JP5763300B2 - Article alignment device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article alignment apparatus.

As an article alignment apparatus, there exists a thing of patent document 1,2.
In the article alignment apparatus described in Patent Document 1, an input chute 4 for articles and the like is provided at the front, and a carry-out chute 6 is provided at the rear, and two or more article feed members are provided between the input chute 4 and the carry-out chute 6. 7 is provided so as to move up and down relatively with respect to the adjacent ones, and the conveying surface 9 formed at the upper end of the article feeding member 7 is inclined downward in the feeding direction and is movable. When the movable article feeding member 7 is lowered, the upper end of the conveying surface 9 of the article feeding member 7 becomes lower than the lower end of the conveying surface 9 of the article feeding member 7 adjacent to the loading chute 4 side or the bottom of the bottom of the loading chute 4. The lower end of the conveying surface 9 is higher than the upper end of the conveying surface 9 of the adjacent article feeding member 7 or the upper end of the bottom surface of the unloading chute 6 when the movable article feeding member 7 is raised. It has been made such that.

  The article alignment apparatus described in Patent Document 2 includes an aligner 11 and 11 having two frustoconical outer surfaces, and a cap 1 (cap 1 with a tube) in which the buses on opposite sides thereof are in the gap between them. In this case, the cap head 1A) is separated so as not to drop, and is rotated while maintaining a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the horizontal, and the cap 1 is placed on the outer surface (upward valley) by the action of gravity. The cap 1 is transported from one end side (input port) to the other end side (discharge port), and the direction of the cap 1 is aligned in the transport process. The tilt angle of the aligner 11 is preferably 3 to 30 degrees, more preferably 8 to 20 degrees. If the tilt angle is large, the cap may roll without being aligned. If the tilt angle is small, the moving speed of the cap due to gravity decreases, and the processing capacity decreases. A cap supply chute 21 is connected to the input ports of the two aligners 11 and 11, and a cap discharge conveyor 22 is connected to the discharge ports.

62-13918 JP2007-145596

  The article aligning device described in Patent Document 1 is arranged to align an article having a head (cap head) such as a cap with a tube and an elongated leg (tube) in a certain direction. It can only be aligned sideways along the conveying surface of the article feed member. The head (or leg) cannot be aligned to either the left or right side. In addition, a phenomenon in which the head is advanced in the article conveyance direction also occurs, and it is mixed with the above-mentioned laterally aligned products, so that only a function as a simple conveying device can be exhibited.

  The article alignment apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is configured to align the direction of an article having a head (cap head) such as a cap with a tube and an elongated leg (tube) in a certain direction. Are placed in the upward valleys of the two truncated cone-shaped aligners, and the articles are aligned and sent out one by one from one end side to the other end (the discharge port of the aligner) between the valleys. Accordingly, the article aligning apparatus feeds the articles aligned by the aligner one by one from the discharge port. Although the alignment capability (productivity) depends on the moving speed of the articles, the moving speed is not so large because the moving direction of the articles does not coincide with the rotation direction of the truncated cone shape. Therefore, the alignment capability (productivity) per occupied area of the article alignment apparatus is low. When the rotational speed of the aligner is operated at a high speed in order to increase productivity, the moving speed of the articles slightly increases, but there is a risk of scratching the articles in contact with the aligner.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an article alignment apparatus that aligns an article having a head and an elongated leg while conveying the article, and has a high alignment ability (productivity) per occupied area, and aligns the articles without being scratched. is there.

The invention according to claim 1 is an article alignment apparatus that aligns an article having a head and elongated legs while conveying the article, and a plurality of fixed floors and moving floors are arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the floor length direction thereof. It is arranged alternately along a certain article conveyance direction, and each fixed floor and each movable floor is provided with a downward gradient floor surface inclined so as to form a downward gradient toward the downstream side in the article conveyance direction, These floor surfaces are repeatedly moved up and down with respect to the floor surface of the adjacent fixed floor, and at least a part of the movable floor or the fixed floor has a floor surface width along the downward gradient of the downward gradient floor surface. It is smaller than the shortest distance from the circumference to the center of gravity in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the head, and larger than the distance from the top surface to the center of gravity in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the leg of the head of the article. Equipped with a narrow downgraded floor Comprising an article alignment apparatus, a moving bed or fixed bed comprising the narrow descending slope floor enables conveying articles from an upstream side to a downstream side of the article transport direction approximate perpendicular to their floor length direction, An up-gradient floor surface inclined so as to form an up-gradient toward the downstream side of the article conveying direction on the upstream side of the article conveying direction with respect to the narrow down-gradient floor surface over the entire length in the direction perpendicular to the article traveling direction. It is intended to be prepared.

  In this specification, “downstream” indicates a direction in which an article travels, and does not indicate a lower position in the height direction. Similarly, “upstream” indicates a direction opposite to the direction in which the article travels, and does not indicate an upper position in the height direction. Therefore, even in the expression “downstream side”, the height direction is not limited to a lower position with respect to a certain reference. The same applies to the “upstream side”.

  According to the present invention, at least a part of the movable floor or the fixed floor has a floor surface width along the downward gradient of the downward gradient floor surface from the periphery to the center of gravity in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the head of the article. It is provided with a narrow down-gradient floor surface that is smaller than the shortest distance and larger than the distance from the top surface to the center of gravity in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the leg portion in the head of the article. As a result, in an article alignment apparatus that aligns an article having a head portion and an elongated leg while being conveyed, the alignment capability (productivity) per occupied area is high, and the articles can be aligned without being scratched.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a moving bed ascending state during article alignment by the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a moving bed descending state during article alignment by the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a lifting drive mechanism of the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an ascending arrangement of the fixed floor and the movable floor of the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the form of an article. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the shape of the head of the article and the narrow down-gradient floor surface. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the alignment operation in the alignment transport processing step of the head preceding article using the alignment moving floor. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a non-alignment operation in the process of aligning and conveying the head-sideways article using the alignment moving floor. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the alignment operation in the alignment transport processing step of the head preceding article using the alignment fixed floor. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a misalignment operation in a process of aligning and transporting head-sideways articles using an aligned fixed floor. FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the moving floor ascending in a modified example of the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the shape of the head of the article and the narrow down-gradient floor surface. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an aligned moving floor having an upwardly inclined floor surface. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a downward arrangement of the fixed floor and the movable floor of the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a horizontal arrangement of a fixed floor and a movable floor of the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a first example in which a discharge conveyor is connected to the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a second example in which a discharge conveyor is connected to the article alignment device. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a third example in which a discharge conveyor is connected to the article alignment apparatus. FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing a trigger pump cap. FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing another example of the trigger pump cap. FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing a push-type pump cap. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the process of aligning the head preceding article by the conventional article aligning apparatus. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing a process of aligning head sideways articles by a conventional article alignment apparatus.

  The article alignment device 10 is arranged to convey and align an article 1 having a head 1A and an elongated leg 1B. For example, a cap with a tube having a head 1A as a cap head and a leg 1B as a tube is used as a head. 1A can be sent out aligned in a longitudinal orientation that precedes the article conveying direction. In the article 1, examples of the leg portion 1B include a cylinder or a thin tube made of resin, metal, or the like. An example of the thickness of the leg 1B is a tube having a diameter of 3 to 15 mm. The shape of the leg 1B includes a straight shape, a curved shape, a shape having a bent portion, and a combination thereof. The leg 1B has a smaller weight than the head 1A. For example, in the case of the trigger pump cap 1, the weight of the leg 1B is about 1/15 of the weight of the head 1A. In the case of the push-type pump cap 1, the weight of the leg 1B is 1 / weight of the weight of the head 1A. About 4

  FIGS. 19 to 21 show various caps with tubes that the article alignment apparatus 10 preferably performs an alignment conveyance process. FIG. 19 shows a trigger pump cap 1 having a dogleg-shaped hard tube 1B, FIG. 20 shows a trigger pump cap 1 having a soft tube 1B, and FIG. 21 shows a push-type pump cap 1 having a large-diameter hard tube 1B. The trigger pump cap 1 is made of resin or the like and sprays liquid. The push-type pump cap 1 is made of resin or the like, and discharges a fixed amount of liquid. The article 1 that can be aligned and conveyed by the present invention is not limited to a cap with a tube.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article alignment apparatus 10 has a direction from one end side to the other end side of the gantry 11 as the article transport direction of the article 1 (in this embodiment, a cap with a tube), and one end side thereof. In order to increase the conveying force on the back surface of the inlet chute 12, a vibrator (not shown) may be provided. The article 1 may be supplied to the inlet chute 12 from the lower part of the hopper storing the article 1 or a belt conveyor. Further, the inlet chute 12 may be a belt conveyor.

  The article alignment apparatus 10 supports a plurality of fixed floors 20 on a support member provided on the gantry 11. Further, the article aligning apparatus 10 carries a plurality of normal moving floors 30 and alignment moving floors 40 on a lift driving device 13 (FIG. 3) supported on a gantry 11. The article aligning apparatus 10 arranges each of the plurality of normal moving floors 30 and the aligned moving floors 40 adjacent to each fixed floor 20 in the conveyance direction side (in the present embodiment, on the upstream side). The fixed floor 20 and the movable floors 30 and 40 are alternately arranged along the transport direction with a certain interval. Note that side plates 14 are provided on both sides of the gantry 11 that sandwich the fixed floor 20 and the movable floors 30 and 40 from both sides in the floor length direction to prevent the article 1 from falling (in FIGS. 1 and 2 only one side). display).

  In the article aligning apparatus 10, the fixed floor 20 itself has a down-gradient floor surface 21 inclined so as to form a down-gradient (inclination angle η1 with respect to the horizontal) toward the downstream side in the conveying direction as shown in FIG. Prepare. Each fixed floor 20 may be equipped with a vibrator to increase the conveying force. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the moving floors 30 and 40 themselves are descending slope floor surfaces 31 that are inclined so as to form a descending slope (inclination angle η2.η3 with respect to the horizontal) toward the downstream side in the transport direction. 41 is provided. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the moving floors 30 and 40 are being lifted and are being raised or lowered.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10, at least a part of the plurality of movable floors, for example, one or all of the movable floors are defined as the aligned movable floor 40. The aligned moving floor 40 includes a narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 in which the floor surface width in the traveling direction of the article is narrower than the down-gradient floor surface 31 of the normal moving floor 30.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the article aligning apparatus 10 arranges the individual downgraded floor surfaces 21 of the plurality of fixed floors 20 toward the downstream side in the transport direction so as to form an ascending gradient (arrangement angle θ1 with respect to the horizontal). At the same time, the downgraded floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the plurality of moving floors 30 and 40 are arranged so as to form an ascending gradient (arrangement angle θ2 with respect to the horizontal) toward the downstream side in the transport direction.

  The article alignment apparatus 10 repeats the raising and lowering operations of the movable floors 30 and 40 by the raising and lowering driving device 13. That is, the raising / lowering operation of positioning the movable floors 30 and 40 in the upper (FIG. 1) and lower (FIG. 2) positions with respect to the downward gradient floor 21 of the fixed floor 20 adjacent to the downward gradient floors 31 and 41 is repeated. The elevating drive device 13 can use an electric cylinder capable of changing and controlling the elevating speed and elevating stroke. The elevating drive device 13 may be a mechanism that converts the rotation of the electric motor into a linear reciprocating motion, a pneumatic cylinder, or the like. In addition, S of FIG. 4 shows the raising / lowering stroke of the moving floor 30. FIG.

Hereinafter, the structure of each part of the article alignment apparatus 10 will be described in detail.
(Upward movement of normal moving floor 30 and aligned moving floor 40)
Usually, the lowest part of the floor surface 31 of the moving floor 30 rises to a position exceeding the uppermost part of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 downstream thereof.

  The lowermost part of the floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40 rises to a position exceeding the uppermost part of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 downstream thereof.

  The normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40 may rise further than this, but from the viewpoint of processing capacity, the highest moving position of the aligned moving floor 40 is the lowest position of the floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40. It is preferable to set the position beyond the uppermost part of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 downstream thereof. When temporarily stopped at the raised position, the article 1 is reliably sent from the normal moving floor 30 to the downstream fixed floor 20 and from the aligned moving floor 40 to the downstream fixed floor 20. Depending on the article 1, there may be no pause time. In this case, the conveyance speed is improved. Depending on the article 1, an appropriately adjusted stop time is provided.

(Descent operation of the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40)
Usually, the uppermost part of the floor surface 31 of the moving floor 30 descends to a position exceeding the lowermost part of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 upstream thereof.

  The uppermost part of the floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40 descends to a position exceeding the lowermost part of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 upstream thereof.

  The normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40 may be lowered further, but from the viewpoint of processing capability, the lowest position of the aligned moving floor 40 is the uppermost portion of the floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40. It is preferable to reach the bottom of the floor surface 21 of the upstream fixed bed 20. When temporarily stopped at the lowest position, the article 1 is reliably sent from the upstream fixed floor 20 to the normal moving floor 30 and from the upstream fixed floor 20 to the aligned moving floor 40. Depending on the behavior of the article 1, there may be no temporary stop time, or an appropriately adjusted stop time may be provided.

  It is preferable that the lowermost part of the narrow downgraded floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40 is substantially coincident with a straight line connecting the lowermost parts of the downwardly inclined floor surface 31 of each normal moving floor 30. The uppermost and lowermost portions of the downgraded floor surfaces 31, 41 of the moving floors 30, 40 are the downgraded floor surfaces of the fixed floor 20 on the downstream side of the articles 1 on the downgraded floor surfaces 31, 41 of the moving floors 30, 40. As appropriate, the article 1 on the downgraded floor surface 21 of the upstream fixed floor 20 is moved onto the downgraded floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the downstream moving floors 30 and 40. Is done.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10, the preferred values of the floor widths of the floor surfaces 21, 31, 41 of the fixed floor 20, the normal moving floor 30, and the aligned moving floor 40 are as follows (FIGS. 3 and 6). The article minimum width w is the minimum dimension of the surface of the article 1 when viewed from the top side, and the article height h is the total length of the article 1 in the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the top surface.

(Structure of fixed floor 20, normal moving floor 30, and aligned moving floor 40)
The fixed floor 20, the normal moving floor 30, and the aligned moving floor 40 may have a structure in which a solid portion and a plate-like portion are combined, may have a solid structure, or be particularly limited by bending a plate material. Is not to be done. The material is not particularly limited, such as resin, metal, wood, rubber, or a combination thereof.

(Floor surface length of fixed floor 20, normal moving floor 30, and aligned moving floor 40)
The floor length of the fixed floor 20, the normal moving floor 30, and the aligned moving floor 40 along the direction perpendicular to the article conveying direction is preferably more than 1.0 times the article height. By exceeding 1.0 times, the vertically long article 1 can be turned sideways on each floor. By making the floor length of each floor exceed 2.0 times the article height, the processing capability of the article alignment apparatus 10 can be increased.

(Floor width v1 of the floor 21 of the fixed floor 20)
The floor surface width v1 of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 is preferably 0.65 to 1.8 times the minimum article width. By setting it to 0.65 times or more, the lying item can be reliably held on the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20. Moreover, by setting it to 1.8 times or less, it is possible to prevent two or more articles lying on the same position on the floor surface 21 of one fixed floor 20 from being placed simultaneously.

(The floor width v2 of the floor 31 of the normal moving floor 30)
Usually, the floor width v2 of the floor 31 of the moving floor 30 is preferably 0.65 to 1.8 times the minimum article width. By setting it to 0.65 times or more, the article can be reliably raised. Moreover, by setting it to 1.8 times or less, it is possible to prevent two or more lying articles from being placed on the same position on the floor surface 31 of one normal moving floor 30 at the same time.

(Floor surface width of narrow downgraded floor surface 41 of aligned moving floor 40)
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the alignment moving floor 40 has a floor surface width w along the downward gradient of the narrow downward gradient floor surface 41 in the longitudinal direction of the head 1 </ b> A of the article 1 (the extending direction of the legs 1 </ b> B). The head of the article 1 is substantially equal to or smaller than the shortest distance L (FIG. 5) from the periphery (cap outer periphery) in the direction orthogonal to the cap height direction) along the center of gravity G (FIG. 5). The distance H from the top surface (cap top surface) in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the leg portion 1B in the portion 1A to the center of gravity G (FIG. 5) is set to be approximately equal to or larger (w ≧ H). Preferably, w <1.4L and w> 0.9H. Supplementing the longitudinal direction of the head 1A of the article 1, when the article 1 having the width L0 of the article 1 and the thickness W0 (L0> W0) of the article 1 is placed sideways, the article is placed more stably. The side to be placed, that is, the width L0 side on which the placed article can be seen from above is set as the longitudinal direction. When the width L0 of the article 1 and the thickness W0 of the article 1 are equal (L0≈W0), either side may be the longitudinal direction.

  In addition, with respect to the floor width v2 of the normal moving floor 30 and the plate thickness A along the conveying direction of the normal moving floor 30, the floor width w of the aligned moving floor 40 and the plate thickness a along the conveying direction of the aligned moving floor 40 are: , W <v2, a <A.

  When the maximum distance from the circumference in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the head 1A of the article 1 to its center of gravity G is L1 and the minimum distance is L2 (FIG. 5B), the shortest distance described above. L = L2.

  Thereby, in the article alignment apparatus 10 having the alignment moving floor 40, the article 1 has a longitudinal orientation extending from the head 1A to the leg 1B along the conveying direction as shown in FIG. Since the center of gravity G of the head 1A of the article 1 is located within the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40, the article 1 is transferred to the narrow-declining floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40. As a result of the ascending movement of the alignment moving floor 40, the head 1 </ b> A is transferred to the descending slope floor 21 of the fixed floor 20 on the downstream side, and is aligned and conveyed so as to be aligned and sent out in a posture preceding the head. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), the article 1 has a narrow downgraded floor of the alignment moving floor 40 with the longitudinal posture extending from the head 1A to the leg 1B obliquely or orthogonal to the transport direction. When transferred to the surface 41, the center of gravity G of the head 1 </ b> A of the article 1 is located outside the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40. Ascending, the head 1A falls down to the down-gradient floor surface 21 of the upstream fixed floor 20, is not transferred downstream, and is not subjected to alignment conveyance processing.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10, the preferred values of the inclination angles of the floor surfaces 21, 31, 41 of the fixed floor 20, the normal moving floor 30, and the alignment moving floor 40 are as follows (FIG. 3).

(Inclination angle η1 of the floor 21 of the fixed floor 20)
The inclination angle η1 formed by the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 15 degrees to 40 degrees, and particularly preferably 18 degrees to 32 degrees. By setting the angle to 15 degrees or more, the article can smoothly slide downstream on the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20. In addition, by setting the angle to 40 degrees or less, it is possible to reduce the up and down strokes of the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40, and the article conveyance processing capacity can be increased.

(Inclination angle η2 of floor 31 of normal moving floor 30)
The inclination angle η2 formed by the floor 31 of the moving floor 30 with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 15 to 40 degrees for the same reason as the inclination angle η1 formed by the floor 21 of the fixed floor 20 with respect to the horizontal plane. The angle is preferably 18 degrees to 32 degrees.

(Inclination angle η3 of the floor 41 of the aligned moving floor 40)
The inclination angle η3 formed by the floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40 with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 15 to 40 degrees for the same reason as the inclination angle η1 formed by the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 with respect to the horizontal plane. The angle is preferably 18 degrees to 32 degrees.

(Relationship between the inclination angles η1, η2, and η3 of the fixed floor 20, the normal moving floor 30, and the aligned moving floor 40)
The inclination angles η 2 and η 3 formed by the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40 are equal to or larger than the inclination angle η 1 formed by the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 and the horizontal plane (FIG. 3). It is preferable. η2 and η3 are preferably larger than η1 by 10 to 25 degrees. By increasing the angle, in particular, when handling an article having a longitudinal portion such as an ellipse, an ellipse, or a rectangle whose cross-sectional shape is not a circle or regular polygon, the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor are used. When 40 rises, the longitudinal portion of the article 1 is inclined in the downstream direction in accordance with the inclination angles η2 and η3 formed by the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40 with the horizontal plane. It is possible to reliably feed the downstream fixed bed 20.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10, suitable values for the ascending arrangement angles of the fixed floor 20, the normal moving floor 30, and the alignment moving floor 40 are as follows (FIG. 4).

(Arrangement angle θ1 of fixed floor 20)
The arrangement angle θ1 of the fixed floor 20 is 20 to 40 degrees, preferably 24 to 36 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. By setting the angle to 20 degrees or more, articles that have not been properly placed on the fixed floor 20, the normal moving floor 30, and the aligned moving floor 40 can be slid down upstream. Conversely, by setting the angle to 40 degrees or less, the vertical movement stroke can be reduced, and the article can be processed with high capacity.

(Usage angle θ2 of the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40)
The arrangement angle θ2 of the normal moving floor 30 and the alignment moving floor 40 is also set to 20 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane for the same reason as the arrangement angle θ1 of the fixed floor 20, and preferably 24 to 36 degrees.

(Relationship between arrangement angles θ1, θ2 of fixed floor 20, normal moving floor 30, and aligned moving floor 40)
The arrangement angle θ1 of the fixed floor 20 and the arrangement angle θ2 of the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40 are preferably substantially the same. By making these values substantially the same, it is possible to minimize the up-and-down stroke for sending the articles downstream by the upstream and downstream moving beds 30 and 40, and to increase the article conveyance processing capacity.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, the article alignment apparatus 10 forms a downward gradient (arrangement angle θ1 with respect to the horizontal) with the downward gradient floor surfaces 21 of the plurality of fixed floors 20 facing each other downstream in the conveying direction. In addition to the arrangement, the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the plurality of movable floors 30 and 40 may be arranged so as to form a downward gradient (arrangement angle θ2 with respect to the horizontal) toward the downstream side in the transport direction. The arrangement angle θ1 of the fixed floor 20 is 10 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, and preferably 15 to 25 degrees. By setting the angle to 10 degrees or more, it is possible to drop the article that has not been properly placed on the fixed floor 20 or the moving floors 30 and 40 upstream, and further, the vertical movement stroke can be reduced, so that the high-capacity of the article can be obtained. Processing becomes possible. Conversely, by setting it to 40 degrees or less, it is possible to suppress the movement speed of the article in the upstream direction from becoming too fast. The arrangement angle θ2 of the movable floors 30 and 40 is also set to 10 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane and preferably 15 to 25 degrees for the same reason as the arrangement angle θ1 of the fixed floor 20. The arrangement angle θ1 of the fixed floor 20 and the arrangement angle θ2 of the movable floors 30 and 40 are preferably substantially the same. By making these values substantially the same, it is possible to minimize the up-and-down stroke for sending the articles downstream by the upstream and downstream moving beds 30 and 40, and to increase the article conveyance processing capacity. By arranging a plurality of fixed floors 20 and moving floors 30 and 40 in a downward gradient, the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 and the floor surfaces 31 of the movable floors 30 and 40 are compared to those in the upward gradient arrangement (FIG. 4). , 41 have the same downward slope, the lifting stroke that the lifting drive device 13 should apply to the moving floors 30, 40 is reduced, and the lifting cycle time can be shortened.

  In the above-described article alignment apparatus 10 in which the plurality of fixed floors 20 and the moving floors 30 and 40 are arranged in a descending gradient, the article 1 preceded by the head 1A slides down the plurality of fixed floors 20 or the moving floors 30 and 40. Sometimes. Accordingly, although the processing capacity is increased, there is also an article 1 in which the head 1A slides in a sideways posture. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a sideways article discharge device for removing the head sideways article at the outlet of the article alignment device.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 15, the article alignment apparatus 10 arranges the individual floor surfaces 21 of the plurality of fixed floors 20 so as to be horizontal toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the plurality of movable floors 30, Forty individual floor surfaces 31 and 41 may be arranged so as to be horizontal toward the downstream side in the transport direction. By arranging a plurality of fixed floors 20 and moving floors 30 and 40 horizontally, the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 and the floor surfaces 31 of the moving floors 30 and 40 are compared to those arranged in an upward gradient (FIG. 4). Since the arrangement angle of 41 is close to a downward slope, the lifting stroke that the lifting drive device 13 should give to the moving floors 30 and 40 is slightly reduced, and the lifting cycle time can be shortened somewhat.

  In the above-described article alignment apparatus 10 in which the plurality of fixed floors 20 and the movable floors 30 and 40 are horizontally arranged, the article 1 is simply moved up and down while being placed on the plurality of fixed floors 20 or the movable floors 30 and 40. Although the phenomenon which repeats may arise, it is extruded by the succeeding article | item 1 sent from the fixed bed 20 and the moving bed 30 of an upstream, and can move normally.

  According to the article aligning device 10, the articles 1 in which the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 are on the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 by raising the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40 by the elevating drive device 13. , The inclination of the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 gives the article 1 a downstream conveying force. The article 1 to which the conveyance force is applied is transferred from the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the movable floors 30 and 40 onto the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 that forms a downward gradient along the downstream conveyance direction. It slides on the inclination of 20 floor 21 itself, and is conveyed downstream. At this time, when the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 and the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 are arranged so as to form an upward gradient toward the downstream side, the article 1 is transported along this upward gradient. Are sequentially transported so as to be lifted to the floor surfaces 21, 31, 41 on the downstream side, and sent out from the floor surface 31 of the normal moving floor 30 on the most downstream side to the discharge conveyor or the like through the exit fixed floor 20.

  Regarding the raising / lowering of the aligned moving bed 40 by the raising / lowering driving device 13, the raising / lowering speed is increased by using the raising / lowering driving device 13 independent or separate from the driving of the other normal moving floor 30, and the time of one raising / lowering cycle is increased. It is preferable to shorten it. Since only the article 1 preceded by the head 1 </ b> A can pass through the aligned moving floor 40, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the passing amount of the article 1 that passes through the aligned moving floor 40.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10, the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 are adjacent to each other in one cycle of lifting and lowering operations of the moving floors 30 and 40 (one cycle from the lowest lowered position to the highest raised position to the lowest lowered position). It is possible to control the time ratio of the fixed floor 20 protruding above the floor surface 21 to be smaller than the time ratio of the fixed floor 20 immersed below the floor surface 21. As a result, the time during which the article 1 is slid on the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 is longer than the time during which the article 1 is pushed up from the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40. That is, the processing capability of the article alignment apparatus 10 can be increased.

  In addition, when the rising acceleration of the moving floors 30 and 40 is large, the push-up force exerted on the article 1 by the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 is large, and consequently the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40A. The conveyance force exerted on the article 1 by the inclination increases, and the amount of delivery of the article 1 can be increased.

  Moreover, the article alignment apparatus 10 is the time ratio in which the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 protrude above the floor surface 21 of the adjacent fixed floor 20 in one cycle of the raising / lowering operation of the moving floors 30 and 40. That is, the floor surface time ratio can be controlled to be larger than the time ratio of being immersed below the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20. As a result, the time for the article 1 to slide on the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 is shorter than the time during which the article 1 is pushed up by the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40. Can be reduced.

  As described above, the floor surface time ratio of the moving beds 30 and 40 in one cycle can be increased / decreased, so that the delivery amount of the articles 1 can be adjusted, and the articles can be aligned to the processing capacity of the lower fashion such as the filling line. The processing capability of the apparatus can be matched.

  In addition, when the rising acceleration of the moving floors 30 and 40 is small, the push-up force exerted on the article 1 by the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 is small, and consequently the floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the moving floors 30 and 40 are reduced. The conveyance force exerted on the article 1 by the inclination is reduced, and the delivery amount of the article 1 can be reduced.

  Further, the maximum value of the rising speed of the moving floors 30 and 40 is appropriately adjusted so that the article 1 can be stably conveyed at a desired speed by the weight of the conveyed article, the fixed floor arrangement angle θ1, the moving floor arrangement angle θ2, and the like. The

  However, since the article alignment apparatus 10 has the alignment moving floor 40 having the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article alignment apparatus 10 is supplied from the inlet chute 12 side. While the article 1 is being conveyed, it can be aligned and conveyed as follows. At this time, the article 1 is a cap with a tube, and has a head 1A (cap head) and an elongated leg 1B (tube).

  1 and 2 has three fixed floors 20, two normal moving floors 30, and one aligned moving floor 40. The fixed floor 20, The number of moving floors 30 and 40 may be increased. In particular, when the number of the alignment moving floors 40 is increased, the ratio at which the target alignment posture preceded by the head 1A of the article 1 can be increased to almost 100%. The fixed floor 20 or the movable floor 30 upstream of the aligned moving floor 40, preferably adjacent to the upstream, or both, the fixed floor 20 of the moving floor 30 and the floor widths of the downgraded floor surfaces 21, 31 of the moving floor 30 are fixed to the other. By making it longer than the floor surface widths of the downgraded floor surfaces 21 and 31 of the floor 20 and the moving floor 30, the amount of articles 1 fed to the aligned moving floor 40 can be increased, and the amount of alignment processing of the articles 1 can be increased. .

  In the article alignment apparatus 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, all articles 1 that are thrown in from the entrance chute 12 and have their directions disordered are sequentially conveyed to the alignment moving floor 40, but the head 1 </ b> A precedes the conveyance direction. Only the articles 1 to be moved can pass through the alignment moving floor 40 and are aligned as follows.

(A) Alignment conveyance processing operation of head preceding article 1 (FIG. 7)
(1) As shown in FIG. 6A, the article 1 is transferred to the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the alignment moving floor 40 along the conveying direction with the longitudinal orientation extending from the head 1A to the leg 1B. It will be.

  (2) The center of gravity G of the head 1A of the article 1 is located in the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40, and the article 1 is reliably raised as the aligned moving floor 40 rises.

  (3) When the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40 reaches a position higher than the down-gradient floor surface 21 of the downstream fixed floor 20, the head 1 </ b> A of the article 1 is descended by the downstream fixed floor 20. It is transferred to the floor surface 21, and is aligned and transported so that it is sent out after being aligned in the posture in front of the head.

(B) Alignment conveyance processing operation of the head-side article 1 (FIG. 8)
(1) As shown in FIG. 6 (B), the article 1 has a narrow downgraded floor surface of the alignment moving floor 40 with the longitudinal orientation extending from the head 1A to the leg 1B obliquely or orthogonal to the conveying direction. 41 is transferred.

  (2) The center of gravity G of the head 1A of the article 1 is located outside the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40, and the article 1 cannot be raised by the rising of the aligned moving floor 40.

  (3) The head 1A of the article 1 falls to the descending gradient floor surface 21 of the upstream fixed floor 20, is not transferred downstream, and is not subjected to alignment conveyance processing.

  9 and 10 show an article alignment apparatus 10 according to a modification of the present invention. This article alignment apparatus 10 is an article alignment apparatus 10 having a plurality of fixed floors 20 and moving floors 30, and at least a part of the fixed floor 20, for example, a part or all of the fixed floors 20 is an aligned fixed floor 50. It is. The aligned fixed floor 50 is provided with a narrow downward slope floor surface 51 having a floor width narrower than the downward slope floor surface 21 of the normal fixed floor 20.

  That is, the alignment fixed floor 50 has a floor surface width z along the downward gradient of the narrow downward gradient floor surface 51 in the longitudinal direction in the head 1A of the article 1 (cap height direction along the extending direction of the leg 1B). Is substantially equal to or smaller than the shortest distance L from the periphery (cap outer periphery) in the direction orthogonal to the center of gravity G (z ≦ L), and is along the longitudinal direction of the leg 1B in the head 1A of the article 1 The distance H from the top surface (cap top surface) in the direction to the center of gravity G is approximately equal to or greater (z ≧ H). Preferably, z <1.4L and z> 0.9H.

  Thereby, in the article alignment apparatus 10 having the alignment fixed floor 50, as shown in FIG. 9, the article 1 is aligned and fixed in the longitudinal direction in which the article 1 extends from the head 1A to the leg 1B along the conveying direction. Since the center of gravity G of the head 1A is located within the narrow down-gradient floor surface 51 of the aligned fixed floor 50, the article 1 is located downstream. As the moving floor 30 on the side is lowered, the head 1 </ b> A is transferred to the descending slope floor 31 of the moving floor 30, and an alignment transport process is performed in which the head 1 </ b> A is aligned and sent out in a posture preceding the head. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the article 1 is moved to the narrow down-gradient floor surface 51 of the fixed fixed floor 50 by making the longitudinal orientation extending from the head 1 </ b> A to the leg 1 </ b> B obliquely or orthogonal to the transport direction. When loaded, the center of gravity G of the head 1A of the article 1 is positioned outside the narrow down-gradient floor surface 51 of the aligned fixed floor 50, and the article 1 has its head moved by the lowering of the moving bed 30 on the upstream side. The part 1A falls to the moving bed 30 on the upstream side, is not transferred to the downstream side, and is not subjected to the alignment conveyance process.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in order to enhance the above-described transfer processing effect of the alignment fixed floor 50, when the moving floor 30 upstream of the alignment fixed floor 50 rises, the moving bed 30 has a downward slope. It is preferable that the lowest position of the floor surface 31 is higher than the highest position of the narrow down-gradient floor surface 51 of the downstream fixed fixed floor 50. The article 1 is lifted higher than the height at which the article 1 can slide down to the narrow down-gradient floor surface 51 of the downstream fixed fixed floor 50 by the rising of the upstream moving floor 30. Next, when the upstream moving floor 30 is lowered, the article 1 is reliably displaced by the action of the article 1 being displaced downward in addition to the positional relationship between the center of gravity G of the article 1 and the alignment fixed floor 50. Falls down.

  FIGS. 11 to 13 show an article alignment apparatus 10 </ b> A according to a modification of the article alignment apparatus 10. The article alignment apparatus 10A is different from the article alignment apparatus 10 in that the plate thickness A along the conveyance direction of the alignment moving floor 40 is made equal to the plate thickness A along the conveyance direction of the normal movement floor 30, and a narrow downward gradient is provided. The up-gradient floor surface 40A inclined so as to form an up-gradient (inclination angle γ with respect to the horizontal) toward the downstream side in the article conveyance direction on the upstream side in the article conveyance direction with respect to the floor surface 41 is aligned in the floor length direction, that is, aligned. This is because the moving floor 40 is provided over the entire length in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the article moves. FIG. 11 shows the raised state of the normal moving floor 30 and the aligned moving floor 40.

  Note that the alignment moving floor 40 of the article alignment apparatus 10A has the floor width w along the downward gradient (inclination angle η3 with respect to the horizontal) of the narrow downward gradient floor surface 41 as in the article alignment apparatus 10. The shortest distance from the circumference in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the head 1A to the center of gravity G is L, and the top surface in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the leg 1B of the head 1A of the article 1 to the center of gravity G. When the distance is H, w ≦ L, preferably w <1.4L, w ≧ H, preferably w> 0.9H. As a result, the same sort transport processing action as that performed by the alignment moving floor 40 of the article alignment apparatus 10 based on the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 is performed on the articles 1.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10A, the article 1 is transferred to the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the alignment moving floor 40 with the longitudinal orientation extending from the head 1A to the leg 1B obliquely or orthogonal to the conveying direction. Thus, the center of gravity G of the head 1A of the article 1 is positioned outside the narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 of the aligned moving floor 40, and the head 1A of the article 1 is moved upstream by the ascending of the aligned moving floor 40. When the fixed floor 20 is about to fall onto the downgraded floor surface 21, the upgraded floor surface 40 </ b> A of the aligned moving floor 40 facilitates its falling onto the downgraded floor surface 21 of the upstream fixed floor 20. The action of the upward gradient floor surface 40A becomes prominent when γ of the upward gradient floor surface 40A is set to 30 to 80 degrees.

  In the article alignment apparatus 10A, since the thickness A of the alignment moving floor 40 is made equal to the thickness A of the other normal moving floor 30, the pitch interval of the arrangement of the plurality of fixed floors 20 and the moving floor 30 is changed. The normal moving floor 30 can be immediately replaced with the aligned moving floor 40, and the above-described aligned conveying processing operation based on the up-gradient floor surface 40A and the down-gradient floor surface 41 can be realized. In addition, it becomes easy to replace the alignment moving floor 40 with the normal moving floor 30, thereby enabling simple quantitative supply of the articles 1.

  For the aligned fixed floor 50 having the above-mentioned narrow downgraded floor 51, the plate thickness along the conveying direction of the aligned fixed floor 50 is made equal to the plate thickness along the conveying direction of the normal fixed floor 20, and the narrow downhill An upstream floor 50A (not shown) that is inclined so as to form an upward slope toward the downstream side in the article transport direction may be provided on the upstream side in the article transport direction with respect to the slope floor 51.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram in which a discharge conveyor 100 is connected to an exit (sending port) in the conveyance direction of the article alignment apparatus 10, and the articles 1 aligned by the article alignment apparatus 10 can be discharged to the lower process by the discharge conveyor 100. is there. The arrow view along the BB line in FIG. 16A is shown in FIG. 16B, and the arrow view along the CC line is shown in FIG.

  The discharge conveyor 100 sets the direction orthogonal to the delivery direction (conveyance direction) of the articles 1 from the article alignment apparatus 10 as the delivery direction. The discharge conveyor 100 positions the conveyor surface slightly lower than the lowest height position of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 at the outlet of the article alignment apparatus 10. The article 1 sent out from the article aligning apparatus 10 slides down to the discharge conveyor 100 and stops by hitting a position regulation guide 101 erected on the back side in the width direction orthogonal to the delivery direction of the discharge conveyor 100. The conveyor surface of the discharge conveyor 100 may be horizontal or inclined according to the inclination of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20. Of the side plates 14 on both sides of the article aligning apparatus 10, the side plate 14 closer to the delivery direction of the discharge conveyor 100 has a notch 14A on the outlet side in order to prevent the article 1 from being clogged. The discharge conveyor 100 may be continuously operated or may be intermittently operated in accordance with the delivery timing of the articles 1 from the article alignment apparatus 10.

  When the article 1 is a cap, the cap 1 is turned upside down in the lower stroke of the discharge conveyor 100, and the cap is transferred to a cap fastening machine. If necessary, a front-rear direction aligning device for the article 1 is installed in front of the cap tightening machine.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram in which a discharge conveyor 200 is connected to an exit (sending port) in the conveyance direction of the article alignment apparatus 10, and the articles 1 aligned by the article alignment apparatus 10 can be discharged to the lower process by the discharge conveyor 200. is there. An arrow view along the line BB in FIG. 17A is shown in FIG.

  The discharge conveyor 200 has a delivery direction that is orthogonal to the delivery direction (conveyance direction) of the articles 1 from the article alignment apparatus 10. The discharge conveyor 200 positions the conveyor surface at a level lower than the lowest height position of the floor surface 21 of the fixed floor 20 at the delivery outlet of the article alignment apparatus 10 by about the height of the head 1A. The article 1 sent out from the article alignment apparatus 10 slides down to the discharge conveyor 200 and stops while hitting the position regulation guide 201 erected on the back side in the width direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the discharge conveyor 200. Part 1A is directed downward. The conveyor surface of the discharge conveyor 200 is preferably horizontal. Of the side plates 14 on both sides of the article alignment device 10, the side plate 14 closer to the discharge direction of the discharge conveyor 200 has a notch 14 </ b> A on the outlet side so as not to obstruct the leg 1 </ b> B of the article 1. The discharge conveyor 200 may be continuously operated or may be intermittently operated in accordance with the delivery timing of the articles 1 from the article alignment apparatus 10.

  When the article 1 is a cap such as a trigger pump cap, the cap 1 is turned upside down so that the head portion 1A of the cap faces upward in the lower stroke of the discharge conveyor 200, and the cap is transferred to the cap tightening machine. If necessary, a front-rear direction aligning device for the article 1 is installed in front of the cap tightening machine.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram in which a discharge conveyor 300 is connected to an exit (sending port) in the conveyance direction of the article alignment apparatus 10 so that the articles 1 aligned by the article alignment apparatus 10 can be sent out to the lower stroke by the discharge conveyor 300. is there.

  The discharge conveyor 300 sets the same direction as the delivery direction (conveyance direction) of the articles 1 from the article alignment apparatus 10 as the discharge direction. The articles 1 sent out from the article alignment apparatus 10 slide down to the discharge conveyor 300 and are sequentially sent out by the discharge conveyor 300. The article 1 is supplied to a predetermined position by the positioning guide 301 and the like while being sent out by the discharge conveyor 300.

  22 and 23 show the article alignment apparatus 10 of the comparative example of the present invention, which has a plurality of fixed floors 20 and moving floors 30, but has the aligned moving floor 40 or the aligned fixed floor 50 of the present invention. Absent. In the article alignment apparatus 10 of this comparative example, even if the article 1 is conveyed along the conveying direction in the longitudinal orientation extending from the head 1A to the leg 1B (FIG. 22), or the article 1 is the head 1A. Even if the longitudinal posture extending from the leg 1B to the leg 1B is obliquely or orthogonally crossed in the conveying direction (FIG. 23), the center of gravity G of the article 1 is located in the downward gradient floor 31 of the moving floor 30. Thus, as the moving floor 30 rises, it is transferred to the descending gradient floor surface 21 of the downstream fixed floor 20 in the same posture, and the posture is not adjusted after all. In other words, no matter what posture the article 1 is conveyed, the alignment conveyance process for aligning and sending the article 1 to the posture preceding the head 1A is not performed.

According to the article alignment apparatus 10, the following operational effects can be obtained.
According to the present invention, the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the head 1 </ b> A of the article 1 with respect to the floor surface widths w and z of the narrowly descending gradient floor surfaces 41 and 51 of the aligned moving floor 40 or the aligned fixed floor 50. Is an article 1 that increases the shortest distance L from the periphery to the center of gravity G and decreases the distance H from the top surface to the center of gravity G in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the leg 1B of the head 1A of the article 1. As long as this is done, any of the articles 1 can be subjected to the above-described alignment conveyance process. Therefore, the articles 1 having the head 1A and the elongated legs 1B can be aligned while being conveyed.

  Further, in the present invention, if at least a part of the movable floor 30 or the fixed floor 20 includes the above-described narrow down-gradient floor surface 41 or 51, the above-described alignment conveyance process can be performed. Therefore, the plurality of fixed floors 20 to moving floors 30 and 40 can be arranged on any one of an ascending slope, a descending slope, and a horizontal.

  Further, in the present invention, the above-described alignment conveyance processing is performed in the entire conveyance direction (inlet chute 12 to discharge conveyor 100) of the article 1 by the plurality of fixed floors 20 to the movable floors 30 and 40, and the fixed floor 20 to the movement. The above-described alignment conveyance process is performed over the entire area of the floor surface perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the floors 30 and 40. Therefore, the alignment capability (productivity) per occupied area of the article alignment apparatus 10 is high.

  Further, in the present invention, the articles 1 are moved according to the slopes of the descending slope floor surface 21 of each fixed floor 20 and the descending slope floor surfaces 31 and 41 of the movable floors 30 and 40 and the lifting operation of the movable floors 30 and 40. The above-described alignment conveyance processing is performed while being slid or rolled on the floor surface. At this time, the raising / lowering operation of the movable floors 30 and 40 does not have to be performed at such a high speed that the article 1 hits the floor surfaces 31 and 41 and is scratched. Therefore, the articles 1 can be aligned without being scratched.

  In the present invention, at least a part of the movable floor or the fixed floor has a floor surface width along the descending slope of the descending slope floor surface, the shortest distance from the circumference to the center of gravity in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the head of the article. A narrow down-gradient floor surface that is smaller than the distance and larger than the distance from the top surface to the center of gravity in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the leg portion in the head of the article is provided. As a result, in an article alignment apparatus that aligns an article having a head portion and an elongated leg while being conveyed, the alignment capability (productivity) per occupied area is high, and the articles can be aligned without being scratched.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Article 1A Head 1B Leg 10, 10A Article alignment apparatus 20 Fixed floor 21 Downgraded floor 30 Moving floor 31 Downgraded floor 40 Moving floor 40A Upgraded floor 41 Narrow downgraded floor 50 Fixed floor 51 Narrow Descending floor

Claims (5)

An article alignment apparatus for aligning while conveying the article having a head and an elongated leg portion,
A plurality of fixed floors and moving floors are alternately arranged along the article conveyance direction, which is a direction substantially orthogonal to the floor length direction, and each fixed floor and each movable floor are directed downstream in the article conveyance direction. Equipped with a down-gradient floor surface inclined to form a down-gradient, and repeatedly moving up and down to position each moving floor at the upper and lower positions with respect to the fixed fixed floor surface,
At least a part of the movable floor or the fixed floor has a floor surface width along the downward gradient of the downward gradient floor surface smaller than the shortest distance from the circumference to the center of gravity in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction in the head of the article, And an article alignment apparatus comprising a narrow down-gradient floor surface that is larger than the distance from the top surface to the center of gravity in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the legs in the head of the article,
The moving floor or the fixed floor having the narrow down-gradient floor surface enables conveyance of articles from the upstream side to the downstream side in the article conveyance direction substantially orthogonal to the floor length direction, and the narrow down-gradient floor surface An article alignment apparatus comprising an up-gradient floor surface that is inclined so as to form an up-gradient toward the downstream side in the article conveyance direction on the upstream side in the article conveyance direction over the entire length in a direction perpendicular to the article traveling direction. The floor width along the downward slope of the movable floor or the fixed floor other than the movable floor or the fixed floor provided with the narrow downward slope floor surface is made larger than the floor surface width of the narrow downward slope floor surface,
The floor width along the downward slope of the fixed floor or moving floor located upstream of the movable floor or fixed floor with the narrow downgraded floor is changed to the downward slope of the floor of another fixed floor or moving floor. The article alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article alignment apparatus is made larger than the floor surface width along.   The floor surfaces of the plurality of fixed floors are arranged so as to form an upward gradient toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the floor surfaces of the individual movable floors are directed toward the downstream side in the transport direction. The article alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article alignment apparatus is arranged so as to form an upward slope.   The floor surfaces of the plurality of fixed floors are arranged so as to form a downward slope toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the floor surfaces of the plurality of movable floors are directed toward the downstream side in the transport direction. The article alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article alignment apparatus is arranged so as to form a downward slope.   The floor surfaces of the plurality of fixed floors are arranged so as to be horizontal toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the individual floor surfaces of the plurality of movable floors are horizontally oriented toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The article alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article alignment apparatus is arranged so as to form the following.

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