plurality of conveyor rows at a constant speed, and when the detection means detects the article to be turned into the transport conveyor, at least the articles from the upstream block in the transport direction of the plurality of conveyor rows. When a plurality of blocks up to the block where the direction change is completed are switched from constant speed control to different speed control at one time, and non-direction change target articles carried into the transport conveyor are detected by the detection means, turning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein maintaining the constant speed control.

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