JP6871111B2 - Article stop device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article stopping device for stopping a conveyed article at a predetermined position.

In equipment for transporting articles along a transport path by a conveyor, an article stopping device provided with a stopper is used to stop the articles at a predetermined position (see Patent Document 1).
The article stop device has a drive source such as a motor or a fluid cylinder, and the drive source can stop the article by moving a stopper arranged at a position not in contact with the article being conveyed to a position in contact with the article. Put it in a state.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the article stopping device adopts a structure in which the long stopper 100 is moved in the longitudinal direction, the guide members 101 to 104 for guiding the stopper 100 in the longitudinal direction are used. By using it, the stopper 100 can be moved stably.
In the example in which the metal stopper 100 moves vertically as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the resin guide members 101 to 104 are arranged so as to surround the stopper 100 from the front, back, left and right.
The guide members 101 to 104 are attached to the metal plates 105 to 108 provided on the outside of the guide members 101 to 104 in close contact with each other, and the metal plates 105 to 108 are fixed to the conveyor 109.

The stopper 100 moves up and down by the operation of the motor, and is arranged at the upper limit position so that the upper part of the stopper 100 protrudes upward from the conveyor 109 to stop the conveyed article. It becomes non-protruding and the article is passed through.
If the limit switch detects that the stopper 100 has moved to a predetermined position, stops the operation of the motor, and stops the stopper 100, it is not necessary to adopt a motor with a braking function, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The design can be simplified.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-72246

Here, due to the limit of processing accuracy, it is not possible to completely match the size of the flat cross section of the stopper 100 at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 100. Therefore, if a clearance is not provided between the stopper 100 and the guide members 101 to 104, the frictional force generated between the stopper 100 and the guide members 101 to 104 is large at the position where the flat cross section of the stopper 100 is maximized. Therefore, there arises a problem that the stopper 100 cannot move smoothly.

This problem can be avoided by providing a clearance between the stopper 100 and the guide members 101 to 104, but in that case, the frictional force generated between the stopper 100 and the guide members 101 to 104 when the stopper 100 moves up and down is small. This causes a problem that the distance that the stopper 100 moves by inertia after the motor is stopped becomes long.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an article stopping device capable of smoothly moving a stopper and suppressing a long distance for the stopper to move by inertia after stopping the operation of a drive source. The purpose is.

The article stopping device according to the present invention according to the above object moves from a position where the article is passed through the transport path without contacting the article in progress to a position where the article is in contact with the article in progress in the transport path. A first and second guide members that are arranged to face each other with the stopper sandwiched in a direction D orthogonal to the movement direction of the stopper and that contact the stoppers to guide the movement of the stoppers. A rubber material that gives a restoring force to the first guide member from the opposite side of the stopper is provided, and the first guide member is provided so as to be movable in the direction D, and the restoring force of the rubber material causes the first guide member to move. It is pressed against the stopper.

In the article stopping device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the rubber material is in contact with the first guide member.

In the article stopping device according to the present invention, the first and second guide members are arranged in parallel in a plate shape, and the stoppers are in surface contact with the first and second guide members. It is preferable that the contact surface is provided.

The article stopping device according to the present invention is arranged so as to face each other with the stopper sandwiched in a direction D orthogonal to the moving direction of the stopper, and the first and second guide members that come into contact with each other to guide the movement of the stopper, and the first and second guide members. A rubber material that gives a restoring force to the guide member 1 from the opposite side of the stopper is provided, and the first guide member is provided so as to be movable in the direction D and is pressed against the stopper by the restoring force of the rubber material. The stopper can be moved in a state where a predetermined range of frictional force is generated between the first guide member and the stopper and the second guide member. Therefore, it is possible to move the stopper smoothly, and it is possible to prevent the stopper from moving by inertia for a long distance after stopping the operation of the drive source that generates the driving force for moving the stopper.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which passes the article of the article stop device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which stops the article of the article stop device. (A) and (B) are a cross-sectional view taken along the line PP of FIG. 1 and a cross-sectional view taken along the line QQ'of FIG. 1, respectively. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement of the 1st and 2nd guide member, a rubber material and a stopper. (A) and (B) are explanations of the article stopping device according to the conventional example, respectively.

Subsequently, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings, and the present invention will be understood.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the article stop device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a position where the article W is passed through the transport path without contacting the article W in progress (hereinafter, "" A stopper 11 that moves from (also referred to as "position A") to a position (hereinafter, also referred to as "position B") that contacts the article W in progress on the transport path to stop the article W, and a guide that guides the movement of the stopper 11. Members 12 and 13 (first and second guide members) are provided. Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article stopping device 10 is provided on a conveyor (an example of a transport facility) C that transports the article W along a transport path.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 (A), and 3 (B), the article stopping device 10 includes four plate-shaped base members 14 to 17 forming a square tubular support frame 14a, and a base. It is provided in the space surrounded by the members 14 to 17, and includes plate-shaped guide members 12, 13, 18, and 19 forming the square cylinder 20.

The base members 14 to 17 are made of metal and are fixed to the conveyor C. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the base members 14 and 15 are arranged in parallel facing each other, and the base members 16 and 17 are arranged in parallel facing each other between the base members 14 and 15. ..
As shown in FIG. 3B, the base members 14 to 17 are fixed by a plurality of bolts 21 penetrating the base members 14, 15 and 16 and a plurality of bolts 21a penetrating the base members 14, 15 and 17. There is.

The guide members 12, 13, 18 and 19 are made of resin, and the guide members 18 and 19 are arranged in parallel facing each other as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, with respect to the guide members 18 and 19. The vertically arranged guide members 12 and 13 are arranged in parallel facing each other between the guide members 18 and 19. The guide member 13 is fixed to the base member 15 with a plurality of bolts 22 and is in surface contact with the base member 15. The guide member 18 is fixed to the base member 16 with a plurality of bolts (not shown) and comes into surface contact with the base member 16, and the guide member 19 is fixed to the base member 17 with a plurality of bolts (not shown) and comes into surface contact with the base member 17. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4B, a plate-shaped rubber material 23 is provided between the guide member 12 and the base member 14. As shown in FIG. 3B, the rubber material 23 has one side and the other side in surface contact with the guide member 12 and the base member 14, respectively. The guide member 12 and the rubber material 23 are attached to the base member 14 by a plurality of head bolts 24, respectively. Each low-head bolt 24 has a head portion 26 that is entirely housed in a recess 25 formed inside the guide member 12 (the side that is not in surface contact with the rubber material 23), and penetrates the guide member 12 and the rubber material 23. The front side is fitted into the female screw hole 27 formed in the base member 14. In FIG. 4, the description of the bolts 21 and 21a is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 (A), 3 (B), and 4 of the stopper 11, the stopper 11 is a long metal member, and a region substantially half in the longitudinal direction is inside the square cylinder 20. In the arranged state, it is movably attached to the square cylinder 20. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the side wall portions 11a and 11b and the side wall portions 11a arranged in parallel in the region arranged in the square cylinder 20 of the stopper 11 Side wall portions 11c and 11d perpendicular to 11b are provided, and the cross section of the region of the stopper 11 (the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the stopper 11) is rectangular.

In the stopper 11, the side wall portions 11a and 11b (first and second contact surfaces that are in surface contact with the guide members 12 and 13, respectively) are in surface contact with the guide members 12 and 13, respectively, and the side wall portions 11c and 11d are the guide members 18 , 19 are arranged in close proximity to each other. A clearance (clearance in the range of 0.2 to 1.0 mm in the present embodiment) is provided between the side wall portion 11c of the stopper 11 and the guide member 18 and between the side wall portion 11d of the stopper 11 and the guide member 19. Has been done.

The base members 14 to 17, the guide members 12, 13, 18, 19 and the rubber material 23 are long along the longitudinal direction of the stopper 11, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. The front side and the base side of the stopper 11 project from the square cylinder 20, and a rack portion 28 is formed on the base side of the stopper 11 in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 11, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The article stop device 10 includes a motor (an example of a drive source) 30, a gear 31 that is rotationally driven by the operation of the motor 30, and limit switches 32 and 33 that stop the operation of the motor 30.
The gear 31 meshes with the rack portion 28, and the gear 31 is rotationally driven by the operation of the motor 30, so that the stopper 11 is given a force in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 11 and moves in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 11.

The gear 31 is rotationally driven in a state in which the direction in which the motor 30 is rotationally driven is switched as the motor 30 is switched, and the stopper 11 is arranged at the position A (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the stopper 11 is moved to the position B where the tip side of the stopper 11 comes into contact with the article W. Then, the gear 31 is rotationally driven clockwise to move the stopper 11 arranged at the position B to the position A where the stopper 11 is not in contact with the article W, as shown in FIG.

The limit switch 32 is installed at a position where it can detect that the stopper 11 is arranged at the position B, and the limit switch 33 is installed at a position where it can detect that the stopper 11 is arranged at the position A.
The motor 30 does not have a braking function, and it is detected at the timing when the limit switch 32 detects that the stopper 11 is arranged at the position B, or the limit switch 33 detects that the stopper 11 is arranged at the position A. The operation is stopped at the timing.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the base member 14 comes into surface contact with the rubber material 23 from the opposite side of the guide member 12, and positions the rubber material 23 so that the rubber material 23 does not move toward the base member 14. ing. The base member 15 comes into surface contact with the guide member 13 from the opposite side of the stopper 11, and positions the guide member 13 so that the guide member 13 does not move toward the base member 15. The rubber material 23 is in surface contact with the guide member 12 from the opposite side of the stopper 11.

The guide members 12 and 13 are stoppers in a direction D (in the present embodiment, the direction D is also orthogonal to the guide members 12 and 13) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the stopper 11 (that is, the moving direction of the stopper 11). They are arranged so as to face each other with the 11 in between, and are in surface contact with the side wall portions 11a and 11b of the stopper 11, respectively. The guide member 12 is provided so as to be movable (in the direction D) along the axis of the low head bolt 24, and the rubber material 23 contracts in the direction D to approach the base member 14.

Here, due to the limit of processing accuracy, the width of the direction D of the stopper 11 is different at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 11 (in the present embodiment, the difference is about 0.2 mm).
Therefore, when the stopper 11 moves in the direction in which the width of the direction D of the stopper 11 expands, the guide member 12 approaches the base member 14 and contracts the rubber material 23, and the contracted rubber material 23 stoppers the guide member 12. A restoring force is applied from the opposite side of 11 to press the guide member 12 against the stopper 11. Then, when the stopper 11 moves in the direction in which the width of the direction D of the stopper 11 is reduced, the guide member 12 is pushed by the rubber material 23 and moves in the direction away from the base member 14, and is in surface contact with the stopper 11. maintain.

Therefore, when the stopper 11 moves in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 11, a frictional force within a predetermined range is always generated between the stopper 11 and the guide member 12 and between the stopper 11 and the guide member 13. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the stopper 11 from moving a long distance by inertia after the operation of the motor 30 is stopped due to the movement of the stopper 11 to the position A or the position B.

Further, since a clearance is provided between the stopper 11 and the guide member 18 and between the stopper 11 and the guide member 19, the smooth movement of the stopper 11 is hindered between the stopper 11 and the guide members 18 and 19. There is no significant frictional force.
It is conceivable to use a coil spring instead of the rubber material 23, but when the rubber material 23 is provided, the space to be secured is smaller and the weight can be reduced as compared with the case where the coil spring is provided.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all changes in conditions that do not deviate from the gist are within the scope of the present invention.
For example, the rubber material may be arranged at a position where a restoring force is applied to the first guide member from the opposite side of the stopper, and a member is provided between the rubber material and the first guide member to provide the rubber material and the first guide member. It is also possible to prevent the guide member 1 from coming into contact with each other.

Further, the first and second guide members and rubber materials do not have to be plate-shaped, and may have, for example, a square cross section. A rubber material is provided for the first guide member, but a rubber material that gives a restoring force to the second guide member from the opposite side of the stopper can also be provided.
The drive source that generates the driving force for moving the stopper does not have to be a motor, and may be, for example, a fluid cylinder.

10: Article stop device, 11: Stopper, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d: Side wall, 12, 13: Guide member, 14 to 17: Base member, 14a: Support frame, 18, 19: Guide member, 20: Square cylinder, 21, 21a, 22: Bolt, 23: Rubber material, 24: Low head bolt, 25: Recess, 26: Head, 27: Female screw hole, 28: Rack part, 30: Motor, 31: Gear, 32, 33: Limit switch, C: Conveyor, W: Article

Claims (3)

A stopper that moves the article from a position where the article is passed through the transport path without contacting the article in progress to a position where the article is in contact with the article in progress and stops the article.
The first and second guide members are arranged so as to sandwich the stopper in a direction D orthogonal to the moving direction of the stopper and contact the stoppers to guide the movement of the stoppers.
A rubber material that gives a restoring force to the first guide member from the opposite side of the stopper is provided.
An article stopping device characterized in that the first guide member is provided so as to be movable in the direction D and is pressed against the stopper by the restoring force of the rubber material. The article stopping device according to claim 1, wherein the rubber material is in contact with the first guide member. In the article stopping device according to claim 1 or 2, the first and second guide members are arranged in parallel in a plate shape, and the stopper is in surface contact with the first and second guide members. , An article stopping device characterized in that a second contact surface is provided.

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