JP5956546B2 - Sorting machine receiving unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an object receiving unit of a sorter suitable for use in receiving an object to be sorted from a large number of articles (such as mail) sequentially conveyed by a transport mechanism.

  In general, a large amount of postal items, which are representative examples of the objects to be sorted, are sorted by a mail sorting machine. In this case, the postal items before sorting are put into the supply unit, and then the postal code and the destination are read by the OCR scanner. The read information is printed on the surface of the postal items by the bar code and the bar code. The postal matter whose bar code information has been read by the reader is supplied to the corresponding receiving unit. The receiving unit is provided with a stack tray for receiving mails, and the mails are sequentially stacked on the stack tray.

  Conventionally, as a receiving unit used in such a mail sorting machine, a receiving unit provided in a medium stacking device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This medium accumulating apparatus is intended to allow the medium to be favorably accumulated regardless of its attributes. Specifically, the medium accumulating apparatus conveys the medium continuously, and conveys the medium by the conveying means. Measuring means for measuring the attribute of the medium to be measured, introducing means for introducing the medium whose attribute is measured by the measuring means, an accumulating section for accumulating the medium introduced by the introducing means, and the accumulating section Displacement means for displacing the rear portion of the medium introduced into the surface in a plane direction with respect to the traveling direction, and control means for variably controlling the displacement speed by the displacement means based on the attribute of the medium measured by the measurement means. The medium introduced by the introducing means for introducing the following medium into the space formed by displacing the rear part of the medium by the displacing means, It is integrated in the guide roller and the guide plates in Tsu g).

JP 2012-217912 A

  However, the receiving unit provided in the above-described conventional media stacking apparatus has the following problems.

  First, the stacking unit (receiving unit) includes a guide roller and a guide plate, and the introduced medium (postal matter) is sequentially stacked between the guide roller and the guide plate. Therefore, even when the medium is out of the standard size, even if the effect of preventing the collision with the subsequent medium can be ensured, the conveyance speed of the medium is increased, for example, to 4 [m / s] or more. There are limits to adaptability and stability. That is, since the guide plate is usually elastically supported by a spring or the like, when a heavy object or a high-speed medium is introduced, the gap between the upper surface of the loaded medium and the guide roller becomes large due to collision energy. As a result, the preload due to the spring or the like does not act, and the stacking position becomes unstable, such as the medium being displaced or coming out of the tray. In addition, since the return time after the gap is increased, the same problem remains for the following medium, particularly a light and thin medium. In addition, the medium is bent, wrinkled, torn, jammed, etc. Cause. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure stable introduction and loading in a wide range from a thin and light medium of about 2 [g] to a thick and heavy medium of about 200 [g]. Note that the conveyance interval between the media is normally set to 100 [ms] or less.

  Secondly, in order to cope with a wide range from a light and thin medium to a thick and heavy medium, it is technically possible by switching the magnitude of the elastic force of a spring or the like that supports the guide plate. That is, as in the cited document 1, the attribute of the medium is measured, and switching to a spring or the like having different elasticity according to the attribute or switching to change the support position or the like may be performed. However, in this case, even if the size of the gap between the guide roller at the time of introduction and the upper surface of the stacked medium can be set appropriately according to the attribute of the medium, the sorting machine (postal mail sorting machine) is usually used. Since several hundred or more receiving units are arranged, such a switching method causes a significant increase in the number of parts, leading to an increase in cost and an installation space, and an increase in control timing and a control system. This will lead to complications and the like, and is not an appropriate solution for the sorting machine.

  The present invention aims to provide an article receiving unit for a sorter that solves the problems in the background art.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention receives the objects to be sorted P from a large number of objects P to be sequentially transported by the transport mechanism 2 and sequentially loads the received objects P to be sorted. When the workpiece receiving unit 1 of the sorting machine M to be held is configured, the introduction guide portion 4 whose position is fixed, the contact direction De that contacts the introduction guide portion 4, and the introduction guide portion 4 are separated from each other. A stack tray 5 that is supported so as to be movable in parallel in the separating direction Dp and receives the divided objects P, and a biasing means 6 that applies a constant load Fe to the stack tray 5 in the contact direction De. The shock applied to the stack tray 5 in the separation direction Dp is buffered, and when the displacement speed of the stack tray 5 due to the impact is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed Vo, the constant load Fe And characterized by being provided with a buffer unit 7 having a set of larger damping force Fn unidirectional damper function.

  In this case, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the introduction guide portion 4 allows the article P to be fed to allow introduction of the inclined direction Ds in the range of 10 to 40 ° with respect to the tray surface 5u of the stack tray 5. It can be configured by the roller portions 11a and 11b. On the other hand, the damping force Fn is set so that the displacement Lm of the stack tray 5 when the predetermined object P having a predetermined weight and a predetermined thickness Lp is introduced is smaller than the predetermined thickness Lp. it can. On the other hand, the urging means 6 can be a linear spring 6 s that pulls the stack tray 5 by a wire 15 fed from a take-up reel 14 supported by a spiral spring 12, and the buffer means 7 A rotary damper 7s that rotates integrally with the take-up reel 14 by being arranged coaxially with the reel 14 can be used. Further, the relative rotation input portion 16 of the rotary damper 7s is provided with a connection portion 16s having a pair of parallel surfaces with the peripheral surfaces cut, and the connection portion 16s is engaged with the relative rotation output portion 13 of the linear spring 6s. It is desirable to provide a connected portion 13s in which a split groove portion is formed, and to set the cross-sectional area Ad of the connected portion 13s to be larger than the cross-sectional area As of the connecting portion 16s. A postal matter can be applied to the article P.

  According to the sorting object receiving unit 1 of the sorting machine M according to the present invention having such a configuration, the following remarkable effects can be obtained.

  (1) Even when a heavy object or a high-speed object P is received, the impact in the separation direction Dp at the time of collision of the object P is buffered by the damper function by the buffer means 7 and the return direction (current In the contact direction De), since the damper function of the buffer means 7 is released, the gap between the upper surface of the stacked objects P and the introduction guide portion 4 can be eliminated or reduced. Therefore, the preload can always be applied to the workpiece P to be introduced, and there is no problem that the loading state of the workpiece P becomes unstable. Further, even when the subsequent object P is light and thin, a preload can always be applied, and the cause of the object P to be broken, wrinkled, torn, jammed or the like can be eliminated. As a result, even when a wide range of objects P ... in a wide range of about 2 [g] to about 200 [g] are mixed, highly stable receiving and loading can be performed. Applicability and stability can be ensured even when the conveying speed of the object P is a high speed of 4 [m / s] or more.

  (2) Since it can be implemented by adding one part to the existing structure without adopting any control method such as measuring the weight of the object P and switching control according to the measurement result, it is easy. It can be implemented and retrofitted to existing structures. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost by reducing the number of parts and to reduce the installation space. For example, the article to be sorted in the mail sorting machine that sorts the mail including various forms as the article P. It is optimal for use with the receiving unit 1.

  (3) When setting the damping force Fn of the buffer means 7, since the displacement speed of the stack tray 5 due to the impact applied in the separation direction Dp is set to be larger than the constant load Fe when the predetermined speed Vo or higher, The displacement speed of the stack tray 5 is determined by the state of the object P and the transport speed. Therefore, optimization from the viewpoint of obtaining the maximum effect according to the present invention, such as setting the characteristics of the buffer means 7 and the biasing means 6 based on the predetermined speed Vo corresponding to the largest object P, is easily performed. be able to.

  (4) According to a preferred embodiment, the introduction guide portion 4 includes a feed roller portion that allows introduction of the inclined direction Ds in a range of 10 to 40 [°] with respect to the tray surface 5u of the stack tray 5 where the article P is to be sorted. If it comprises by 11a and 11b, since it will be able to receive the to-be-sorted object P ... smoothly and reliably in any angle (inclination direction Ds) in the range of 10-40 [°], the to-be-sorted object P It can be implemented as an optimum form from the viewpoint of ensuring sufficient smoothness, stability and reliability when receiving.

  (5) According to a preferred embodiment, when the damping force Fn of the buffer means 7 is set, the displacement Lm of the stack tray 5 when a predetermined object P having a predetermined weight and a predetermined thickness Lp is introduced. Is set to be smaller than the predetermined thickness Lp, the damping force Fn can be set based on the weight and thickness Lp of the largest object P, and therefore the object having various dimensions. Even P ... can be received reliably.

  (6) If the linear spring 6s that pulls the stack tray 5 by the wire 15 fed from the take-up reel 14 supported by the spiral spring 12 is used as the biasing means 6 according to a preferred embodiment, the light and thin object to be classified In addition to ensuring a desirable receiving action for P ..., it is possible to realize a desirable assembly structure when using the rotary damper 7s.

  (7) By using a rotary damper 7 s that rotates integrally with the take-up reel 14 by being arranged coaxially with the take-up reel 14 according to a preferred embodiment, the overall size and size can be reduced. It can be implemented in the most desirable form from the viewpoint of realization. In addition, an integrated structure with respect to the linear spring 6s can be easily realized, and retrofitting can be easily performed.

  (8) According to a preferred embodiment, the relative rotation input portion 16 of the rotary damper 7s is provided with a connection portion 16s having a pair of parallel surfaces with the peripheral surfaces cut, and the relative rotation output portion 13 of the linear spring 6s is connected to the relative rotation output portion 13 If the to-be-connected part 13s which formed the parting groove part which 16s engages is provided, and the cross-sectional area Ad of this to-be-connected part 13s is set larger than the cross-sectional area As of the connecting part 16s, it will be connected to the connecting part 16s. Since the relative mechanical strength of the portion 13s can be sufficiently secured, reliability and durability can be enhanced, such as maintaining a reliable transmission function over a long period of time.

The front view of the to-be-sorted article receiving unit concerning the suitable embodiment of the present invention, An external perspective view showing an outline of a sorting machine equipped with the same sort receiving unit, An external perspective view of a linear spring showing a state in which a rotary damper provided in the article receiving unit is assembled, An exploded perspective view of a linear spring including the rotary damper, Front view and side cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the assembly structure of the rotary damper with respect to the linear spring, Front view and side sectional view showing another modified example of the assembly structure of the rotary damper with respect to the linear spring, Action explanatory diagram at the time of receiving an object to be classified (separating direction) in the object receiving unit, Action explanatory diagram at the time of return (contact direction) after receiving the object in the object receiving unit The characteristic view showing the relationship between the torque for the rotational speed of the linear spring and the rotary damper in the same article receiving unit, The characteristic diagram which shows the relationship of the displacement amount by the collision with respect to the weight of the to-be-sorted object in the to-be-sorted article receiving unit A characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the weight of the object in the object receiving unit and the amount of displacement when the object collides, The characteristic diagram which shows the relationship of the displacement amount by the collision with respect to the collision speed of the to-be-sorted object in the to-be-sorted article receiving unit, The characteristic diagram which shows the relationship of the displacement time by the collision with respect to the collision speed of the object to be classified in the same object receiving unit, The characteristic diagram which shows the relationship of the load (wire tension) which generate | occur | produces with respect to the weight of the to-be-sorted object in the to-be-sorted object receiving unit

  Next, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be given and described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, in order to assist understanding of the article receiving unit 1 according to the present embodiment, an outline of the sorting machine M will be described with reference to FIG. 2 (FIG. 1). The sorting machine M illustrated in FIG. 2 is a mail sorting machine Mm.

  The mail sorting machine Mm roughly includes a supply unit 51, an OCR scanner unit 52, a barcode printing unit 53, a barcode reader unit 54, and a stacker unit 55. In this case, the articles to be sorted (postal items) P... Before sorting are put into the supply unit 51. As a result, the objects to be sorted P are conveyed one by one along the supply conveyance path 56, and the postal code and destination are read by the OCR scanner unit 52. Thereafter, the object P is supplied to the bar code printing unit 53, and the bar code including the read information is printed on the surface of the object P by the bar code printing unit 53 using an ink jet printer or the like. Further, after the bar code is read by the bar code reader unit 54, the bar code is supplied to the entrance of the main transport path 57 that is configured as a whole in the stacker unit 55. In FIG. 2, 58 indicates an operation display panel unit.

  On the other hand, the stacker unit 55 includes a large number of object receiving units 1... According to this embodiment arranged along the main conveyance path 57, and the object receiving unit 1 shown in FIG. The switching control for the switch 61 is performed. As a result, the article P that has been conveyed through the main conveyance path 57 is supplied to the auxiliary conveyance path 62 that is connected to the corresponding article receiving unit 1. Then, the objects P to be sorted that have passed through the sub-conveying path 62 are sequentially stacked and held on the tray surface 5u of the stack tray 5 provided in the article receiving unit 1.

  Next, a specific configuration of the article receiving unit 1 provided in the mail sorting machine Mm will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, the phantom line indicates the main transport path 57 described above. The main transport path 57 includes a plurality of guide roller 57 p... Constituting a path of the main transport path 57 and a plurality of transport roller mechanisms 57 r using a pair of rollers for transporting the object P.

  On the other hand, the article receiving unit 1 is disposed close to the main conveyance path 57. Then, the article receiving unit 1 and the main transport path 57 are connected by the sub transport path 62 described above. In this case, the upstream side of the sub-transport path 62 is connected so as to branch from the main transport path 57, and a switch 61 is disposed at this connection site. Further, the downstream side of the sub-transport path 62 faces the introduction guide portion 4 in the article receiving unit 1. The angle between the main transport path 57 and the sub transport path 62 is set in a range of approximately 10 to 40 [°].

  As shown in FIG. 1, the article receiving unit 1 includes a base plate 21, and the introduction guide portion 4 described above is disposed on the main conveyance path 57 side of the base plate 21 with its position fixed. The illustrated introduction guide part 4 is constituted by feed roller parts 11a and 11b arranged at the front and rear. This allows the articles P to be introduced from the inclined direction Ds in the range of 10 to 40 [°] with respect to the tray surface 5u of the stack tray 5. If such an introduction guide portion 4 is provided, the object to be sorted P can be received smoothly and reliably at any angle (inclination direction Ds) in the range of 10 to 40 [°]. There is an advantage that it can be implemented as an optimum form from the viewpoint of ensuring sufficient smoothness, stability and reliability when receiving the object P. The feed roller portions 11a and 11b are rotationally driven by a rotational drive mechanism (not shown).

  In addition, a guide shaft (linear guide) 22 is disposed in the vicinity of the end of the base plate 21 that is opposite to the sub-transport path 62 side. The guide shaft 22 is fixed on the base plate 21 with the axis thereof being perpendicular to the main transport path 57 and supported at both ends by the fixing portions 23a and 23b. Then, the guide tray 22 supports the stack tray 5 that receives the divided objects P to be slidably supported. The stack tray 5 includes a tray body portion 5m and a slider portion 5s integrally provided at one end of the tray body portion 5m, and the slider portion 5s slides on the guide shaft 22. As a result, the stack tray 5 has a contact direction De in which the tray main body portion 5m comes into contact with the introduction guide portion 4 (feed roller portions 11a and 11b) and a separation direction in which the tray main body portion 5m is separated from the introduction guide portion 4. Dp is supported so as to be movable in parallel.

  Further, between the guide shaft 22 and the main conveyance path 57, the biasing means 6 that applies a constant load Fe to the stack tray 5 in the contact direction De and the separation direction Dp to the stack tray 5 are applied. A buffer means 7 having a unidirectional damper function for buffering an impact is disposed.

  In this case, a linear spring 6s is used as the biasing means 6. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the illustrated linear spring 6 s is housed in a mounting bracket 31, a spring case 32 fixed on the mounting bracket 31, and inside the spring case 32, and an outer end is integrated with the inner surface of the spring case 32. A spiral spring 12 that is locked to the formed fixing portion 32c, a take-up reel 14 having a fixed cylindrical portion 14s that fixes the inner end of the spiral spring 12, and a wire 15 wound around the take-up reel 14 are provided. A connecting portion 15c is provided at the tip of the wire 15, and as shown in FIG. 1, the tip of the wire 15 (joining portion 15c) fed from the take-up reel 14 is screwed to the slider portion 5s of the stack tray 5 described above. Join by etc. The feeding direction of the wire 15 is substantially parallel to the guide shaft 22.

  Thus, the linear spring 6s constitutes an urging means 6 that applies a constant load Fe to the stack tray 5 in order to pull the stack tray 5 in the contact direction De with respect to the introduction guide portion 4 via the wire 15. Although the wire 15 fed from the linear spring 6s is directly coupled to the stack tray 5, the linear spring 6s is disposed on the back side of the base plate 21 and coupled to the stack tray 5 via a pulley. The assembly form is arbitrary. By using such a linear spring 6s, it is possible to secure a desirable receiving action for the light and thin object P ..., and in addition, there is an advantage that a desirable assembly structure when using the rotary damper 7s can be realized.

  On the other hand, a rotary damper 7s is used for the buffer means 7. As shown in FIG. 4, the illustrated rotary damper 7s includes a damper main body portion 17m that can be accommodated in the inner space of the take-up reel 14, and a mounting flange portion 17c that is integrally provided at one end of the damper main body portion 17m. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rotary damper 7 s and the linear spring 6 s can be integrated with the damper main body portion 17 m being accommodated inside the take-up reel 14. Accordingly, the damper main body portion 17m of the rotary damper 7s is positioned coaxially with the take-up reel 14 of the linear spring 6s and rotates integrally with the take-up reel 14. If such a rotary damper 7s is used, the embodiment can be implemented in the most desirable form from the viewpoint of realizing the overall miniaturization and compactness. In addition, there is an advantage that an integrated structure with respect to the linear spring 6s can be easily realized and can be easily retrofitted.

  When the rotary damper 7s is attached to the take-up reel 14, the take-up reel is secured by screwing using fixing screws 34, 34 inserted into a pair of screw insertion holes 33, 33 provided in the attachment flange portion 17c of the rotary damper 7s. 14 is fixed to the end face. The rotary damper 7s may be attached to the linear spring 6s as shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 shows that a pair of screw insertion holes 33, 33 provided in the mounting flange portion 17c are fitted to a pair of positioning pins 35, 35 formed on the end face of the take-up reel 14 to function as positioning holes for positioning. In addition, a mode in which a separately prepared presser fitting 36 is fixed by fixing screws 34 is shown. On the other hand, in FIG. 6, fixing pin portions 37 that are inserted into the above-described screw insertion holes 33 are integrally formed on the end surface of the take-up reel 14, and the fixing pin portions 37 that are inserted through the screw insertion holes 33. The tip is fixed by melting with a heating jig or the like.

  Further, a shaft-like relative rotation input portion 16 shown in FIG. 6 protrudes from the center of the damper main body portion 17m. The relative rotation input portion 16 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion provided at the center of the end surface of the damper main body portion 17m, and a pair of parallel surfaces with a circumferential surface cut off at the distal end side of the relative rotation input portion 16. A connecting portion 16s having the following is provided.

  By the way, the rotary damper 7s (buffer means 7) only needs to have a unidirectional damper function for buffering (absorbing) the shock applied to the stack tray 5 in the separation direction Dp. Absent. 7 and 8 show a structure of an example rotary damper 7s. The illustrated rotary damper 7s accommodates a fluid 41 having a predetermined viscosity and a rectangular rotary plate 42 inside a cylindrical drum-shaped damper main body 17m, and the above-described shaft-like relative rotational input portion. 16 is fixed to the center of the rotating plate 42, and the rotating plate 43 has a plurality of small hole portions 43 s... And a plurality of large hole portions 43 m. Has a principle structure with valve seats 44 attached thereto.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, when an impact in the separation direction Dp is applied to the stack tray 5, the damper main body 17m rotates in the direction of the arrow Dpp. The direction of rotation of the spiral spring 12 is the winding direction indicated by the arrow Dps. At this time, since the large hole portions 43m are closed by the valve seats 44, the fluid 42 flows in the direction of the arrow Dpf through the small hole portions 43s. As a result, the damping force (resistance force) Fn becomes large and exhibits a damper function (buffer action) based on the damping force Fn.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the stack tray 5 returns to the contact direction De, the damper main body portion 17m rotates in the arrow Dep direction. The direction of rotation of the spiral spring 12 is the rewind direction indicated by the arrow Des. At this time, the valve seats 44 are displaced in a direction to open the large holes 43m, and the fluid 42 flows in the direction of the arrow Def through both the large holes 43m and the small holes 43s, so that the damping force Fn is Get smaller. That is, it functions as a buffering means 7 having a unidirectional damper function for buffering the impact in the separation direction Dp applied to the stack tray 5.

  Further, in the illustrated rotary damper 7s, the damper main body portion 17m is attached to the take-up reel 14, and rotates together with the take-up reel 14. Therefore, it is necessary to fix the relative rotation input portion 16. For this reason, the relative rotation output unit 13 is provided inside the spring case 32 so that the relative rotation output unit 13 and the relative rotation input unit 16 are locked.

  Specifically, a caulking portion is provided at one end of the relative rotation output portion 13, and the spring case 32 and the mounting bracket 31 are coupled by the caulking portion. As a result, the relative rotation output unit 13, the spring case 32, and the mounting bracket 31 have an integrated structure. Further, a connected portion 13s having a split groove portion with which the connecting portion 16s engages is provided on the other end portion (tip portion) side of the relative rotation output portion 13. As a result, the other end side of the relative rotation output portion 13 is inserted through the inside of the fixed cylinder portion 14s of the take-up reel 14, so that when the rotary damper 7s is attached to the take-up reel 14, the connecting portion 16s and the covered portion are covered. The connecting portions 13s can be locked with each other. That is, the rotation of the relative rotation input unit 16 is restricted by the fixed relative rotation output unit 13.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the following conditions are taken into account when setting the cross-sectional area Ad of the connected portion 13s and the cross-sectional area As of the connecting portion 16s. That is, the cross-sectional area Ad of the connected portion 13s is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area As of the connecting portion 16s. If such a setting is performed, the relative mechanical strength of the connected portion 13s with respect to the connecting portion 16s can be sufficiently ensured, so that a reliable transmission function can be maintained over a long period of time, and reliability and durability can be improved. There are advantages.

  On the other hand, the relationship between the biasing means 6 (linear spring 6s) and the buffer means 7 (rotary damper 7s) is set so as to satisfy at least the following condition. The support of the validity of these conditions will be described in the function (action) of the article receiving unit 1 described later.

  First, when the damping force Fn of the buffer means 7 is set, it is set to be larger than the constant load Fe when the displacement speed of the stack tray 5 due to the impact applied in the separating direction Dp is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed Vo. If such a setting is made, the displacement speed of the stack tray 5 is determined by the state of the object to be classified P and the conveying speed, and therefore the buffer means 7 and the attachment based on the predetermined speed Vo corresponding to the largest object to be classified P are attached. Optimization from the viewpoint of obtaining the maximum effect according to the present invention, such as setting the characteristics of the biasing means 6, can be easily performed.

  Further, when setting the damping force Fn, the displacement amount Lm of the stack tray 5 when the predetermined object P having the predetermined weight and the predetermined thickness Lp is introduced is larger than the predetermined thickness Lp. Set to be smaller. If such a setting is made, the damping force Fn can be set based on the weight and thickness Lp of the largest object P, so that even the object P.. You can receive it.

  Next, the function (action) of the article receiving unit 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Now, it is assumed that an arbitrary workpiece P is transported by the main transport path 57 and introduced into the corresponding workpiece receiving unit 1 shown in FIG. In this case, the switch 61 is switched to the position indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 1 at a predetermined timing when the object P approaches. As a result, the article to be sorted P is carried into the sub-conveying path 62 through the switching device 61 and is introduced into the introduction guide portion 4 through the sub-conveying path 62. At this time, since the object to be classified P is usually transported at a high speed of 4 [m / s] or more, the introduced object P collides with the upper surface of the object P loaded immediately before. To do. In this case, for example, when a heavy and thick object P having a weight of about 200 [g] is introduced, the collision energy becomes considerably large.

  On the other hand, the stack tray 5 is urged by the constant load Fe in the contact direction De by the linear spring 6s, and further, a damping force Fn by the rotary damper 7s acts in addition to the constant load Fe. Therefore, even when the relatively heavy and thick object P collides with the upper surface of the object P loaded immediately before, the rotary damper 7s is applied to the stack tray 5 in the separation direction Dp. Therefore, the stack tray 5 is not unnecessarily displaced with respect to the separation direction Dp, and the displacement is suppressed. That is, even a heavy and thick object P is stably held between the introduction guide portion 4 and the upper surface of the object P to be stacked.

  On the other hand, since the rotary damper 7s has a unidirectional property that exhibits a damper function only in the separation direction Dp, the damper function is canceled in the contact direction De that is the return direction. Therefore, when the stack tray 5 receives an impact and is slightly displaced in the separation direction Dp, the stack tray 5 is quickly returned by the constant load Fe (tensile force) in the contact direction De by the linear spring 6s.

  By the way, the articles to be classified P (postal items) are normally conveyed sequentially at a conveyance interval of 100 [ms] or less, and therefore, the following objects to be classified P are continuously introduced into the article receiving unit 1. There is a case. In particular, when the object P is light and thin, and the rotary damper 7s is not present, the stack tray 5 does not return completely, that is, there is a gap, and the subsequent object to be succeeded is the next. Although the introduction of P may be unstable, the object receiving unit 1 according to the present embodiment can eliminate adverse effects on the subsequent object P. In addition, since the constant load Fe by the linear spring 6s always acts, even if the light and thin article P is introduced, smooth and stable reception is realized by the action of an appropriate preload. .

  FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the damping torque or the spring torque [Nm] with respect to the rotational speed [rps] of the linear spring 6s and the take-up reel 14 of the rotary damper 7s in the article receiving unit 1. In this case, the rotation speed [rps] of the take-up reel 14 corresponds to the displacement speed of the stack tray 5, that is, the speed at the time of collision of the introduced workpiece P. In FIG. 9, Q01 is a characteristic of the linear spring 6s, and the spring torque corresponding to the constant load Fe is approximately 0.04 [Nm]. Q11, Q12, and Q13 are characteristics of the rotary damper 7s, and the damping torques corresponding to the damping force (resistance force) Fn are 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 [Nm], respectively.

  As is clear from this, when Vo is set to a predetermined speed, the damping torque in the rotary damper 7s acts greatly in a region where the rotational speed of the take-up reel 14 (the displacement speed of the stack tray 5) is faster than the predetermined speed Vo. In addition, it can be confirmed that the size is substantially proportional to the rotation speed of the take-up reel 14. On the other hand, in the region slower than the predetermined speed Vo, the influence of the rotary damper 7s becomes relatively small, and the influence of the spring torque of the linear spring 6s and the damping torque of the rotary damper 7s is about half or in the rotary damper 7s. The influence of the damping torque becomes relatively small. That is, when setting the damping force Fn of the rotary damper 7s (buffer means 7), the displacement speed of the stack tray 5 due to the impact applied in the separating direction Dp is larger than the constant load Fe when the displacement speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed Vo. The significance of setting to is recognized.

  FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the amount of displacement of the stack tray 5 due to a collision with respect to the weight [g] of the object P in the object receiving unit 1. In FIG. 10, Q02 is a characteristic of only the linear spring 6s, and the wire tension corresponding to the constant load Fe is 3 [N]. Q21 is a characteristic when both the linear spring 6s and the rotary damper 7s are combined, and the damping torque is 0.03 [Nm]. This 0.03 [Nm] corresponds to a tension of 2 [N]. QL1 is the thickness of the object P, and shows a state where the thickness increases as the weight increases.

  As is clear from this, when the weight of the object P is 150 [g], the linear spring 6s alone is largely displaced in the separation direction Dp of the stack tray 5 due to the collision of the object P, and the object A gap considerably wider than the thickness Lp of P is generated. On the other hand, when both the linear spring 6s and the rotary damper 7s are combined, the displacement amount Lw in the separation direction Dp of the stack tray 5 is small and less than the thickness Lp of the object P to be sorted. Is shown. That is, when setting the damping force Fn of the rotary damper 7s (buffer means 7), the displacement amount Lm of the stack tray 5 when a predetermined object P having a predetermined weight and a predetermined thickness Lp is introduced is It can be set to be smaller than the predetermined thickness Lp, and its significance is recognized.

  On the other hand, FIGS. 11 to 14 show other data. FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the weight [kg] of the object P in the object receiving unit 1 and the amount of displacement [mm] of the stack tray 5 when the object P collides. In particular, the linear spring 6s. This is a characteristic when using only. As is clear from FIG. 11, in the case of only the linear spring 6s, the light object P whose weight is about 20 [g] is suppressed by the magnitude of the constant load Fe, and the displacement at the time of the collision Becomes around 1 mm, and the amount of displacement at the time of collision increases as the weight of the object P increases. On the other hand, QL2 is the thickness of the object P to be sorted, and shows a state where the thickness increases as the weight increases. As is clear from FIG. 11, when the intersection of the characteristics QL2 and the characteristics Q03, that is, the weight of the object to be classified P is larger than Ks in FIG. This indicates that this region becomes an unstable region. On the other hand, when the weight of the object P is smaller than Ks, the gap (displacement amount) is smaller than the thickness of the object P, and a preload always acts. That is, it shows that it becomes a stable region.

  FIG. 12 shows the relationship of the displacement amount [mm] of the stack tray 5 with respect to the collision speed [m / s] of the object P in the object receiving unit 1. In this case, the weight of the article P is 200 [g]. In FIG. 12, Q04 is the characteristic of the linear spring 6s of 3 [N], Q41 is the characteristic of combining the linear spring 6s of 3 [N] and the rotary damper 7s of 0.05 [Nm], and Q42 is 5 [N]. Characteristics obtained by combining the linear spring 6s and the rotary damper 7s of 0.10 [Nm] are shown. As is clear from FIG. 12, it is recognized that the buffering effect of the rotary damper 7s becomes dominant as the collision speed increases. In addition, when the constant load Fe of the linear spring 6s is 3 [N] and 5 [N], the difference is hardly seen.

  FIG. 13 shows the relationship of the displacement time [ms] of the stack tray 5 due to the collision to the collision speed [m / s] of the object P in the object receiving unit 1. The weight of the object P is 200 [g]. In FIG. 13, Q05 is the characteristic of the linear spring 6s of 3 [N], Q51 is the characteristic of combining the linear spring 6s of 3 [N] and the rotary damper 7s of 0.05 [Nm], and Q52 is 5 [N]. Characteristics obtained by combining the linear spring 6s and the rotary damper 7s of 0.10 [Nm] are shown. In this case, the longer displacement time means that the generated gap is larger and longer. As can be seen from FIG. 13, the linear spring 6s alone has a long displacement time and cannot support a conveyance speed with a conveyance interval of 100 [ms] or less. Therefore, when the succeeding article P is continuously introduced, the preload is not applied, and the receiving and loading of the article P become unstable. On the other hand, it can be confirmed that the displacement time can be shortened to 1/3 to 1/2 by combining the rotary damper 7s. Although the rotary damper 7s of 0.10 [Nm] is recognized to have a greater buffering effect than the rotary damper 7s of 0.05 [Nm], there is no significant difference.

  FIG. 14 shows the relationship of the load (wire tension) received by the stack tray 5 with respect to the weight [g] of the object P in the object receiving unit 1. In FIG. 14, Q06 indicates the characteristic of the 3 [N] linear spring 6s, and Q61 indicates the characteristic of the rotary damper 7s of 0.03 [Nm]. As apparent from FIG. 14, the collision energy increases as the weight [g] of the object P increases, so the load (wire tension) received by the stack tray 5 also increases. In particular, when the weight of the object P exceeds about 10 [g], it is recognized that the buffering action of the rotary damper 7s increases as the weight increases.

  As described above, according to the object receiving unit 1 according to the present embodiment, even when a heavy object or a high-speed object P is received, the impact in the separation direction Dp when the object P collides is reduced. In addition to being buffered by the damper function by the rotary damper 7s, the damper function of the rotary damper 7s is canceled in the return direction (contacting direction De), so that the space between the upper surface of the stacked objects P and the introduction guide part 4 is released. The gap can be eliminated or reduced. Therefore, the preload can always be applied to the workpiece P to be introduced, and there is no problem that the loading state of the workpiece P becomes unstable. Further, even when the subsequent object P is light and thin, a preload can always be applied, and the cause of the object P to be broken, wrinkled, torn, jammed or the like can be eliminated. As a result, even when a wide range of objects P ... in a wide range of about 2 [g] to about 200 [g] are mixed, highly stable receiving and loading can be performed. Applicability and stability can be ensured even when the conveying speed of the object P is a high speed of 4 [m / s] or more.

  Moreover, it can be implemented easily by adding one part to the existing structure without adopting any control method such as measuring the weight of the object P and switching control according to the measurement result. And can be retrofitted to existing structures. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost by significantly reducing the number of parts and to reduce the installation space. Usually, the postal sorting machine Mm sorts postal items including various forms as the target P ... It is optimal for use with the article receiving unit 1.

  Although the preferred embodiment and the modified examples have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the gist of the present invention is described in detail configuration, shape, material, quantity, numerical value, and the like. Any change, addition, or deletion can be made without departing from.

  For example, the configuration of the transport mechanism 2 is an exemplification, and various types that sequentially transport the objects to be sorted P can be applied. Further, the introduction guide portion 4 is configured by feed roller portions 11a and 11b that allow the object P to be introduced to be introduced in the inclined direction Ds in the range of 10 to 40 [°] with respect to the tray surface 5u of the stack tray 5. Although the case has been shown, other feed functions such as a conveyor belt may be provided instead of the feed roller portions 11a and 11b, or use of a guide plate without a feed function is not excluded. On the other hand, the urging means 6 is exemplified by the linear spring 6s that pulls the stack tray 5 by the wire 15 fed from the take-up reel 14 supported by the spiral spring 12. However, the biasing means 6 is in the contact direction De with respect to the stack tray 5. It can be replaced by various urging means 6 capable of applying a constant load. Further, as the buffering means 7, the rotary damper 7 s that rotates coaxially with the take-up reel 14 by being coaxially arranged with respect to the take-up reel 14 is illustrated, but given to the stack tray 5 in the separation direction Dp. It can be replaced by various buffer means 7 having a unidirectional damper function to buffer the impact. Therefore, the urging means 6 and the buffering means 7 may be either a rotary type or a linear type, and may be separate or integral. Furthermore, although the form which fixes the relative rotation input part 16 of the rotary damper 7s and rotates the damper main-body part 17m was shown, the structure which fixes the damper main-body part 17m and rotates the relative rotation input part 16 may be sufficient. . The relative rotation input unit 16 and the relative rotation output unit 13 may be integrated, and the coupling form of the relative rotation input unit 16 and the relative rotation output unit 13 is not limited to the example, and various coupling forms are adopted. Is possible.

  The to-be-sorted object receiving unit according to the present invention can be used for various sorters for sorting to-be-sorted objects having the same kind of properties as mail.

  1: receiving object receiving unit, 2: transport mechanism, 4: introduction guide, 5: stack tray, 5u: tray surface of stack tray, 6: biasing means, 6s: linear spring, 7: buffering means, 7s: Rotary damper, 11a: feed roller section, 11b: feed roller section, 12: spiral spring, 13: relative rotation output section, 13s: coupled section, 14: take-up reel, 15: wire, 16: relative rotation input section, 16s: Connection part, P ...: Object to be classified, M: Sorting machine, De: Contact direction, Dp: Separation direction, Ds: Inclination direction, Vo: Predetermined speed, Ad: Cross-sectional area of the connected part, As: Connection Sectional area

Claims (7)

  A receiving unit for a sorting machine that receives a sorting object from a number of sorting objects that are sequentially transported by a transport mechanism, and that sequentially holds the received sorting objects and holds the position, and a fixed position. An introduced guide portion, a stack tray that is supported so as to be movable in parallel in a contact direction in contact with the introduction guide portion and in a separating direction that is separated from the introduction guide portion, and that receives the divided objects to be divided, and the stack An urging means for applying a constant load to the tray in the abutting direction and an impact applied to the stack tray in the separation direction are buffered, and the displacement speed of the stack tray by the impact is a predetermined speed. And a buffer means having a unidirectional damper function in which a damping force that is larger than the predetermined load is set. The classified material receiving unit of that sorting machine.   The said introduction guide part is provided with the feed roller part which accept | permits the inclination direction in the range of 10-40 [degree] with respect to the tray surface of the said stack tray for the said to-be-divided object. Sorting unit receiving unit of the sorting machine.   The damping force of the buffer means is set so that a displacement amount of the stack tray when a predetermined object having a predetermined weight and a predetermined thickness is introduced is smaller than the predetermined thickness. 2. The sorting object receiving unit of the sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein the sorting object receiving unit is a sorting machine.   2. The sorting object receiving unit of a sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein the biasing means uses a linear spring that pulls the stack tray by a wire fed from a take-up reel supported by a spiral spring.   5. The sorting object receiving unit of the sorting machine according to claim 4, wherein the buffer means uses a rotary damper that is coaxially disposed with respect to the take-up reel and rotates integrally with the take-up reel. .   A connecting portion having a pair of parallel surfaces with cut circumferential surfaces is provided in the relative rotation input portion of the rotary damper, and a split groove portion to be engaged with the connecting portion is formed in the relative rotation output portion of the linear spring. 6. A sorting object receiving unit for a sorting machine according to claim 5, wherein a connecting portion is provided, and a cross-sectional area of the connected portion is set larger than a cross-sectional area of the connecting portion.   The sorting object receiving unit of the sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein a mail is applied to the sorting object.

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