JP5457733B2 - Sorting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a slat type sorting apparatus that performs sorting by pushing an article on a slat to the side in the conveying direction by a moving shoe.

  As a conventional general slat type sorting apparatus, for example, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. The sorting apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a large number of endlessly arranged slats, a moving shoe attached to the slats, and a push plate. The moving shoe is slidably attached in the longitudinal direction of the slat (perpendicular to the conveying direction). The push plate is attached to the moving shoe. The sorting position is provided with an obliquely extending branch rail, and the moving shoe can be moved from one side to the other side by being guided by the branch rail.

  In such a sorting apparatus, by rotating and driving a large number of slats, the articles placed on the slats are transported, and the moving shoes are sequentially guided to the branch rails by the branch switch, so that the push plate is It is possible to sort the articles by extruding them sideways in the conveying direction.

JP 2006-327816 A

  However, in the slat type sorting apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the length of the push plate in the conveying direction is longer than that of the slat, the end portion of the push plate is not the end portion of the endless slat conveyor. It leaves the conveyor. For this reason, there is a possibility that problems such as interference with objects in the vicinity of the sorting apparatus or rattling may occur.

  Then, the objective of this invention is providing the sorting apparatus which can prevent the malfunction which generate | occur | produces in the folding | turning edge part in an endless slat conveyor.

  In order to solve the above problems, a sorting apparatus according to the present invention pushes an article conveyed by a large number of endlessly arranged slats by a moving shoe that moves in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. In the sorting apparatus that moves and sorts, a moving shoe is provided for each zone defined by a predetermined number of slats, and the moving shoe is composed of a plurality of parts along the conveying direction, and adjacent parts are arranged in the conveying direction. It is characterized by being able to bend each other along parallel vertical planes and not bendable in a horizontal plane.

  According to such a sorting apparatus, parts adjacent to each other in the transport direction can be bent along a vertical plane parallel to the transport direction, so that the moving shoe is placed at the folded end of the endless slat conveyor. Following the movement of the chain, it bends like a chain. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as interference and rattling that occur at the folded end.

  Moreover, in the sorting apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the parts have an uneven portion that is uneven in the transport direction, and the parts that are adjacent in the transport direction are formed so as to be able to be fitted to each other by the uneven portion. Thereby, it becomes possible to move a some part integrally in the direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction.

  The sorting apparatus of the present invention further includes a branch rail that guides the parts in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and the branch rail is formed in one of a plurality of parts constituting the moving shoe. It is preferable to guide the guide roller. Here, since the parts are fitted to each other, if one part is moved in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, the other parts also move together. As a result, only one guide roller needs to be provided in each zone, and the pitch for providing the guide rollers can be widened. Therefore, there is a time margin for switching the branch switch, and precise control and sensors are not required. .

In the sorting apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable to include a main rail, a branch rail, and a magnetic body. The main rail is provided on both sides of the article conveyance direction, and guides guide rollers formed on one of a plurality of parts constituting the moving shoe in the article conveyance direction. The branch rail is provided so as to branch from the main rail on one side in the transport direction and join the main rail on the other side, and guides the guide roller in a predetermined sorting direction. The magnetic body is rotatably provided at the intersection of the branch rail and the main rail, and rotates in accordance with the movement of the moving shoe while the guide pin provided on the moving shoe is attracted by the magnetic action. The guide roller is guided from the main rail to the branch rail or from the branch rail to the main rail while being engaged with the branch rail and rotated. As a result, at the time of branching from the main rail to the branch rail or at the time of merging from the branch rail to the main rail, the moving shoe has the guide pin attracted to the magnetic body by the magnetic action, and the guide roller is engaged with the branch rail. And is guided to the branch rail or the main rail. As a result, collision of the guide roller with the branch rail and the main rail, wear and damage of the guide roller due to the collision, noise, vibration and the like are prevented.

  According to the present invention, the parts constituting the moving shoe can be bent with respect to each other along a vertical plane parallel to the conveying direction. Therefore, the moving shoe follows the movement of the slat even at the folded end of the slat conveyor. Bends away from the slat conveyor. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as interference with objects around the sorting apparatus and rattling.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a sorting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the moving shoe of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line | wire of FIG. 2 which shows the structure of a moving shoe. It is sectional drawing in a folding | turning edge part which shows the structure of a moving shoe. It is sectional drawing along the VV line of FIG. 2 which shows the structure of a moving shoe. It is a figure explaining a motion of the movement shoe of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the moving shoe concerning other suitable embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing along the VIII-VIII line | wire of FIG. 7 which shows the structure of a moving shoe. It is sectional drawing in a folding | turning edge part which shows the structure of the moving shoe of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the moving shoe concerning other suitable embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing along the XI-XI line | wire of FIG. 10 which shows the structure of a moving shoe. It is sectional drawing in a folding | turning edge part which shows the structure of the moving shoe of FIG. It is a figure explaining the branch system concerning other suitable embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a slat type sorting apparatus 10 according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of a moving shoe 20, and FIG. 3 is a configuration taken along the line III-III in FIG. FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views at the folded end portion showing the configuration of the moving shoe. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 2 showing the configuration of the moving shoe. The sorting apparatus 10 shown in the figure is a so-called slat consisting of a pair of endlessly stretched chains 12 and a large number of endless slats 14 which are placed between the chains 12 and arranged parallel to each other. Conveyor is the basic configuration. Each chain 12 is wound between a pair of front and rear sprockets (only the rear sprocket 16 is shown in FIG. 1), and by driving a drive motor (not shown) provided on the front sprocket, The chain 12 and thus the slat 14 can be driven to circulate. In this specification, the words “left” and “right” are based on the transport direction, and the words “upper” and “lower” are based on the top and bottom when the slat 14 is located on the transport surface side. ing.

  Further, the sorting apparatus 10 includes a moving shoe 20 for pushing out the articles P to the side in the transport direction (left side in the illustrated embodiment). Each moving shoe 20 is provided for each zone Z defined by a predetermined number of slats 14. In the present embodiment, one zone Z is composed of nine slats 14, but the length of one zone Z in the transport direction is not limited to this.

  The transport shoe length of the moving shoe 20 (here, the total length in the transport direction of the cap 30 constituting the parts 21a, 21b,..., 21i) is a size corresponding to the transport direction length of the zone Z. The length in the conveyance direction of the zone Z is preferably slightly smaller.

  The moving shoe 20 is composed of nine parts 21a, 21b,..., 21i in the illustrated embodiment. The nine parts 21a, 21b,..., 21i adjacent in the transport direction are bendable along a vertical plane parallel to the transport direction, and are not bendable in a horizontal plane. Each part 21 a, 21 b,..., 21 i has a slider 22 that is slidably fitted into each slat 14 and a cap 30 fastened to the top of the slider 22.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the slider 22 is made of a rigid metal material or synthetic resin material, and includes an upper plate portion 23, a lower plate portion 24, and an upper plate portion 23 and a lower plate portion 24. It is a cylindrical member which consists of the connection part 25 to connect, and the corresponding slat 14 is slidably inserted. A plurality of convex portions 26 are formed on the lower surface of the upper plate portion 23, and are slidably fitted along the grooves 14 a formed on the upper surface of the slat 14. Thereby, the slider 22 slides along the slat 14 without rattling.

  The cap 30 is a member that contacts the article P conveyed on the upper surface of the slat 14, and is fastened to the slider 22 by a bolt 38. As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 30 has concave and convex portions 31 and 32 that are concave and convex in the transport direction, and is formed in a shape in which the caps 30 adjacent in the transport direction are fitted to each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the convex part 31 of the cap 30 constituting the part 21a is formed in a shape that fits with the concave part 32 of the cap 30 constituting the part 21b and the concave part 32 constituting the part 21f. Yes. Moreover, the convex part 31 of the cap 30 which comprises the part 21b is formed in the shape mutually fitted with the recessed part 32 which comprises the part 21c. Similarly, the parts 21c and 21d, the parts 21d and 21e, the parts 21f and 21g, the parts 21g and 21h, and the parts 21h and 21i are formed in a shape in which the concave and convex portions 31 and 32 are fitted to each other. Has been. Accordingly, the nine parts 21a, 21b,..., 21i constituting the moving shoe 20 move integrally without bending each other in the left-right direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the cap 30 is formed at the end where the slat 14 is folded back by the sprocket 16 so that the caps 30 adjacent in the transport direction do not interfere with each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the caps 30 that make up adjacent parts that can be bent with respect to each other are formed so as not to overlap with each other so as not to interfere with each other.

  The part 21a which is one of the nine parts 21a, 21b,..., 21i constituting the movable shoe 20 further includes a guide pin 35 and a guide roller 36. The guide pin 35 is formed to extend downward from the lower plate portion 24 of the slider 22. The guide roller 36 is rotatably attached to the guide pin 35. The guide roller 36 is guided by a branch rail 50 described later.

  The branch rail 50 is provided for each sorting position, and is provided immediately below the slat 14 on the transport surface side. In the illustrated embodiment, the branch rail 50 extends obliquely from the right side to the left side along the transport direction. The left and right ends of the branch rail 50 are separated from the left and right chains 12 by a predetermined distance. Accordingly, the guide roller 36 of the part 21 a does not contact the branch rail 50 in a state where the moving shoe 20 is brought close to the right edge or the left edge of the sorting device 10.

  Further, a branch switch 52 is disposed at a position adjacent to the right end portion of the branch rail 50. The branch switch 52 has a known structure and has a swing plate (not shown). When the branch switch 52 is in the initial state, the swinging plate does not engage with the guide roller 36 of the part 21a constituting the moving shoe 20 moving along the right edge of the sorting device 10. The moving shoe 20 can go straight as it is. Further, when the swing switch 52 is switched by swinging the branch switch 52, the swing plate engages with the guide roller 36 of the part 21a constituting the moving shoe 20 moving on the right side, and this is connected to the adjacent branch. It can be introduced into the rail 50.

  In FIG. 2, a rail 54 having the same form as the branch rail 50 is shown. The rail 54 is for returning the part 21a constituting the moving shoe 20 moved to the left edge of the sorting apparatus 10 to the right edge when returning from the return side to the conveying surface side.

  Next, the operation of the present invention in the above configuration will be described.

  First, the drive motor of the sorting apparatus 10 is activated to drive the slats 14 in a circulating manner. At this time, the moving shoe 20 inserted into the slat 14 circulates in the transport direction along with the circulation of the slat 14. The parts 21 a, 21 b,..., 21 i constituting the moving shoe 20 are fitted into the slats 14 attached to the chain 12. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, at the end where the slat 14 is folded back by the sprocket 16, the parts 21 a, 21 b,. Moreover, since the cap 30 which comprises parts 21a, 21b, ..., 21i is comprised with the short member equivalent to the length of the slat 14 in a conveyance direction, in the edge part by which the slat 14 is turned back by the sprocket 16. Then, it follows the movement of the slat 14 and curves. At this time, the caps 30 constituting the adjacent parts 21a, 21b,..., 21i that can be bent with respect to each other are formed so as not to overlap with each other so as not to interfere with each other. As a result, the end of the cap 30 is not greatly separated from the slat conveyor at the end where the slat 14 is folded back by the sprocket 16, unlike the end of the push plate attached to the conventional moving shoe. It is possible to prevent problems such as interference with objects around 10 and rattling.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the timing of sending the articles P to the sorting apparatus 10 is set so that each article P is placed in the above-described zone Z, that is, in an area adjacent to the moving shoe 20 brought to the right. Be controlled.

  Subsequently, when the article P reaches a predetermined sorting position, the branch switch 52 is controlled to swing the swing plate from the initial position. As a result, as described above, the moving shoe 20 adjacent to the article P moves from the right side to the left side, and the article P is pushed by the moving shoe 20 and sent out to the sorting chute 56 arranged on the side portion of the sorting position. It is. Specifically, the swinging swinging plate is engaged with a guide roller 36 extending downward from one part 21a constituting the moving shoe 20 moving on the right side, and this is connected to the adjacent branch rail 50. Introduce. After the guide roller 36 is introduced into the branch rail 50, the part 21a is moved from the right side to the left side as the slat 14 is driven to circulate. At this time, since the caps 30 constituting the parts 21a, 21b,..., 21i constituting the moving shoe 20 are formed in a shape that fits in a plane as described above, the parts 21a. With the movement, the other parts 21b, ..., 21i also move together.

  At this time, since the length in the conveyance direction of the moving shoe 20 (here, the length in the conveyance direction of the cap 30) is substantially equal to the entire length of the zone Z, the article P is stably pushed by the cap 30. As a result, the article P is not rotated by pressing only a part of the surface along the transport direction, and can be translated laterally. Therefore, the trouble caused by the rotation of the article P, that is, the uncertain state of whether the article P moves forward or backward, is eliminated, and the article P can be reliably sent to the sorting chute 56. In addition, since it is not necessary to consider interference with the front and rear articles P, the length of the zone Z can be minimized.

  After the sorting of one article P is completed, when the subsequent article P is moved straight without sorting, it is necessary to switch the branch switch 52 to return to the initial state. In the present embodiment, the part 21 a provided with the guide roller 36 among the parts 21 a, 21 b,. Since the pitch between the moving shoes 20 is equal to a plurality of slats 14 and in this embodiment is equal to nine slats, there is sufficient time before switching the branch switch 52. The same applies to the case of sorting the articles P that follow the articles P that go straight ahead. For this reason, the branch switch 52 can be switched without using precise control and sensors, leading to cost reduction. Further, since the mechanical operation of the branch switch 52 is reduced, the branch switch 52 itself is less likely to fail, and the reliability of the sorting apparatus 10 is improved. In particular, when a plurality of articles P are continuously fed into the same sorting chute 56, the branch switch 52 is not returned to the initial state and can be maintained as it is, so that the effect is great.

  Furthermore, since there is a time margin for switching the branch switch 52, it is possible to increase the transport speed of the sorting apparatus 10, thereby improving the sorting capability.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described in detail, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment.

  The cap 30 constituting the moving shoe 20 of the above embodiment has been described with respect to the member having the shape shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and the like, but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, by parts 121a, 121b,..., 121i having an H-shaped cap 130 in plan view and a cross-shaped cap 130 in plan view. The moving shoe 120 may be configured. Even in this case, as shown in FIG. 9, at the end where the slat 14 is folded back by the sprocket 16, the parts 121a, 121b,. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the cap 130 has concave and convex portions 131 and 132 that are concave and convex in the transport direction, and is formed in a shape in which adjacent caps 130 are fitted to each other.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the moving shoe 220 may be configured by parts 221 a, 221 b,..., 221 i having a V-shaped cap 130 in plan view. Even in this case, as shown in FIG. 12, at the end where the slat 14 is folded back by the sprocket 16, the parts 221a, 221b,. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the cap 230 has concave and convex portions 231 and 232 that are concave and convex in the transport direction, and is formed in a shape in which adjacent caps 230 are fitted to each other.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the guide pin 35 and the guide roller 36 gave and demonstrated the example currently formed in parts 21a among nine parts 21a, 21b, ..., 21i, For example, it may be formed on other parts such as part 21b and part 21i.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment gave and demonstrated the example in which the moving shoe 20 was formed by nine parts 21a, 21b, ..., 21i, it is not restricted to this. For example, what is necessary is just to be comprised by two or more parts, such as five, six, etc., and it is desirable to set suitably according to the goods P to convey or the length of each zone. In addition, since each part can be easily removed by being inserted into the slat 14, the length of the moving shoe 20 can be flexibly changed.

  Further, the branching method of the moving shoe 20 is not limited to the above embodiment using the branching switch 52. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-290920 (Japanese Patent No. 2822318), a magnetic switch is used. A structure in which a driving force is applied to the moving shoe 20 using the action may be used. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the main rail 51 is provided on both sides of the article conveyance direction (only one main rail 51 is shown in FIG. 13), and the guide roller 36 of the moving shoe 20 is moved in the article P conveyance direction. To guide. The branch rail 50 is provided so as to branch from the main rail 51 on one side in the transport direction and join the main rail 51 on the other side, and guides the guide roller 36 in the sorting direction. The magnetic body 40 is rotatably provided at a location where the branch rail 50 and the main rail 51 intersect with each other, and rotates in accordance with the movement of the moving shoe 20 while the guide pin 35 is attracted by a magnetic action. While the roller 36 is engaged with the branch rail 50 and rotated, the roller 36 is guided from the main rail 51 to the branch rail 50 or from the branch rail 50 to the main rail 51.

  As a result, at the location where the branch rail 50 joins the main rail 51, the magnetic body 40 is centered on the rotating shaft 41 in accordance with the movement of the moving shoe 20 in a state where the guide pin 35 of the moving shoe 20 is attracted by magnetic action. The guide roller 36 is guided to the main rail 51 while being engaged with the branch rail 50 and rotated. That is, when the main rail 51 is branched to the branch rail 50 or when the branch rail 50 is joined to the main rail 51, the guide pin 35 is attracted to the magnetic body 40 by the magnetic action of the moving shoe 20, and the guide roller 36. Is engaged with the branch rail 50 and rotated to be guided to the branch rail 50 or the main rail 51. Therefore, the collision of the guide roller 36 with the branch rail 50 and the main rail 51, wear and damage of the guide roller 36 due to the collision, noise, vibration, and the like are prevented.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Sorting device, 12 ... Chain, 14 ... Slat, 14a ... Groove, 16 ... Sprocket, 20 ... Moving shoe, 21a, 21b, ..., 21i ... Parts, 22 ... Slider, 23 ... Upper plate part, 24 ... Lower plate Part 25: Connection part 26 ... Convex part 30 ... Cap 31 ... Convex part 32 ... Concave part 35 ... Guide pin 36 ... Guide roller 38 ... Bolt 40 ... Magnetic body 41 ... Rotating shaft 50 ... branch rail, 51 ... main rail, 52 ... branch switch, 54 ... rail, 56 ... chute, 120 ... moving shoe, 121a, 121b, ..., 121i ... parts, 130 ... cap, 131 ... convex part, 132 ... concave part, 220 ... moving shoe, 221a, 221b, ..., 21i ... parts, 230 ... cap, 231 ... convex, 232 ... concave, P ... article, Z ... zone.

Claims (4)

Sorting by sorting the articles (P) conveyed by a large number of endlessly arranged slats (14) by a moving shoe (20) moving in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. In the device (10):
Providing the moving shoe (20) for each zone (Z) defined by a predetermined number of the slats (14);
The moving shoe (20) is composed of a plurality of parts (21a, 21b,..., 21i) along the transport direction, and the adjacent parts (21a, 21b,..., 21i) are A sorting apparatus characterized in that it can be bent with respect to each other along a vertical plane parallel to the conveying direction, and cannot be bent with respect to each other in a horizontal plane.   The parts (21a, 21b,..., 21i) have uneven portions (31, 32) that are uneven in the transport direction, and the parts (21a, 21b,...) Adjacent to the transport direction. , 21i) are formed so that they can be fitted to each other by the concave and convex portions (31, 32). A branch rail (50) for guiding the parts (21a, 21b, ..., 21i) in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction;
The branch rail (50) guides a guide roller (36) formed in one of a plurality of parts (21a, 21b,..., 21i) constituting the moving shoe (20). The sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sorting apparatus is characterized. Guide rollers (36) provided on both sides in the conveying direction of the article and formed on one of a plurality of parts (21a, 21b,..., 21i) constituting the moving shoe (20) P) a main rail (51) for guiding in the transport direction;
The main rail (51) on one side in the conveying direction is branched from the main rail (51) and joined to the main rail (51) on the other side, and guides the guide roller (36) in a predetermined sorting direction. A branch rail (50);
In a state where the branch rail (50) and the main rail (51) intersect with each other in a freely rotating manner, the guide pin (35) provided on the moving shoe (20) is adsorbed by a magnetic action. By rotating in accordance with the movement of the moving shoe (20), the guide roller (36) is engaged with the branch rail (50) and rotated while the main rail (51) to the branch rail (50). or sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the magnetic guiding from the branch rail (50) to said main rail (51) and (40), the.

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