JP6794098B2 - Transport device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport device, and particularly relates to a transport device including, for example, a branching mechanism and / or a merging mechanism for branching an article from a main transport direction in which an article is placed and transported to a branch path having a certain plane angle.

As a mechanism for transporting goods, a so-called slide shoe is operated by a shoe and a branch guide rail provided on the conveyor so that the conveyor can slidably move in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction while being circulated in the transport direction. Sorter technology is known. The transport device related to such a slide shoe sorter generally includes a shoe for extruding an article, a branch guide rail, a branch mechanism for branching the shoe to the branch guide rail, and a merging mechanism for joining the shoe to the straight transport path after the shoe is branched and moved. Is.

In Patent Document 1, the shape of the branch guide rail, which is the guide path for paying out the shoe, is substantially 4 of the branching operation start portion (the portion where the article and the shoe should not contact), the initial contact portion, the intermediate portion, and the final payout portion. The payout angle of the initial contact portion formed at the site where the shoe first contacts the guide rail is reduced to engage with the article, the payout angle is increased with the article engaged, and again before the final payout. The technical idea of branching an article into a branch transport path after reducing the payout angle is disclosed. The basis of the technical idea of such a branch guide rail is to avoid rotating or rolling over when branching an article. As a means to solve this, first, by reducing the contact angle in the initial contact scene where the shoe and the article first contact, a sudden impact is avoided and one of the causes of rollover / rotation is removed, and the initial contact is taken. The idea is to advance from contact to a relatively steep branch angle.

Next, regarding the branching mechanism, in Patent Document 2, a wheel fitted on a support shaft of an article extrusion shoe slidable in the longitudinal direction of the slats is laid in a straight direction and a branching direction to guide the wheel. When the article is conveyed in the branching direction by the electromagnet arranged in the portion branched to the guide rail and the permanent magnet arranged on the downstream side of the electromagnet, the electromagnet attracts the wheel of the shoe and moves in the direction of the permanent magnet. The technical idea relating to the branching mechanism that the shoe is guided to the branching guide rail by moving along the branching guide rail is disclosed. This branching mechanism has a simpler structure, requires less driving force, and has a shorter operating time than a method in which a switching lever or the like is provided and operated in two directions in which the lever or the like is linearly or branched by using an electromagnet. There is an advantage.

Regarding the merging mechanism, in Patent Documents 3 and 4, in order to introduce the shoe from the branch guide rail to the straight guide rail, a magnetic generating means is provided at the portion where the branch guide rail and the straight guide rail meet, and the wheel or support shaft of the shoe is provided. Is disclosed as a technical idea of magnetically adsorbing and urging the merging portion toward the curved center side to merging. In particular, the idea of Patent Document 4 is that if the wheel is magnetically attracted, the wheel is magnetized and the sliding resistance with the guide rail increases. Therefore, the support shaft of the shoe itself is magnetically attracted to suppress the magnetization of the wheel. In addition, the space for installing a merging mechanism including magnets and the like is reduced.

Special Table 2006-519743 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-227649 Jikkenhei 7-4436 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-290920

However, since the branch guide rail according to Patent Document 1 inevitably needs to bring the transported luggage into contact at a place where the angle is loose, the transported luggage must be moved to the opposite side of the branch in the transport cross section. Since it is not possible to come into contact with a portion having a gentle slope, the optimum point for preventing the rotation of the transported load or the like is narrowed.

Furthermore, when moving the cargo to be transported to the side opposite to the branch side on the cross section, due to the mechanism, the load to be transported is once moved to the side opposite to the branch, and then pushed again to the branch side on the opposite side with a shoe. Become. The transport speed is, for example, 170 m / min, and the speed is increasing rapidly these days. However, at these speeds, the shoe pushes the transport load for a long time when the transport load comes into contact, so that a malfunction actually occurs. It is easy to occur, especially the shoe shaft and the like. Even if it is possible to stop the rotation of luggage, the transport machines and systems will frequently break down, leading to a decrease in operating time and economic efficiency, and maintenance is required to prevent this. There was a problem of becoming.

Next, the branching mechanism according to Patent Document 2 is used not only due to mechanical deterioration of the electromagnet but also due to imperfections in the branching operation due to a shift in switching timing or the like when the electromagnet is used for a long period of time. For example, when the transported product to be sorted is a liquid container, the liquid leaked to each part of the shoe sticks due to the damage, and the sliding resistance of the shoe increases, so that the support shaft of the shoe branches at the branch portion. There was a problem that the shoe body or its support shaft was damaged by colliding with the nose portion or the like that assists the shoe body.

The merging mechanism according to Patent Document 3 uses magnetic attraction, and if the wheel of the shoe is magnetically attracted, the wheel itself is magnetized, and there is a problem that the sliding resistance due to the magnetization increases when the rail moves. As one means for solving this problem, Patent Document 4 attempts to magnetically attract only the support shaft of the shoe to suppress the magnetization of the wheel, but it has not yet been used.

An object of the present invention is to provide a highly economical transport device such as space saving by preventing rotation, tipping, damage, etc. of a load to be transported while solving the above-mentioned problems of each of the prior arts.

In order to achieve such an object, the invention according to the first aspect of the present application allows the slats on which the articles are placed to be selectively traveled between a main transport path of the articles and a branch transport path branching from the main transport path. The article extrusion shoe, which is slidably mounted in the longitudinal direction of the slats and includes at least a support shaft projecting downward from the slats and an overhang member attached to the support shaft, and the overhang member are in contact with each other. A first angle, which is a tangential angle when the initial payout portion, the central portion, and the final payout portion are substantially connected to each other and the flat cross-sectional line of the wall surface is provided and is viewed from the transport direction of the initial payout portion, is provided. The third angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the central portion, is equal to or larger than the second angle, and is larger than the second angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the final payout portion. , A single branch guide rail and a branch portion provided with a mechanism for branching an article from the main transport path to the branch guide rail. Here, "substantially connected" means not only when the initial payout portion, the central portion, and the final payout portion are continuously formed from one rail, but also the initial payout portion, the central portion, and the final payout portion. It means that one part is divided into a plurality of rails and each is divided into three rails, and the gap between the rails is formed below a certain level (for example, smaller than the diameter of the wheel of the shoe). the same).

The invention according to the second aspect of the present application is a conveyor for selectively traveling a slats on which articles are placed on a main transport path for articles and a branch transport path for branching from the main transport path, and a longitudinal direction of the slats. A shoe for pushing out an article, which is slidably mounted on the slats and includes at least a support shaft projecting downward from the slats and an overhang member attached to the support shaft, and a wall surface to which the overhang member is in contact. The flat cross-sectional line of the wall surface is formed by substantially connecting the initial payout portion, the central portion, and the final payout portion, and the first angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the initial payout portion, is viewed from the transport direction of the central portion. A single branch guide rail that is equal to or greater than the second angle, which is the tangential angle, and the third angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the final payout portion, is larger than the second angle. The branch guide rail is provided with a merging portion provided with a mechanism for merging the article extrusion shoe after movement into the main transport path.

The invention according to the third aspect of the present application is a conveyor for selectively traveling a slats on which articles are placed on a main transport path for articles and a branch transport path for branching from the main transport path, and a longitudinal direction of the slats. A shoe for pushing out an article, which is slidably mounted on the slats and includes at least a support shaft projecting downward from the slats and an overhang member attached to the support shaft, and a wall surface to which the overhang member is in contact. The flat cross-sectional line of the wall surface is formed by substantially connecting the initial payout portion, the central portion, and the final payout portion, and the first angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the initial payout portion, is viewed from the transport direction of the central portion. A single branch guide rail that is equal to or greater than the second angle, which is the tangential angle, and the third angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the final payout portion, is larger than the second angle. A merging portion provided with a mechanism for branching an article from the main transport path to the branch guide rail and a merging mechanism provided with a mechanism for merging the article extrusion shoe after moving to the branch guide rail with the main transport path. It is configured to include a part.

In the first or third aspect, the support shaft and / or the overhanging member of the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material, and the branch portion is formed.
(A) A branching mechanism including an electromagnet arranged near the branching portion of the branching guide rail and capable of attracting the overhanging member, and a permanent magnet arranged on the downstream side of the electromagnet in the branching direction.
(B) A branching mechanism including an electromagnet arranged near the branch portion of the branch guide rail and capable of attracting the support shaft, and a permanent magnet arranged on the downstream side of the electromagnet in the branching direction.
(C) A vane rotatably arranged on the support shaft, an electromagnet arranged near the branch portion of the branch guide rail and capable of attracting the vane, and a downstream side of the electromagnet in the branching direction. It is also possible to adopt a configuration including at least one of the branching mechanisms including the arranged permanent magnets.

In the second or third aspect, the support shaft and / or the overhanging member related to the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material, and the confluence portion is formed.
(A) A curved merging guide wall is formed, and a magnet is incorporated in the merging guide wall. The overhanging member (wheel) of the article extrusion shoe that has branched and moved is magnetically attracted to guide the vehicle straight. A merging mechanism that joins the rail,
(B) When an article extrusion shoe having a vane is used for the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe, a merging straight guide block that comes into contact with the vane is provided, and the vane and the straight guide block are brought into contact with each other to merge. mechanism,
(C) A merging mechanism in which a magnet is provided on the bottom surface of the curved merging guide wall, and the magnet attracts and brakes the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe that has branched and moved to merging.
(D) It is rotatably provided at the part where the straight guide rail and the branch guide rail meet, and when it rotates in one direction, it approaches the merging guide wall, and when it rotates in the other direction, it moves to the straight guide rail side. A merging mechanism provided with a rotatable merging guide wall that is brought into an approaching state, and the merging guide wall guides an article pushing shoe that has moved from the straight guide rail direction or the branch guide rail direction.
(E) A sound absorbing material or a braking material is arranged at a position where the wheel or / and the support shaft of the shoe abuts on the straight guide rail at the portion where the branched and moved article extrusion shoe joins the straight guide rail. Merging mechanism to merge,
It is also possible to take a configuration including at least one of them.

Further, in the first or third aspect, the support shaft and / or the overhang member related to the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material, and the branch portion is attached to the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe. It is also possible to further include a vane that is pivotally supported and has a notch in the tail, and a straight vane guide that comes into contact with the non-notched portion of the tail of the vane. In this case, the merging portion may be further provided with a straight guide block that comes into contact with the vane.

Further, in the second or third aspect, the support shaft and / or the overhang member of the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material, and the confluence portion is the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe. And / or a configuration may be further provided with a rotating magnetic material that attracts or detaches the overhanging member, and a means for magnetically attracting and merging the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe.

Furthermore, in any of the above embodiments, the article extrusion shoe may be sandwiched between adjacent slats and mounted so as to be slidably movable in the longitudinal direction of the slats.

Here, the branch guide rail is erected in a substantially vertical direction as a guide portion connecting the main transport path and the branch transport path below the slats when the branch track is taken from the main transport path to the branch transport path. It is a mechanism in which the wall plate body to which the overhanging member (wheel) protruding below the slats of the article extruded shoe is in sliding contact is connected so as to form a constant shape in a plan view as continuous cotton. The traveling switching to the branch guide rail can be configured to be switchable by the branch mechanism according to a predetermined switching instruction (including a signal).

Further, the position in the lateral direction of the conveyor on which the article should be conveyed is not particularly limited, but the place where the article and the overhanging member (wheel) related to the shoe for pushing out the article first contact is the central portion, that is, a relatively small second It suffices to be a portion having a tangential angle of. As long as this condition is satisfied, the dimensions of the initial payout portion, the central portion, and the final payout portion are not particularly limited, and are appropriately economically efficient based on the size and / or load and / or the contents and speed of the cargo. The optimum value can be adopted in consideration of the above.

By having the above configuration, the article transported on the conveyor initially contacts the central portion having a relatively small second tangential angle to avoid rotation and rollover, while initial payout that does not participate in the initial rotation. Since the portion has a relatively large first tangential angle, the length of the sorting portion can be shortened, which increases the space efficiency of the equipment. Similarly, since the final payout portion also has a third tangent angle larger than the second tangent angle, the length of the sorting portion can be shortened, so that the space efficiency of the equipment is further increased. In this case, even if one end of the luggage hung on the shoe in the final payout portion receives a reaction force from the wall surface related to the third tangential angle, the other end of the luggage is still the second. Since it rests on the central part that has a tangential angle, the reaction force from the central part is suppressed, so a structure that does not cause rotation or rollover is realized, especially for lightweight luggage and small luggage. , Can be safely transported at high speed.

Further, unlike the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the complicated operation of temporarily moving the transported load to the opposite side to the branch side and then branching to the branch side again is not performed, a malfunction or malfunction such as wear of the shoe support shaft is not performed. A structure that does not generate the event that causes the above is realized. Further, the first, second, and third angles can be changed depending on the environment of the article and / or the installation location. Even when the initial payout portion and the central portion and the central portion and the final payout portion are physically separated from each other and the wall surface of the guide rail is not practically continuous. In the running of the overhanging member (wheel), continuous running may be maintained. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the overhanging member (wheel) of the article extrusion shoe is branched and guided to the branch guide rail, the branch guide is routed via a taxiway physically separated from the branch guide rail. This is a case of transferring to rail 6.

With this configuration, the tangential angle can be easily adjusted even on the same transport line, and the type of luggage (for example, PET bottles, stationery, paper, ware, etc.) and the size of the luggage. By changing the tangential angle of the branch, it is possible to maintain the same high-speed transport system, and by flexibly coping with the fluid fluctuations of the transport object, the economic efficiency of the transport equipment is further improved. To do.

Further, by providing the above configuration, in addition to the means (A) or (B) in which the overhanging member (wheel) or the support shaft of the shoe is magnetically attracted to branch at the branch portion, the rotatable tip By combining the branching means (C), which uses a vane with an acute angle, individually or in combination, a reliable branching operation is realized even if the initial payout portion of the branching guide rail has a relatively steep slope. As a result, collision, noise, damage, etc. between the overhanging member (wheel) and the nose block due to a branching error can be prevented, and long-term operation can be realized. The present invention can also be applied to prevent an event that generally occurs when the motion of an object driven by a magnetic force is insufficient.

Further, by providing the above configuration, in the portion where the article payout shoe moves from the branch guide rail and joins the straight guide rail, the final payout portion of the branch guide rail becomes a relatively steep slope and the merging portion becomes steep. Therefore, it is expected that the product may come off the merging taxiway due to the urging (centrifugal force, etc.) caused by the movement of the article extrusion shoe. However, by constructing a merging mechanism in which the merging mechanisms of (a) to (e) above are combined individually or in combination, the overhanging member (wheel) of the shoe can be attached to the wall surface of the straight guide rail when merging. It is possible to prevent a collision, wear and tear of the overhanging member due to the collision, noise and vibration.

In the above case, the branching mechanism is provided with a vane having a notch in the tail, which is arranged on the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe, and a vane guide for straight traveling in which the tail of the vane is brought into contact with the tail of the vane and is directed in the straight direction by the reaction. It may be configured to include.

As described above, by providing the article extrusion shoe having a vane having a notch on the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe and the vane guide for straight travel, when the article extrusion shoe branches to the branch guide rail side, the branch portion A straight vane guide having a gap through which the vane tail can enter is arranged on the opposite side of the electromagnet, and when the branching operation of the article payout shoe to be directed in the branching direction is not sufficient, the vane tail is the vane. By contacting the end of the vane traveling direction of the guide gap and directing it in the straight direction by the reaction, it is possible to prevent the support shaft of the shoe from colliding with the nose block etc. even if the branching operation fails. And.

The transport device according to the above configuration may further include a rotating magnetic material and a means for directly magnetically attracting and merging the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe on the merging guide wall of the merging mechanism.

By doing so, unlike the one provided with a magnet in the merging guide wall, a rotatable magnetic material is provided in the substantially center of the merging guide wall, and the overhanging member (wheel) of the shoe itself is not magnetically attracted at the time of merging. , By magnetically attracting the support shaft of the shoe and rotating it according to the movement of the shoe, the overhanging member (wheel) of the shoe engages with the branch guide rail and rotates while being guided to the straight guide rail. By using the mechanism, it is possible to prevent collision between the overhanging member (wheel) of the shoe and the straight guide rail, wear and tear of the rotating body due to the collision, noise and vibration, and to realize stable merging operation. ..

In this case, the merging mechanism may be further provided with a straight guide block that comes into contact with the vane.

When an article extrusion shoe having a vane is used, when the article extrusion shoe merges, it is more stable due to the merge straight-ahead guide block that abuts on the vane and assists the merge while performing the merge operation by the rotating magnetic material. Achieve merging operation.

In the above configuration, when the article pushing shoe transfers from the branch guide wall of the branch mechanism to the branch guide rail, the separation distance from the branch guide rail arranged substantially parallel to the tangential direction of the branch guide rail is set. The structure is such that the diameter of the wheel is in the range of +0.5 mm to the diameter of the wheel is +10 mm, and the branch guide rail is arranged in the range where the length at which the tip of the branch guide wall and the tip of the branch guide rail overlap is 0 mm or more and 10 mm or less. May be.

Further, in the above, the article extrusion shoe may be mounted by being sandwiched between adjacent slats and slidably moved in the longitudinal direction of the slats.

According to the present application, the length of the sorting portion can be shortened, so that the space efficiency of the equipment is further increased. In this case, even if one end of the luggage hung on the shoe in the final payout portion receives a reaction force from the wall surface related to the third tangential angle, the other end of the luggage is still the second. Since it rests on the central part that has a tangential angle, the reaction force from the central part is suppressed, so a structure that does not cause rotation or rollover is realized, especially for lightweight luggage and small luggage. , Can be safely transported at high speed.

As described above, if the transfer device in which the branch guide rail according to the present application and the branch mechanism and / or the merging mechanism are combined is realized, branching mistakes can be suppressed and stable branching operation and merging operation can be ensured. At the same time, a transport device that increases the operating rate in high-speed transport and prevents wear and noise of the shoe shaft is realized.

It is an overall perspective view which shows the outline of the transport device which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is sectional drawing of the slat penetrating type shoe among the perspective view of article extrusion shoe 3 and the sectional view in the slat longitudinal direction which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a perspective view of the through-type shoe among the perspective view of the article extrusion shoe 3 and the cross-sectional view in the slat longitudinal direction which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an article extruded shoe 3 and a cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction of the slats according to one embodiment of the present application, which is another embodiment of a shoe that is sandwiched between the slats and can move in the longitudinal direction of the slats. It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating the branch locus of the branch guide rail 6 and the overhang member (wheel) of the lower part of a shoe which concerns on one Embodiment of this application, and the periphery thereof. It is a top view which conceptually explained the structure of the branch mechanism and the branch guide rail which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a conceptual plan view for demonstrating the variation which can be taken as the length of the initial payout part S1, the middle part S2, and the final payout part S3 of the branch guide rail which concerns on one Embodiment of this application, and is relatively uniform right and left. It is a figure which shows the pattern which has a balance. It is a conceptual plan view for demonstrating the variation which can be taken as the length of the initial payout part S1, the intermediate part S2, and the final payout part S3 of the branch guide rail which concerns on one Embodiment of this application, and is relatively non-uniform among them. It is a figure which shows the pattern which has a left-right balance. It is a top view explaining the operation of the transfer device of the branch guide rail which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a perspective view of one Embodiment of the branching mechanism which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is sectional drawing and external view which showed the shoe for article extrusion provided with the vane which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a perspective view of vane 19 which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is explanatory drawing at the time of normal straight running in the branch operation which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is explanatory drawing at the time of normal branching in the branching operation which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation concept of the article extrusion shoe which has a notch in the tail part of the vane which concerns on one Embodiment of this application, and a vane guide for straight-ahead travel. It is explanatory drawing which shows the branching mechanism without vane which concerns on one Embodiment of this application, and shows the concept that the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe collides with a nose block at the time of a branching mistake. It is explanatory drawing explaining one Embodiment of the merging mechanism which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a figure which shows the steady state of the merging mechanism provided with the rotatable guide wall which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a figure which shows the state of the straight merging of the merging mechanism provided with the rotatable guide wall which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is explanatory drawing of the branch merging of the merging mechanism provided with the rotatable guide wall which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a rotating guide wall of a merging mechanism provided with a rotatable guide wall according to an embodiment of the present application. It is a figure of the simple type merging mechanism which arranged the sound absorbing braking material in the merging part of the merging mechanism provided with the rotatable guide wall which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a figure of the merging mechanism which arranged the magnet which brakes a support shaft on the bottom surface of the merging part of the merging mechanism provided with the rotatable guide wall which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional view seen from the arrow E point of FIG. 15F of the merging mechanism provided with the rotatable guide wall which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. It is a schematic plan view explaining one Embodiment of the merging mechanism provided with the rotating magnetic material in the merging wall which concerns on one Embodiment of this application. FIG. 16 is a view taken along the line E of the rotating magnetic material in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the operation of a merging mechanism in which a rotating magnetic material and a merging straight guide block are combined when an article extrusion shoe provided with a vane according to an embodiment of the present application is used. FIG. 18 is an arrow view of the rotating magnetic material viewed from the same position as point E as in FIG. 16 (for convenience, the merging straight block is not shown). It is a top view of the main part which shows one Example of the switching mechanism of the switching device of the sorting conveyor which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the main part which shows the other embodiment of the switching mechanism of the switching device of the sorting conveyor which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 21 is an arrow view of AA'in FIG. It is a top view which showed the branch state of the switching means of the sorting part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which showed the non-branch state of the switching means of the sorting part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is 5-5 sectional view of FIG. It is a top view of the merging means of the sorting part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall outline of a transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the article pushing shoe 3 is shown in a simplified manner, but the shape of the article pushing shoe according to the present embodiment is as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8. In addition, the figure may be schematicized for some explanation, and the main part configuration may be enlarged and / or emphasized.

<Structure of transport device>
See FIG. The transport device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured by arranging a plurality of slats 2 for mounting the transport object W in close proximity to each other in parallel, and the transport object W is the slats 2. By rotating the drive chains 16 fixed to both ends of the above, the drive chain 16 is transported in the main transport direction (B direction in the drawing). The material W is sorted by moving the contact portion 31 of the article extrusion shoe 3 on the slats 2 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main transport direction (direction A in the figure) toward the branch transport path 11. This is done by forming and sending the transported object W to the branch transport path 11.

Although the entire transfer device 1 is not shown, the article extrusion shoe 3 which is formed in a closed loop by a plurality of slats 2 and a drive chain 16 and has been branched and moved returns to the original position at a position (not shown) not involved in the branching operation. Will be done.

In each slat 2, the end blocks 17 at both ends in the longitudinal direction are appropriately connected to the extension pins of the drive chains 16 at both ends of the transport sorting device, and the slat plate 15 is formed by being bridged between the end blocks 17-17 at both ends. ing. The article extrusion shoe 3 is provided so as to be movable in the A direction in the drawing by penetrating, sandwiching or otherwise being held by the slat plate 2.

2A and 2B are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view showing each form of an article extruded shoe. As shown in these figures, a roller-shaped overhanging member (wheel) 33 is pivotally supported on a support shaft 32 extending below the slat plate 15 and attached under the shoe body 34. A boss (contact portion) 31 is provided above the slat 2 of the shoe 3. The contact portion 31 is configured to branch the transported load by pushing it in a desired direction. The shoe shown in FIG. 2C is a type that can be moved by being sandwiched between slats, and has basically the same function as the above-mentioned slat penetrating type shoe. Therefore, the shoe shape is merely an example and may take various forms, and any form is included in the technical idea of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view for explaining the movement locus of the branch guide rail 6 and the shoe according to the embodiment of the present invention and its surroundings. More specifically, the figure conceptually represents a plane below the slat plane for a structure similar to slat 3 shown in FIG. In the figure, the overhanging member (wheel) 33 has a configuration in which the branching mechanism 100 guides the straight-ahead guide rail 5 or the branching guide rail 6 laid below the slat. That is, the overhanging member (wheel) 33 attached under the shoe body 34 slides in contact with the branch guide rail 6 and travels in a predetermined direction while receiving a reaction force from the slats, whereby the shoe 3 is guided in a desired branch direction. It is configured to be.

<Structure of branch guide rail>
As shown in FIG. 3, the branch guide rail 6 is configured by connecting the initial payout portion S1, the intermediate portion S2, and the final payout portion S3 with continuous cotton. The tangential angle of the initial payout portion S1 is θ1, the tangential angle of the intermediate portion S2 is θ2, and the tangential angle of the final payout portion S3 is θ3. It is an inflection point. The frontmost corner portion of the transported luggage W is assembled so as to hit the intermediate portion S2, that is, the portion having the tangential angle θ2.

In the portion from the final payout portion S3 to the branch transport path 11, the shoe is provided on the side wall of the straight guide rail or the like by providing the configuration (described later) of the merging mechanism according to the present invention provided in the D portion in the drawing. It is configured so that the motion vector fits smoothly in the main transport path direction (B direction in FIG. 5 and the like) without colliding with.

Here, it is designed so that θ1> θ2 and θ3> θ2. θ1 and θ3 may or may not be equal. The reason why the final payout angle θ3 is relatively steep is that the contact line between the branch transport path 11 and the main transport path can be shortened by narrowing the shoot pitch, and the installation area can be reduced as a system. This is to make sure. Further, in the experiment, it is preferable that θ1 and / or θ3 have an upper limit of about 32.5 °, and θ2 is preferably about 20 °.

If the angle of the final payout portion can be increased in this way, it is possible to construct an efficient facility by narrowing the chute pitch in which the branch transport path is installed in the main transport path. This is because θ3 (for example, 32.5 °) in the present application is significantly larger than the final payout angle (15 ° in one example in Patent Document 1) in the conventional branch transport path having a gentle-steep-slow gradient. is there. Further, even when θ3 is set to a relatively steep angle, the luggage W already urged by θ2 in the branching direction does not rotate, roll over, or be damaged. Since this is in the process of being transported, the load receives only the relative speed, and since only the portion (θ3-θ2) contributes to the displacement of the load W, the angle is changed from zero (horizontal) to θ3. Compared to the case, it receives only a relatively small amount of urging in the displacement direction, and even if a sufficient force is applied to receive rotation, etc., the rotation etc. applied by the boss (contact part) 31 of the subsequent shoe This is because a reaction force is applied in the direction of blocking.

On the other hand, the reason why the payout angle θ2 of the intermediate portion S2 is set to a relatively loose angle is that the first contact portion, which is the earliest corner of the load, hits this portion, so that the initial contact causes rotation, rollover, breakage, etc. This is to prevent it. Further, the reason why the initial payout angle θ1 related to the initial payout portion S1 is set to a relatively steep angle is that this portion is a portion that is not originally involved in contact, and it is preferable to set the steep angle in terms of economic efficiency. .. That is, when θ1 is set to a relatively steep angle, the shoot pitch at which the branch guide rail is installed can be narrowed as compared with the case where θ1 is a loose angle, and the angle θ3 of the final payout portion is set large. In addition, the installation space can be reduced.

Here, the lengths of the initial payout portion S1, the intermediate portion S2, and the final payout portion S3 will be described. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the movement of the overhanging member of the article payout shoe branched by the branching mechanism of the transport device to change to the branch guide rail as a (virtual) locus of the shoe. The branching mechanism 100 is equipped with, for example, a magnet or the like, and is configured so that the course can be changed by attracting the shoe 3 by this magnetic force.

In the case of FIG. 4, the branch guide wall 101 forms a curve of radius of curvature corresponding to a certain size from the inflection start position ST, and the length is set until the tangential angle of the branch guide wall 101 becomes equal to the initial payout angle θ1. It is preferable to prepare. At this position, the branch guide rails 6 are provided substantially in parallel. The reason why it is parallel as much as possible is that it helps to alleviate the situation that a slight impact is applied to the branch guide rail and noise is generated even when transferring from the branch guide wall to the branch guide rail. is there.

In this case, the separation distance d1 between the merging guide wall 101 and the branch guide rail 6 needs to be at least larger than the diameter of the overhanging member 33 (wheel), but experimentally, the wheel diameter is in the range of +0.5 mm to +10 mm. The value of is set as d1. By doing this, stable transfer is possible. Further, it is desirable that the length d2 at which the tip of the branch guide rail 6 and the guide wall protruding end portion 102 in a parallel extension line can overlap and project is 0 mm or more and 10 mm or less. The vertical distance from the branch start position ST to the tip 102 of the branch guide wall 101 is d3, and the vertical distance from the tip 102 of the branch guide wall 101 to the first inflection point H1 of the branch guide rail 6 is x. At that time, x + d3 can take various values by design. It is also possible that d3 has a value substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the tangential angle θ1 related to the initial payout portion. When the branch taxiway 101 is configured to form a steep curve, that is, when the tangent angle θ1 is relatively large, d3 can be shortened. When the branch taxiway 101 is configured to form a gentle curve, that is, when the tangent angle θ1 is relatively small, d3 may be further shortened, but the installation space of the branch mechanism becomes large. Space saving cannot be achieved. In the present application, a problem of performing a reliable branching operation even with a relatively steep curve is set, and in order to realize this, the branching mechanism described later according to the present application is adopted.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual plan view for explaining possible variations in the lengths of the initial payout portion S1, the intermediate portion S2, and the final payout portion S3, and FIG. 5A is a pattern having a relatively even left-right balance. FIG. 5B shows a pattern having a relatively non-uniform left-right balance. As shown in FIG. 5A , when arranging with a relatively even left-right balance, the portion between the inflection points H1 and H2 that the tip of the luggage W should abut is approximately from the center of the cross section orthogonal to the transport direction B. Will be placed in.

FIG. 5B shows a case where the portion of S3 is extremely long, for example, in the same figure, it is long beyond the center line, and S1 and S2 are shortened by that amount. In terms of economic efficiency, the shorter the S2 portion, the more preferable it is, but it is preferable to secure a sufficient length for the luggage W to come into contact with the S2 portion. As shown in the figure, x = d3 can be set as an example when the S1 portion is short.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the transfer device having the branch mechanism, the branch guide rail 6, and the merging mechanism configured as described above will be described. As shown in the figure, the slat 2 is moved in the B direction in the figure by a power mechanism (not shown). A control mechanism separately (not shown) confirmed by a sensor or the like separately (not shown) that the luggage W2 mounted on the slats 3 has reached the area immediately before the branch transport path 11 drives the branch mechanism device 100 at a predetermined timing. When the branch mechanism device 100 is driven and the magnet attracts the shoe, for example, the overhanging member (wheel) 33 of the shoe 3 is urged in the direction of sliding contact with the branch guide rail 6. By adding this urging to the kinetic energy associated with the movement of the original shoe 33, the shoe 3 is completely transferred to the branch guide rail 6. Along with the generation of such movements on the lower side of the guide rail, on the upper side of the guide rail, the boss (contact portion) 31 integrally assembled with the overhanging member (wheel) 33 of the shoe 3 branches the load. It will manifest as an action of pushing out to the guide rail in a certain direction.

At this time, the overhanging member (wheel) 33 slides and moves so as to trace the trajectory of the branch guide rail 6. The luggage W2 (shown by the dotted line in the figure) transported from the left side in the figure in the B direction (main transport direction) is on or above the line LM2 in which the corner portion of the tip portion extends the inflection point H2 horizontally. At the bottom of the figure, it collides with or comes into contact with the boss (contact portion) 31 of the overhanging member (running wheel) of the shoe 3. The luggage W2 that collides with or comes into contact with the boss (contact portion) 31 receives a reaction force from the boss (contact portion) 31 due to the collision or contact. Due to the action of this reaction force, the luggage W2 is redirected in the combined vector direction of the transport direction (B direction in the figure) and the track direction of the branch guide rail 6. Specifically, the luggage W2 is slightly rotated to cause a so-called swinging motion. At this time, the subsequent shoes come into contact with the side surface portion of the luggage W2 one after another, so that the side surface of the luggage W2 converges on the trajectory of the branch guide rail 6. As a result of such a series of operations, the luggage W2 is guided and urged in the direction of the angle of θ2, which is the initial branch inclination. Therefore, rotation, rollover, and breakage during contact with the shoe can be avoided.

The luggage W2 after coming into contact with the shoe 3 advances along the track of the branch guide rail 6. As described above, since the branch guide rail 6 is hung on the final payout portion S3, that is, the tangential angle is changed to θ3 at the inflection point H2, the overhanging member (wheel) 33 of the shoe 3 changes from θ2 to θ3. It is guided and urged in the angular direction to reach the position shown by the solid line in the figure. The series of operations leading up to this point, that is, the reaction force receiving operation from the boss (contact part) 31, the direction changing operation in the direction of the composite vector, the swinging operation, and the converging operation on the branch guide rail 6 trajectory on the side surface of the luggage W2. Since it is the same as the above, the description is omitted. When it approaches the final position of the final payout portion S3 in this way, it is reasonably guided to the branch transport path 11 side set up at the same angle of θ3. On the other hand, the shoe 3 is eliminated from contact with the luggage W2 near the final position of the final payout portion of the branch guide rail 6. By the merging mechanism at this position (D in FIG. 3), it is in a state of being aligned to the left side facing the transport front B direction.

In FIG. 6, the luggage W3 is conveyed so that the lower end is in contact with the lower limit line LM1. By arranging the first contact point between LM1 and LM2 in this way, and arranging the branching mechanism according to the present application and the merging mechanism according to the present application before that, the rotation of the luggage as a whole system. It is possible to realize a transfer branching operation that can prevent rollover, damage, and the like.

As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention including the above-mentioned branching mechanism, branching guide rail, and merging mechanism, the load is applied at a gentle angle of θ2 via an appropriate branching operation of the shoe. By setting this, the impact of the shoe 3 on the object to be conveyed can be softened, and then the shoe is passed through an appropriate merging operation. As a result, the occurrence of rotation, tipping, damage, etc. can be prevented / mitigated even during branch extrusion. At the same time, it is possible to prevent the shoe and / or slats from being worn and reduced in strength. In this case, the shoot pitch is longer by the amount related to S2, but if a means for determining the position of θ2 according to the load and narrowing the width to the vicinity of the position is adopted, the central portion S2 related to θ2 The length can be shortened as much as possible, and the efficiency of the set-up area can be improved accordingly.

Further, since the length of the S2 portion (central portion) can be freely designed, if S2 is lengthened, the length of the so-called sweet spot can be lengthened, so even if it hits irregularly. Even if you do this, you will increase the number of parts that can be sorted correctly without causing the article to rotate or tip over.

On the other hand, by making the final payout angle steep, the pitch at which the branch transfer path is provided can be narrowed, and the merging mechanism can be accommodated in a relatively small area by that amount. In this case, it is possible to utilize the practical behavior that the luggage in contact with the shoe does not rotate even if the final payout angle is steep. Similarly, by making the initial payout angle steep, the pitch at which the branch transfer path is provided can be narrowed, and the branch mechanism can be accommodated in a relatively small area accordingly.

Further, θ1, θ2, and θ3 are not particularly limited as long as the conditions of θ1> θ2 and θ3> θ2 are satisfied, and the lengths of the initial payout portion S1, the intermediate portion S2, and the final payout portion S3 are also not limited. Conversely, depending on the type, weight, contents, equipment material, installation area, etc. of the luggage, the equipment that is the most economically efficient and can suppress the occurrence of luggage rotation, etc. is optimally designed. You will be able to choose.

<Structure of branch mechanism>
An embodiment according to the branching mechanism of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, various known branching mechanisms can be used. For example, the following aspects can be adopted. That is, the rotating body provided with the moving means for moving the article on the transport surface formed by connecting the slats to the sorting position in the longitudinal direction of the slats, and the rotating body externally fitted to the support shaft protruding below the transport surface of the moving means. In a sorting conveyor switching device that is guided by guide rails laid below the transport surface along the main line direction and the branch direction to perform the movement, the guide rail is composed of a main rail and a branch rail, and the branch rail An electromagnet and a magnet are arranged on the downstream side of the electromagnet at a branching portion with the main rail, and when the article is conveyed in the branching direction, the rotating body is attracted to the electromagnet and then moved along the magnet to cause the branching. It is achieved by a switching device of a sorting conveyor characterized by guiding to the rail side.

Similarly, in the switching device of the sorting conveyor, a part of the side wall of the branching portion inlet portion with the main rail of the branch rail is formed with a closed magnetic path when the rotating body comes into contact with the rotating body. It is also achieved by configuring in. Further, the same object is also achieved by disposing a support shaft guide member for guiding the support shaft of the rotating body at the branch portion between the branch rail and the main rail in the switching device of the sorting conveyor.

Further, a rotating body provided with a moving means for moving the articles on the transport conveyor formed by connecting the slats in the longitudinal direction of the slats at the sorting position, and a rotating body externally fitted to a support shaft protruding downward from the transport surface from the moving means. In a sorting conveyor switching device that moves by being guided by guide rails laid below the conveyor transport surface along the main line direction and the branching direction, the guide rail is composed of a main rail and a branch rail, and the main rail is formed. After narrowing the rail width of the guide rail upstream of the branching part between the rail and the branch rail so as to be as narrow as the outer dimension of the rotating body, a pair of left and right electromagnets are installed so as to gradually widen toward the downstream side. When a part of the side wall of the branch rail entrance portion with the main rail is formed of a magnet and the article is conveyed in the branch direction, the rotating body is subjected to the pair of left and right electromagnets. Of these, when the rotating body is attracted to an electromagnet arranged on the branch rail side and then moved along the magnet on the side wall of the branch rail to guide the article to the branch rail side and convey the article in the main line direction, the rotating body is moved. It is also achieved by a sorting conveyor switching device characterized in that it is attracted to an electromagnet arranged on the main rail side and then moved along the side wall of the main rail.

The slat conveyor 1 is configured by arranging a plurality of slat 2 for placing the article W in parallel in close proximity to each other, and the article W has a drive chain 16 fixed to both ends of the slat in the article transport direction. It is conveyed in a predetermined direction (arrow B direction) by being driven to. In the sorting, the moving shoe 3 on the slat 2 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the arrow B direction (arrow A direction) by a mechanism described later to form a path toward the branch transport path 11, and the article W is branched and transported. This is done by sending to road 11. Although the entire slat conveyor 1 is not shown, it goes without saying that the slat conveyor 1 is formed in a closed loop by a plurality of slat 2s and a drive chain 16.

Each slat 2 has end blocks 17 at both ends in the longitudinal direction appropriately connected to extension pins of drive chains 16 on both sides of the conveyor, and two slat plates (also referred to as "slat rods"; the same applies hereinafter) are appropriately connected to the end blocks 17. ) 15 is bridged, and the slat rod 15 constitutes the load transport surface of the slat conveyor 1 and is penetrated by the slat rod 15 and can move along the slat rod 15 in the direction orthogonal to the load transport direction (arrow B direction). A moving shoe 3 is provided. The moving shoe 3 includes a rotating body 33 externally fitted to a support shaft extending below the slat, and the rotating body 33 is a main rail 10 of a guide rail 9 laid under the slat by a switching mechanism described later. Alternatively, it is guided by the branch rail 11.

FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a transport path switching mechanism according to the present invention, and is a top view of a main part of a branch portion of the transport path. The guide rail 9 is composed of a pair of side walls 9a and 9b, and has a main rail 10 for transporting the article W on the conveyor in the straight-ahead direction (main line direction) and a branch for transporting the article W in the sorting direction (branch direction). It is configured to include a rail 11. Of the pair of left and right side walls 12a and 12b constituting the branch rail 11, the side wall 12a on the side where the electromagnet 13 is arranged has the upper side wall 14 having the electromagnet 13 and the permanent magnet 15 or the permanent magnet 15 at the entrance portion of the branch portion with the main rail 10. It is configured to include a lower side wall 16 with an electromagnet 15a.

The downstream portion of the lower side wall 16 of the side wall 12a may be provided over the entire length of the branch rail in parallel with one side wall 12b, or may be provided in a part on the downstream side as shown in the figure. This is because when the rotating body 8 is guided to the branch rail 11 side by the sorting described later, the rotating body 8 receives a force from the upper side to the lower side in the drawing as the slats, which are not shown in the drawing, move. This is because the branch rail 11 moves while abutting on the side wall 12b after passing through the lower side wall 16 (the state of the rotating body 8d). When the side wall 12a is provided only on a part of the lower side wall 16 on the downstream side, the side wall 12a is formed of a non-magnetic material, and the rotating body 8 guided by the branch rail 11 is attracted to the side wall 12a side. It allows the branch rail 11 to move along the other side wall 12b.

Further, the permanent magnet 15 or the electromagnet 15a arranged on the lower side wall 16 may be a single member, or may be divided into a plurality of members and arranged along the branch rail 11. The sensor 17 is located upstream of the branch portion of the main rail 10 and the branch rail 11 of the guide rail 9, and detects the passage of the rotating body 8 moving along the guide rail 9. The continuity of the first electromagnet 13 is controlled by an appropriate calculation of the detection signal from the sensor 17 and the sorting information (not shown).

The rotating body 8 of the moving shoe 3 is composed of a roller or a bearing made of a magnetic material, and moves from the upper side to the lower side in the figure of FIG. 20 along the guide rail 9 during transportation. In the switching mechanism configured as described above, when sorting is not performed, that is, when the articles on the conveyor go straight, the rotating body 8 goes straight from the upper side to the lower side in the figure to reach the main rail 10. Proceed along (the state of the rotating body 8a in the figure). At this time, power is not supplied to the coil of the electromagnet 13, and the rotating body 8 goes straight without being attracted by the electromagnet 13 and proceeds to the main rail 10.

On the other hand, in the case of sorting, the rotating body 8 is attracted to the upper side wall 14 by passing an electric current through the coil of the electromagnet 13 (in the figure, the state of the rotating body 8b), and then the permanent magnet 15 or the electromagnet 15a It is guided to the branch rail 11 along the lower side wall 16 by magnetic action. At this time, when the magnet of the lower side wall 16 is an electromagnet 15a, the electromagnet 15a is conducted at the same time as the electromagnet 13.

Further, the structure of the branched portion of the main rail 10 and the branch rail 11 can be changed in various ways in addition to the structure shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the electromagnet 13 and the permanent magnet 15 or the electromagnet 15a can be connected by a yoke 18 made of a magnetic material, and the yoke 18 can be a part of the side wall 12a of the branch rail 11. .. Here, by continuously forming the yoke 18 and the guide rail 9a so that the guide rail 9a is tangent to the yoke 18, the rotating body 8 can be smoothly moved along the yoke 18.

Further, as shown in FIG. 21A (AA arrow view of FIG. 21), the yoke 18 is connected to one magnetic pole 13a of the electromagnet 13 to cover the upper surface of the coil of the electromagnet 13 and bend toward the guide rail 9b. It is composed of a first yoke 18a and a second yoke 18b that is connected to the other magnetic pole 13b of the electromagnet 13 and bends toward the guide rail 9b. Further, the first and second yokes 18a and 18b form a closed magnetic path represented by the magnetic flux M with the rotating body 8 when the rotating body 8 comes into contact with the electromagnet 13 in a conductive state. , The rotating body 8 suspended from the moving shoe 3 is arranged to face each other with a certain gap width at a position corresponding to the hanging position. If necessary, an appropriate spacer may be provided in the gap portion.

Further, the first and second yokes 18a and 18b extend to the downstream end of the permanent magnet 15 or the electromagnet 15a, and when the downstream magnet is the permanent magnet 15, the first and second yokes 18a and 18b have a structure in which a permanent magnet 15 having a thickness corresponding to the gap width is sandwiched. Also in this case, a closed magnetic path represented by the magnetic flux M is formed between the rotating body 8 and the rotating body 8. The north and south poles of the permanent magnet 15 must select the contact surfaces with the first and second yokes 18a and 18b so as to match the polarities of the magnetic poles of the electromagnet 13.

Further, the configuration of the yoke 18 and the permanent magnet 15 is not limited to the structure in which the permanent magnet 15 is sandwiched between the first and second yokes 18a and 18b, and various structures are possible. For example, the permanent magnets 15 may be composed of a plurality of permanent magnets 15 (two permanent magnets 15b and 15c in the example of the figure), and the permanent magnets 15 and the yoke 18 may be alternately laminated. In this case, a plurality of closed magnetic paths are formed between the rotating body 8 and the number of permanent magnets 15. Further, it is also possible to omit the yoke 18 and form a closed magnetic path with the rotating body 8 using only the permanent magnet 15.

On the other hand, when the magnet on the downstream side is an electromagnet 15a, the structure is the same as that shown in FIG. 21A. As described with reference to FIG. 20, in the switching mechanism according to the present invention, the electromagnet 13 is conducted when guiding the rotating body 8 of the moving shoe 3 to the branch rail 11 at the time of sorting, and heat is generated due to this conduction. However, this heat may be transferred to the permanent magnet 15 or the electromagnet 15a via the yoke 18 to attenuate the magnetic force of these magnets. In particular, when the magnet is a permanent magnet 15, it is easily affected by heat. Further, when the magnet is a permanent magnet 15, the entire yoke 18 is in a magnetized state. Therefore, the rotating body 8 is attracted to the yoke 18 even when the electromagnet 13 is not conductive, and its straightness when guided to the main rail 10 side. May be hindered.

Therefore, by drilling a slit 19 near the boundary between the electromagnet 13 of the yoke 18 and the permanent magnet 15 or the electromagnet 15a, the heat generated from the electromagnet 13 can be suppressed from being transmitted to the permanent magnet 15 or the electromagnet 15a, or the magnetic flux can be suppressed. Can be released to the outside to reduce the magnetizing of the portion where the electromagnet 13 is arranged. Further, the same effect can be obtained not only by slit 19 but also by drilling a plurality of through holes, for example. Further, the yoke 18 may be filled with non-magnetic material is divided into an electromagnet 13 parts and the permanent magnets 15 or electromagnets 15a portion in the gap of the boundary portion.

When the branch portion of the main rail 10 and the branch rail 11 is formed as described above and the electromagnet 13 is conducted during sorting, the rotating body 8 is attracted to the electromagnet 13 (state of the rotating body 8b) and abuts on the yoke 18. A closed magnetic path is formed with the yoke 18, and then it moves downstream along the yoke 18 (in the state of the rotating bodies 8c and 8d) and is guided by the branch rail 11.

Here, a support shaft guide member 22a for guiding the support shaft 21 of the moving shoe 3 is arranged on the upstream side of the arrangement position of the electromagnet 13 on the guide rail side wall 9b, and the rotating body 8 hits the guide rail side wall 9a. By bringing them into contact with each other and moving them, the rotating body 8 can be surely brought into contact with the yoke 18. As shown in FIG. 21A, the support shaft guide member 22a is configured such that a portion of the support shaft 21 projecting from the moving shoe 3 and projecting downward from the rotating body 8 abuts on the side wall surface thereof.

Further, a support shaft guide member 22b for guiding the support shaft 21 of the moving shoe 3 can be arranged on the upstream side of the branch top 20 of the main rail 10 and the branch rail 11. The support shaft guide member 22b has a substantially triangular shape with the upstream side as the apex and the hypotenuse extending along the main rail 10 and the branch rail 11, and further, the support shaft 21 projecting from the moving shoe 3 on the side wall surface thereof. The portion of the rotating body 8 projecting downward is configured to come into contact with the rotating body 8.

Next, another aspect of the branching mechanism of the present application will be described. 7 to 9 are views for explaining a branching mechanism according to another aspect of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the branching mechanism of the transport device according to the embodiment of the present application and its periphery. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view and an external view showing an article extrusion shoe provided with a vane according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the vane 19 according to the embodiment of the present application.

More specifically, in FIG. 7, a mechanism for magnetically attracting the overhanging member (wheel) and a mechanism having a vane, which is a branching mechanism by a composite combination including a vane having a notched tail and a straight vane guide. Although one embodiment is shown, the article extrusion shoe 34 shows only the wheel 33, the support shaft 32 and the vane 19 with the slats 2 removed.

As shown in the figure, the branch mechanism 100 includes a straight guide rail 5, side walls 21a and 21b thereof, and a permanent magnet 221 provided on the right side in the traveling direction along the traveling direction of the wheel 33. , A straight vane guide 23 having a built-in permanent magnet 231 following the vane correction guide 22 and notched above the middle portion in the traveling direction, an electromagnet 24 provided on the left side in the traveling direction in the drawing, and a permanent magnet 25 following the electromagnet 24. , A branch guide path 101 made of a magnetic material that also serves as a yoke provided inside the electromagnet 24 and the permanent magnet 25, a branch guide block 27 that covers the upper front surface of the electromagnet 24, and a vane 19 that faces the traveling direction of the wheel 33. A nose block 29 having a pointed tip that is in contact with the tip of the nose block 29, and a nose 26 that guides the branch of the wheel 33 at the same height as the wheel 33 in front of the nose block 29 in the traveling direction. A branch direction guide rail 6 and a side wall 6a thereof are provided.

The nose block 29 is provided in front of the nose 26 in the traveling direction for the purpose of preventing the wheel 33 from colliding with the tip of the nose 26. The material of the branch guide block 27 is not limited to resin, and may be glassy as long as it is a non-magnetic material. Further, the permanent magnet 25 may be an electromagnet, and may be energized only when necessary to generate a magnetic force. Alternatively, it may be omitted depending on the shape of the electromagnet 24.

As described above, since the initial payout portion of the branch guide rail according to the present application has a relatively steep slope, it is necessary to realize a more stable branch operation. Figure 8 is a structural view of an article extruded shoe diverter of claim 1 and claim 4, in comparison to an article extrusion shoe of FIG. 2 A, are equipped with vane 19 to the support shaft of the shoe. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the vane 19 having a notch in the tail of the vane.

The vane 19 is made of a magnetic material, has a thick plate shape, has a rectangular horizontal cross section with a pointed tip in the traveling direction A, and has a rectangular vertical cross section, and the lower part of the rear end is cut into a small rectangle. It has a shape and a structure provided with a hole H for pivotally supporting the support shaft 32 in the vertical direction, and is rotatably fixed around the support shaft 32 by a fixing mechanism (not shown). The structure of the vane 19 is not limited to this, and the overall shape, the shape of the tip portion, the presence / absence of a notch, and the shape may be any shape suitable for realizing the gist of the present invention.

The branching mechanisms (A) and (B) described above magnetically attract either the overhanging member (wheel) or the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe by a magnet provided in the branch path to branch the article, and include a magnet. There is a difference in whether the height of the wall surface of the branch path is the height of the overhanging member (wheel) or the height of the support shaft. In the above-mentioned (C), a vane 19 is provided on the support shaft, and the vane is also magnetically attracted to be directed in the branching direction to perform a branching operation. Further, in the branching mechanism according to claim 4, the vane has a notch in the tail portion, and by providing a straight guide rail, the branching operation can be performed more reliably.

Next, the operation of the branching mechanism having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram when the vehicle goes straight ahead normally. That is, when it is not necessary to sort the conveyed items and the shoe for pushing out the articles goes straight in the traveling direction of the conveyor of the transfer device 1 (direction B in FIG. 1), the electromagnet 24 does not operate and the wheel 33 is the transfer device 1. Following the movement of the conveyor, the vehicle is guided by the straight guide rail 5 and travels in the straight direction.

Here, the vane 19 located below the wheel 33 is corrected in the substantially straight direction by the small magnet 221 of the vane correction guide 22. The wheel 33 continues to pass through the straight vane guide 23 at the entrance of the straight vane guide 23, while the entire vane 19 is further straightened by the small magnet 231 and travels in the straight direction, and also contacts the nose block 29. Without doing so, the vehicle proceeds to the straight guide rail 5 at the branch exit.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram at the time of normal branching by the branching mechanism. When sorting articles, the electromagnet 24 operates. As a result, the wheel 33 and the vane 19 are attracted in the direction of the electromagnet 24, and the vane 19 is forced in the tangential direction of the guide block 27 by advancing in contact with the guide block 27, and the tip of the guide block 27 and the nose block. Enter the bifurcation between 29. On the other hand, the wheel 33 is attracted by the electromagnet 24 and the magnet 25 subsequently installed, engages with the branch taxiway 101, and further advances while abutting on the branch guide rail wall 6a. In this way, as shown in FIG. 13, when the branching operation is insufficient, the branching operation is completed without the support shaft 32 of the article extrusion shoe colliding with the nose block 29.

Here, the operation of the straight vane guide and the vane 19 having the notch shown in FIG. 12 will be described. Even if the wheel 33 is not sufficiently magnetically attracted due to its damage or dirt and is separated from the taxiway 101, the vane tail 191 and the branch portion having a notch at the lower rear end in the traveling direction The upper part of the intermediate portion in the traveling direction provided on the side opposite to the electromagnet comes into contact with the notched end portion 232 of the notched straight vane guide 23, whereby the vane 19 is returned in the straight traveling direction. As a result, at least the vane 19 is returned in the straight direction, so that the wheel 33, which was insufficiently directed in the branch direction, is returned in the straight direction, and even if the branch fails, the collision with the nose block 29 is avoided. It will be possible to continue operation.

<Structure of merging mechanism>
An embodiment according to the merging mechanism of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, various known merging mechanisms can be used. For example, the following aspects can be adopted. That is, FIGS. 14 to 19 explain the merging mechanism of (a) to (e) described above. In addition, as an embodiment, the combination from (a) to (e) is described. FIG. 14 shows a case where a merging mechanism (a) including a magnet D incorporated in the wall surface of a curved merging taxiway 36 and an article extrusion shoe provided with a vane 19 are used, and the vane 19 and the vane 19 are formed. The merging mechanism including the merging mechanism (a) including the merging guide block 35 that abuts and guides in the straight direction is described. After the transported product is pushed out to the branch transport path by the movement of the article extrusion shoe, the overhanging member (wheel) and vane 19 of the shoe are attracted to the magnet installed in the D portion related to the merging guide path 36, and the branch guide It is guided from the rail 6 to the straight guide rail 5. However, since the final payout portion S3 of the branch guide rail 6 has a relatively steep slope and the space for the merging region is saved, the merging taxiway 36 is preferably in the form of a curved perfect circle with a high curvature. ..

On the other hand, when the transported product is transferred to the branch transport route and the article extrusion shoe is released, centrifugal force is received at the place where it enters the merging taxiway due to the urging related to the weight and size of the transported product and the weight of the shoe itself. Alternatively, if the attractive force of the magnets arranged in the merging taxiway 36 decreases due to dirt on the guide rail or the overhanging member (wheel) of the shoe, the article extrusion shoe may come off from the merging taxiway.

Therefore, a merging straight guide block 35 is provided on the front surface of the wall of the facing straight guide rail, and the vane provided on the overhanging member (wheel) is in contact with the merging straight guide block 35 and is in the tangential direction. The merging operation is completed so that the entire shoe travels in a straight line direction. The merging straight guide block is functionally paired with the branch guide block in the branch mechanism.

15A, 15B, 15C, and 15D are composed of a rotatable guide wall (d) and a merging mechanism (a) provided with a magnet on the wall surface of the curved merging taxiway 36. An embodiment of the merging mechanism will be described. As shown in FIG. 15A, at the confluence of the branch guide rail 6 and the straight guide rail 5, a longitudinal rotation guide wall 50 for guiding the overhanging member (wheel) of the article extrusion shoe is rotatable. It is provided. FIG. 15D is a perspective view showing a simplified form of the rotation guide wall 50. The height of the guide wall is almost the same as the height of the guide rail because it is joined to the wheel. In a steady state, the rotation guide wall 50 is provided at the position of the rotation center axis 60 with its tip side in contact with and separated from the confluence guideway 36 and the facing surface 5a of the straight guide rail 5 (FIG. 15A). Here, when the rotation guide wall 50 is pushed by the overhanging member (wheel) 33 of the shoe for pushing out the article, it rotates and approaches the facing side 5a of the straight guide rail 5 (FIG. 15C) or the merging taxiway. It rotates in a state close to (Fig. 15B).

That is, the rotation guide wall 50 is pushed by the overhanging member (wheel) of the article extruded body shoe 33 to rotate to one of the approaching states and selectively switch. The base end portion (portion of 51) of the rotation guide wall 50 is configured such that, for example, a screw is fitted into the through hole 51 and is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable. Further, at the lower part of the attachment of the rotation guide wall 50, it is held by a spring (not shown) or the like, and after being pushed by the article pushing shoe to rotate, it is possible to take an operation so as to return to the rotation center axis 60. It is fixed like this.

Further, the rotation guide wall 50 is formed by using an elastic material or having both side surfaces having concave curved surfaces in order to smoothly engage with the overhanging member (wheel) or suppress noise at the time of contact. You may. The area to which the base end portion of the rotation guide wall 50 is attached can be widened because the final payout portion of the branch guide rail is a wall body having a relatively steep slope, and the base of the guide wall can be widened. There is an advantage that it can be installed even if the end has a relatively large physical shape. In other words, the rotation guide wall 50 constitutes a facing guide wall as a part of the straight guide rail or the branch guide rail.

FIG. 15E is a conceptual diagram illustrating the merging mechanism (e). When the shoe for pushing out articles moves from the branch guide rail at the merging part, a sound absorbing braking material (rubber elastic body, etc.) is located at a position where it is expected to come into contact with or collide with the wall surface of the merging part or the DC guide rail. It is a merging mechanism according to a mode of absorbing noise and impact by arranging.

FIG. 15F illustrates an embodiment of a merging mechanism (c) in which a magnet is arranged on the bottom surface of the merging guide wall, and the support shaft of the article pushing shoe is attracted and braked to merge. 15G is a cross-sectional view taken from point E in FIG. 15F. A curved concave groove 80 is provided on the bottom surface of the merging guide wall, and a fine slit 84 is formed on the bottom surface of the recess. Recessed groove 80 places the cylindrical permanent magnet 81 having a projecting member 83 at the bottom, cylindrical magnet 81 can be moved along the slit 84. At the same time, a spiral spring 82 is provided and abutted. When the article extrusion shoe moves from the branch guide rail, the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe is attracted by the columnar magnet 81 and braked by the spring 82 from the attraction of the columnar magnet 81 at the confluence position. A merging mechanism that separates and faces the straight guide rail direction is constructed. Here, the concave groove 80 is formed by surrounding the concave groove with a material that is a non-magnetic material, and it is necessary to suppress magnetic attraction with a metal object other than the upper surface direction.

16 and 17 illustrate the merging mechanism. FIG. 17 is an arrow view from point E in FIG. This merging mechanism does not have a magnet arranged inside the curved merging portion as in (a) above, but a rotatable magnetic body 40 is provided in the central portion of the merging guide wall to support the shoe 3. The direction of travel is changed by directly magnetically adsorbing. As shown in FIG. 17, the magnetic body 40 is a rotating body formed by sandwiching a permanent magnet 42 having a required shape (a donut shape in the present embodiment) between a pair of disk-shaped yoke members 41 facing each other. The magnetic body 40 is fixed in the merging guide wall at the central portion of the yoke member 41 with the rotating shaft 43 as shown in FIG. The rotating shaft 43 is rotatably supported via a bearing unit 44 near the bent portion at the end of the branch guide rail 6.

Next, the movements of the support shaft 32 and the overhanging member (wheel 33) of the shoe 3 joining the branch guide rail 6 and the straight guide rail 5 will be described with reference to FIG. When the overhanging member (wheel) 33 engages with the final payout portion S3 of the branch guide rail 6 and rotates while the wheel 33 reaches the position indicated by 33a, the shoe support shaft 32 becomes the yoke portion of the magnetic body 40. After that, the overhanging member (wheel) 33 reaches the position indicated by 33b, and the state of being adsorbed by the magnetic body 40 is maintained. At this time, the magnetic body 40 rotates in accordance with the movement of the support shaft (pin) 32. Further, the overhanging member (wheel) 33 reaches the position of 33c that engages with the straight guide rail along the curved merging guide wall 36, and is turned to the straight guide rail 5 (direction of arrow B).

As shown in FIG. 17, if the support shaft 32 of the shoe is sufficiently magnetically attracted to the magnetic body 40, the rotating wheel of the shoe 3 does not collide with the facing side of the straight guide rail 5, and the hole due to the collision does not occur. No wear or breakage, noise, vibration, or the like of 33 occurs. At the same time, since the magnetic body 40 magnetically attracts only the support shaft 32 of the shoe 3, the rotating wheel 34 does not receive the magnetic action from the magnetic body 40 for a long time, and the sliding resistance due to the magnetization of the rotating wheel is increased. The increase can be suppressed. Further, since the rotating magnetic body 40 magnetically attracts the support shaft 32, the radius of curvature becomes longer than when the overhanging member (wheel) 33 itself is magnetically attracted, and the rotating magnetic body 40 has a relationship with centrifugal force and the like. The magnetic attraction force can be reduced, and effective merging operation can be realized even in a relatively steep merging portion.

FIG. 18 is a composite configuration of the merging mechanism (a) relating to the article extrusion shoe provided with the vane and the DC guide rail and the merging mechanism shown in FIG. Since the final payout portion S3 has a relatively steep slope, when it is desired to increase the curvature of the merging guide wall 36 to save space, or when the magnetic attraction force is reduced due to dirt or the like, the shoe wheel is moved from the merging guide wall 36. There is a possibility that it will come off and cannot be completely prevented from colliding with the guide rail or the like. Therefore, the merging mechanism (a) is also formed by the support guidance of the vane to form a complex merging mechanism, and a more reliable merging mechanism is realized.

By the transport device in which the branch guide rail, the branch mechanism, and the merging mechanism are appropriately combined as in the above embodiment, wear and noise of the shoe shaft can be prevented even at high speed transport, and malfunction of the transport system is less likely to occur.

In the above description, various guide rails, vane correction guides, vane guides, yokes, nose blocks, straight guide blocks, etc. have been used as independent parts, but even if they are composite parts in which some are combined. Good. It is included in the present invention regardless of the name, shape, etc., as long as it can substantially function as an independent component thereof. Similarly, although the wheel, the support shaft, the vane, and the like have been described as independent parts as the parts of the shoe for pushing out the article, these may also be formed as a composite part. Further, although the case where one wheel 33 is provided above the vane 19 (between the shoe body 34 and the vane 19) is described as an example, two or more wheels 33 may be provided, and the positions thereof are also above and below the vane 19. The vane 19 may be sandwiched between the vanes. In this way, there is an advantage that the running of the article extrusion shoe is stable.

<Another Embodiment>
In another embodiment of the present invention, the branch guide rail used as described above is used, and the one described below is used as the merging mechanism. That is, an article on the slat is conveyed by the movement of a large number of slat, and the moving shoe is provided on the moving shoe in a sorting device that presses the article and sorts the article in a predetermined direction from the slat by the moving shoe provided on each slat. A guide roller rotatably supported on the guide pin, a main rail provided on both sides of the article in the transport direction to guide the guide roller of the moving shoe in the article transport direction, and a main rail on one side in the article transport direction. A branch rail that branches from the rail and joins the main rail on the other side to guide the guide roller of the moving shoe in a predetermined sorting direction and the guide roller of the moving shoe are transferred from the main rail to the branch rail. The switching means to be introduced and the branch rail are rotatably provided at the point where the branch rail joins the main rail, and the moving shoe is rotated according to the movement of the moving shoe while the guide pin of the moving shoe is attracted by magnetic action. This is achieved by a sorting device characterized by having a magnetic material that guides the guide roller to the main rail while engaging with the branch rail and rotating the guide roller.

22 and 23 are plan views showing the switching means of the sorting unit according to the present invention, FIG. 22 shows a branched state, and FIG. 23 shows a non-branched state. The switching means 50 of the sorting unit 38 includes a swing rail 56, an air cylinder 58, and a photoelectric sensor 60. The swing rail 56 is provided corresponding to each of the rails 76 and 78, and guide walls 56a and 56b are formed on both side portions thereof, and a rail groove 56c is formed in the center of the swing rail 56. The swing rail 56 is swingably supported between the branch position P1 and the non-branch position P2 (see FIG. 23) via the pin 62.

The air cylinder 58 is connected to each swing rail 56, and the swing rail 56 is positioned at the branch position P1 by contracting the air cylinder 58, and the swing rail 56 is moved to the non-branch position P2 by extending the air cylinder 58. Position to. The photoelectric sensor 60 detects the vane 70 of the shoe 36 moving on the left main guide rail 63, and inputs the detection signal to the control unit (not shown). After confirming that the photoelectric sensor 60 has detected a predetermined number of shoes 36 (three in the case of this embodiment), the control unit operates each air cylinder 58 to simultaneously branch each swing rail 56 to the branch position P1. The non-branch position P2 or vice versa is switched from.

FIG. 24 is a 5-5 cross-sectional view of FIG. 23, showing a shoe not shown in FIG. 23. A bearing 68 is rotatably supported at the lower end of the shoe 36 via a shaft 66, and a vane 70 is rotatably supported at the lower end of the shaft 66. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the vane 70 is formed in a plate shape. As the bearing 68 moves within the left main guide rail 63 of the frame 40, the shoe 36 moves with the slat 32 while being located at the left end of the slat 32. Then, the vane 70 is guided by the swing rail 56 and moves along the branching cross guide rail portion 52 described later, so that the shoe 36 moves from the left end portion of the slat 32 to the right end portion (arrow direction). Moving.

FIG. 25 is a plan view of the merging means of the sorting portion according to the present invention. The other ends of the branch rails 76a, 76b, and 76c of the branch cross guide rail portion 52 are arranged on the merging means 54 side. At the other end of the branch rails 76a, 76b, 76c, three merging side vane guides 86a, 86b (one not shown) are arranged. The merging means 54 includes swing guides 88a, 88b, 88c, and the swing guides 88a, 88b, 88c are swingably supported via pins 90a, 90b (one not shown). The swing guide 88a swings between the positioning pins 92a and 92c. The swing guides 88b and 88c also swing between the positioning pins 92a and 92c in the same manner as the swing guide 88a. The vane wall 65a of the right main guide rail 65 facing the swing guides 88a, 88b, 88c is formed with a recess 65b into which the tips of the swing guides 88a, 88b, 88c are fitted.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 25, showing a shoe not shown in FIG. 25. The bearing 68 of the shoe 36 moves guided by the branch rail 76b. Then, when the shoe 36 reaches the merging means 54, the vane 70 moves along the merging side vane guide 86b. The vane 70 moves along the swing guide 88b and enters the right main guide rail 65. After that, the vane 70 enters between the vane wall 65a of the right main guide rail 65 and the swing guide 88a (see FIG. 25), and pushes up the swing guide 88a upward.

The operation of the sorting device according to the present invention configured as described above will be described. When the vanes 70 of the shoe 36 moving on the left main guide rail 63 have passed a predetermined number of photoelectric sensors 60, a drive signal is output from the control unit based on the detection signal from the photoelectric sensors 60. Based on this drive signal, each air cylinder 58 contracts at the same time to position the swing rail 56 from the non-branch position P2 (see FIG. 23) to the branch position P1 (see FIG. 22). In this case, since the vane 70 of the shoe 36 is located on the upstream side of each swing rail 56, the vane 70 of each shoe 36 is guided by the swing rail 56 and is guided by the swing rail 56 to guide the first branching guide rail 76. It is guided to the switching side vane guides 80a, 80b, 80c.

As a result, the bearing 68 of the shoe 36 is guided by the branch rails 76a, 76b, and 76c to reach the intersection of the first branch guide rail 76 and the second branch guide rail 78. Then, the vane 70 enters the guide grooves 82a, 82b, 82c of the crossing vane guide 82. Since the guide grooves 82a to 82c are formed slightly wider than the width W1 of the vane 70 and narrower than the length W2 of the vane 70, the vane 70 moves only in the traveling direction at the intersection and the shoe 36 Bearing 68 moves to the merging means 54 side.

<Another Embodiment of the present application>
In still another embodiment of the present invention, the branch guide rail used as described above is used, and the one described below is used as the merging mechanism. That is, a transport means for transporting the article in the transport direction, a plurality of article extruders movably provided in the transport means in a direction intersecting the transport direction and having a guided portion, and a curved guide portion at the guide end portion. A branch guide rail body that moves the article extruded body in a direction intersecting the transport direction with respect to the transport means by guiding the guided portion, and the guided portion along the transport direction. The straight guide rail body is rotatably provided in the confluence region where the branch guide rail body and the straight guide rail body meet, and is approached to the curved guide portion by rotating in one direction. The rotation guide body is provided with a rotation guide body that is separated from the curved guide portion by rotation in the other direction, and the rotation guide body is pushed and rotated by the guided portion of the article extrusion body. It is movable, and has a corresponding curved guide portion having a shape corresponding to the curved guide portion on the side facing the curved guide portion of the branch guide rail body, and when the rotating guide body is in an approaching state, the straight guide rail The guided portion guided by the body moves between the rotation guide body and the straight guide rail body along the transport direction, and when the rotation guide body is separated, the branch guide The guided portion guided by the rail body is formed between the corresponding curved guide portion of the rotating guide body and the curved guide portion of the branch guide rail body by the corresponding curved guide portion and the curved guide portion. It moves in a sandwiched state, and at the time of this movement, the moving direction becomes a direction along the transporting direction.

In this case, in the above sorting device, the guided portion of the article extruder has a pin and a roller rotatably provided on the pin, and the pin is a corresponding bending guide of the rotating guide body in a separated state. The roller may move while rubbing against the portion, and the roller may move while rotating in contact with the curved guide portion of the branch guide rail body.

Further, the sorting device may include a rotation resistance means that acts as a resistance to the rotation of the rotation guide, and the rotation resistance means may have a sliding contact surface that is in sliding contact with the rotation guide. ..

Further, in the above-mentioned sorting device, the rotation resistance means may be composed of a resistance plate having a sliding contact receiving surface formed on the upper surface in sliding contact with the lower surface of the tip end portion of the rotation guide body.

Further, in any of the above sorting devices, a positioning means that comes into contact with the rotation guide body and positions the rotation guide body in a separated state may be provided.

Further, in the above-mentioned sorting device, the positioning means is composed of a stopper plate that comes into contact with the side surface of the tip end portion of the rotation guide body to position the rotation guide body in a separated state, and is separated by replacing the stopper plate. The separation distance between the corresponding curved guide portion of the rotating guide body in the state and the curved guide portion of the branch guide rail body may be adjustable.

Further, in the above-mentioned sorting device, the stopper plate may have a first inclined receiving surface and a second inclined receiving surface located along the direction of inclination with respect to the transport direction.

According to the present invention, when the rotation guide body is separated, the guided portion guided by the branch guide rail body is the corresponding curved guide portion of the rotation guide body and the curved guide portion of the branch guide rail body. The moving speed of the article extruder is high because the moving is performed in a state of being sandwiched between the corresponding curved guide portion and the curved guide portion, and the moving direction is along the transport direction during this movement. However, the moving direction of the guided portion can be changed to the direction along the transport direction, so that the sorting work can be performed efficiently while preventing noise.

The transport device according to the present invention is currently and in the future required to reduce the size of luggage, increase the amount of transported luggage, and speed up the transport operation in response to the diversification of distribution forms and the diversification of individual tastes. In order to improve the efficiency of the installation area of the equipment while increasing the speed and preventing rotation, etc., realizing high-speed transportation of small luggage and not causing rotation, etc., and enabling high-speed and large-volume processing. It has great potential for various industries including the distribution industry.

A ... Slat longitudinal direction B ... Transport direction D ... Confluence mechanism S1 ... Initial payout part S2 ... Intermediate part S3 ... Final payout part W ... Transport baggage 1 ... Transport device 2 ... Slat 3 ... Article extrusion shoe 5 ... Straight guide rail 6 ... Branch guide rail 11 ... Branch transport path 15 ... Slat plate 33 ... Overhanging member (wheel)
34 ... Shoe body 101 ... Branch guide wall

Claims (9)

Conveyors for conveying the can with said article selection and branch transport path rollers are more disposed to slat to branch from the main transport path and the main transport path which is more disposed to the article is placed When,
An article extrusion shoe that is slidably mounted in the longitudinal direction of the slats and includes at least a support shaft that projects downward from the slats and an overhanging member that is attached to the support shafts.
A wall surface to which the overhanging member is in contact is provided, and a flat cross-sectional line of the wall surface is formed by substantially connecting an initial payout portion, a central portion, and a final payout portion, at a tangential angle when viewed from the transport direction of the initial payout portion. A first angle is equal to or greater than the second angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the central portion, and the third angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the final payout portion, is said. With a single branch guide rail larger than the second angle,
A transport device including a branch portion provided with a mechanism for branching an article from the main transport path to the branch guide rail. Conveyors for conveying the can with said article selection and branch transport path rollers are more disposed to slat to branch from the main transport path and the main transport path which is more disposed to the article is placed When,
An article extrusion shoe that is slidably mounted in the longitudinal direction of the slats and includes at least a support shaft that projects downward from the slats and an overhanging member that is attached to the support shafts.
A wall surface to which the overhanging member is in contact is provided, and a flat cross-sectional line of the wall surface is formed by substantially connecting an initial payout portion, a central portion, and a final payout portion, at a tangential angle when viewed from the transport direction of the initial payout portion. A first angle is equal to or greater than the second angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the central portion, and the third angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the final payout portion, is said. With a single branch guide rail larger than the second angle,
A transport device including a merging portion provided with a mechanism for merging the article extrusion shoe after movement to the main transport path on the branch guide rail. Conveyors for conveying the can with said article selection and branch transport path rollers are more disposed to slat to branch from the main transport path and the main transport path which is more disposed to the article is placed When,
An article extrusion shoe that is slidably mounted in the longitudinal direction of the slats and includes at least a support shaft that projects downward from the slats and an overhanging member that is attached to the support shafts.
A wall surface to which the overhanging member is in contact is provided, and a flat cross-sectional line of the wall surface is formed by substantially connecting an initial payout portion, a central portion, and a final payout portion, at a tangential angle when viewed from the transport direction of the initial payout portion. A first angle is equal to or greater than the second angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the central portion, and the third angle, which is the tangential angle seen from the transport direction of the final payout portion, is said. With a single branch guide rail larger than the second angle,
A branch portion provided with a mechanism for branching an article from the main transport path to the branch guide rail,
A transport device including a merging portion provided with a mechanism for merging the article extrusion shoe after movement to the main transport path on the branch guide rail. The support shaft and / or the overhanging member of the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material.
The branch is
(A) A branching mechanism including an electromagnet arranged near the branching portion of the branching guide rail and capable of attracting the overhanging member, and a permanent magnet arranged on the downstream side of the electromagnet in the branching direction.
(B) A branching mechanism including an electromagnet arranged near the branch portion of the branch guide rail and capable of attracting the support shaft, and a permanent magnet arranged on the downstream side of the electromagnet in the branching direction.
(C) A vane rotatably arranged on the support shaft, an electromagnet arranged near the branch portion of the branch guide rail and capable of attracting the vane, and a downstream side of the electromagnet in the branching direction. A branching mechanism with an disposed permanent magnet,
The transport device according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising at least one of. The support shaft and / or the overhanging member of the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material.
The confluence
(A) A curved merging guide wall is formed, and a magnet is incorporated in the merging guide wall. The overhanging member (wheel) of the article extrusion shoe that has branched and moved is magnetically attracted to guide the vehicle straight. A merging mechanism that joins the rail,
(B) When an article extrusion shoe having a vane is used for the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe, a merging straight guide block that comes into contact with the vane is provided, and the vane and the straight guide block are brought into contact with each other to merge. mechanism,
(C) A merging mechanism in which a magnet is provided on the bottom surface of the curved merging guide wall, and the magnet attracts and brakes the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe that has branched and moved to merging.
(D) It is rotatably provided at the part where the straight guide rail and the branch guide rail meet, and when it rotates in one direction, it approaches the merging guide wall, and when it rotates in the other direction, it moves to the straight guide rail side. A merging mechanism provided with a rotatable merging guide wall that is brought into an approaching state, and the merging guide wall guides an article pushing shoe that has moved from the straight guide rail direction or the branch guide rail direction.
(E) A sound absorbing material or a braking material is arranged at a position where the wheel or / and the support shaft of the shoe abuts on the straight guide rail at the portion where the branched and moved article extrusion shoe joins the straight guide rail. Merging mechanism to merge,
The transport device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising at least one of. The support shaft and / or the overhanging member of the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material.
The branch is
A vane pivotally supported by the support shaft of the article extrusion shoe and having a notch in the tail,
The transport device according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a straight vane guide that comes into contact with the non-notched portion of the tail of the vane. The support shaft and / or the overhanging member of the article extrusion shoe is made of a magnetic material.
The confluence
A rotating magnetic material that attracts or detaches the support shaft and / or the overhanging member of the article extrusion shoe.
The transport device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a means for magnetically attracting and merging the support shafts of the article extrusion shoes. The transport device according to claim 6, further comprising a straight-ahead guide block that comes into contact with the vane at the confluence portion. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein the article pushing shoe is sandwiched between adjacent slats and is slidably movable in the longitudinal direction of the slats.

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