JP6202915B2 - Article supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article supply apparatus.

  Containers filled with shampoos, rinses, household detergents, foods, etc., come in various sizes and shapes for the purpose of facilitating the removal of contents and making the appearance beautiful according to the difference in internal volume. Is present. In production equipment, the outer shape is constant according to the equipment, but handling of these various containers is possible by using a conveying member called a bowl having different inner shapes according to the shape of the container. It is possible. It is difficult to automatically put containers of various sizes and shapes into the conveying member, and it is often done manually. Although such a container may be thrown in by a highly versatile automatic machine, there is a limit to the size and shape of the container that can be handled.

  In recent years, the price of robots that can be accurately positioned arbitrarily has been reduced, and the movement patterns of these robots can be changed. Therefore, it is possible to handle articles of various sizes and shapes at low cost. It has become possible. Conventionally, an article handling operation that has been performed by a mechanical device having a certain movement pattern within a certain range, particularly called pick-and-place, which is desired to be picked up and moved (picked) to a predetermined position. A multi-axis robot is increasingly used for handling work that is placed (placed) in a direction. That is, if a multi-axis robot or the like is used, containers of various sizes and shapes can be easily picked and placed and loaded into the conveying member.

  There exists a thing of patent document 1 as a conveyance member for the containers handled with a robot or an automatic machine. This container transporting member is composed of an outer frame body having an opening upward and an elastic holding body attached to the inside of the outer frame body, and the container is held by the elastic holding body so that the container can be taken in and out. The container holding member that holds the container in an upright state at the center of the outer frame.

  Moreover, there exists a thing of patent document 2 as a container handling apparatus which can insert a container into the above-mentioned container conveyance member mechanically with a robot or an automatic machine. The robot used in this container handling apparatus includes a holding member that holds a container having a mouth portion at one end in the longitudinal direction and a bottom portion at the other end, and holds the container in a rollover state by the holding member at a holding position for holding the container. Then, after the container held by the holding member is moved to the release position, the holding state is released. Then, while dropping the container released by the robot, the container is rotated so that the mouth of the container is upward, and inserted into the container transport member.

  In addition, there is a device described in Patent Document 3 as a container handling device that enables a robot to mechanically insert a large number of containers into the container transporting member at a time. In this conventional container handling device, the container contained in the storage case is taken out and held by the multiple container holding mechanism rotatably provided in the multi-axis robot mechanism, and after adjusting the holding angle, Insert into container transport member.

JP-A-8-282633 JP 7-14747 JP2004-299794

  In the container transport member described in Patent Document 1, the container carried into the container supply position by the robot is pushed and inserted from the upward opening of the container transport member positioned at the container supply position. For this reason, the robot needs a lowering operation to push the container into the container transporting member and insert it into the container transporting member and a lifting operation to withdraw from the container transporting member after the insertion. The travel time and the travel range of the are increased. Due to the large movement range, the robot becomes large and a large installation area is required.

  Moreover, in the container handling apparatus described in Patent Document 2, an attempt is made to rotate the container released by the robot while dropping it, to erect it and insert it into the container transport member, and the insertion operation is unstable and fails. There is a fear.

  In addition, the container handling device described in Patent Document 3 is complicated because it uses multiple container holding mechanisms and includes container holding angle adjusting means in order to handle a large number of containers at once with a robot.

  An object of the present invention is to shorten the movement time of a pick-and-place apparatus such as a robot for carrying an article into a conveying member, and to narrow the movement range.

  Another object of the present invention is to stably insert an article into a conveying member with a simple device.

The invention according to claim 1 has an outer frame body that has an opening that allows an article to be taken out and opens upward, and the outer frame body allows an article to be inserted into the inside from the side. Article supply apparatus using an article transporting member having a side portion on the side, wherein the article transporting member can be positioned at the article supply position, and the article held by the pick and place device is positioned at the article supply position The pick-and-place device is configured to be inserted into the inside from the insertion opening on the side surface of the outer frame body in the conveying member, and installed above the outer frame body in the article conveying member positioned at the article supply position. Has an article pushing device that pushes an article inserted into the outer frame body from the insertion opening toward the bottom surface of the outer frame body, and the article pushing device includes a pushing section that pushes the head of the article. The picker When the placer device inserts an article into the article conveying member from the insertion opening of the outer frame body, the front and bottom surfaces are opened so that the head of the article is received, and the left and right lateral surfaces and the rear surface In addition, the push-in portion is provided with a notched portion having a ridged groove shape with the top surface closed .

  According to the present invention, the article held by the robot or the like is passed through the insertion opening provided on the side surface of the outer frame body of the article transport member positioned at the article supply position, so that the side of the outer frame body Insert from the inside. By this insertion operation, it is not necessary to lift the article carried into the article supply position to a position higher than the upward opening of the outer frame body in the article conveying member for insertion, and the movement time of the pick and place device is shortened. The moving range can be narrowed. As a result, it is possible to increase the productivity of the pick and place device and to construct a compact facility that reduces the number of pick and place devices installed.

  Further, according to the present invention, the article held by the pick-and-place device can be reliably inserted into the outer frame body from the insertion opening provided on the side surface of the outer frame body of the article transport member, that is, the article transport member. After being inserted onto the bottom surface of the article, the article is further pushed stably toward the bottom face of the outer frame by an article pushing device installed above the article conveying member, thereby stably conveying the article with a simple configuration. It can be held on the member.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an article supply apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pick-and-place apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the article supply apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the article supply apparatus. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the article supply apparatus. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the article supply apparatus. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the article supply apparatus. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the article supply apparatus. Figure 9 is a schematic sectional view showing an article pushing device. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the article supply apparatus. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the article supply apparatus. Figure 12 is a schematic sectional view showing an article push guide. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the article pushing guide.

  The article supply apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an article input apparatus 10, a transport apparatus 20, a determination unit 30, a robot 40 as a pick and place apparatus, and a bag transport apparatus 50. The article supply apparatus 100 conveys the container 1, which is a long article to be loaded by the article throwing apparatus 10, to the pick position by the conveying apparatus 20, and lifts the container 1 whose front-rear direction is determined by the determination unit 30 by the robot 40. Then, it is inserted into the bag 60 on the bag conveying device 50 in a fixed posture. The container 1 has the trunk | drum 2 and the head 3 as shown in FIG. The trunk 2 includes a bottom 2A, and the head 3 includes a neck 3A and a mouth 3B (FIG. 4). In the plan view of the container 1, the outer shape of the head 3 is smaller than the outer shape of the body 2. Hereinafter, the article input device 10, the transport device 20, the determination unit 30, the robot 40, and the bag transport device 50 will be described.

(Article input device 10)
As shown in FIG. 1, the article input device 10 is provided at a container storage tank section (hopper) 11, an up and down moving bed 12 and a fixed floor 13 arranged alternately from the outlet thereof, and an outlet of the most downstream up and down moving bed 12. And an inclined chute 14. The inclined chute 14 is connected to the most upstream part of the conveying device 20.

  The article loading device 10 is arranged so as to form a downward gradient line in the direction in which the floor surfaces of the plurality of vertically movable floors 12 are conveyed, and the downward gradient line is mutually in the direction in which the floor surfaces of the plurality of fixed floors 13 are also conveyed. It is arranged to make. And the container 1 to which the conveyance force is given by the vertical movement of the up and down moving floor 12 is the inclination of the floor surface itself of the fixed floor 13, and the floor of the fixed floor 13 that forms a plurality of downward gradient lines along the conveyance direction. It slides on the slope between the surfaces and is transported downstream. That is, the article loading device 10 pushes up all the containers 1 by the floor surface of the vertically movable floor 12 and places them on the floor surface of the fixed floor 13 regardless of the size and shape of the container 1 and the discharge posture from the container storage tank 11. Then, the containers 1 are put into the transfer device 20 by a substantially constant amount.

(Conveyor 20)
As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device 20 places the container 1 loaded from the article loading device 10 on the V-shaped transfer surface 20A, and the longitudinal direction of the container 1 follows the V-shaped valley of the V-type transfer surface 20A. It is transported to the pick position by the robot 40 in one column in the vertical direction along the direction. A central portion in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the container 1 is positioned in a narrow range of V-shaped valleys on the V-shaped transport surface 20A. The front-rear direction of the container 1 transported by the V-shaped transport surface 20A of the transport device 20 is random. In this embodiment, the first and second transfer devices 20, 20 that form two left and right units are arranged in parallel, and the containers 1 in all two rows in the vertical direction are transferred to the pick position by the robot 40 by both transfer devices 20.

  The conveyance device 20 is configured by arranging an upstream conveyance device 20U and a downstream conveyance device 20D in series. In the present embodiment, the first and second upstream transfer devices 20U and 20U forming the left and right two units are arranged in parallel, and the first and second downstream transfer devices 20D and 20D forming the left and right two units are arranged in parallel. The containers 1 are transferred from the upstream conveying device 20U to the downstream conveying device 20D and conveyed.

  Since the discharge amount of the container 1 from the article input device 10 to the transport device 20 is not constant, the container 1 is once stocked in the upstream transport device 20U in order to level the amount of the container picked by the robot 40 per time. Then, it is carried out to downstream conveyance apparatus 20D. In order to stock a certain amount of containers 1, the upstream conveyance device 20 </ b> U is operated by checking the presence or absence of the containers 1 with a sensor or the like and performing intermittent operation or acceleration / deceleration control. The upstream transfer device 20U may be configured by two or more transfer devices in series in order to stock the containers 1 more reliably. The upstream transfer device 20U may be provided with an open / close-type stopper that can stop or flow the container 1 between the upstream transfer device 20D and continuously operate the upstream transfer device 20U. When the upstream conveying device 20U is continuously operated, the upstream conveying device 20U is provided with a slippery conveying surface so that the container 1 imparted with the conveying force by the upstream conveying device 20U does not jump out of the closed stopper. Is preferred.

  The downstream conveyance device 20D conveys the container 1 carried out from the upstream conveyance device 20U to a pick position where the robot 40 lifts it. The downstream transfer device 20D may stop according to a detection result of a sensor that detects that the container 1 has reached the pick position in order to reliably transfer the container 1 to a predetermined pick position. Alternatively, the downstream transport device 20D may transport the container 1 to the pick position by providing a weir that stops the transport of the container 1 at the pick position, that is, a stopper, and continuously operating the downstream transport device 20D. In this embodiment, a stopper 20S is provided. When the stopper is provided at the pick position, the downstream transport device 20D is slippery so that the container 1 to which the transport force is applied by the downstream transport device 20D does not jump out of the pick position when the downstream transport device 20D is continuously operated. A good transport surface is preferable.

  The downstream transport device 20D transports the container 1 on the V-shaped transport surface 20A. Since the transport surface 20A is V-shaped, the downstream transport device 20D transports the container 1 while positioning the container 1 in the central portion or a narrow range close to the central portion. Thereby, the position where the robot 40 grips the container 1 (the pick position in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport device 20) can be made constant. Accordingly, even when the picking position of the container 1 by the robot 40 is finely adjusted, it is possible to cope with the positional deviation of the container 1 by detecting it with an inexpensive distance sensor or a sensor for determining the presence or absence. Further, since the pick position of the container 1 by the robot 40 is fixed, the movement of the robot 40 can be easily optimized, and the degree of freedom of the robot 40 can be reduced to 5 axes or less as described later. These effects become more prominent by providing a stopper at the pick position.

(Determination means 30)
The discriminating means 30 discriminates the front-rear direction of the container 1 before the container 1 transported by the transport device 20 is picked by the robot 40 at the pick position. That is, the determination unit 30 determines whether the bottom 2A and the mouth 3B of the container 1 are in the front direction or the rear direction along the transport direction on the transport device 20 from the output of a sensor (not shown).

  The discriminating means 30 is installed in both the first and second transfer devices 20 and 20, and the transfer process of the container 1 by the upstream transfer device 20U, the transfer process of the container 1 by the downstream transfer device 20D, or the downstream transfer device 20D. The front-rear direction of the container 1 is determined at the conveyance end of the container 1 (the stop position of the container 1). When the discriminating means 30 discriminates the front-rear direction of the container 1 at the conveyance end of the container 1 by the downstream transport device 20D, it is possible to avoid an error in front-back discrimination because the container 1 is reliably stopped by the stopper 20S.

  The sensor connected to the discrimination means 30 is a sensor capable of discriminating the distance to the target and the presence / absence of the target with a point or linear beam light, a sensor capable of discriminating the color difference of the target, and an image processing apparatus capable of discriminating the target shape Etc. An optical sensor that can determine the presence / absence of a target with a point beam is the cheapest and preferable.

(Robot 40)
The installation direction of the robot 40 as the pick-and-place device with respect to the downstream transfer device 20D is not particularly limited, but it is preferably installed on the side of the downstream transfer device 20D, that is, on one side in the direction orthogonal to the transfer direction. The robot 40 is controlled so as to operate according to the determination result of the determination means 30, and places the container 1 in a certain posture so that the container 1 is placed in a fixed posture on the basket 60 at the container loading position (place position) of the basket transporting device 50. Pick from the conveying device 20 and move and place it while changing its posture (FIG. 2). The robot 40 as a pick-and-place device can be placed on the floor or suspended from the ceiling.

  As a pick-and-place device for picking and placing the container 1 as described above, an automatic machine or a robot can be used. Examples of the automatic machine include an air-type or electric-type drive unit, and one using a cam or a link mechanism. Currently, using a commercially available robot is more advantageous than an automatic machine in terms of flexibility, high speed movement, and cost. A pick-and-place apparatus such as a robot preferably has a degree of freedom of 5 axes or more, which is preferable because the degree of freedom in handling the container 1 is high. The type of the robot is not limited, but in a vertical articulated type having 5 axes, 6 axes, or 7 axes, having an additional axis that can rotate in the vertical direction at the tip of the SCARA robot, and a parallel link robot in the 4 axis type A six-axis type parallel link robot having an additional axis that can rotate in the vertical direction at the tip is preferable. Among them, the 6-axis parallel link robot is most suitable because the installation space of the robot is compact and high speed operation is possible.

  Here, the five axes as preferred degrees of freedom required for the pick-and-place apparatus include the following axes. Of the five axes, three axes (the first to third axes) are drive axes necessary for positioning the article gripping portion (hand portion) of the pick and place device at an arbitrary position in the XYZ space. One of the remaining two axes (the fourth axis) is a drive shaft capable of rotating the article gripping portion around the Z axis in the XYZ space, and the axis intersects the article gripping portion. It doesn't have to be. The remaining one axis (the fifth axis) is a drive shaft capable of rotating the article gripper with respect to a horizontal axis (in an arbitrary direction) perpendicular to the Z axis. It may or may not intersect with the gripping part. In other words, the fourth axis is a roll axis that rotates the article gripping portion around the Z axis in the XYZ space, and the fifth axis is a pitch axis with respect to the roll axis described above. The drive axis capable of rotating the article gripping part around the rotation axis that is different from the above-mentioned 4, 5 axes (not coincident and not parallel) with the degree of freedom of the sixth axis added to the pick and place device It is.

  In the pick-and-place apparatus, an open / close type or vacuum suction type hand unit called an end machine that holds an automatic machine or a robot container is selected. The open / close type hand unit grips the body and neck of the container 1. When the container 1 to be handled is heavy or the surface is uneven so that vacuum suction is difficult, an open / close hand portion is selected. An electric or pneumatic type opening / closing type hand part is selected, and when it is desired to adjust the opening degree according to the object, the electric type is preferable. The vacuum suction type hand unit normally sucks the body of the container 1. Since the container 1 to be handled is lightweight and the side surface of the container 1 is flat or curved and has a sufficient width, the time for gripping the container or releasing it from the gripping state can be shortened. A vacuum adsorption type is preferred. The place where the container 1 comes into contact with the vacuum suction type hand unit is usually a vacuum pad. The bellows type of the vacuum pad is more preferable than the simple shape because it can cope with a slight shift in the relative position between the tip of the vacuum pad and the container 1. Further, it is more preferable that the vacuum pad mounting portion is provided with a buffer portion by a spring or the like, so that the vacuum pad can be surely pressed and adsorbed by the container 1.

  A robot 40 shown in FIG. 2 is a parallel link robot, and includes a base portion (not shown) contained in a housing 41, a movable plate 42, and a link portion 43 that connects the base portion and the movable plate 42. An attachment member 44 is provided on the lower surface of the movable plate 42, and a hand portion 45 is attached to the attachment member 44.

(Kashiwa Conveying Device 50)
The scissor transport device 50 is on the side opposite to the robot next to the downstream transport device 20, that is, on the other side in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction (opposite to one side of the downstream transport device 20D on which the robot 40 is installed). The cage 60 which is installed and is a member for article conveyance is circulated and moved. Then, the bag transport device 50 is controlled to stop the empty bag 60 at the place position (article supply position) of the container 1 by the robot 40 in the circulation movement process.

  Hereinafter, the sill 60 and peripheral equipment for inserting the container 1 into the sledge 60 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the flange 60 has an outer frame body 61. The outer frame 61 is configured by integrally coupling a side frame 61B on a bottom plate 61A. The flange 60 includes an inner recess 61J that is partitioned by the upper surface of the bottom plate 61A and the inner surface of the side frame 61B, and has an opening 61K that opens upward from the recess 61J. While the outer shape of the outer frame 61 is constant, the flange 60 allows the container 1 having various shapes to be accommodated in the recessed portion 61J that conforms to the dimensional shape of the container 1, and takes out the container 1 from the opening 61K. to enable. In the outer frame 61, the cross-sectional dimension of the indented part 61J and the opening dimension of the opening 61K are determined based on the dimensions of the various containers 1 handled by the article supply device 100, and the container 1 is viewed in plan. It is set to be sufficiently larger than the outer shape. The height dimension of the recess 61J is also determined based on the height dimensions of various containers 1 handled by the article supply apparatus 100.

  The reed 60 is detachably mounted on the conveyer of the reed transport device 50 and is circulated. The position of the neck 3A and the mouth 3B of the head 3 in the container 1 accommodated in the indented part 61J of the outer frame body 61 is substantially constant during the circulation movement process of the basket 60 by the bottle transporting device 50, and the contents by the filling device The object filling process and the cap tightening process by the capping device can be reliably performed. Moreover, since the positions of the body 2 and the neck 3A and the mouth 3B of the head 3 in the container 1 are constant, the container 1 can be taken out by a robot or an automatic machine.

  Here, the outer frame body 61 of the flange 60 includes an insertion port portion 61L on the front side surface of the side frame 61B that allows the container 1 to be inserted into the recessed portion 61J (inside the flange 60) from the side facing forward. The insertion opening 61L is formed by cutting out a certain range from the upper end of the front side surface of the side frame 61B in the outer frame 61 to the lower side. That is, the upper opening 61K of the outer frame 61 and the side insertion opening 61L are continuous and formed as an integral notch. The robot 40 has a front side surface of the outer frame body 61 in the bag 60 in which the body 2 of the container 1 adsorbed and held by the vacuum pad 45A of the hand unit 45 is positioned at a place position (article supply position) by the robot 40. The body portion 2 of the container 1 can be immediately inserted into the indented portion 61J from the side facing the front of the outer frame body 61 by moving from the substantially horizontal direction toward the insertion port portion 61L provided in the above. In the present embodiment, the outer frame body 61 formed integrally is cut out to form the upper opening 61K and the side insertion opening 61L as a continuous cutout. The insertion opening is formed by separate members, and these separate members are fixed and integrated by bonding, screwing, or the like, so that the upper opening 61K and the side insertion opening 61L are continuously integrated. It is also good.

  Thereby, the robot 40 does not need to lift the container 1 carried into the place position to the upper part of the upward opening 61K of the outer frame body 61 in the basket 60, and eliminates the downward stroke and the upward stroke. The movement time of the robot 40 can be shortened and the movement range can be narrowed. It is possible to increase the productivity of the robot 40 and construct a compact facility with a reduced number of robots 40 installed.

  4A and 4B, the bottom plate 61A is provided on the front side surface of the side frame 61B in which the insertion port portion 61L is provided with respect to the recessed portion 61J of the outer frame body 61. When the robot has a sleeve wall 61W that rises from the top surface (which is also the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J), the bottom 2A of the container 1 inserted into the indented portion 61J through the insertion port portion 61L by the horizontal movement of the robot 40 is It is seated on the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J by a small descending operation following the horizontal movement. Alternatively, the vacuum pad 45A is sucked and released by its own weight, and is seated on the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J. A taper processing portion t that makes it easy to enter the bottom portion 2A of the falling container 1 is applied to the upper corner portion of the sleeve wall 61W facing the inside of the indented portion 61J. The magnitude of t is preferably about 1 to 6 mm with respect to the vertical direction and about 1 to 6 mm with respect to the horizontal direction, and the inclination of t is preferably about 30 to 80 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. As shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B), the collar 60 is provided with a sleeve wall 61W that rises from the upper surface of the bottom plate on the side surface where the insertion opening is provided, thereby preventing rattling during the transportation of the container 1. Can be prevented.

  However, as shown in FIG. 4C, the flange 60 may be cut out in a range where the insertion opening 61L reaches from the upper end of the front side surface of the side frame 61B to the upper surface of the bottom plate 61A in the outer frame 61. . At this time, the bottom portion 2A of the container 1 inserted into the recess portion 61J through the insertion opening 61L by the robot 40 is moved in the horizontal direction while maintaining a height close to the bottom surface of the recess portion 61J. When the suction of 45A is released, it drops by a minute height and immediately sits on the bottom surface of the recess 61J. In the heel 60 shown in FIG. 4 (C), in order to cope with the absence of the sleeve wall 61W and to prevent the container 1 from rattling during the transportation by the heel transportation device 50, an adhesive such as a gel is adhered to the upper surface of the bottom plate 61A. The bottom 2A of the container 1 may be adhered and held by pasting the material 61C.

5, skirt 60 shown in FIG. 6 has a resilient retaining member 62. The elastic holding body 62 is attached to the inside of the outer frame body 61, elastically deforms in accordance with the shape of the body portion 2 of the container 1, and holds the body portion 2 of the container 1 so as to be able to enter and exit.

  In the side frame 61B of the outer frame body 61, the elastic holding body 62 is provided at a plurality of positions on the side surface excluding the front side surface on which the insertion opening 61L is formed, in each of the inner side surfaces of the left and right and rear three side surfaces in this embodiment. They extend in the vertical direction through a predetermined interval. The elastic holding body 62 is disposed with its surface 62P facing toward the center of the inside of the indented portion 61J, and comes into contact with the body portion 2 of the container 1 inserted into the indented portion 61J while applying elasticity. The elastic holding body 62 may be disposed on each inner side surface of the two opposite side surfaces in the side surface frame 61B of the outer frame body 61.

  The elastic holding body 62 is made of a material that generates a resilient force in the central direction inside the indented portion 61J when the container 1 is inserted in the state where the elastic holding body 62 is arranged as described above. I just need it. The elastic holder 62 is made of synthetic resin such as acrylic resin, polyester resin, polyethylene resin, etc., metal such as stainless steel and spring steel, paper, cloth, rubber or the like formed in a strip shape, and has a width of 10 mm to 30 mm. It is preferable to be set to a degree.

  Since the surface 62P of the elastic holding body 62 in contact with the side surface of the body portion 2 of the container 1 is a smooth surface, the container 1 is placed between the plurality of elastic holding bodies 62 attached in the outer frame body 61. The trunk | drum 2 can be inserted easily. Low surface friction such as coating the surface 62P with Teflon (registered trademark) or the like, attaching a tape with good sliding property, or making the elastic holding body 62 with ultra-high molecular polyethylene resin with good sliding property. This further facilitates insertion.

  The length of the elastic holder 62 is determined according to the dimensions of various containers 1 handled by the article supply apparatus 100. Specifically, when the body portion 2 of the container 1 is accommodated and held in the recessed portion 61J of the outer frame body 61, the elastic holding body 62 is elastically deformed, and the elastic force of the body portion 2 of the container 1 is changed. The length of the elastic holding body 62 in the direction of the container 1 is set so as to hold the container 1 by pushing the side surface from the side. If the length of the elastic holding body 62 in the direction of the container 1 is short, the amount of deformation of the elastic holding body 62 is reduced when the container 1 is held, and the elastic restoring force is weakened. Become stable. If the length of the elastic holding body 62 in the direction of the container 1 is too long, the elastic restoring force becomes strong and it becomes difficult to smoothly insert the container 1 into the outer frame body 61.

  According to the cage 60 of the present embodiment, the robot 40 passes the trunk portion 2 of the container 1 through the insertion opening 61L on the side surface of the outer frame body 61 of the cage 60 from the substantially horizontal direction, and removes the trunk portion 2 of the container 1 from the outside. When inserted into the recess 61J from the side facing the front of the frame 61, the elastic holding body 62 is deformed according to the outer shape of the body 2 of the container 1, and the side surface of the body 2 of the container 1 is elastic from a plurality of directions. Since it pushes with the surface 62P of the holding body 62, the container 1 can be reliably hold | maintained between the some elastic holding bodies 62. FIG. Further, since the side surface of the body portion 2 of the container 1 is held by the surface 62P of the elastic holder 62 from a plurality of directions, the container 1 can be held in an appropriate upright state without being moved. Furthermore, it has a simple structure composed of the outer frame body 61 and the elastic holding body 62, and it is easy to perform various repairs and various changes in the shape and mounting position of the elastic holding body 62 without complicating the article conveying member itself. . Furthermore, since the elastic holding bodies 62 are arranged at a plurality of positions having a predetermined interval, the body portion 2 of the container 1 is pressed from a plurality of directions at a predetermined interval toward the central direction of the outer frame body 61, 1 can be held securely.

  That is, the heel 60 smoothly receives the body 2 of the container 1 having different dimensions and has no elastic force due to the presence of the elastic holding body 62 that can correspond to the containers 1 of various sizes and shapes. To hold the container 1 in a proper upright state.

The article supply device 100 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is an outer frame body in the basket 60 positioned at the place position (article supply position) of the container 1 by the robot 40 in the circulation movement process of the basket 60 by the basket transport device 50. It was placed an article pushing device 70 over the 61. The article pushing device 70 is inserted into the recess 61J from the insertion opening 61L of the outer frame 61 of the outer frame 61 in the bag 60, and more specifically on the bottom surface inside the bag 60 that is an article transporting member. The container 1 positioned on the bottom surface is pushed toward the bottom surface of the recess 61J.

  The article pushing device 70 includes a pushing portion 72 that is moved up and down between the standby position and the pushing position by the driving portion 71, and the head portion 3 of the container 1 by the pushing portion 72 that is lowered from the waiting position by the lowering operation of the driving portion 71. Push down toward the bottom. When the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70 pushes the container 1, the container 1 has already been inserted into the indented portion 61 </ b> J of the outer frame body 61 by the robot 40, and the container 1 is properly fitted by the plurality of elastic holding bodies 62. Since they are held in an upright state, they are driven into the elastic holders 62 without being tilted stably against the elastic force imparted by those elastic holders 62. After the bottom portion 2A of the container 1 is pushed by the pushing by the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70 until it comes into contact with the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J, the plurality of elastic holding bodies 62 will return to their original shapes by their elastic restoring force. The surface 62P is brought into contact with the side surface of the body portion 2 of the container 1, and the container 1 is pushed and held in the central direction of the recessed portion 61J.

  An electric cylinder or an air cylinder is selected as the drive unit 71 of the article pushing device 70. It is preferable to select an electric cylinder when fine adjustments such as a standby position, a pushing position, and a pushing speed are necessary. In addition, when a high pushing speed is required, it is preferable to select an air cylinder. The air cylinder is preferable in terms of cost. In the pushing portion 72 at the tip of the article pushing device 70, it is preferable to use a slightly deformable flexible material such as urethane rubber for the portion in contact with the container 1.

  According to the article supply device 100 provided with the article pushing device 70, the container 1 held by the robot 40 is reliably inserted into the outer frame body 61 from the insertion opening 61 </ b> L provided on the side surface of the outer frame body 61 in the basket 60. And is positioned on the bottom surface of the inside of the ridge 60, more specifically, on the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J, and further, the indented portion 61J in the outer frame body 61J by the article pushing device 70 installed above the ridge 60. The container 1 can be stably housed and held in the basket 60 with a simple configuration by being pushed down to the bottom surface of the container.

  In the article pushing device 70 shown in FIG. 9, the pushing portion 72 has a grooved shape in which the front surface and the bottom surface are opened and the left and right lateral surfaces, the rear surface, and the top surface are closed so as to receive the head 3 of the container 1. A notch 73 was provided. According to this, in the process in which the robot 40 moves the container 1 so as to be inserted into the inside from the insertion opening 61L of the outer frame body 61 in the heel 60, the body 2 of the container 1 held by the robot 40. Is received as it is in the notch 73 provided in the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70 in the standby position. Therefore, after the robot 40 inserts the container 1 into the cage 60, the article pushing device 70 immediately pushes the container 1 without idling from the standby position, and the insertion / pushing time of the container 1 into the cage 60 can be shortened. . The moving stroke for pushing the article pushing device 70 becomes small.

  Further, the container 1 is pushed in a state in which the body portion 2 enters the cutout portion 73 of the pushing portion 72 in the article pushing device 70 and the three surfaces (the left and right lateral surfaces and the rear surface) around the body portion 2 are restrained. Then, without being tilted by the pushing operation of the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70, the elastic holding body 62 in the heel 60 is pushed open to be stably driven to reach the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J.

The article supply device 100 shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 is an article directly above the outer frame body 61 of the basket 60 positioned at the place position (article supply position) in the process of circulating and moving the basket 60 by the basket transporting device 50. set up a push guide 80. The article pushing guide 80 is used when the article pushing device 70 pushes the body portion 2 of the container 1 inserted into the recessed portion 61J of the basket 60 as described above toward the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J. The portion 2 is guided vertically downward toward the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J.

  The article pushing guide 80 is moved back and forth between a standby position and a guide position by a drive unit such as an electric cylinder or an air cylinder (not shown).

  The article pushing guide 80 advances from the standby position, is set at a guide position directly above the outer frame body 61 in the heel 60, and corresponds to the front surface on which the insertion opening 61L of the outer frame body 61 is provided, and It consists of three vertical surfaces (left and right lateral surfaces and rear surface) that are generally U-shaped with the upper and lower surfaces open. The article pushing guide 80 is an upper part of the body part 2 of the container 1 that is moved substantially horizontally so that the robot 40 can be inserted into the recessed part 61J from the insertion port part 61L of the flange 60 (the body part 2 not inserted into the recessed part 61J). ) Is received from the front opening 81, and the body portion 2 of the container 1 is surrounded by a U-shaped three vertical plane. When the container 1 already inserted into the indented portion 61J of the heel 60 from the horizontal direction is pushed toward the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J against the elastic force of the elastic holding body 62 by the article pushing device 70, the article pushing guide 80 correctly guides the pushing direction of the container 1 in the vertical direction by the three vertical surfaces described above, and does not tilt the container 1. That is, by adopting the article pushing guide 80, the pushing operation of the container 1 by the article pushing device 70 can be further stabilized.

  After the article pushing device 70 completes pushing the container 1 into the recess 61J of the basket 60, the article pushing guide 80 moves backward from the guide position to the standby position and is moved in the left-right direction by the basket transporting device 50. To avoid interference.

  The material of the article pushing guide 80 is not particularly limited. In the article pushing guide 80, the three vertical guide surfaces surrounding the container 1 are smooth and have high slipperiness without unevenness, so that the insertion of the container 1 into the ridge 60 is not hindered, and the surface of the container 1 Can prevent scratches.

12 has an outer frame body 61. As shown in FIG. The outer frame 61 is configured by integrally coupling a side frame 61B on a bottom plate 61A. The flange 60 includes an inner recess 61J that is partitioned by the upper surface of the bottom plate 61A and the inner surface of the side frame 61B, and has an opening 61K that opens upward from the recess 61J. While the outer shape of the outer frame 61 is constant, the flange 60 allows the container 1 having various shapes to be accommodated in the recessed portion 61J that conforms to the dimensional shape of the container 1, and takes out the container 1 from the opening 61K. to enable. In the outer frame 61, the cross-sectional dimension of the indented part 61J and the opening dimension of the opening 61K are determined based on the dimensions of the various containers 1 handled by the article supply device 100, and the container 1 is viewed in plan. It is set to be sufficiently larger than the outer shape. The height dimension of the recess 61J is also determined based on the height dimensions of various containers 1 handled by the article supply apparatus 100.

  The reed 60 is detachably mounted on the conveyer of the reed transport device 50 and is circulated. The position of the neck 3A and the mouth 3B of the head 3 in the container 1 accommodated in the indented part 61J of the outer frame body 61 is substantially constant during the circulation movement process of the basket 60 by the bottle transporting device 50, and the contents by the filling device The object filling process and the cap tightening process by the capping device can be reliably performed. Moreover, since the positions of the body 2 and the neck 3A and the mouth 3B of the head 3 in the container 1 are constant, the container 1 can be taken out by a robot or an automatic machine.

  Here, the outer frame body 61 of the flange 60 includes an insertion port portion 61L on the front side surface of the side frame 61B that allows the container 1 to be inserted into the recessed portion 61J (inside the flange 60) from the side facing forward. The insertion opening 61L is formed by cutting out a certain range from the upper end of the front side surface of the side frame 61B in the outer frame 61 to the lower side. That is, the upper opening 61K of the outer frame body 61 and the side insertion opening 61L are continuous and formed as an integral notch. The robot 40 has a front side surface of the outer frame body 61 in the bag 60 in which the body 2 of the container 1 adsorbed and held by the vacuum pad 45A of the hand unit 45 is positioned at a place position (article supply position) by the robot 40. The body portion 2 of the container 1 can be immediately inserted into the indented portion 61J from the side facing the front of the outer frame body 61 by moving from the substantially horizontal direction toward the insertion port portion 61L provided in the above.

  Thereby, the robot 40 does not need to lift the container 1 carried into the place position to the upper part of the upward opening 61K of the outer frame body 61 in the basket 60, and eliminates the downward stroke and the upward stroke. The movement time of the robot 40 can be shortened and the movement range can be narrowed. It is possible to increase the productivity of the robot 40 and construct a compact facility with a reduced number of robots 40 installed.

  4 (A) and 4 (B), the flange 60 is attached to the front side surface of the side frame 61B provided with the insertion port portion 61L with respect to the recessed portion 61J of the outer frame body 61. When a sleeve wall 61W rising from the upper surface of the face plate 61A (which is also the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J) is provided, the bottom 2A of the container 1 inserted into the indented portion 61J through the insertion port 61L by the horizontal movement of the robot 40 is the robot. It is seated on the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J by a small descending operation following the horizontal movement of 40. Alternatively, the vacuum pad 45A is sucked and released by its own weight, and is seated on the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J. A taper processing portion t that makes it easy to enter the bottom portion 2A of the falling container 1 is applied to the upper corner portion of the sleeve wall 61W facing the inside of the indented portion 61J. The magnitude of t is preferably about 1 to 6 mm with respect to the vertical direction and about 1 to 6 mm with respect to the horizontal direction, and the inclination of t is preferably about 30 to 80 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane.

  However, as shown in FIG. 4C described above, the flange 60 is notched so that the insertion opening 61L extends from the upper end of the front side surface of the side frame 61B to the upper surface of the bottom plate 61A in the outer frame 61. Also good. At this time, the bottom portion 2A of the container 1 inserted into the recess portion 61J through the insertion opening 61L by the robot 40 is moved in the horizontal direction while maintaining a height close to the bottom surface of the recess portion 61J. When the suction of 45A is released, it drops by a minute height and immediately sits on the bottom surface of the recess 61J. The heel 60 corresponds to the absence of the sleeve wall 61W, and in order to prevent rattling of the container 1 during transportation by the heel transportation device 50, an adhesive material 61C such as gel is pasted on the upper surface of the bottom plate 61A. The bottom 2A may be adhesively held.

In addition, the collar 60 has an elastic holding body 62. The elastic holding body 62 is attached to the inside of the outer frame body 61, elastically deforms in accordance with the shape of the body portion 2 of the container 1, and holds the body portion 2 of the container 1 so as to be able to enter and exit.

  In the side frame 61B of the outer frame body 61, the elastic holding body 62 is provided at a plurality of positions on the side surface excluding the front side surface on which the insertion opening 61L is formed, in each of the inner side surfaces of the left and right and rear three side surfaces in this embodiment. They extend in the vertical direction through a predetermined interval. The elastic holding body 62 is disposed with its surface 62P facing toward the center of the inside of the indented portion 61J, and comes into contact with the body portion 2 of the container 1 inserted into the indented portion 61J while applying elasticity. The elastic holding body 62 may be disposed on each inner side surface of the two opposite side surfaces in the side surface frame 61B of the outer frame body 61.

  The elastic holding body 62 is made of a material that generates a resilient force in the central direction inside the indented portion 61J when the container 1 is inserted in the state where the elastic holding body 62 is arranged as described above. I just need it. The elastic holder 62 is made of synthetic resin such as acrylic resin, polyester resin, polyethylene resin, etc., metal such as stainless steel and spring steel, paper, cloth, rubber or the like formed in a strip shape, and has a width of 10 mm to 30 mm. It is preferable to be set to a degree.

  Since the surface 62P of the elastic holding body 62 in contact with the side surface of the body portion 2 of the container 1 is a smooth surface, the container 1 is placed between the plurality of elastic holding bodies 62 attached in the outer frame body 61. The trunk | drum 2 can be inserted easily. Low surface friction such as coating the surface 62P with Teflon (registered trademark) or the like, attaching a tape with good sliding property, or making the elastic holding body 62 with ultra-high molecular polyethylene resin with good sliding property. This further facilitates insertion.

  The length of the elastic holder 62 is determined according to the dimensions of various containers 1 handled by the article supply apparatus 100. Specifically, when the body portion 2 of the container 1 is accommodated and held in the recessed portion 61J of the outer frame body 61, the elastic holding body 62 is elastically deformed, and the elastic force of the body portion 2 of the container 1 is changed. The length of the elastic holding body 62 in the direction of the container 1 is set so as to hold the container 1 by pushing the side surface from the side. If the length of the elastic holding body 62 in the direction of the container 1 is short, the amount of deformation of the elastic holding body 62 is reduced when the container 1 is held, and the elastic restoring force is weakened. Become stable. If the length of the elastic holding body 62 in the direction of the container 1 is too long, the elastic restoring force becomes strong and it becomes difficult to smoothly insert the container 1 into the outer frame body 61.

According to the heel 60 , the robot 40 passes the trunk portion 2 of the container 1 through the insertion opening 61L on the side surface of the outer frame body 61 in the heel 60 from the substantially horizontal direction, and passes the trunk portion 2 of the container 1 to the outer frame body 61. When inserted into the indented portion 61J from the side facing forward, the elastic holding body 62 is deformed according to the outer shape of the body portion 2 of the container 1, and the side surface of the body portion 2 of the container 1 is deformed from a plurality of directions. Since it pushes with the surface 62P, the container 1 can be reliably hold | maintained between the some elastic holding bodies 62. FIG. Further, since the side surface of the body portion 2 of the container 1 is held by the surface 62P of the elastic holder 62 from a plurality of directions, the container 1 can be held in an appropriate upright state without being moved. Furthermore, it has a simple structure composed of the outer frame body 61 and the elastic holding body 62, and it is easy to perform various repairs and various changes in the shape and mounting position of the elastic holding body 62 without complicating the article conveying member itself. . Furthermore, since the elastic holding bodies 62 are arranged at a plurality of positions having a predetermined interval, the body portion 2 of the container 1 is pressed from a plurality of directions at a predetermined interval toward the central direction of the outer frame body 61, 1 can be held securely.

  That is, the heel 60 smoothly receives the body 2 of the container 1 having different dimensions and has no elastic force due to the presence of the elastic holding body 62 that can correspond to the containers 1 of various sizes and shapes. To hold the container 1 in a proper upright state.

Further , the article supply device 100 pushes the article above the outer frame body 61 in the basket 60 positioned at the place position (article supply position) of the container 1 by the robot 40 in the course of the circular movement of the basket 60 by the basket conveying device 50. A device 70 is installed. The article pushing device 70 is inserted into the recess 61J from the insertion opening 61L of the outer frame 61 of the outer frame 61 in the bag 60, and more specifically on the bottom surface inside the bag 60 that is an article transporting member. The container 1 positioned on the bottom surface is pushed toward the bottom surface of the recess 61J.

  The article pushing device 70 includes a pushing portion 72 that is moved up and down between the standby position and the pushing position by the driving portion 71, and the head portion 3 of the container 1 by the pushing portion 72 that is lowered from the waiting position by the lowering operation of the driving portion 71. Push down toward the bottom. When the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70 pushes the container 1, the container 1 has already been inserted into the indented portion 61 </ b> J of the outer frame body 61 by the robot 40, and the container 1 is properly fitted by the plurality of elastic holding bodies 62. Since they are held in an upright state, they are driven into the elastic holders 62 without being tilted stably against the elastic force imparted by those elastic holders 62. After the bottom portion 2A of the container 1 is pushed by the pushing by the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70 until it comes into contact with the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J, the plurality of elastic holding bodies 62 will return to their original shapes by their elastic restoring force. The surface 62P is brought into contact with the side surface of the body portion 2 of the container 1, and the container 1 is pushed and held in the central direction of the recessed portion 61J.

  An electric cylinder or an air cylinder is selected as the drive unit 71 of the article pushing device 70. It is preferable to select an electric cylinder when fine adjustments such as a standby position, a pushing position, and a pushing speed are necessary. In addition, when a high pushing speed is required, it is preferable to select an air cylinder. The air cylinder is preferable in terms of cost. In the pushing portion 72 at the tip of the article pushing device 70, it is preferable to use a slightly deformable flexible material such as urethane rubber for the portion in contact with the container 1.

  According to the article supply device 100 provided with the article pushing device 70, the container 1 held by the robot 40 is reliably inserted into the outer frame body 61 from the insertion opening 61 </ b> L provided on the side surface of the outer frame body 61 in the basket 60. And is positioned on the bottom surface of the inside of the ridge 60, more specifically, on the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J, and further, the indented portion 61J in the outer frame body 61J by the article pushing device 70 installed above the ridge 60. The container 1 can be stably housed and held in the basket 60 with a simple configuration by being pushed down to the bottom surface of the container.

  Also, the article pushing device 70 is open at the front and bottom surfaces so that the pushing portion 72 receives the head 3 of the container 1 in the same manner as the article pushing device 70 shown in FIG. It has a notched part 73 having a ridged groove shape with the rear and top surfaces closed. According to this, in the process in which the robot 40 moves the container 1 so as to be inserted into the inside from the insertion opening 61L of the outer frame body 61 in the heel 60, the body 2 of the container 1 held by the robot 40. Is received as it is in the notch 73 provided in the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70 in the standby position. Therefore, after the robot 40 inserts the container 1 into the cage 60, the article pushing device 70 immediately pushes the container 1 without idling from the standby position, and the insertion / pushing time of the container 1 into the cage 60 can be shortened. . The moving stroke for pushing the article pushing device 70 becomes small.

  Further, the container 1 is pushed in a state in which the body portion 2 enters the cutout portion 73 of the pushing portion 72 in the article pushing device 70 and the three surfaces (the left and right lateral surfaces and the rear surface) around the body portion 2 are restrained. Then, without being tilted by the pushing operation of the pushing portion 72 of the article pushing device 70, the elastic holding body 62 in the heel 60 is pushed open to be stably driven to reach the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J.

Further , the article supply device 100 installs the article pushing guide 80 immediately above the outer frame body 61 of the basket 60 positioned at the place position (article supply position) in the circulation movement process of the basket 60 by the basket conveying device 50. ing. The article pushing guide 80 is used when the article pushing device 70 pushes the body portion 2 of the container 1 inserted into the recessed portion 61J of the basket 60 as described above toward the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J. The portion 2 is guided vertically downward toward the bottom surface of the recessed portion 61J.

  The article pushing guide 80 is moved back and forth between a standby position and a guide position by a drive unit such as an electric cylinder or an air cylinder (not shown).

  The article pushing guide 80 advances from the standby position, is set at a guide position directly above the outer frame body 61 in the heel 60, and corresponds to the front surface on which the insertion opening 61L of the outer frame body 61 is provided, and It consists of three vertical surfaces (left and right lateral surfaces and rear surface) that are generally U-shaped with the upper and lower surfaces open. The article pushing guide 80 is an upper part of the body part 2 of the container 1 that is moved substantially horizontally so that the robot 40 can be inserted into the recessed part 61J from the insertion port part 61L of the flange 60 (the body part 2 not inserted into the recessed part 61J). ) Is received from the front opening 81, and the body portion 2 of the container 1 is surrounded by a U-shaped three vertical plane. When the container 1 already inserted into the indented portion 61J of the heel 60 from the horizontal direction is pushed toward the bottom surface of the indented portion 61J against the elastic force of the elastic holding body 62 by the article pushing device 70, the article pushing guide 80 correctly guides the pushing direction of the container 1 in the vertical direction by the three vertical surfaces described above, and does not tilt the container 1. That is, by adopting the article pushing guide 80, the pushing operation of the container 1 by the article pushing device 70 can be further stabilized.

  After the article pushing device 70 completes pushing the container 1 into the recess 61J of the basket 60, the article pushing guide 80 moves backward from the guide position to the standby position and is moved in the left-right direction by the basket transporting device 50. To avoid interference.

  The material of the article pushing guide 80 is not particularly limited. In the article pushing guide 80, the three vertical guide surfaces surrounding the container 1 are smooth and have high slipperiness without unevenness, so that the insertion of the container 1 into the ridge 60 is not hindered, and the surface of the container 1 Can prevent scratches.

However, in the article push guide 80, 12, 13 to如rather indicative, of the three vertical plane described above (the horizontal plane of the right and left as shown in FIG. 13 a, b and a rear face c), skirt conveying device 50 On the left and right lateral surfaces a and b intersecting the moving direction of the heel 60 by the above, the upper part of the body part 2 of the container 1 (the body part 2 not inserted into the indented part 61J) and the notch window 82 along the outline of the head part 3 are provided. Prepare. The article pushing guide 80 is supported and fixed to a mounting bracket (not shown) and does not need to be moved toward the guide position. That is, after the article pushing device 70 completes pushing the container 1 into the indented portion 61J of the basket 60, the article pushing guide 80 can continue to remain at the guide position. The container 1 in the basket 60 moved in the left-right direction by the basket transporting device 50 allows the upper part of the trunk part 2 and the head part 3 to pass through the cutout windows 82 on the left and right lateral surfaces a and b of the article pushing guide 80. .
The article conveying member and the article supply apparatus of the present invention can also be applied to articles other than containers.

  In relation to the above-described embodiments, the present invention further discloses the following article conveying member and article supply apparatus.

<1> An article transporting member having an outer frame provided with an opening that allows an article to be taken out upward.
An article transporting member having an outer opening provided on a side surface of the outer frame so that an article can be inserted into the inside from the side.

  <2> The article conveying member according to <1>, wherein the opening above the outer frame body 61 and the side insertion opening are integrated continuously.

  <3> The article transport member according to <1> or <2>, wherein the article is preferably a long container.

  <4> The article conveying member according to <1> to <3>, wherein the outer frame body 61 preferably includes a recessed portion that accommodates an article inserted from the insertion opening.

  <5> The article conveying member according to <4>, wherein the outer frame body preferably includes a sleeve wall that rises from a bottom surface of the indented portion on a side surface including the insertion opening.

  <6> The article conveying member according to <4>, wherein the outer frame body preferably includes an insertion port portion extending from a top surface of the side surface to a bottom surface of the recess portion on a side surface including the insertion port portion.

  <7> The article transporting member according to any one of <1> to <6>, preferably including an elastic holding body that is attached to the inside of the outer frame body and holds the article in a removable manner.

  <8> Preferably, the elastic holding body is a member for conveying an article according to the above <7>, which is provided on each inner side surface of a plurality of side surfaces excluding the side surface on which the insertion opening of the outer frame body is formed.

  <9> The article conveying member according to <8>, wherein the elastic holding body is preferably provided on each inner side surface of two opposite side surfaces of the outer frame body.

  <10> Preferably, the elastic holder is formed of a synthetic resin such as an acrylic resin or a polyester resin, a metal such as stainless steel or spring steel, paper, cloth, rubber, or the like. The member for article conveyance as described in any one of 9>.

  <11> The article carrying member according to any one of <7> to <10>, wherein the elastic holding body is preferably formed in a band shape.

  <12> The article carrying member according to <11>, wherein the elastic holding body preferably has a width of about 10 mm to 30 mm.

  <13> The article carrying member according to any one of <6> to <12>, wherein the elastic holding body preferably has a smooth surface in contact with the article.

  <14> Preferably, the elastic holding body receives articles of different sizes and shapes smoothly without gaps, imparts elasticity to the article, and holds the article in an upright state. <7> to <13> The article conveying member according to any one of the above.

<15> Preferably, the article supply apparatus using the article transport member according to any one of <1> to <14>,
Enabling the article conveying member to be positioned at the article supply position;
The article held by the pick-and-place device can be inserted into the inside from the insertion opening on the side surface of the outer frame body in the article transporting member positioned at the article supply position,
The article, which is installed above the outer frame body in the article transporting member positioned at the article supply position, is inserted into the outer frame body from the insertion opening of the outer frame body on the bottom surface of the outer frame body. An article supply device comprising an article pushing device for pushing toward the article.

  <16> The article supply apparatus according to <15>, wherein the pick and place device is preferably a robot.

  <17> The article supply device according to <15> or <16>, wherein the pick and place device preferably has five or more degrees of freedom.

  <18> The article supply apparatus according to any one of <15> to <17>, wherein the pick and place device preferably includes a hand unit for gripping an article.

  <19> The article supply device according to <18>, wherein the hand portion of the pick and place device is an openable hand portion.

  <20> The article supply apparatus according to <18>, wherein the hand unit of the pick and place device is a vacuum suction type hand unit.

  <21> Preferably, the article held by the pick and place device is moved from the horizontal direction toward the insertion port provided on the side surface of the outer frame body in the article transporting member positioned at the article supply position. The article supply apparatus according to any one of <15> to <20>, wherein the article is inserted directly into a recessed portion of the outer frame.

  <22> Preferably, the article pushing device includes a pushing portion for pushing the head of the article, and the pick and place device inserts the article into the inside from the insertion opening of the outer frame body in the article transporting member. The article supply apparatus according to any one of <15> to <21>, wherein the push-in section includes a notch that receives the head of the article.

  <23> Preferably, the article pushing device is an article according to <22>, wherein the pick and place device pushes the article positioned on the bottom surface of the recess portion of the article transporting member toward the bottom surface of the recess portion. Feeding device.

  <24> Preferably, the article pushing device is provided with a resilient force imparted by the elastic holding bodies to the articles inserted into the indented portions of the article conveying member and held upright by the elastic holding bodies. The article supply apparatus according to <22> or <23>, wherein the article is driven into the elastic holding body.

  <25> Preferably, after the article pushing device pushes the bottom of the article into contact with the bottom surface of the recess of the article carrying member, the elastic holding body of the article carrying member is restored to its original shape by its elastic restoring force. The article supply device according to <24>, wherein the article is pressed and held in the center direction of the indented portion by contacting the article to return.

  <26> Preferably, the notched portion provided in the pushing portion of the article pushing device has the front and lower surfaces opened so that the head of the article is received, and the left and right lateral surfaces, the rear surface and the top surface are closed. The article supply apparatus according to any one of <22> to <25>, which is shaped.

  <27> Preferably, after the pick and place device inserts the article into the article transporting member, the article pushing device immediately pushes the article without idling from the standby position. The article supply apparatus according to one.

  <28> Preferably, an article pushing guide is provided above the outer frame body in the article transporting member positioned at the article supply position and guides the article pushed by the article pushing device toward the bottom surface of the outer frame body. The article supply apparatus according to any one of <15> to <27>.

  <29> Preferably, the article pushing guide is configured such that when the article pushing device pushes the article inserted into the depression portion of the article conveying member toward the bottom surface of the depression portion, the article pushing guide is vertically directed toward the bottom surface of the depression portion. The article supply apparatus according to <28>, which guides in a direction.

  <30> Preferably, the article pushing guide is a three-vertical U-shaped configuration in which a front surface corresponding to a front side surface provided with an insertion port portion in an outer frame body of an article conveying member and an upper and lower surfaces are opened. The article supply device according to <29>, comprising a surface.

  <31> Preferably, the article pushing guide is provided with the cutout portion along the outline of the upper part of the article on the left and right lateral surfaces intersecting the moving direction of the article conveying member among the three vertical planes. The article supply apparatus according to the description.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the movement time of pick-and-place apparatuses, such as a robot which carries in articles | goods in a conveyance member, can be shortened, and a movement range can be narrowed.

  Moreover, according to this invention, articles | goods can be stably inserted in the member for conveyance with a simple apparatus.

1 Container (article)
40 Robot (Pick and place device)
60 袴 (item conveying member)
61 Outer frame body 61J Indented portion 61K Opening portion 61L Insertion port portion 62 Elastic holding body 70 Article pushing device 72 Pushing portion 73 Notch portion 80 Article pushing guide

Claims (3)

An article having an outer frame provided with an opening that allows the article to be taken out upward, and the outer frame having an insertion port on the side that allows the article to be inserted into the inside from the side. An article supply apparatus using a member ,
Enabling the article conveying member to be positioned at the article supply position;
The article held by the pick-and-place device can be inserted into the inside from the insertion opening on the side surface of the outer frame body in the article transporting member positioned at the article supply position,
The article, which is installed above the outer frame body in the article transporting member positioned at the article supply position, is inserted into the outer frame body from the insertion opening of the outer frame body on the bottom surface of the outer frame body. Having an article pushing device to be pushed
The article pushing device includes a pushing portion that pushes the head of the article, and the pick and place device inserts the article into the inside of the article transporting member from the insertion opening of the outer frame body. The article supply device is provided with a notched portion in the shape of a ridge that is open at the front and lower surfaces and closed at the left and right lateral surfaces, the rear surface, and the top surface so as to receive the portion . An article pushing guide installed above an outer frame body in an article transporting member positioned at the article supply position and guiding an article to be pushed by the article pushing device toward a bottom surface of the outer frame body. Item supply device of item 1 . The article supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the article transporting member includes an elastic holding body that is attached to the inside of the outer frame body and holds the article in a removable manner.

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