JP5550306B2 - Flipper type sorter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus, and more particularly to a flipper type sorting apparatus.

  Conventionally, as a sorter, a flipper sorter, an air sorter, a swing sorter, and a slide sorter are known. Since the air sorter sorts articles by blowing air on the articles and blowing them off, he cannot sort heavy articles. The swing distribution device is for thin articles and cannot distribute thick articles. In addition, the sliding sorter is expensive and requires a large space, and the structure is complicated. Therefore, in such a case, a flipper type sorting apparatus is generally used.

  The flipper type sorting apparatus includes, for example, a pair of sorting arms arranged on both sides of the conveyor. Each sorting arm has a base end portion fixed to a rotation shaft disposed on each side of the conveyor. In the standby state, the pair of sorting arms are located outside the transport conveyor in parallel with the transport direction. Then, at the time of distributing the articles, any one of the distributing arms is rotated so as to extend obliquely across the conveying direction on the conveying conveyor. Thereby, the article to be conveyed comes into contact with the sorting arm and moves along the sorting arm, and is sorted to the side of the conveyor. Thereafter, the sorting arm is rotated to the original position and returns to the standby state (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-97548

  By the way, in recent years, the performance of quality inspection devices such as an X-ray foreign matter inspection device, a measuring device, and a metal detector, which are arranged on the upstream side of the sorting device and inspect the quality of the conveyed material, is improved and conveyed. The quality of goods can be inspected at high speed. In connection with this, also in the sorting apparatus that sorts the articles based on the quality inspected by these quality testers, speeding up of sorting is required.

  However, if the transport speed of the transport conveyor is increased or the interval between the transported articles is reduced in order to speed up the sorting, the sorting arm is moved to the articles that are being transported while rotating on the transport conveyor. There was a case where the goods were accidentally sorted by contact.

  Therefore, in the conventional flipper type sorting apparatus, the sorting speed cannot be made higher than the speed at which the sorting arm comes into contact with the article conveyed while rotating on the conveyor. There was a problem.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a flipper type sorting apparatus according to the present invention includes a transport conveyor for transporting articles, a retracted position located on one side of the transport conveyor, and the other of the transport conveyors from the retracted position. Rotating to the advancing position rotated to the side, extending along the conveying direction of the article at the retracted position, and extending obliquely intersecting the conveying direction of the article at the advancing position A sorting arm configured to sort the article to be conveyed to the side of the conveyor, and the sorting arm extends in a radial direction of the rotation and has a central axis of the rotation as a center. A first arm that is rotatable, a second arm that is slidable in the extending direction of the first arm with respect to the first arm, and the first arm is rotated between the retracted position and the advanced position. First arm drive mechanism to be moved The second arm is attached to the first arm, and the second arm is positioned at the first position at the retracted position and at a position farther from the rotation center axis than the first position at the advanced position. A second arm drive mechanism that slides the arm, and the second arm drive mechanism slides the second arm according to the rotation so that the effective length changes according to the rotation. The second arm is formed in an arm cover shape that covers the first arm and the second arm drive mechanism .

  According to this configuration, since the effective length of the sorting arm changes according to the rotation, the sorting arm is less likely to come into contact with the article being conveyed than when the effective length of the sorting arm does not change. Therefore, as compared with the conventional flipper type sorting apparatus in which the effective length of the sorting arm does not change, the sorting of articles can be performed at high speed.

  In the flipper type sorting apparatus according to the invention, the sorting arm has a first effective length at the retracted position and an effective second length that is longer than the first effective length at the advanced position. The length may be configured to change according to the rotation.

  As described above, the effective length of the sorting arm changes according to the rotation so as to have the first effective length at the retracted position and the second effective length longer than the first effective length at the advanced position. When configured, since the effective length of the sorting arm is shorter than the effective length of the sorting arm at the advanced position while the sorting arm is rotating, the effective length of the sorting arm is not changed. , It becomes difficult to contact the article being conveyed. Therefore, as compared with the conventional flipper type sorting apparatus in which the effective length of the sorting arm does not change, the sorting of articles can be performed at high speed.

Further, a distribution arm first arm, a second arm, the first arm driving mechanism, since and a second arm drive mechanism, by sliding the second arm by a second arm drive mechanism, distribution arms The effective length can be changed to have the first effective length at the retracted position, and the second effective length can be configured at the advanced position. Therefore, the effective length of the sorting arm can be changed with a simple configuration.

Further, the second arm because it is formed on the arm cover shape for covering the first arm, the structure is simple, advantageous for the production, and the manufacturing cost is also inexpensive.

  In the flipper type sorting apparatus according to the above invention, the second arm drive mechanism may be configured to slide the second arm with respect to the first arm using a solenoid device.

  As described above, when the second arm driving mechanism is configured to slide the second arm relative to the first arm using the solenoid device, the second arm driving mechanism slides the second arm relative to the first arm at a high speed. The present invention can be applied to a flipper type sorting apparatus having a sorting arm that can be reciprocated many times in a short time between the retracted position and the advanced position.

  In the flipper type sorting apparatus according to the above invention, the second arm drive mechanism may be configured to slide the second arm relative to the first arm using a fluid cylinder.

  As described above, when the second arm driving mechanism is configured to slide the second arm with respect to the first arm using the fluid cylinder, when compared with the case where the solenoid device is used, The stroke amount of the second arm portion relative to the first arm portion can be increased, and the distance at which the sorting arm protrudes in the transport direction can be further shortened when the sorting arm is further rotated.

  As described above, the flipper type sorting apparatus of the present invention has an effect that the articles to be conveyed can be sorted at high speed.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the inspection line in which the flipper type distribution apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is used. It is a front view which shows the structure of the flipper type distribution apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the distribution arm with which the flipper type | mold distribution apparatus of FIG. 1 is equipped, (a) is a top view of the distribution arm in the state whose effective length is the 1st effective length, (b) is in (a) AA arrow directional view, (c) is a cross-sectional view of the sorting arm in a state in which the effective length is the second effective length. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of a weight selection line provided with the flipper type distribution apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows roughly the operation | movement of the weight selection line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the distribution arm of the flipper type | mold distribution apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention, (a) is sectional drawing which shows the distribution arm in the state whose effective length is the 1st effective length, (b) is It is sectional drawing which shows the sorting arm of the state whose effective length is the 2nd effective length. It is a top view which shows the flipper type | mold distribution apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a top view which shows the flipper type | mold distribution apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout all the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an inspection line in which the flipper type sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is used.

  In FIG. 1, the inspection line 100 includes a quality inspector 10 and a flipper sorter 20. The quality inspector 10 includes an operation setting display unit 15. In addition, the inspection line 100 includes a control device 17 in place. The quality inspection device 10 is composed of, for example, a weight sorter, a metal detector, an X-ray foreign matter detector, and the like. The weight sorter inspects the suitability of the weight of the inspected article. The metal detector inspects whether the inspected article contains metal. The X-ray foreign object detection device inspects whether or not the article to be inspected contains foreign substances using X-rays. Since these structures are well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. Hereinafter, a case where the quality inspector 10 is a weight sorter (hereinafter referred to as a weight sorter 10) and the inspection line 100 is a weight sorter line (hereinafter referred to as a weight sorter line 100) will be exemplified.

  Hereinafter, the side on which the article to be inspected is conveyed is referred to as an upstream side, and the side on which the article is conveyed is referred to as a downstream side.

  The weight sorter 10 includes a weighing conveyor 11 and a weighing sensor 12 and is arranged on the upstream side of the flipper type sorting apparatus 20. The weight sorter 10 is configured to receive an article to be inspected from the supply conveyor 5 disposed upstream of the weight sorter 10.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the flipper type sorting apparatus 20 of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flipper type sorting apparatus 20 includes a sorting conveyor 21 (conveyance conveyor) and first and second sorting arms 26 and 27. The sorting conveyor 21 is constituted by, for example, a belt conveyor. As shown in FIG. 1, the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 are respectively arranged on both sides of the sorting conveyor 21. Further, the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 include a rotation shaft 33 described later at the base end portion, and are configured to rotate between a retracted position and an advanced position described later. The first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 extend in the radial direction of rotation. The detailed configuration of the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 will be described later. A discharge conveyor 8 is disposed on the downstream side of the flipper type sorting apparatus 20. On both sides of the flipper type sorting apparatus 20, flow conveyors 6 and 7 are arranged, respectively. The shunt conveyors 6 and 7 have their respective transport directions intersecting the transport direction of the sorter conveyor 21 and their upstream ends turn the first and second sort arms 26 and 27 at the retracted positions, respectively. It arrange | positions so that it may be located under the part upstream from the axis | shaft 33. FIG.

  The supply conveyor 5, the weighing conveyor 11, the sorting conveyor 21, the diversion conveyors 6 and 7, and the discharge conveyor 8 are arranged so as to be positioned on substantially the same horizontal plane, for example. As a result, the article to be inspected is smoothly conveyed on these conveyors.

  Further, an operation setting display unit 15 is disposed on the weight selection line 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation setting display unit 15 has a touch panel 16. The touch panel 16 has input means for operating the weight selection line 100 and setting its operation, processing speed, weight, and the like. And display means for displaying values and the like on the screen.

[Configuration of sorting arm]
Next, the configuration of the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  In addition, since the 1st distribution arm 26 and the 2nd distribution arm 27 are mutually equivalent structures, the 1st distribution arm 26 is demonstrated on behalf of both below.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the first sorting arm 26 of the flipper type sorting apparatus 20, and FIG. 3A shows the first sorting arm 26 in a state where the effective length is the first effective length L1, which will be described later. A top view and (b) are AA arrow line views of (a). FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the first sorting arm 26 in a state where the effective length is the second effective length L2, which will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the first sorting arm 26 includes an arm mechanism 31 and an arm cover 32 (second arm), and the arm cover 32 (second arm) is engaged with the arm mechanism 31. It is attached by pins 36a and 36b.

  The arm cover 32 has an upper wall 32a and a peripheral wall 32b, and is formed in an elongated box shape having an open lower surface. The arm mechanism 31 is accommodated in the internal space of the arm cover 32, and thereby the side surface and the upper surface of the arm mechanism 31 are covered with the arm cover 32. The upper wall 32 a of the arm cover 32 has a pair of long holes 37 a and 37 b extending in the longitudinal direction of the arm cover 32. The width of the pair of long holes 37a and 37b is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the head of the engaging pins 36a and 36b and slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft portion of the engaging pins 36a and 36b. Further, the pair of long holes 37a and 37b are formed in parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction.

  The arm mechanism 31 includes a support 40 (first arm), a rotation shaft 33, an arm rotation mechanism (first arm drive mechanism) 34 (see FIG. 2), and a solenoid device (second arm drive mechanism) 35. And.

  The arm rotation mechanism 34 includes a stepping motor (not shown) and a driving force transmission mechanism (not shown) of the stepping motor.

  The rotation shaft 33 is provided so as to extend in the vertical direction, and is disposed on the side of the sorting conveyor 21 as shown in FIG. The rotation shaft 33 is connected to a driving force transmission mechanism of the stepping motor of the arm rotation mechanism 34 and is rotated by the driving force. The central axis of the rotation shaft 33 is the central axis of rotation of the first distribution arm 26, and the first distribution arm 26 is moved to one side of the distribution conveyor 21 by the driving force of the arm rotation mechanism 34. The retracted position extending along the first position and the advance position where the first sorting arm 26 is rotated about 45 degrees to the other side of the sorting conveyor 21 and obliquely intersects with the article conveying direction of the sorting conveyor 21. Rotate between. Accordingly, the retracted position and advanced position of the first sorting arm 26 are positioned by the stepping motor of the arm rotation mechanism 34.

  The support body 40 is a plate body provided so as to extend substantially parallel to the placement surface of the object to be weighed of the sorting conveyor 21 at the retracted position of the first sorting arm 26, and the base end portion thereof is the rotation shaft 33. It is fixed to. A substantially central portion of the support body 40 is formed in a concave shape and constitutes a solenoid device housing portion 38. The distal end portion and the proximal end portion of the support body 40 are provided with screw holes 39a and 39b having female threads that are screwed into the male threads at the distal ends of the engagement pins 36a and 36b, respectively. The screw hole 39a is configured to be positioned below the long hole 37a, and the screw hole 39b is configured to be positioned below the long hole 37b. The engaging pins 36a and 36b are inserted through the long holes 37a and 37b, respectively, and are further screwed into the screw holes 39a and 39b. Therefore, the arm cover 32 is in a retracted position (first position) where the arm cover 32 is positioned so that the inner surfaces of the long holes 37a and 37b on the distal end side of the arm cover 32 and the engaging pins 36a and 36b are in contact with each other. Position) and the forward position where the arm cover 32 is positioned so that the inner surfaces of the long holes 37a and 37b on the proximal end side of the arm cover 32 and the engaging pins 36a and 36b are in contact with each other. It is attached to the support body 40 (namely, arm mechanism 31) movably. In the following, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the effective length of the first sorting arm 26 in the state where the arm cover 32 is located at the retracted position (the rotation shaft 33 and the tip of the first sorting arm 26). The length of the connecting straight line) is referred to as a first effective length L1, and the effective length of the first sorting arm 26 in a state where the arm cover 32 is located at the forward movement position is referred to as a second effective length L2. Accordingly, the effective length of the first sorting arm 26 is configured to change within the range from the first effective length L1 to the second effective length L2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second effective length L2 of the first sorting arm 26 is the first in the state where the first sorting arm 26 is located at the advanced position and the arm cover 32 is located at the advanced position. The tip of the sorting arm 26 is set to a length that is located outside the side edge on the side opposite to the side edge of the sorting conveyor 21 on the side where the rotation shaft 33 is provided. Thus, the first sorting arm 26 and the article to be inspected are in contact with each other even if the article to be inspected conveyed by the sorting conveyor 21 is located at any position in the width direction of the sorting conveyor. Can be.

  The solenoid device 35 includes a coil 35 a attached to the solenoid device housing portion 38 of the support 40 and a movable iron core 35 b attached to the inner surface of the upper wall 32 a of the arm cover 32. When the coil 35 a is excited and de-excited, the movable iron core 35 b moves forward and backward in the longitudinal direction of the first sorting arm 26, and the arm cover 32 slides with respect to the arm mechanism 31. That is, the effective length of the first sorting arm 26 is changed by the driving force of the solenoid device 35.

  The rotation shaft 33 is configured to be rotated by the driving force of the stepping motor, but is not limited thereto. For example, the rotation shaft 33 may be configured to be rotated by the driving force of the air cylinder.

[Control system]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control system of the weight selection line 100 including the flipper type sorting apparatus 20 according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the control system of the weight selection line 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 17 included in the weight selection line 100 includes, for example, a control unit 51 including a CPU and a storage unit 54 including a ROM and a RAM. The control unit 51 controls the operation of the supply conveyor 5, the weighing conveyor 11 and the sorting conveyor 21, and the article to be inspected based on the weight of the inspected article detected by the weighing sensor 12. A distribution determination unit 55 (quality determination unit) for determining whether or not, and a distribution arm control unit 56 for controlling the operation of the first and second distribution arms 26 and 27. A predetermined control program is stored in the storage unit 54, and the operation of the weight selection line 100 is controlled by the control unit 51 reading and executing the control program. The conveyor control unit 53, the distribution determination unit 55, and the distribution arm control unit 56 are functions realized by executing the control program in this way. The analog weight signal obtained from the weighing sensor 12 is converted into a digital weight signal by the separately provided A / D conversion unit 52 and input to the control unit 51 (distribution determination unit 51).

  The storage unit 54 stores the above-described predetermined control program, information on the upper limit value and lower limit value of the appropriate weight for determining whether or not the article is to be distributed, and other setting information.

  The control unit 51 further makes various settings in the storage unit 54 in accordance with various operations input from the operation setting display unit 15, and causes the operation setting display unit 15 to display a required display in accordance with the control and processing. In addition, the arrow in a figure shows the transmission direction of a signal.

  Next, the operation of the control device 17 will be specifically described. The operation setting display unit 15 inputs the processing speed input by the user, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the appropriate weight, and other parameters to the control unit 51. Then, the control unit 51 stores the received parameters and the like in the storage unit 54. The stored parameters and the like are read out by the control unit 51, output to the operation setting display unit 15 as necessary, and confirmed by the user. In the control unit 51, the conveyor control unit 53 controls the supply conveyor 5, the weighing conveyor 11, and the sorting conveyor 21 based on the set processing speed. Further, the control unit 51 receives a weight signal obtained by converting the analog weight signal of the weighing sensor 12 into a digital weight signal from the A / D conversion unit 52. In the control unit 51, the weight signal received by the distribution determination unit 55 is compared with the upper limit value and lower limit value of the appropriate weight read from the storage unit 54, and whether or not the weight of the article to be inspected is within the appropriate weight range. And determine whether or not it is a distribution target. According to the determination result, the distribution arm control unit 56 controls the operation of the first and second distribution arms 26 and 27. Thus, the control device 17 detects the weight of the article to be inspected and controls the supply conveyor 5, the weighing conveyor 11, the distribution conveyor 21, the first and second distribution arms 26 and 27, and the weight. The sorting line 100 is operated.

[Operation example]
Next, an operation example of the weight selection line 100 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the operation of the weight selection line 100 of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the first and second distribution arms 26 and 27 are positioned at the retracted positions in the initial state by the control device 17, and the arm covers 32 of the respective distribution arms are retracted. And is controlled to have the first effective length L1.

  Next, the article to be inspected A is transferred from the supply conveyor 5 onto the weighing conveyor 11, and the article to be inspected A moves on the weighing conveyor 11. In this process, the weighing sensor 12 detects the weight of the article A to be inspected, and a weight signal is transmitted to the control device 17. Then, the control device 17 determines whether or not the inspected article A is to be distributed based on the weight signal of the weighing sensor 12, the upper limit value signal and the lower limit value signal of the appropriate weight, and the first and second The operation of the sorting arms 26 and 27 is determined and controlled.

  Next, the inspected article A whose weight is detected is transferred to the sorting conveyor 21 by the weighing conveyor 11.

  Here, when it is determined by the control device 17 that the article A to be inspected has an appropriate weight (less than the upper limit value and greater than or equal to the lower limit value), the control device 17 causes the first and second sorting arms 26. , 27 is not rotated while being placed in the retracted position. As a result, the inspected article A is transferred to the discharge conveyor 8 as it is.

  On the other hand, when the control device 17 determines that the article A to be inspected exceeds the upper limit value of the appropriate weight and has an excessive weight, the control device 17 displays the first sorting arm 26 as shown in FIG. The first rotation arm 34 is controlled to rotate the first distribution arm 26 to be positioned at the advanced position, and the first distribution arm 26 is driven by the rotation operation so that the solenoid of the first distribution arm 26 is moved. The device 35 is controlled, and the arm cover 32 is monotonously moved relative to the arm mechanism 31 from the retracted position to the advanced position. Here, “monotonic” in “moving relative to the forward position from the backward position monotonously” means that the arm cover 32 moves only from the backward position toward the forward position with respect to the arm mechanism 31, Meaning that the process in which the arm cover 32 moves from the retracted position to the advanced position with respect to the arm mechanism 31 does not include the process in which the arm cover 32 moves from the advanced position to the retracted position with respect to the arm mechanism 31 in the middle. To do. However, the arm cover 32 moves from the retracted position to the advanced position with respect to the arm mechanism 31 if the effective length of the distribution arm 26 does not substantially change compared with the case where the article is conveyed. In the process of moving, the arm cover 32 may include a process of moving from the forward movement position toward the backward movement position with respect to the arm mechanism 31 in the middle. As a result, the effective length of the first distribution arm 26 changes so as to increase monotonously from the first effective length L1 to the second effective length L2 as the first distribution arm 26 rotates.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the article A to be inspected conveyed by the distribution conveyor 21 abuts on the first distribution arm 26, and the first distribution arm 26 moves the conveyance direction to the first distribution arm 26. It can be changed along the direction. As a result, the article A to be inspected is distributed to the diversion conveyor 6 on the side of the distribution conveyor 21. The article A to be inspected transferred from the sorting conveyor 21 to the branching conveyor 6 is conveyed by the branching conveyor 6.

  Next, the weight of the inspected article B transported next to the inspected article A is also detected by the weighing sensor 12 in the same manner as the inspected article A, and the control article 17 determines that the inspected article B is to be distributed. It is determined whether or not.

  When the control device 17 determines that the article B to be inspected has an appropriate weight, the control device 17 rotates the first sorting arm 26 to the retracted position as shown in FIG. The arm cover 32 is monotonously moved relative to the arm mechanism 31 from the forward movement position to the backward movement position by following the rotation of the first sorting arm 26. As a result, the effective length of the first distribution arm 26 changes so as to monotonously decrease from the second effective length L2 to the first effective length L1 as the first distribution arm 26 rotates.

  On the other hand, when the control device 17 determines that the inspected article B exceeds the upper limit value of the appropriate weight in the same manner as the inspected article A, the control device 17 determines the position of the first sorting arm 26 and The position of the arm cover 32 is kept as it is. As a result, the inspected article B is distributed to the diversion conveyor 6 on the side of the distribution conveyor 21 in the same manner as the inspected article A.

  Further, when it is determined by the control device 17 that the article B to be inspected is below the lower limit value of the appropriate weight and the weight is too low, the control device 17 rotates the first distribution arm 26 to the retracted position and this first distribution. The arm cover 32 is monotonously moved relative to the arm mechanism 31 from the forward movement position to the backward movement position by following the pivoting movement of the arm 26, thereby changing the effective length of the first sorting arm 26 to the second effective length L2. Is monotonously changed (decreased) from the first effective length L1. Then, the second distributing arm 27 is rotated from the retracted position to the advanced position, and the first cover arm 26 is rotated to move the arm cover 32 from the retracted position to the advanced position with respect to the arm mechanism 31. By making the relative movement monotonously, the effective length of the first sorting arm 26 is monotonously changed (increased) from the first effective length L1 to the second effective length L2. As a result, the article B to be inspected is distributed to the diversion conveyor 7 on the side of the distribution conveyor 21.

  As described above, according to the weight selection line 100 according to the present embodiment, the weight of the inspected article is detected by the weighing sensor 12, and the distribution determination unit 55 is based on the weight of the inspected article. It is determined whether or not the inspection article is an article to be distributed, and the articles to be inspected that are determined to be distributed can be distributed to the diverting conveyors 6 and 7 on the side of the distribution conveyor 21 by the distribution arms 26 and 27. A series of operations can be performed automatically. In the present embodiment, the case where the quality inspecting device is the weight sorter 10 including the weighing sensor 12 is exemplified. However, when the quality inspecting device is a metal detector or an X-ray foreign matter detecting device, a metal object is used. Or the presence of foreign matter is determined to determine whether or not there is an article to be distributed, and the articles determined to be distributed are distributed by the distribution arms 26 and 27 to the branching conveyors 6 and 7 on the side of the distribution conveyor 21. These series of operations can be performed automatically.

  Further, the flipper type sorting apparatus 20 of the present invention has the first and second sorting arms 26, 27 having the first effective length at the retracted position and the second longer than the first effective length at the advanced position. Since the effective length is monotonously changed so as to have the effective length, the first and second distribution arms are being rotated while the first and second distribution arms 26 and 27 are rotating. The effective lengths of the arms 26 and 27 are shorter than the effective length L2 of the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 at the advanced position. As a result, compared to the case where the effective length of the sorting arm does not change, the sorting arm is less likely to come into contact with the article to be inspected. That is, until now, the maximum driving speed of the sorting conveyor 21 and the minimum interval between the articles A and B to be inspected conveyed by the sorting conveyor 21 are limited by the rotational speed of the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27. However, the sorting conveyor 21 is driven at a driving speed that exceeds the maximum driving speed so far, or the articles A and B to be inspected are transported by the sorting conveyor 21 at a narrower pitch than the previous minimum pitch. Even so, the next article B to be inspected does not reach and contact the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 before the rotation of the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 is completed. be able to. This increases the number of articles to be inspected that reach the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 per unit time as compared with the conventional flipper type sorting apparatus in which the effective length of the sorting arm does not change. The articles to be inspected can be sorted at high speed.

  Further, since the arm cover 32 is slid with respect to the arm mechanism 31 using the solenoid device 35, the arm cover 32 can be slid with respect to the arm mechanism 31 at high speed by the solenoid device 35. The present invention can be applied to the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 that perform reciprocal rotation many times in a short time between the retracted position and the advanced position.

  Furthermore, since the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 are arranged on both sides of the sorting conveyor 21, an excessively heavy article to be inspected that exceeds the upper limit of the appropriate weight and an excessive weight that is lower than the lower limit of the appropriate weight. The articles to be inspected can be separated and guided to different flow conveyors 6 and 7, respectively.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a view showing the first sorting arm according to the second embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the first sorting arm in a state where the effective length is the first effective length, ) Is a longitudinal sectional view of the first sorting arm in a state where the effective length is the second effective length. In the above-described first embodiment, the second arm driving device is constituted by the solenoid device 35. However, in the present embodiment, the second arm driving device of the sorting arm is configured by the fluid cylinder 135. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment.

  The fluid cylinder 135 includes a cylinder 135 a attached to the solenoid device housing portion 38 of the support 40 and a piston 135 b connected to the inner surface of the upper wall 32 a of the arm cover 32. Thus, the arm cover 32 is configured to slide relative to the arm mechanism 31 as the piston 135b advances and retreats. Since the stroke amount of the fluid cylinder can be increased, the stroke amount of the sorting arm can be increased by the above configuration. Therefore, when the sorting arm is rotated, the distance by which the sorting arm protrudes in the conveyance direction of the article to be inspected can be further shortened. Therefore, the articles to be inspected can be sorted at high speed.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a flipper type sorting apparatus 120 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, the sorting arm is composed of the first and second sorting arms 26 and 27 arranged on both sides of the sorting conveyor 21, respectively, and the leading end portion and the rotation shaft of each arm. The base end portion having 133 is disposed so as to be located on the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the sorting arm is composed of a single sorting arm 126 arranged on one side of the sorting conveyor 121, and in the retracted position, The base end portion having the rotation shaft 133 is disposed so as to be positioned on the downstream side and the upstream side, respectively. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment. Also with such a configuration, the sorting arm 126 can sort the article to be inspected to the flow dividing conveyor 106 disposed on the side of the flipper type sorting apparatus 120.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flipper type sorting apparatus 220 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, the sorting arms 26 and 27 are configured such that the effective length can be changed by sliding the arm cover 32 with respect to the arm mechanism 31 by the solenoid device 35. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the effective length can be changed by the restoring force (for example, elastic restoring force) of the arm 231 provided in the sorting arm 226. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Specifically, the sorting arm 226 winds and sends out the thin flexible arm 231, the string 232 spanned between the tip of the arm 231 and the rotation shaft 33, and the string 232. A winding mechanism (not shown). As a result, in the sorting arm 226, the string 232 is wound up by the winding mechanism in the retracted position, the arm 231 is held in a bent state, and has a first effective length. Then, as the sorting arm 226 rotates from the retracted position to the advanced position, the string 232 is monotonously sent out by the hoisting mechanism, and the arm 231 extends by its own restoring force. The sorting arm 226 has a second effective length at the advanced position. Thereby, the sorting arm 226 is configured such that the effective length changes monotonously.

  The flipper type sorting apparatus of the present invention is useful for applications such as a sorting line for sorting articles according to quality.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Supply conveyor 6 Split conveyor 7 Split conveyor 8 Discharge conveyor 10 Weight sorter 11 Weighing conveyor 12 Weighing sensor 15 Operation setting display part 16 Touch panel 17 Control apparatus 20 Flipper type distribution apparatus 21 Distribution conveyor 26 1st distribution arm 27 2nd distribution Arm 31 Arm mechanism 32 Arm cover 32a Upper wall 32b Peripheral wall 33 Rotating shaft 34 Arm rotating mechanism 35 Solenoid device 35a Coil 35b Movable iron cores 36a and 36b Engagement pins 37a and 37b Long holes 38 Solenoid device housing portions 39a and 39b Screws Hole 40 Support 51 Control unit 52 A / D conversion unit 53 Conveyor control unit 54 Storage unit 55 Distribution determination unit 56 Distribution arm control unit 100 Weight selection line

Claims (3)

A transport conveyor for transporting articles;
It rotates between a retracted position located on one side of the transport conveyor and an advanced position rotated from the retracted position to the other side of the transport conveyor, and along the transport direction of the article at the retracted position A sorting arm configured to extend and obliquely intersect the conveyance direction of the article at the advance position and configured to distribute the article to be conveyed to a side of the conveyor,
The sorting arm extends in the radial direction of the rotation and is slidable in the extending direction of the first arm with respect to the first arm, and a first arm that is rotatable about the central axis of the rotation. A movable second arm, a first arm drive mechanism for rotating the first arm between the retracted position and the advanced position, and attached to the first arm, the second arm being in the retracted position A second arm drive mechanism that slides the second arm so that the second arm is positioned at the first position at a position farther from the rotation center axis than the first position at the advanced position. The two-arm drive mechanism is configured to change the effective length according to the rotation by sliding the second arm according to the rotation ,
The flipper type sorting apparatus, wherein the second arm is formed in an arm cover shape that covers the first arm and the second arm drive mechanism . 2. The flipper type sorting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second arm driving mechanism is configured to slide the second arm with respect to the first arm using a solenoid device. 2. The flipper type sorting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second arm driving mechanism is configured to slide the second arm with respect to the first arm using a fluid cylinder.

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