JP6963205B2 - Article alignment device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article aligning device that aligns articles before packing.

Conventionally, a boxing device has been known in which articles are projected from a horizontal conveyor on the upstream side in the transport direction to a conveyor on the downstream side, and the articles are partially overlapped and aligned while being fed by a fixed distance. For example, in the boxing device described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-280279), a row of articles is formed by arranging a plurality of bag-shaped articles in a state in which adjacent articles partially overlap each other. A row is transported by a transport means, and a predetermined quantity of articles are collectively stored in a predetermined box.

However, when the dropped article leaves the conveyor, the equilibrium between the part farther away from the conveyor and the part still in contact with the conveyor is lost, and the part farther away from the conveyor lands first and the attitude is changed. It may be disturbed. Therefore, it invites unnecessary work such as requiring another process to correct the disorder.

An object of the present invention is to provide an article aligning device capable of suppressing a disorder of posture at the time of landing of an article.

The article aligning device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a sensor, and a control unit. The first conveyor conveys articles. The second conveyor receives and aligns articles supplied from the tip at a height lower than the tip of the first conveyor in the transport direction. The sensor detects that the article has reached the tip of the first conveyor in the transport direction. The control unit controls the operations of the first conveyor and the second conveyor. The tip of the first conveyor expands and contracts in parallel with the transport direction. When the sensor detects that the tip of the article has reached the tip of the first conveyor in the transport direction, the control unit first transfers the article from the tip of the first conveyor to the second conveyor. the distal end portion of the conveyor is varied to contracted state on the upstream side in the transport direction than the distal end, the contact between the article and the first conveyor before the article lands from the distal end of the first conveyor to the second conveyor By changing to the state of removing the article, the contact surface between the first conveyor and the article at the tip of the first conveyor is instantly removed, and the posture of the article during transportation is maintained.

In this article aligning device, when the article is transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the first conveyor that supports the lower surface of the article is shrunk and removed, so that the article does not tilt and maintains the posture at the time of transfer. Land on the second conveyor as it is. As a result, the disorder of the posture is suppressed.

The article aligning device according to the second aspect of the present invention is the article aligning device according to the first aspect, and a predetermined position of the first conveyor is located in a space directly above the article placing surface of the second conveyor.

In this article aligning device, the transfer of articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor is a drop from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, so that the predetermined position of the first conveyor is the article loading of the second conveyor. It is preferably located in the space directly above the surface.

The article aligning device according to the third aspect of the present invention is the article aligning device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, and the tip portion of the first conveyor in a contracted state is placed on the article placing surface of the second conveyor. It is located in a space off the space directly above the placed article on the upstream side in the transport direction.

Normally, when the article leaves the conveyor, the equilibrium between the part separated from the conveyor and the part still in contact with the conveyor is lost, and the part separated from the conveyor first lands and the posture is disturbed. Therefore, in this article aligning device, the tip portion of the first conveyor completely deviates from the space directly above the article placing surface of the second conveyor, thereby suppressing the disturbance of the posture.

The article aligning device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is an article aligning device according to any one of the first to third aspects, and the first conveyor and the second conveyor have their respective transport directions. They are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other.

In this article aligning device, since the first conveyor and the second conveyor are arranged so that their respective transport directions are orthogonal to each other, it is possible to prevent the transport directions from becoming longer in the same direction, and the second conveyor. A wall can be provided in front of the first conveyor without hindering the transportation of the articles by the two conveyors, and the articles can be applied to the wall to adjust the landing posture on the second conveyor.

The article aligning device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is an article aligning device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and the first conveyor and / or the second conveyor is a predetermined of the first conveyor. It has a function of adjusting the relative height position between the position and the article placing surface of the second conveyor.

In this article aligning device, if the combination of the predetermined position of the first conveyor and the relative height position of the article placing surface of the second conveyor is fixed for one article, the equipment must be prepared for each product, which is not possible. Although it is rational, if the relative height position can be changed according to the size of the article, it is convenient because the same equipment can be used for various products.

The article aligning device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is an article aligning device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and the control unit controls the tip of the first conveyor according to the size of the article. The part is expanded and contracted.

In this article aligning device, if the amount of expansion and contraction at the tip of the first conveyor is fixed for one article, it is unreasonable because the equipment must be prepared for each product, but the control unit depends on the size of the article. If the tip of the first conveyor is controlled to expand and contract, the same equipment can be used for various products, which is convenient.

In the article aligning device according to the present invention, when the article is transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the first conveyor that supports the lower surface of the article is shrunk and removed. Land on the second conveyor while maintaining the posture. As a result, the disorder of the posture is suppressed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a boxing system equipped with an article aligning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view which shows the flow of the corrugated cardboard box and goods in a boxing system. A front view seen from a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction of a group of aligned bags. A front view of a group of aligned bags of FIG. 3A standing upright. The perspective view which shows the arrangement state of the carry-in conveyor, the 1st alignment conveyor and the 2nd alignment conveyor. The front view of the arrangement state of the carry-in conveyor, the first line-up conveyor and the second line-up conveyor as seen from the position facing the bag transport direction on the carry-in conveyor. Front view of the posture when the bag falls from the carry-in conveyor when viewed along the inclination direction of the carry-in conveyor. The front view when the posture when the bag G falls from the carry-in conveyor when the contact surface between the carry-in conveyor and the bag G is instantly removed is viewed along the inclination direction of the carry-in conveyor. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carry-in conveyor, the first line-up conveyor, and the second line-up conveyor in a state where the contact surface with the bag of the carry-in conveyor is instantly removed. The perspective view which shows the bag before the attitude change operation on the carry-in conveyor. The perspective view which shows the bag in the posture change operation on the carry-in conveyor. The perspective view which shows the bag which completed the attitude change operation on the carry-in conveyor.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) Configuration of Boxing System 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a boxing system 1 equipped with a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the flow of the corrugated cardboard box B and the articles in the boxing system 1. In FIG. 1, the boxing system 1 packs, for example, a bag-filled product (bag G) such as a snack confectionery into a cardboard box B in a fixed number in a multi-stage arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the boxing system 1, three processes of a box-making process P1, an article arranging process P2, and a boxing process P3 are linked.

The box-making process P1 is a step of assembling the sheet-shaped corrugated cardboard box material Z into the corrugated cardboard box B and transporting it to the box packing position, and is composed of a box material loading section 11, a box assembly section 12, and a box lower transport section 13. ing.

In the article alignment step P2, the bag G supplied from the upstream process is carried into a predetermined position, a certain number of bags G are aligned so that adjacent ones partially overlap each other, and the bag G is conveyed to the boxing position. It is a process and is composed of an article carrying-in section 21 and an article arranging section 22.

The boxing step P3 is a step of packing a fixed number of bags G, which have been aligned in the article alignment step P2, into the corrugated cardboard box B conveyed from the box making process P1, closing the box, and transporting the bags G to the box ejection position. Yes, it is composed of a box packing unit 31 and a box transport unit 32.

In the boxing system 1, the cardboard box B is packed in multiple stages of the bag G, and the posture of the bag G in the box B is the “standing posture”. That is, when the opening of the box B is turned upward, the front side and the back side of the bag G face sideways, the upper and lower ends of the bag G face up and down, and the left and right side parts face sideways. be.

(1-1) Box making process P1
As shown in FIG. 1, in the box-making process P1, the box material carry-in portion 11 for introducing the corrugated cardboard box material Z into the boxing system 1, the box assembly unit 12 for assembling the corrugated cardboard box B, the opening of the corrugated cardboard box B, and the ceiling. It is composed of a box lower transport portion 13 that changes its posture so that the flap Zfa and the flap Zfa are on the same vertical surface and transports the flap Zfa downward.

(1-1-1) Box material carry-in section 11
As shown in FIG. 2, the box material loading unit 11 sandwiches the first corrugated cardboard box material Z among the corrugated cardboard box materials Z stacked at the supply position one by one and sends it upward, and the delivered corrugated cardboard. The box material Z is rotated 90 ° around the vertical axis and spread out in a cylindrical shape.

The corrugated cardboard box material Z is placed in the supply position by the operator. The corrugated cardboard box material Z is folded with the flaps Zf open, and the flaps Zf are stacked in the horizontal direction in a vertical position. For convenience of explanation, the flap Zf on the top surface side is referred to as a top flap Zfa, and the flap Zf on the bottom surface side is referred to as a bottom flap Zfb.

The corrugated cardboard box material Z is sent upward by the elevating mechanism 111, and when all the corrugated cardboard box material Z at the supply position is exhausted, the detection signal of the detection sensor (not shown) is sent to the controller 40 (see FIG. 1). Send.

Further, for the rotation of the corrugated cardboard box material Z around the vertical axis, the side surface of the corrugated cardboard box material Z is attracted and held by a suction plate by the suction rotation mechanism 112, and the suction rotation mechanism 112 is rotated around the vertical axis by a motor (not shown). It is realized by rotating 90 °.

(1-1-2) Box assembly 12
The box assembly unit 12 folds the bottom flap Zfb of the corrugated cardboard box material Z and tapes it while horizontally transporting the corrugated cardboard box material Z spread out in a cylindrical shape, and holds the corrugated cardboard box B in a state where the top flap Zfa is open. assemble.

(1-1-3) Box lower transport unit 13
The box lower transport unit 13 rotates the cardboard box B by 90 ° around a horizontal axis orthogonal to the transport direction, and makes a posture so that the opening of the cardboard box B, the top flap Zfa, and the bottom flap Zfb are on the same vertical plane. After converting, it is transported downward. That is, the cardboard box B formed by the box assembly portion 12 is moved downward while maintaining the shape of the cube.

(1-2) Article Alignment Process A weighing device (not shown), a bag making / packaging machine, and the like are arranged in the upstream process in the flow of the bag G of the boxing system 1. Then, only the bag G that has passed the weight, sealing property, foreign matter contamination inspection, etc. in the upstream process is supplied to the boxing system 1.

The article aligning step P2 is composed of an article loading section 21 that receives the bag G and conveys it to a predetermined position, and an article aligning section 22 that aligns the bags G supplied from the article loading section 21.

(1-2-1) Goods carry-in section 21
The article loading unit 21 has an article introduction conveyor 211 and an article loading conveyor 212. The article introduction conveyor 211 receives the supply of the bag G that has passed the inspection on the downstream side of the process of performing the weight, sealing property, foreign matter contamination inspection, etc., and guides it to the carry-in conveyor 212.

The carry-in conveyor 212 conveys the bag G conveyed from the article introduction conveyor 211 to the article alignment unit 22. The details of the carry-in conveyor 212 will be described later.

(1-2-2) Article Alignment Unit 22
The article alignment unit 22 has a first alignment conveyor 221, a second alignment conveyor 222, and a third alignment conveyor 223. In order to receive the bag G falling from the carry-in conveyor 212, one end of the first line-up conveyor 221 is set at a position lower than the height of the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212, and the other end is set at a height position of the second line-up conveyor 222. Is set to.

The tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 is preferably located in the space directly above the article placing surface of the first alignment conveyor 221. Here, the article placing surface is a surface of the transport surface of the first aligning conveyor 221 that awaits the falling bag G.

Then, each time the first aligning conveyor 221 receives one bag G, the first aligning conveyor 221 conveys the bag G toward the second aligning conveyor 222 by a certain distance L. Therefore, the bag G approaches the second alignment conveyor 222 by a certain distance L from the dropped position. On the other hand, a part of the bag G that falls later lands on the first alignment conveyor 221 and the remaining part leans against the previous bag G and inclines.

For example, when arranging N = 8 bags G as a group as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B described later, the first bag G advances by a length of 7 L from the position where the last bag G lands. Therefore, in the present embodiment, at least 4 (N / 2) bags G from the beginning of the row reach the second alignment conveyor 222. Since the number of bags G reaching on the second alignment conveyor 222 varies depending on the size of the bags G, the length of the conveyor, etc., it is limited to the numerical value of "4 from the beginning of the row" in the present embodiment. It's not a thing.

Further, the bags G on the first alignment conveyor 221 and the second alignment conveyor 222 are arranged in a row so that adjacent ones partially overlap each other.

After the bag G at the end of the row lands on the first alignment conveyor 221, the second alignment conveyor 222 and the third alignment conveyor 223 start operating, and the first alignment conveyor 221, the second alignment conveyor 222, and the second alignment conveyor 222 start operating. 3 The alignment conveyor 223 performs a transport operation in the same direction. Therefore, the N bags G aligned in a row on the first alignment conveyor 221 and the second alignment conveyor 222 move to the third alignment conveyor 223 all at once and travel on the third alignment conveyor 223.

In the present embodiment, the transport directions of the carry-in conveyor 212 are arranged so that the transport directions of the first alignment conveyor 221 and the second alignment conveyor 222 and the third alignment conveyor 223 are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the transport direction from becoming longer in the same direction, and further, the carry-in conveyor 212 does not interfere with the transport of the bag G by the first align conveyor 221 and the second align conveyor 222 and the third align conveyor 223. Since a wall can be provided in front of the wall, the bag G can be applied to the wall to adjust the landing posture on the first conveyor 221.

(1-3) Boxing process P3
The boxing step P3 has a boxing unit 31 for packing the bag G in the cardboard box B, and a box transporting unit 32 for transporting the cardboard box B for which the bag G has been packed.

(1-3-1) Boxing section 31
The boxing section 31 inserts the entire group of bags G into the cardboard box B with the head and tail of the group of bags G aligned in a row on the third alignment conveyor 223 sandwiched between them. As shown in FIG. 2, the boxing portion 31 has a blocking plate 311, a push plate 313, and an insertion plate 315 for sandwiching a group of aligned bags G.

The blocking plate 311 is provided on the downstream end of the third alignment conveyor 223 and blocks the progress of the bags G that are conveyed in a row. The blocking plate 311 is arranged so that the flat surface portion is always orthogonal to the transport direction of the bag G.

FIG. 3A is a front view seen from a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the aligned group of bags G. Further, FIG. 3B is a front view of the aligned group of bags G of FIG. 3A in an upright state. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the push plate 313 pushes the tail end of the N bags G arranged in a row and stands up by being sandwiched between the blocking plate 311 and the blocking plate 311.

The push plate 313 is provided on the upstream end of the third alignment conveyor 223, but the flat surface portion is the bag G while the row of bags G is moving from the second alignment conveyor 222 to the third alignment conveyor 223. It is housed on the side of the third alignment conveyor 223 so as to be parallel to the transport direction of. Further, when the bag G at the end of the row completely moves from the second alignment conveyor to the third alignment conveyor 223, the push plate 313 rotates so that the flat surface portion is orthogonal to the transport direction of the bag G. Further, the push plate 313 pushes the bag G at the end of the row to bring the entire row toward the blocking plate 311 side.

At this time, since the blocking plate 311 is fixed, the bag G at the head of the row stands up along the flat surface portion of the blocking plate 311, and the next bag G stands up along the rising top bag. Since the subsequent bags G also stand in a chain in the same manner, the N bags G are aligned in the standing state.

Further, the boxing portion 31 pushes the N bags G in the upright state into the corrugated cardboard box B at once via the insertion plate 315. The insertion plate 315 is located on the opposite side of the third alignment conveyor 223 from the position of the cardboard box B. When viewed from the second alignment conveyor 222 side, the opening surface of the cardboard box B is located on the right side of the third alignment conveyor 223, and is located on the left side of the third alignment conveyor 223.

The insertion plate 315 stands by with its flat surface facing the opening of the cardboard box B, and after the N bags G are in an upright state, they are pushed into the cardboard box B toward the opening surface, and N pieces are pushed. The bag G is inserted into the cardboard box B from the opening toward the bottom at once. The insertion plate 315 advances across between the blocking plate 311 and the push plate 313 to the opening surface of the cardboard box B.

(1-3-2) Box transport unit 32
The box transporting unit 32 has a posture changing mechanism 321 for changing the posture of the corrugated cardboard box B packed with the bags G, and a discharge conveyor 322 for transporting the corrugated cardboard box B.

The posture change mechanism 321 rotates the cardboard box B so that the opening surface, which has been vertical until then, is horizontal, that is, the opening surface faces upward. The posture change mechanism 321 is held by an L-shaped member with a suction plate that simultaneously sucks the side surface and the bottom surface of the cardboard box B, and the L-shaped member rotates by 90 ° to rotate the cardboard box B.

When the cardboard box B is rotated by 90 °, the posture changing mechanism 321 is placed on the discharge conveyor 322 with the opening surface facing upward. The discharge conveyor 322 conveys the corrugated cardboard box B to a predetermined position, but before reaching the predetermined position, the top flap Zfa is folded in to close the opening surface, and the tape application is completed.

(2) Attitude adjustment of bag G As described in the article alignment step P2, the first alignment conveyor 221 transports the bag G toward the second alignment conveyor 222 by a certain distance L each time one bag G is received. Therefore, a part of the bag G lands on the first alignment conveyor 221 and the remaining part leans against the bag G and inclines, so that the adjacent ones form a line so as to partially overlap each other.

Conventionally, the bag G that has fallen from the carry-in conveyor 212 may come into contact with an article that has already been dropped immediately before landing on the first alignment conveyor 221 and slide and move, and the posture may be disturbed. This is because if the bag G that is transported horizontally falls in the horizontal posture as it is, the subsequent bag G falls directly on the upper surface of the waiting bag G, so that the bag G may bounce in a direction different from the target position. Responsible.

(2-1) Tilt of the carry-in conveyor 212 and the first line-up conveyor 221 Therefore, in the present embodiment, the posture suitable for landing on the first line-up conveyor 221 is set from the stage where the bag G is conveyed by the carry-in conveyor 212. The carry-in conveyor 212 is tilted so as to be.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an arrangement state of the carry-in conveyor 212, the first alignment conveyor 221 and the second alignment conveyor 222. Further, FIG. 5 is a front view of the arrangement state of the carry-in conveyor 212, the first line-up conveyor 221 and the second line-up conveyor 222 as viewed from a position facing the transport direction of the bag G on the carry-in conveyor 212.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the transport surface of the carry-in conveyor 212 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the bag G is supported at the lower end of the transport surface in the inclined direction to prevent the bag G from falling off, and the bag G is conveyed. A support wall 213 that guides in the direction is provided. Since the bag G moving on the upper side in the inclination direction of the transport surface receives the component force of gravity along the inclination direction, it slides down to the support wall 213 side while moving, and then moves along the support wall 213.

Further, the transport surface of the carry-in conveyor 212 is inclined by an angle θa in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the horizontal plane and around the virtual axis parallel to the transport direction in the front view of FIG. Further, the transport surface of the first alignment conveyor 221 is inclined by an angle θb around the virtual axis and clockwise with respect to the horizontal plane.

The inclination angle θa of the transport surface of the carry-in conveyor 212 is set to [If the relative angle between the bag G1 that first fell on the first alignment conveyor 221 and the bag G2 that fell next as the head of the row of bags G is θc, [ The inclination angle θa of the transport surface of the carry-in conveyor 212 is set so that θc = θa + θb].

By setting the angle θa in this way, the posture of the bag G3 when it is transferred from the carry-in conveyor 212 to the first alignment conveyor is such that the portion that lands on the bag G2 already mounted on the first alignment conveyor 221 Since the portion directly landing on the first aligning conveyor 221 is inclined upward, the bag G3 is inclined so as to be downward, so that the bag G3 comes into contact with the bag G2 placed earlier, or at the same time, the first alignment conveyor 221. Land on the conveyor surface of. At that time, since the frictional force between the first alignment conveyor 221 and the bag G3 exceeds the frictional force between the bag G3 and the bag G2, the bag G3 is suppressed from slipping at the time of landing, and the posture disorder is avoided.

(2-2) Expansion and contraction of the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 FIG. 6A is a front view of the posture when the bag G falls from the carry-in conveyor 212 when viewed along the inclination direction of the carry-in conveyor 212. In FIG. 6A, normally, when the falling bag G separates from the carry-in conveyor 212, the equilibrium between the portion separated first and the portion still in contact with the carry-in conveyor 212 is lost, and the portion separated first is first. The posture is disturbed after landing. The ideal drop is to maintain the posture when being conveyed on the carry-in conveyor 212.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the bag G reaches a predetermined position of the carry-in conveyor 212, the contact surface between the carry-in conveyor 212 and the bag G is instantly removed to deprive the bag G of the opportunity to tilt the posture and carry the bag G. I try to maintain the attitude of time.

FIG. 6B is a front view when the posture when the bag G falls from the carry-in conveyor 212 when the contact surface between the carry-in conveyor 212 and the bag G is instantly removed is viewed along the inclination direction of the carry-in conveyor 212. Is.

Further, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the carry-in conveyor 212, the first line-up conveyor 221 and the second line-up conveyor 222 in a state where the contact surface of the carry-in conveyor 212 of FIG. 4 with the bag G is instantly removed.

In FIGS. 6B and 7, when the article detection sensor 215 detects that the bag G is transported to the downstream side of the carry-in conveyor 212 and the tip of the bag G reaches the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212, the carry-in conveyor 212 The tip roller R1 moves in the direction of the arrow D1. At this time, the intermediate roller R2 of the carry-in conveyor 212 moves in the direction of the arrow D2, so that the slack of the conveyor belt when the tip roller R1 moves in the direction of the arrow D1 is absorbed.

The tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 in a state where the tip roller R1 is moved in the direction of the arrow D1 is located in a space outside the space directly above the bag G placed on the transport surface of the first aligning conveyor 221.

That is, since the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 momentarily moves to the upstream side of the bag G, the bag G suddenly loses the drag force from the transport surface of the carry-in conveyor 212, but the posture during transport is changed by inertia. Since it is maintained, it is unlikely that the tip of the bag G as shown in FIG. 6A will fall first.

Therefore, the landing posture on the first alignment conveyor 221 is likely to be maintained when the carrier is separated from the carry-in conveyor 212, and the posture disturbance at the time of landing is suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the moving distance of the tip roller R1 of the carry-in conveyor 212 is controlled by the controller 40. Therefore, the expansion / contraction distance of the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 is adjusted according to the size of the bag G. Therefore, it is possible to support various products with the same equipment.

(3) Changing the posture of the bag G Depending on the boxing specifications, the bag G conveyed by the carry-in conveyor 212 may be rotated by 90 ° in a plane.

In the present embodiment, a member (posture changing member) for blocking transportation is applied to the leading end of the bag G, and the conventional method of rotating the bag G as a fulcrum is followed. 5 In front view, it is tilted around a virtual axis parallel to the transport direction and counterclockwise by an angle θa with respect to the horizontal plane. Overcomes the problem of.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing the bag G before the posture change operation on the carry-in conveyor 212. Further, FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing the bag G during the posture changing operation on the carry-in conveyor 212. Further, FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing the bag G after the posture change operation on the carry-in conveyor 212 is completed.

In FIG. 8A, the transport surface of the carry-in conveyor 212 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the support wall 213 is provided at the lower end of the transport surface in the tilt direction. , It receives the component of gravity along the inclination direction, slides down to the support wall 213 side while moving, and then moves along the support wall 213.

In FIG. 8B, although it moves along the support wall 213, it comes into contact with the corner portion 214b of the posture changing member 214 protruding from the support wall 213 side, and the progress is blocked, but the transportation is continued. The bag G rotates as a fulcrum.

When the posture changing member 214 does not need to change the posture of the bag G, the posture changing member 214 stands by so that the guide surface 214a is flush with the wall surface of the support wall 213 as shown in FIG. Then, when it is necessary to change the posture of the bag G, the bag G projects toward the transport surface side of the carry-in conveyor 212 from the wall surface of the support wall 213. The protruding operation of the posture changing member 214 is performed by a motor (not shown).

The corner portion 214b of the posture changing member 214 to which the bag G hits may be either a fillet or a corner, but since the corner is a resistance to the transported article rather than the arc, it is easy to give a propulsive force for 90 ° rotation. However, in the present embodiment, a fillet is adopted to prevent the corner portion 214b from biting into the bag G in a wedge shape.

In FIGS. 8A to 8C, the posture changing member 214 is formed in a block shape, but may be made of sheet metal bent into an L shape.

Centrifugal force in the direction away from the fulcrum acts on the bag G during rotation, but since the bag G receives the component force of gravity along the inclination direction, the bag G rotates without moving away from the fulcrum.

In FIG. 8C, when the bag G is rotated by 90 °, the lateral seal side end of the bag G is supported by the guide surface 214a of the posture changing member 214, and the bag G is along the guide surface 214a of the posture changing member 214. And move.

Subsequent operations are the same as those already described.

(4) Modification example (4-1)
The inclination angle θb of the first alignment conveyor 221 can also be changed when the heads of the group of bags G to be aligned are transferred.

Since the bag G at the head of the row does not lean on the other bags G, the landing posture is different from that of the subsequent bags G. Therefore, due to the equipment, the landing postures of the first bag G and the subsequent bag G may be different. In that case, when the end of the preceding row is discharged from the first alignment conveyor 221 and the bag G at the beginning of the new row is transferred to the first alignment conveyor 221, the inclination angle of the first alignment conveyor 221 is changed. Best timing.

(4-2)
The relative height position between the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 and the article placing surface of the first alignment conveyor 221 can be changed according to the size of the bag G. If the combination of the height positions of the carry-in conveyor 212 and the first alignment conveyor is fixed for one product, it is unreasonable because the equipment must be prepared for each product. However, since the relative height positions of the carry-in conveyor 212 and the first alignment conveyor 221 can be changed according to the size of the product (bag G), it is possible to handle various products with the same equipment, which is convenient. Is good.

(5) Features (5-1)
When the transfer from the carry-in conveyor 212 to the first alignment conveyor 221 is performed, the carry-in conveyor 212 supporting the lower surface of the bag G is shrunk and removed, so that the bag G does not tilt and maintains the posture at the time of transfer. Land on the first alignment conveyor 221. As a result, the disorder of the posture is suppressed.

(5-2)
Since the transfer of the bag G from the carry-in conveyor 212 to the first line-up conveyor 221 is a drop from the carry-in conveyor 212 to the first line-up conveyor 221, the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 is for placing articles on the first line-up conveyor 221. It is preferably located in the space directly above the surface. Then, when the bag G reaches the front of the drop position, the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 completely separates from the space directly above the article placing surface of the first alignment conveyor 221 so that the bag G takes a posture in front of the drop position. Since it falls while being maintained, the disorder of the posture is suppressed.

(5-3)
Since the carry-in conveyor 212 and the first aligning conveyor 221 are arranged so that their respective conveying directions are orthogonal to each other, it is possible to prevent the conveying directions from becoming longer in the same direction, and the first aligning conveyor 221 can be prevented from becoming longer. A wall can be provided in front of the carry-in conveyor 212 without hindering the transportation of the bag G, and an article can be applied to the wall to adjust the landing posture on the first aligning conveyor 221.

(5-4)
If the combination of the relative height positions of the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 and the article mounting surface of the first alignment conveyor 221 is fixed for one product, it is unreasonable because the equipment must be prepared for each product. If the relative height position can be changed according to the size of the product, the same equipment can be used for various products, which is convenient.

(5-5)
If the amount of expansion and contraction of the tip of the carry-in conveyor 212 is fixed for one product, it is unreasonable because the equipment must be prepared for each product, but the control unit is the tip of the first conveyor according to the size of the product. If the part is expanded and contracted, the same equipment can be used for various products, which is convenient.

1 Boxing system 212 Carry-in conveyor (first conveyor)
221 1st alignment conveyor (2nd conveyor)
40 controller (control unit)
G bag (article)

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-280279

Claims (6)

The first conveyor that transports goods and
A second conveyor that receives and aligns articles supplied from the tip at a height lower than the tip of the first conveyor in the transport direction.
A sensor that detects that the article has reached the tip of the first conveyor, and
A control unit that controls the operation of the first conveyor and the second conveyor,
With
The tip portion of the first conveyor is parallel to expansion and contraction with the conveying direction,
When the sensor, it is detected that the leading end portion of the article has reached the distal end of the first conveyor,
The control unit
When the article is transferred from the tip of the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the tip of the first conveyor is changed to a state of being shrunk toward the upstream side of the tip in the transport direction. Te by the article alters to the state removing the contact between the first conveyor and the article prior to landing to said second conveyor from said distal end portion of the first conveyor, wherein the tip of the first conveyor The contact surface between the first conveyor and the article in the unit is instantly removed, and the posture of the article during transportation is maintained.
Article alignment device. The predetermined position of the first conveyor is located in a space directly above the article placing surface of the second conveyor.
The article aligning device according to claim 1. The tip of the first conveyor in the contracted state is located in a space deviated from the space directly above the article on the article mounting surface of the second conveyor to the upstream side in the transport direction.
The article aligning device according to claim 1 or 2. The first conveyor and the second conveyor are arranged so that their respective transport directions are orthogonal to each other.
The article aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first conveyor and / or the second conveyor has a function of adjusting the relative height position of the predetermined position of the first conveyor and the article placing surface of the second conveyor.
The article aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The control unit expands and contracts the tip of the first conveyor according to the size of the article.
The article aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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