JP6858058B2 - Article transport device and article transport control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article transporting device that transports a container made of a resin bag while gripping both ends of a container with a gripper called a gripper.

Products in which a container made of a resin bag is filled with a product liquid such as a beverage or a medical liquid are widely used. When manufacturing this product, various steps such as opening the opening of the container and filling the product liquid through the opening are carried out while grasping and transporting the container with a gripper. For example, Patent Document 1 sterilizes a pouch with a spout by irradiating it with an electron beam while transporting it with a transport chain, and then fills the product liquid. Patent Document 1 transports a pouch spout while suspending it with a chain.

For example, in order to open the opening of a bag-shaped container, it is not enough to hang the container, but it is necessary to grasp both sides of the container in the width direction with grippers and narrow the distance between these grippers.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-072717 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-072255

As a device for transporting while gripping the container, for example, there are a transport path disclosed in Patent Document 2 having a perfect circular shape and a transport path having an elliptical shape. As shown in FIG. 8, the elliptical transport path 100 includes linear straight paths 101 and 103 facing each other and an arc-shaped reversing path 105 connecting one ends of the straight paths 101 and 103. The grippers 110 and 110 traveling on the transport path 100 include arms 111 and 111 and grip portions 113 and 113 provided on the tip sides of the arms 111 and 111, respectively.

The arms 111 and 111 are mechanically configured to be orthogonal to the straight roads 101 and 103 and the reverse road 105. Therefore, if the grippers 110 and 110 move to the reversing path 105 while maintaining the distance between the arms 111 and 111 on the straight road 101, the distance between the grip portions 113 and 113 expands and exceeds the width of the container 80. The 80 cannot be gripped. Therefore, conventionally, the transport on the reverse path 105 has been abandoned, and the container 80 has been transported only on one of the straight paths 101 and 103, for example, the straight path 101. Therefore, if the processing to the container 80 is not completed only by the straight road 101, an independent transport device is provided on the downstream side, and the processing is performed after the container 80 is delivered to the transport device.

However, due to the installation space of the filling line, it may not be possible to install the two transport devices side by side in the upstream and downstream directions, and the provision of the two transport devices causes an increase in the cost of the filling line.
Based on the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transport device that travels on an elliptical transport path while gripping a bag-shaped container with a gripper, and that can continue to grip the container even on an inverted path. And.

The article transporting device of the present invention has a transport path having a pair of straight paths arranged so as to face each other and a pair of arcuate reversal paths connecting one ends and the other ends of the pair of straight paths. , A plurality of grippers having a pair of arms and a pair of gripping claws provided on the tip side of each of the pair of arms, and traveling along a transport path while gripping an article with the pair of gripping claws. When the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road, the gripper is provided with an adjusting mechanism for narrowing the distance between the pair of arms on the reversing road.

The adjusting mechanism in the article transporting device of the present invention can restore the distance between the pair of arms on the reversing path when the gripper moves from the reversing path to the straight path.
Further, the adjusting mechanism in the article transporting device of the present invention may maintain or narrow the distance between the pair of gripping claws on the straight road on the reversing road.

The pair of arms in the article transporting device of the present invention comprises a leading arm in the front in the traveling direction and a trailing arm in the rear in the traveling direction, and the adjusting mechanism independently controls the traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm. Can be equipped with a capable linear motor.
By controlling the traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm, this adjusting mechanism can control the distance between the pair of arms on the reversing road to be narrow when the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road.
Further, this adjustment mechanism controls the traveling positions of the leading arm and the trailing arm, so that when the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road, the distance between the pair of arms on the reversing road can be narrowly controlled.

When controlling the traveling speed is in the straight road, the leading arms and the running speed of each subsequent arms and V _A1, V _B1, the reverse path, leading arms and the running speed of each subsequent arm V _A2, V When _B2, adjustment mechanism may control slower than the running speed _{V A1} the running speed _{V A2.}
At this time, the adjusting mechanism _{controls the traveling speed V B2} to be equal to or higher than the _{traveling speed V B1.}

When controlling the running speed, the other, in the straight road, the leading arms and the running speed of each subsequent arms and V _A1, V _B1, the reverse path, each of the running speed of the leading arms and trailing arms V _Assuming that A2 and V _B2 , the adjusting mechanism may control the traveling speed V _B2 to be faster than the traveling speed V _B1.
At this time, the adjusting mechanism _{controls the traveling speed VA2} to the traveling speed _VA1 or less.

By controlling the traveling positions of the leading arm and the trailing arm, the adjusting mechanism in the present invention can also narrow the distance between the pair of arms on the reversing path when the gripper moves from the straight path to the reversing path.
When controlling the traveling position, the positions of the leading arm and the succeeding arm on the traveling line on the straight road are set to X _A1 and X _B1 with reference to the predetermined origin position on the transport path, and on the traveling line on the reversing road. The position of is X _A2 , X _B2 ,
Interval P1 = X _A1- X _B1 P1 = constant,
Interval P2 = X _A2- X _B2 P2 = constant,
Then, the adjusting mechanism may control the interval P2 smaller than the interval P1.

According to the article transport device of the present invention, when the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road, the adjusting mechanism works to narrow the distance between the pair of arms on the reversing road. Therefore, according to the article transporting device of the present invention, the distance between the pair of gripping claws can be maintained or narrowed in the reversing path even in the reversing path, so that the straight path and the reversing path can be followed. , The transport can be continued while holding the article.
Therefore, according to the article transporting device of the present invention, a predetermined process can be executed on the article transporting device on both of the pair of straight roads, so that the installation space can be saved as compared with the case where another article transporting device is provided. At the same time, the cost of the device as a whole can be suppressed.

It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the transport device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the gripper and the tilting mechanism which concerns on the transfer apparatus of 1st Embodiment. The gripper of FIG. 2 is shown, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a rear view, (c) is a view taken along the line (c)-(c) of (a), and (d) is (a). (D)-(d) line arrow view of. It is a modification of the 1st Embodiment, and is the top view which shows the gripper traveling on a straight road. It is a modification of the 1st Embodiment, and is the top view which shows the gripper traveling on the reversing road. It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the transport device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation of the gripper of the transfer device of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the trouble of holding a container in a reversing path.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 according to the first embodiment controls the transport path 10 having an elliptical orbit, a plurality of grippers 20 moving along the transport path 10, and the traveling of the grippers 20. The controller 70 is provided. In the transport device 1, the pair of gripping claws 25A and 25B of the gripper 20 grip both ends of the bag-shaped container 80 as an article in the width direction and transport the container along the transport path 10. It is characterized in that the container 80 can be conveyed from the straight path 11 to the reversing path 15 and from the reversing path 15 to the straight path 11 while holding the container 80 at 25B.
Hereinafter, the effect of the transport device 1 will be described after explaining the configuration of the transport device 1.

[Transportation path 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport path 10 includes straight paths 11 and 13 parallel to each other, which are the main components of the transport path 10, and an arcuate reversal path 15 connecting one ends of the straight path 11 and the straight path 13. The straight road 11 and the arc-shaped reversing road 17 connecting the other ends of the straight road 13 are provided.
The straight road 11 and the straight road 13 are arranged so as to face each other in the width direction W with a predetermined interval, and the inversion road 15 and the inversion road 17 are arranged so as to face each other in the longitudinal direction L with a predetermined interval. There is.

The transport path 10 transports the container 80 counterclockwise in FIG. 1 in the order of the straight path 11, the reverse path 15, and the straight path 13.
The transport path 10 transports the container 80 received in the straight path 11 in the order of the straight path 11, the reversal path 15, and the straight path 13, and is predetermined in the processing area A of the straight path 11 and the processing area B of the straight path 13, respectively. Is processed. The container 80 that has been processed in the processing area B is delivered from the straight path 13 to the downstream side before reaching the reversal path 17.

The transport path 10 is provided with an electromagnetic coil, which is one element of a linear motor, on a circular orbit composed of straight paths 11 and 13 and reversal paths 15 and 17. Permanent magnets, which are the other elements of the linear motor, are provided on the movers 21A and 21B of the grippers 20, respectively, and the transport path 10 and the grippers 20 constitute the linear motor.

The transport path 10 can transport the reversing path 15 while holding the container 80 that has been transported through the straight path 11 with the gripper 20. This is made possible because when the gripper 20 reaches the reversing path 15, the tilting mechanism 30 attached to the gripper 20 operates.

[Gripper 20]
The gripper 20 moves in the transport path 10 while grasping the container 80 to transport the container 80. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 is provided with a plurality of grippers 20 along the transport path 10, and each gripper 20 constitutes a linear motor together with the transport path 10, so that each gripper 20 is , The movement of the transport path 10 is controlled independently.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gripper 20 includes a pair of movers 21A and 21B, arms 23A and 23B provided on the movers 21A and 21B, and gripping claws provided on the arms 23A and 23B, respectively. It includes 25A and 25B.

The movers 21A and 21B move along the transport path 10, and each includes a permanent magnet which is an element of a linear motor. Therefore, the mover 21A and the mover 21B operate together when the container 80 is conveyed, but the movement speed of each is controlled independently. For example, the controller 70 can make the mover 21A run faster than the mover 21B, and conversely, make the mover 21A run slower than the mover 21B.

The movers 21A and 21B travel on the transport path 10 through the straight path 11, the straight path 13, the reverse path 15, and the reverse path 17 in a constant posture with respect to the transport path 10. Specifically, the movers 21A and 21B travel on the transport path 10 while maintaining an orthogonal posture with respect to the transport path 10. This causes a poor grip of the container 80 in the reversing path 15, but since the first embodiment has a function of tilting the gripper 20, the gripper 20 remains gripping the container 80 even in the reversing path 15. You can run.

The base portions of the arms 23A and 23B are provided so as to be swingable with respect to the movers 21A and 21B, and a pair of gripping claws 25A and 25B are provided at the tip portions thereof.
The arms 23A and 23B each travel along the transport path 10 as the movers 21A and 21B travel, and transport the container 80 via the gripping claws 25A and 25B. When traveling on the straight roads 11 and 13 in the transport road 10, the arms 23A and 23B are orthogonal to the straight roads 11 and 13 in their axial directions and are parallel to each other. However, the arms 23A and 23B tilt inward facing each other when traveling on the reversing road 15.

The gripping claws 25A and 25B each grip both ends of the container 80 in the width direction.
The opening and closing of the gripping claws 25A and 25B are controlled by a drive source (not shown), and when the container 80 is closed, the container 80 is gripped, and when the gripping claws 25A and 25B are opened, the grip is released and delivered to, for example, another transport device.

[Tilt mechanism 30]
The tilting mechanism 30 includes a cam mechanism, and when the gripper 20 moves from the straight path 11 to the reversing path 15, the arms 23A and 23B are tilted inward to allow the gripper 20 to grip the container 80. Is maintained as in the case of the straight road 11. Hereinafter, the tilting mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tilting mechanism 30 tilts the arms 23A and 23B inward by the interaction between the arc-shaped camrail 45 provided along the reversing path 15 and the cam followers 35A and 35B. As shown in FIGS. 3 (c) and 3 (d), the tilting mechanism 30 is provided with two cam rails 45 at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction V. In the reversing path 17 where the gripper 20 does not grip the container 80, it is not necessary to tilt the arms 23A and 23B, so that the reversing path 17 is not provided with the camrail 45.

The tilting mechanism 30 includes brackets 31A and 31B corresponding to the arms 23A and 23B, respectively. The brackets 31A and 31B support the movers 21A and 21B and the arms 23A and 23B, and are engaged with the camrail 45.
The brackets 31A and 31B each include cam support plates 32A and 32B. The cam support plates 32A and 32B rotatably support the cam followers 35A and 35B, respectively. The cam support plate 32A of the bracket 31A is provided below the vertical direction V, and the cam support plate 32B of the bracket 31B is provided above the vertical direction V.

The brackets 31A and 31B each include guide plates 33A and 33B. The guide plates 33A and 33B are provided to prevent the distance between the arms 23A and 23B from being unnecessarily widened due to the influence of the coil springs 37A and 37B when the gripper 20 travels on the straight roads 11 and 13. ..
The guide plates 33A and 33B are fixed to the arms 23A and 23B and the brackets 31A and 31B so as not to change their positions, and when they abut on the stoppers 41A and 41B, respectively, the distance between the arms 23A and 23B is prevented from being widened.

The brackets 31A and 31B are provided on the movers 21A and 21B so as to be swingable via the rotating shafts 34A and 34B, respectively. The brackets 31A and 31B change their postures with respect to the movers 21A and 21B when traveling on the straight roads 11 and 13 and when traveling on the reversing roads 15 and 17 with the rotating shafts 34A and 34B as the center.

The cam followers 35A and 35B come into contact with the camrail 45 and receive an external force when the gripper 20 travels on the reversing road 15. This external force gives a rotational moment M to the cam support plates 32A and 32B, thereby tilting the arms 23A and 23B inward.

As shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, the coil springs 37A and 37B are integrated with the spring support protrusions 39A and 39B and the arms 23A and 23B, which are integrally fixed to the movers 21A and 21B, respectively. It is hung between the spring support protrusions 38A and 38B provided in the above.
The arms 23A and 23B on which the coil springs 37A and 37B are hung are separated from each other as shown in FIG. 3A because the coil springs 37A and 37B are arranged outside the rotation shafts 34A and 34B. A rotational moment M is generated in the direction, that is, outward. However, since the guide plates 33A and 33B are in contact with the stoppers 41A and 41B, the arms 23A and 23B are regulated so as not to tilt outward from the positions parallel to each other. As a result, the arms 23A and 23B can grip the container 80 with the gripping claws 25A and 25B at predetermined intervals.

As shown in FIG. 2, the camrail 45 has a wider region 47 corresponding to the reversing road 15 than the region 46 corresponding to the straight roads 11 and 13. The cam followers 35A and 35B of the tilting mechanism 30 are separated from each other in the region 46 without touching the cam rail 45, but when the region 47 is reached, they abut on the cam rail 45.

The tilting mechanism 30 having the above configuration operates as follows.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the gripper 20 traveling on the straight roads 11 and 13, the arms 23A and 23B are parallel to each other because the straight roads 11 and 13 do not have the camrail 45. Each of the arms 23A and 23B receives a rotational moment M toward the outside, but the guide plates 33A and 33B abut against the stoppers 41A and 41B, so that the arms 23A and 23B do not expand further outward.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, in the gripper 20 traveling on the reversing road 15, the cam followers 35A and 35B abut on the cam rail 45, and the arms 23A and 23B tilt inward against the rotational moment M.

The distance between the gripper 20 traveling on the straight roads 11 and 13 and the gripper 20 traveling on the reversing road 15 will be referred to. As shown in FIG. 7, the movable element 21A in the traveling line _{L M} of the straight path 11, the distance 21B as interval P1, the movable element 21A in the traveling line _{L M} of the reverse path 15, the interval spacing on the circumference of 21B Let it be P2. Further, the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B when traveling on the straight roads 11 and 13 is Q1, and the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B when traveling on the reversing roads 15 and 17 is Q2.

In the first embodiment, the arms 23A and 23B are tilted inward when traveling on the reversing road 15 using the tilting mechanism 30. Therefore, the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B is the same when traveling on the straight road 11 and when traveling on the reversing road 15, and Q1 = Q2 can be maintained. As a result, the arm 23A and the arm 23B can maintain a state of being parallel to each other even when traveling on the reversing road 15.
Further, the distance between the rotating shafts 34A and 34B, that is, the distance between the arms 23A and 23B on the reversing road 15, can be maintained at P1 = P2 equally when traveling on the straight road 11 and when traveling on the reversing road 15.

When the gripper 20 traveling on the reversing road 15 moves to the straight roads 11 and 13, the cam followers 35A and 35B are separated from the cam rail 45, so that the inward inclination of the arms 23A and 23B by the tilting mechanism 30 is released.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
As described above, in the transport device 1, when the gripper 20 moves from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15, the tilting mechanism 30 works and the pair of arms 23A and 23B tilt inward to grip the container 80. The distance between the claws 25A and 25B is maintained as in the case of the straight road 11. In this way, according to the transport device 1, the transport can be continued while holding the container 80 even in the reverse path 15 following the straight path 11.
Therefore, according to the transfer device 1, the container 80 can be provided with a processing area A and a processing area B for executing a predetermined process on both the straight path 11 and the straight path 13, so that another transfer device is provided. Compared to the above, the installation space can be saved and the cost can be suppressed. Further, since the processing area A and the processing area B can be continuously processed by one transfer device 1, the processing capacity is higher than that of providing another transfer device that requires a delivery operation.

Moreover, according to the transport device 1, since the arms 23A and 23B are parallel to each other even in the reversing path 15, the gripping claws 25A and 25B and the container 80 are aligned in a straight line, and the container 80 is not bent.

In the above, an example of maintaining the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B has been shown, but the container 80 can be continuously gripped even if the distance is narrower than that of the straight road 11. Therefore, in the present invention, the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B may be maintained or narrowed as long as the gripping of the container 80 can be continued.
Further, in the above, an example of maintaining the distance between the arms 23A and 23B on the reversing path 15 has been shown, but the distance may be maintained or narrowed as long as the container 80 can be continuously gripped.

[Modified example of the first embodiment]
The mechanism for tilting the arms 23A and 23B is not limited to the one shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the tilting mechanism shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be used.
The examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are also common to the first embodiment in that the tilting mechanism 50 for applying an external force to the arms 23A and 23B using a cam is provided. Note that FIG. 4 shows the gripper 20 traveling on the straight road 11, and FIG. 5 shows the gripper 20 traveling on the reversing road 15 and the arms 23A and 23B tilted inward.

The tilting mechanism 50 according to the modified example uses eccentric cams 51A and 51B, and makes the arms 23A and 23B function as cam followers.
The eccentric cams 51A and 51B are provided corresponding to the arms 23A and 23B, respectively. The eccentric cams 51A and 51B form planes 52A and 52B by cutting out a part of a member having a circular outer shape. When the arms 23A and 23B are upright, the planes 52A and 52B are abutted against the surfaces of the plate-shaped followers 53A and 53B attached to the arms 23A and 23B, as shown in FIG.

The tilting mechanism 50 includes swing arms 54A and 54B that support the eccentric cams 51A and 51B and have the rotation shafts 55A and 55B at the center of the eccentric cams 51A and 51B. The swing arms 54A and 54B are provided with pressing rolls 56A and 56B on the tip side away from the rotating shafts 55A and 55B. When the pressing rolls 56A and 56B receive an external force F by an actuator (not shown), the swing arms 54A and 54B rotate the rotating shafts 55A and 55B clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle, respectively.

The arms 23A and 23B are provided with tilting shafts 57A and 57B near the rear end, and swing around the tilting shafts 57A and 57B.
A support block 62A for supporting the rotating shaft 55A and the tilting shaft 57A is provided, and a support block 62B for supporting the rotating shaft 55B and the tilting shaft 57B is provided. The support block 62A is fixed to the mover 21A, and the support block 62B is fixed to the mover 21B.
Further, the arms 23A and 23B are provided with support ends 58A and 58B that support one end of the coil springs 59A and 59B in the vicinity of the rear end. The other ends of the coil springs 59A and 59B are fixed to the fixed ends 61A and 61B provided on the movers 21A and 21B.
The coil springs 59A and 59B apply a tensile force between the support ends 58A and 58B and the fixed ends 61A and 61B when the arms 23A and 23B are upright.

By the way, while the gripper 20 is traveling on the straight road 11, the pressing rolls 56A and 56B do not receive the external force F from the actuator (not shown). Therefore, in the arms 23A and 23B, since the support ends 58A and 58B receive the tensile force from the coil springs 59A and 59B, as shown in FIG. 4, the force is applied in the direction in which the tip side on which the gripping claws 25A and 25B are provided opens. receive. However, since the followers 53A and 53B are supported by the eccentric cams 51A and 51B, the arms 23A and 23B are maintained in a state of being parallel to each other.

When the gripper 20 moves to the reversing path 15, the pressing rolls 56A and 56B receive an external force F from an actuator (not shown) and rotate upward in the drawing as shown in FIG. Then, since the arms 23A and 23B are pushed inward by the eccentric cams 51A and 51B in which the followers 53A and 53B are rotated and displaced, the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B can be made narrower than the distance between the rotation shafts 55A and 55B.

As described above, since the tilting mechanism 50 works in the modified example and the arms 23A and 23B are tilted inward, the same effect as that of the above-described first embodiment is obtained in the modified example.

Although the two tilting mechanisms 30 and 50 have been described in the first embodiment and the modified examples, the tilting mechanism in the present invention is not limited to this, and external forces are directly or indirectly applied to the arms 23A and 23B, respectively. The mechanism of tilting inward can be widely applied.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the transport device 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the reversing path 15 and the reversing path 17, the transport device 2 does not tilt the arms 23A and 23B with respect to the movers 21A and 21B, but narrows the distance between the movers 21A and 21B, that is, the distance between the arms 23A and 23B. As a result, the gripper 20 can travel from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15 while holding the container 80.
The transport device 2 comprises a linear motor composed of a transport path 10 and a gripper 20, and the distance between the arms 23A and 23B is narrowed by using the linear motor. However, in the second embodiment, narrowing the distance between the arms 23A and 23B means that the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B for gripping the container 80 is maintained from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15, but the distance between the movers 21A and 21B is maintained. This means that the distance, that is, the distance between the arms 23A and 23B on the straight road 11 is narrowed.

Since the transfer device 2 can follow the components included in the transfer device 1 as it is, the second embodiment will be described below focusing on the operation of the gripper 20, which is different from the transfer device 1. The second embodiment may include the tilting mechanism 30 of the first embodiment, or the arms 23A and 23B may be fixed to the movers 21A and 21B, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the gripper 20 travels on the straight road 11, the arm 23A and the arm 23B are parallel to each other, and the arm 23A and 23B have their axial directions in the straight road 11. Orthogonal.

Further, when the gripper 20 travels on the straight road 11, the distance between the mover 21A and the mover 21B is P1, and the distance between the gripping claw 25A and the gripping claw 25B is Q1. The gripper 20 travels on the straight road 11 while maintaining the intervals P1 and Q1 according to the instruction from the controller 70. Assuming that the traveling speeds of the movers 21A and 21B, that is, the arms 23A and 23B are V _A1 and V _B1 , the traveling speed V _A1 and the traveling speed V _B1 are equal on the straight road 11. A linear motor including an electromagnetic coil of a transport path 10 and a permanent magnet of a gripper 20 and a controller 70 that gives an instruction to the linear motor constitute the adjustment mechanism of the present invention.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the gripper 20 is tilted toward each other by breaking the parallelism between the arm 23A and the arm 23B in the reversing path 15. Intervals on the circumference of the movable element 21A and the movable element 21B in the travel line _{L M} of the inverting path 15 and P2, the distance between the gripping claws 25A and the grip claws 25B and Q2. Assuming that the traveling speeds of the movers 21A and 21B are V _A2 and V _{B2 , the traveling speed V A2} and the traveling speed V _B2 are equal even on the reversing road 15.

The operation control of the gripper 20 on the straight road 11 and the operation control of the gripper 20 on the reversing road 15 are the control α for controlling the traveling speed of the movers 21A and 21B and the control β for controlling the positions of the movers 21A and 21B. And there is. Hereinafter, control α and control β will be described in this order.

[Control α]
Now, as shown in FIG. 7, the gripper 20 traveling on the straight road 11 moves to the reversing road 15.
Gripper 20 is in the straight path 11, the movable element 21A travels at _{V A1,} the movable element 21B is traveling at _{V B1.} Note that V _A1 and V _B1 are equal.
When the gripper 20 moves to the reversing path 15, the interval P2 is made narrower than the interval Q2 in order to hold the container 80 in the gripper 20. The gripper 20 is the movable element 21A travels at _{V A2,} movable but mover 21B travels at _{V B2,} the narrower than the interval P1 spacing P2 is running at a straight line path 11 at the same rate The traveling speed of one or both of the child 21A and the mover 21B may be adjusted. Specifically, there are the following options.

[First pattern]: The traveling speed of the mover 21A is slowed down.
When the arm 23A moves from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15 together with the mover 21A traveling on the transport path 10 in advance, the traveling speed is slowed down, so that the distance P2 between the mover 21A and the mover 21B is narrowed. That is, the traveling of the movers 21A and 21B is controlled so that the following holds.
Running speed _VA1 > Running speed _VA2

When the subsequent mover 21B moves from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15, the traveling speed may be maintained or the traveling speed may be increased as shown below.
Running speed V _B1 ≤ running speed V _B2

[Second pattern]: The traveling speed of the mover 21B is increased.
When the mover 21B traveling on the transport path 10 following the mover 21A moves from the straight road 11 to the reversing path 15, the traveling speed is increased to narrow the distance between the mover 21A and the mover 21B. That is, the traveling of the movers 21A and 21B is controlled so that the following holds.
Running speed V _B1 <Running speed V _B2

At this time, when the preceding mover 21A moves from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15, the traveling speed may be maintained or the traveling speed may be reduced as shown below.
Running speed _VA1 ≧ running speed _VA2

The above control of the movers 21A and 21B in the first pattern and the second pattern is based on the premise that the distance between the gripping claws 25A and 25B for gripping the container 80 is maintained from the straight path 11 to the reversal path 15. The interval P1 and the interval P2 are controlled so that A more specific control procedure will be described after the explanation of control β.
Further, the present embodiment is based on the premise that the distance Q1 between the pair of gripping claws 25A and 25B on the straight road 11 is maintained equally on the reversing road 15, but the present invention has the distance as long as the container 80 can be gripped. The interval Q2 may be narrower than that of Q1.

[Control β]
Next, the control β that controls the positions of the movers 21A and 21B will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
Now, as shown in FIG. 7, the movable element 21A in the straight path 11, the position on the running line _{L M} relative to the origin position O of 21B and _{X A1, X B1.} Further, the movable member 21A after moving to the inversion path 15, the position on the running line _{L M} relative to the origin position O of 21B and _{X A2, X B2.}

Spacing P2 on the circumference of the movable element 21A and the movable element 21B in the travel line _{L M} of the inverting path 15 and distance P1 of the movable element 21A and the movable element 21B in the travel line _{L M} of the straight path 11 is as follows ..
Interval P1 = X _A1- X _B1 P1 = constant Interval P2 = X _A2- X _B2 P2 = constant

Then, when moving from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15, the distance P2 is made smaller than the distance P1 in order to narrow the distance between the mover 21A and the mover 21B. That is, the operations of the mover 21A and the mover 21B are controlled so that the following is satisfied.
Interval P1> Interval P2

[Example of interval control of movers 21A and 21B]
Next, in the control α and the control β, one criterion for narrowing the distance between the movers 21A and 21B will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the transport path 10, the mover 21A, the locus 21B travels to the travel line _{L M,} a locus container 80 to be gripped by the gripper 20 travels a traveling line _{L W.}
In reverse path 15, the distance from the center of curvature to the running line L _M a (radius) and r, the distance from the center of curvature to the running line L _W (the radius) and R.

Mover 21A in the travel line _{L M} of the straight path 11, the distance 21B as interval P1, to the movable element 21A in the travel line _{L M} of the reverse path 15, the spacing on the circumference of 21B with spacing P2.
Gripping claws 25A in the travel line _{L W} of the straight path 11 and the reversing path 15, spacing Q2 on 25B circumference of is equal to the distance Q1, or is maintained smaller than the interval Q1.

Under the above premise, when the gripper 20 moves from the straight road 11 to the reversing road 15, when the preceding mover 21A reaches the reversing road 15, the mover 21A satisfies the following equation (1). And the distance between the mover 21B and the mover 21B are adjusted by either control α or control β.
P2 ≦ 2r × sin ^-1 (P1 / 2R)… (1)

The gripper 20 continues to travel on the reversing path 15 while controlling the movements of the mover 21A and the mover 21B so as to satisfy the above equation (1), but the equation is continued until the subsequent mover 21B exits the reversing path 15. Continue the control of (1). When both the mover 21A and the mover 21B reach the straight road 13, the distance between the mover 21A and the mover 21B is restored.

[Effect of the second embodiment]
As described above, the transport device 2 grips the container 80 even in the reversing path 15 having the arc-shaped transport path following the straight path 11 by adjusting the distance between the mover 21A and the mover 21B. It is possible to continue the transportation while keeping it. Therefore, according to the transport device 2, the container 80 can be processed in both the processing area A of the straight road 11 and the processing area B of the straight road 13.
Therefore, also in the transport device 2, the installation space can be saved and the cost can be suppressed as compared with the case where another transport device is provided. Further, since the processing area A and the processing area B can be continuously processed by one transfer device 1, the processing capacity is higher than that of providing another transfer device that requires a delivery operation.

Moreover, since the transport device 2 can continue to grip the container 80 even in the reversing path 15 only by adjusting the distance between the mover 21A and the mover 21B constituting the linear motor, it is necessary to provide a mechanical element such as a cam. There is no. Therefore, the transport device 2 has a simple device configuration, can reduce the manufacturing cost, and can reduce the burden of maintenance.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the configurations listed in the above embodiments can be selected or appropriately changed to other configurations as long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated.
The present invention has a first embodiment in which the arm 23A and the arm 23B are tilted inward by a mechanical element, and a first embodiment in which the distance between the arm 23A and the arm 23B is adjusted by controlling the operation of the movers 21A and 21B by a linear motor. Two embodiments can be combined.

1,2 Transport device 10 Transport path 11,13 Straight path 15,17 Reverse path 20 Gripper 21A, 21B Movable 23A, 23B Arm 25A, 25B Grip claw 30,50 Tilt mechanism 31A, 31B Bracket 32A, 32B Cam support plate 33A, 33B Guide plate 34A, 34B Rotating shaft 35A, 35B Cam follower 37A, 37B Coil spring 38A, 38B, 39A, 39B Spring support protrusion 41A, 41B Stopper 45 Cam rail 51A, 51B Eccentric cam 52A, 52B Flat surface 53A, 53B Follower 54A , 54B Swing arm 55A, 55B Rotating shaft 56A, 56B Pressing roll 57A, 57B Tilt shaft 58A, 58B Support end 59A, 59B Coil spring 61A, 61B Fixed end 62A, 62B Support block 70 Controller 80 Container F External force

Claims (13)

A transport path having a pair of straight paths arranged to face each other and a pair of arcuate reversal paths connecting one ends and the other ends of the pair of straight paths.
A pair of arms and a pair of gripping claws provided on the tip side of each of the pair of arms.
With a plurality of grippers, which travel along the transport path while gripping the article with the pair of the gripping claws.
When the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road, the gripper includes an adjusting mechanism for narrowing the distance between the pair of arms on the reversing road.
An article transport device characterized by this. The adjustment mechanism is
When the gripper moves from the reversing path to the straight path, the distance between the pair of the arms on the reversing path is restored.
The article transport device according to claim 1. The adjustment mechanism is
The distance between the pair of gripping claws on the straight road is maintained or narrowed on the reversing road.
The article transport device according to claim 1 or 2. The pair of the above-mentioned arms includes a leading arm in the front in the traveling direction and a succeeding arm in the rear in the traveling direction.
The adjusting mechanism includes a linear motor capable of independently controlling the traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm.
The article transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The adjustment mechanism is
By controlling the traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm,
When the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road, the distance between the pair of the arms on the reversing road is narrowed.
The article transport device according to claim 4. The traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm on the straight road are _defined as _VA1 and VB1.
Assuming that the traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm on the reversing road are V _A2 and V _B2 , respectively.
The adjustment mechanism is
_{Make the} running speed _VA2 slower than the running speed VA1
The article transport device according to claim 5. The adjustment mechanism is
Set the running speed V _B2 to the running speed V _B1 or higher,
The article transport device according to claim 6. The traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm on the straight road are _defined as _VA1 and VB1.
Assuming that the traveling speeds of the leading arm and the trailing arm on the reversing road are V _A2 and V _B2 , respectively.
The adjustment mechanism is
Make the running speed V _B2 faster than the running speed V _B1
The article transport device according to claim 5. The adjustment mechanism is
Set the running speed _VA2 to the running speed _VA1 or less,
The article transport device according to claim 8. The adjustment mechanism is
By controlling the traveling positions of the leading arm and the trailing arm,
When the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road, the distance between the pair of the arms on the reversing road is narrowed.
The article transport device according to claim 4. The positions of the leading arm and the trailing arm on the traveling line on the straight road based on the predetermined origin position on the transport path are X _A1 and X _B1, and the positions on the traveling line on the reversing road are X. _A2 , X _B2 ,
Interval P1 = X _A1- X _B1 P1 = constant , X _A1- X _B1 is the distance between the leading arm and the trailing arm on the traveling line on the straight road.
Interval P2 = X _A2- X _B2 P2 = constant , where X _A2- X _B2 is the distance between the leading arm and the trailing arm on the traveling line on the reversing road.
The adjustment mechanism is
Control the interval P2 to be smaller than the interval P1.
The article transport device according to claim 10. When the gripper moves to the reversing path from the straight path, the adjusting mechanism is Keru inclined inwardly facing each other pair of arms,
The article transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. A transport path having a pair of straight paths arranged to face each other and a pair of arcuate reversal paths connecting one ends and the other ends of the pair of straight paths.
A pair of arms and a pair of gripping claws provided on the tip side of each of the pair of arms.
Have,
A method for controlling the transport of an article in an article transport device including a plurality of grippers that travel along the transport path while gripping the article with the pair of gripping claws.
When the gripper moves from the straight road to the reversing road, the distance between the pair of the arms on the reversing road is narrowed.
An article transport control method, characterized in that.

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