JP5016987B2 - Container alignment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning containers.

  Since there are locations where containers are transported in multiple rows and locations where containers are transported in a single row in order to inspect containers, for example, in the path for transporting containers such as bins and cans by conveyor, There is a need for an alignment device that aligns multiple rows into a single row.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an alignment device that guides a plurality of rows of containers supplied from a supply conveyor to a collection conveyor that is arranged adjacent to the supply conveyor and sequentially increases the speed, thereby forming a single row. In this aligning apparatus, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of side belts for guiding the containers are arranged on one side of the container transport path, and the containers contacting the side belts are accelerated to align the containers.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 4, the containers are aligned using a combiner with a swinging guide that reciprocates the guide on one side in the container transport direction and the opposite direction.

Patent Document 2 describes an aligning device having a pair of side walls whose intervals are narrowed as the container advances along the path on both sides of a path for transporting the containers, and the side walls of the aligning apparatus are all or part of the side walls. The moving side wall is used to prevent the container from being clogged between the side walls. Patent Document 2 shows that the belt constituting the moving side wall shown in FIG. 5 is rotated so as to move in a direction opposite to the direction in which the container is conveyed.
JP 2005-22846 A JP-A-6-199413

  In the aligning device described in Patent Document 1, the containers are not squeezed and aligned by the guides, so the containers are clogged unless the distance and the length of the guides provided on both sides of the path for transporting the containers are large. Therefore, there is a problem that a large space is required for the alignment device.

  Although the combiner using the swinging guide can shorten the length of the aligning device, the container is likely to be clogged because pressure is applied by narrowing the container.

  In the aligning device described in Patent Document 2, the clogging can be eliminated to some extent because the moving side wall moves the clogged container in the direction in which the distance between the side walls in the direction opposite to the conveying direction is widened, but the clogging suppressing effect is still not good. It was enough.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an alignment device that can efficiently prevent clogging of containers in a small space.

  The present invention is an apparatus for aligning containers supplied in a plurality of rows and discharging them in a single row, wherein the containers advance along the transport path on both sides of a transport path for transporting the containers in a predetermined transport direction. And at least one of the guides includes an endless chain to which a plurality of rollers are attached, and the track of the endless chain has a facing portion facing the conveyance path, and the endless chain is facing The roller is driven so as to move in a direction opposite to the conveying direction in the portion.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the surface of the roller is made of an elastic material.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an alignment apparatus that can efficiently prevent clogging of containers in a small space.

  An example of the container alignment apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The container in this embodiment uses a bottle, but other containers such as cans can also be used.

  The bottles B are supplied to the alignment conveyor 1b in a plurality of rows by the supply conveyor 1a while both sides of the conveyance path are regulated by the guide 2a. The plurality of rows of bottles B are aligned on the alignment conveyor 1b and discharged to the discharge conveyor 1c in a single row.

  On both sides of the transport path for transporting the bottles B of the alignment conveyor 1b in a predetermined transport direction indicated by arrows, guides are provided in which the distance between the bottles B decreases along the transport path. At least one of the guides includes an endless chain 3 to which a plurality of rollers 3c are attached. In this embodiment, one of the guides is a fixed guide 2b, and the other guide is configured as an endless chain 3 to which a roller is attached. However, both guides can be endless chains 3 to which rollers are attached.

  The endless chain 3 has a pair of pulleys 3a installed along the conveyance path, a chain 3b spanned between the pair of pulleys, and a plurality of rollers 3c attached to the chain 3b. The track of the endless chain 3 has a facing portion that faces the conveyance path, and the endless chain 3 is driven by a pair of pulleys 3a so that the roller 3c moves in a direction opposite to the conveying direction at the facing portion. The endless chain 3 to which the aligning conveyor 1b, the guide 2b, and the roller 3c are attached constitutes an aligning device.

  The bottles B are arranged in a single row by being narrowed down because the distance between the guide 2b and the endless chain 3 is narrowed as it advances in the right direction in FIG. 1 by the alignment conveyor 1b. The bottle B may be clogged (bridged) during the narrowing process. However, even if the bottle B is likely to be clogged, the bottle B in contact with the roller 3c of the endless chain 3 receives a force in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction, that is, the direction in which the width of the conveyance path is wide for the bottle B. Bottle C is not clogged. Even if clogging occurs, the bottle B in contact with the roller 3c of the endless chain 3 is shifted in the left direction in the figure, so that the clogging is quickly eliminated. Moreover, it is not a belt but the roller 3c which moves the bottle B to the direction opposite to a conveyance direction like patent document 2. FIG. There is a gap between the adjacent rollers 3c, and the gap serves as a buffer to further prevent the bottle B from being clogged than the belt. Further, since the clogged bottle B is located in the gap between the rollers, it receives a force to move to the upstream side in the transport direction by the roller 3c on the downstream side in the transport direction in contact with the bottle B. Clogging is eliminated more reliably than the device.

  The roller 3c has a surface made of an elastic material. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the bottle B from bursting due to an excessive force applied to the bottle B which is squeezed on the alignment conveyor 1b.

The figure which looked at an example of the alignment device which concerns on this invention from the top. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 1. The figure which looked at the alignment apparatus of a prior art from the top. FIG. 5 is a top view of another prior art alignment apparatus. The figure which looked at another alignment apparatus of another prior art from the top.

Explanation of symbols

1: conveyor, 1a: supply conveyor, 1b: alignment conveyor, 1c: discharge conveyor, 2a-2d: fixed guide (guide), 3: endless chain (guide), 3a: pulley, 3b: chain, 3c: roller

Claims (2)

A container alignment apparatus for aligning containers supplied in multiple rows and discharging them in a single row,
On both sides of the transport path for transporting the container in a predetermined transport direction, the guide is provided such that the interval decreases as the container advances along the transport path,
At least one of the guides includes an endless chain to which a plurality of rollers are attached,
The track of the endless chain has a facing portion facing the transport path,
The alignment device, wherein the endless chain is driven so that a roller moves in a direction opposite to the conveying direction at the facing portion.   The container alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the roller is made of an elastic material.

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