JP6982252B2 - Case reversing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a case reversing machine that is used for article transport sorting work and the like, and flips the case to drop the work when the work contained in the case is discharged, and in particular, a case having an open upper portion. It relates to a case reversing machine used to take out a work housed and transported in a container without human intervention.

Conventionally, as a device used for article transport sorting work, etc., to discharge a work stored in a case and transported, the work is transported on a conveyor with the work housed in the case, and the work is dropped by reversing the case. A case reversing machine that discharges at a predetermined position is known.

For example, the cargo discharging device described in Patent Document 1 includes a case (cargo 1) capable of loading and unloading a work (cargo) such as a bottle, a reversing transfer unit (rotary table 2) configured as a transport mechanism, and a reversing transfer unit (rotary table 2). Rotate the upstream transfer section (entry conveyor 3), the downstream transfer section (carry-out conveyor 7), the fall prevention guide (holding stopper 4) configured as a holding mechanism, and the reversing conveyor (turntable 2). It has a drive device (turntable drive motor 5) that is a rotary drive means for causing the cargo to be carried, and is carried into a reverse transfer section (turntable 2) from an upstream transfer section (entry conveyor 3) (cargo 1). ) Is rotated together with the reversing transfer unit (rotary table 2) by operating the drive device (rotary table drive motor 5), so that the case (basket 1) is inverted and the work (cargo) in the case (cargo 1) is rotated. ) Can be dropped and the work (cargo) can be discharged without human intervention.

The cargo discharging device described in Patent Document 1 further has two entry stoppers 6 having protrusions 6a that can be projected upward by a hydraulic cylinder near the tip of the upstream transfer section (entry conveyor 3). Since it is installed side by side, by projecting the protrusion 6a of the approach stopper 6, the gravity roller type upstream transfer section (for entry) is being rotated by the reversing transfer section (rotary table 2) while the case (basket 1) is rotating. It is possible to prevent the subsequent case (cage 1) from being carried out from the conveyor 3) to the reversing transfer unit (rotary table 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-172569

However, there is still room for improvement in the cargo discharge device known in the above patent documents and the like.

That is, in the cargo discharging device known in Patent Document 1 and the like, since the turning radius when the case is rotated is greatly separated from the center of the case, the entire case is greatly swung when the case is inverted, and the inside of the case is swayed. The work gained momentum, and when the work fell, a large impact was transmitted to the work and there was a risk of damage.
In addition, if the reversing transfer unit suddenly stops due to a malfunction while the case is rotating, there is a risk that the work with momentum inside the case will jump out of the case and be scattered around.

Further, since the turning radius of the reversing transfer portion including the case becomes large, it is necessary to secure a large space when the case is reversed, and there is a possibility that the entire device becomes large.
In addition, since it is necessary to secure a large space for the case to rotate, it is difficult to bring the work drop point sufficiently close to the case opening, and the work is subjected to a strong drop impact when the work reaches the work drop point. Was in danger of being damaged.
Further, if the rotation speed of the case is increased in order to improve the processing speed, the impact received by the work when the case is reversed becomes larger, so that the work may be more easily damaged.

The present invention solves these problems. With a simple configuration, the entire case is not swung significantly when the case is rotated, the impact transmission to the work is small, and the work and the work fall. It is an object of the present invention to provide a case reversing machine having a short distance to a location.

The case reversing machine of the present invention has a transport mechanism capable of transporting a case having an open upper portion for accommodating a work and discharging it at a predetermined position, a rotating mechanism capable of reversing the case on the transport mechanism, and a case reversing mechanism. A case reversing machine having a holding mechanism for preventing the case from falling, the transport mechanism has a transfer unit and a chute for receiving a work dropped from the flipped case, and the rotation mechanism has at least one. It has a rotating member and a drive device that applies a rotational force to the rotating member. The transfer unit has a reversing transfer unit, and a case is carried into the reversing transfer unit and carried out from the reversing transfer unit. A transfer transfer unit is provided, and the reversing transfer unit is provided with transfer guides formed at both ends of the reversing transfer unit in the width direction and extending in the traveling direction of the reversing transfer unit, and the reversing transfer unit is provided. The transfer unit is fixedly connected to the rotating member so that the case can pass through the rotating member, and the rotating member is near the center of the case carried onto the reversing transfer unit. The holding mechanism is configured to be rotatable only in one direction from the upstream side of the chute to the downstream side of the chute, and the holding mechanism is fixed in a relative position to the reversing transfer portion and the reversing transfer is performed. When the case is carried into the portion, a fall prevention guide is provided so as to be located at least above the case, and the fall prevention guide is on the upstream side of the transfer direction for reversing. The problem is solved by arranging them on the downstream side at intervals from each other.

In the case reversing machine of the invention according to claim 1, the reversing transfer unit is connected by fixing the relative position to the rotating member so that the case can pass through the rotating member, and the rotating member is connected to the reversing transfer unit. Since the case is configured to be rotatable around the center of the case carried in above as the center of rotation, the case is not swung when the case is reversed, and the load such as an impact on the work can be suppressed.
Further, since the radius of gyration of the case is smaller than that in the case where the center of rotation of the reversing transfer unit is far from the vicinity of the center of the case, the configuration of the entire case reversing machine can be reduced.
Further, when the work falls from the case, the distance from the opening of the case to the place where the work falls on the chute can be designed to be short, so that the load such as an impact on the work can be further suppressed.
Further, since the rotating member is configured to be rotatable only in one direction from the upstream side of the chute to the downstream side of the chute, the work efficiency can be improved and the rotation can be improved as compared with the case of using the reversing method in which the rotation direction is reversed. The direction does not change and the work is not pinched.
In addition, the holding mechanism is fixed in position relative to the reversing transfer unit, and is provided with a fall prevention guide arranged so as to be located at least above the case when the case is carried into the reversing transfer unit. Therefore, when the case is inverted, the case is supported by the fall prevention guide from the falling direction and does not fall, and only the work can be discharged to the falling portion of the work on the chute.
In addition, since the fall prevention guide does not require an operating part or a drive source, it has a long life and a simple structure.
Furthermore, by adjusting the height and width of the fall prevention guide, it is possible to prevent cases of various sizes from falling.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the rotating member is rotatably supported by the support roller, the rotating member that rotates in only one direction without interfering with the case carried in and out of the rotating member. Can be reliably supported.
According to the third aspect, since the rotating member transmits the rotational force via the support roller, the rotating member can be supported by the minimum number of contacts.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, at least a part of the fall prevention guide is formed in a tapered shape that is inclined toward the center of the carried-in case and away from the upper surface of the carried-in case on the reversing transfer portion. Therefore, even if the work that falls from the opening of the case falls along the fall prevention guide when the case is inverted, it will not be caught by the fall prevention guide and will be reliably on the chute along the tapered inclined surface. It can be discharged to the place where the work falls.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the holding mechanism has a pressing cylinder that presses the case from at least one side of the transfer guide to the other side of the transfer guide when the case is carried into the reversing transfer unit. , It is possible to prevent the case from rattling between the transfer guide and the fall prevention guide when the case is inverted, and the case can be inverted more stably.

According to the configuration according to claim 6 , the carry-in / out transfer unit includes an upstream transfer unit that carries the case into the reversing transfer unit and a downstream transfer unit that transports the case carried out from the reversing transfer unit. Therefore, by configuring the loading and unloading to and from the case reversing machine in a one-way manner, the next case can be made to stand by immediately before the case reversing machine, and the case can be loaded and unloaded more quickly on the reversing transfer unit. ..
According to the configuration according to claim 7 , since the transfer guide is configured to be able to support the case carried on the reversing transfer unit even when reversing, it prevents the case from rattling when reversing the case and is stable. And the case can be reversed.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since a partition plate extending in the vertical direction is provided above the front and rear end portions of the case carried into the reversing transfer unit in the transport direction, the work can be lifted when the case is reversed. The partition plate prevents the case from jumping out to the front and rear in the transport direction, and the work can be reliably discharged to the drop surface side.
According to the configuration of claim 9 , since the chute has an inclined surface gradually moving away from the virtual circle drawn by the outer edge of the opening of the case in the middle of inversion as it goes downward from the side of the case, the case. As long as the case does not collide with the chute, the distance until the work discharged from the case hits the chute can be shortened as the case begins to tilt downward, and the work discharged from the case is transported so as to slide along the inclined surface of the chute. It can further reduce the impact on the work.

The side view of the case reversing machine 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The front view of the case reversing machine 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The side view which shows the state which the case C was moved to the reversing conveyor 114 of the case reversing machine 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the state which the case C was moved to the reversing conveyor 114 of the case reversing machine 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the state which the case C is pressed by the pressing cylinder 131 of the case reversing machine 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the state which the case C was rotated 90 degrees of the case reversing machine 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the state which the case C was rotated 180 degrees of the case reversing machine 100 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the case reversing machine 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that FIGS. 2, 4 to 7 do not show a part of one side of the rotating member 121 or the like for the sake of explanation.
The case reversing machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention reverses the case C and drops the work W when the work W housed in the case C and conveyed is discharged. As shown, it has a transport mechanism 110 capable of transporting the case C, a rotation mechanism 120 capable of reversing the case C on the transport mechanism 110, and a holding mechanism 130 for preventing the case C from falling when the case C is inverted. It is a thing.

The conveyor 110 has a conveyor 111 provided with a conveyor roller 118 and configured as a transfer unit, and a chute 116. The conveyor 111 has a reversing conveyor 114 and an upstream that carries the case C into the reversing conveyor 114. A side conveyor 112 and a downstream side conveyor 113 that conveys the case C carried out from the reversing conveyor 114 are provided.

The rotation mechanism 120 supports a pair of annular rotating members 121 connected to both ends of the reversing conveyor 114, a driving device (not shown) that applies a rotational force to the rotating members 121, and the rotating members 121 from below. The pair of rotating members 121 are connected to each other so that their relative positions can be fixed by connecting shafts 119 extending from both sides of the reversing conveyor 114 in the transport direction.
Further, a partition plate 122 is provided on the surfaces of the pair of rotating members 121 facing each other.

The holding mechanism 130 is connected to a pressing cylinder 131 connected to the connecting shaft 119 and arranged so that the pressing plate 132 can be extruded toward the facing connecting shaft 119 side, and is connected to the connecting shaft 119 and has a tip portion of the reversing conveyor 114. It has a fall prevention guide 133 that is inclined inward at the top.

Further, a transfer guide 115 extending in the transfer direction is provided on the center direction side of the reversing conveyor 114 of the connecting shaft 119.
The chute 116 has a vertical surface 116a located on the side of the reversing conveyor 114 and extending vertically, and an inclined surface 116b passing under the reversing conveyor 114, and the vertical surface 116a and the inclined surface 116b are rotating members. It is connected by a curved surface connecting portion 116c composed of an arcuate surface centered on the rotation center of 121.
Further, handles H configured to be rotatable up and down are provided on both end faces of the case C on the transport direction side.

Next, a method of discharging the work W from the case C using the case reversing machine 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7.
First, as shown in FIG. 3, the case C is moved from the upstream conveyor 112 to the reversing conveyor 114.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper end portion of the fall prevention guide 133 is located above the outer peripheral edge of the case C.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the pressing cylinder 131 is operated, the case C is pushed from the side by the pressing plate 132, the case C is pressed against the transfer guide 115 on the opposite side, and then the drive device (not shown). Is operated to rotate the rotating member 121 toward the chute 116.
At this time, the case C rotates together with the reversing conveyor 114 and starts to tilt, but since the case C is pressed against the transfer guide 115 by the pressing cylinder 131, the relative position between the reversing conveyor 114 and the case C does not change. There is no problem such as the case C coming off the reversing conveyor 114 and falling.

Further, since the position of the case C of any size can be fixed in the reversing conveyor 114 within the stroke range of the pressing cylinder 131, the sizes of the case C conveyed from the upstream conveyor 112 are mixed. Even if you do, you can handle it.
Further, since the center of the case C is fixed so as to be close to the center of rotation of the rotating member 121, the case C is less likely to be swung significantly when the case C is inverted, and the work W is discharged from the case C. It is possible to suppress the momentum at the time of the work and prevent the work W from being damaged.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the work W is spherical or cylindrical, the work W may be discharged to the outside of the case C before the case C is completely tilted, but the pair of rotating members 121 Partition plates 122 are provided on the surfaces facing each other, and the partition plates 122 facing each other are installed so as to have a distance shorter than the width of the chute 116 and longer than the width in the transport direction of the case C opening. As a result, even if the work W tries to jump out of the chute 116, the work W hits the partition plate 122 and is discharged to the chute 116 side, so that the work W can be reliably conveyed to the next process.
Further, since the work W discharged to the chute 116 side during the rotation of the case C hits the vertical surface 116a or the curved surface connecting portion 116c where the distance between the case C and the chute 116 is short, the drop impact on the work W can be mitigated. It is possible to prevent the work W from being damaged.

Next, when the reversing conveyor 114 is rotated to a position where the opening of the case C faces downward, all the work W is discharged from the case C to the chute 116 side and conveyed to the next process as shown in FIG. To.
At this time, even if the case C is completely inverted and the case C, which has been pressing the case C against the transfer guide 115 by the pressing cylinder 131 via the pressing plate 132, suddenly slides down, the case C Since the fall prevention guide 133 is provided on the lower side of the case C, the case C can be reliably prevented from falling by supporting the case C with the fall prevention guide 133.

Further, since the tip of the fall prevention guide 133 has a tapered shape inclined inward, even if the work W hits the fall prevention guide 133 when the work W is dropped, the chute 116 is along the taper of the fall prevention guide 133 without being caught. Can be discharged to the side.
Further, when the case C is completely inverted, the handle H also rotates toward the chute 116 by its own weight, and at this time, depending on the amount of rotation of the handle H, the handle H moves to a position where it interferes with the opening of the case C. The work W before falling may be caught and hinder the discharge of the work W to the chute 116, but the fall prevention guide 133 is placed above the case C and in the case C carried on the reversing conveyor 114. By arranging the provided handle H below the position facing upward, the handle H hits the fall prevention guide 133 and stops rotating, so that the case C can be constructed inexpensively without newly providing a special moving part. It is possible to prevent the handle H from entering a position that interferes with the opening.

By adjusting the position and shape of the fall prevention guide 133, it is possible to support the case C without the need for changing the mold even when the cases C having different shapes are mixed and continuously conveyed.

Further, the chute 116 is closest to the virtual circle L drawn by the outer edge of the opening of the case C being inverted on the side of the case C, and gradually decreases from the virtual circle L as it goes downward from the side of the case C. Since the curved surface connecting portion 116c and the inclined surface 116b are provided so as to be separated from each other, the distance until the work W that the case C starts to incline downward and is gradually discharged hits the chute 116 within a range that does not collide with the case C. Can be shortened, and the work W discharged from the case C can be conveyed so as to slide along the inclined surface 116b, and the impact received by the work W can be further mitigated.
Furthermore, by slightly tilting the case C from the position where it is completely inverted (180 degrees) to the position where it is further rotated by 20 degrees (200 degrees), the work W stuck to the corners and inner wall of the case C is discharged more reliably. When the case C is returned to the position before reversal by reverse rotation, the work W is not sandwiched between the chute 116 and the case C.

The case C in which the work W is discharged to the chute 116 side by the above operation returns to the position before the inversion by the rotation of the rotating member 121 whose rotation direction is reversed, releases the pressing from the pressing cylinder 131, and then is used for inversion. It is moved from the conveyor 114 to the downstream conveyor 113 and conveyed to the next process.
At this time, if the rotation direction of the rotating member 121 is limited to one direction, the processing speed can be improved as compared with the case where the rotation direction is reversed after the work W is discharged.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. It is possible.

In the above-described embodiment, the rotating member has been described as having an annular shape, but the shape of the rotating member is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an angular frame shape or an arc shape.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the transfer mechanism has a conveyor provided with a conveyor roller and configured as a transfer unit, and a chute. The conveyor carries the reversing conveyor and the case C into the reversing conveyor. Although it has been described that the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor that conveys the case carried out from the reversing conveyor are provided, the configuration of the conveyor is not limited to this, and for example, the upstream conveyor is referred to as the downstream conveyor. The case may be configured to be loaded and unloaded from only one side to the reversing conveyor, or the case may be configured to be loaded and unloaded from both the upstream side and the downstream side of the reversing conveyor. ..

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rotating member is described as being connected to both ends of the reversing conveyor, but the configuration of the rotating member is not limited to this, and for example, any one of both ends of the reversing conveyor. It may be provided only on one side, or the rotating member may be formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the entire reversing conveyor.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the case is pressed against the transfer guide by the pressing cylinder to prevent the case from falling in order to support the case when the case is reversed. Is not limited to this, for example, the case may be supported by the transfer guide by narrowing the interval between the transfer guides without using the pressing cylinder, and the transfer guide covers the case from the side to the upper surface side. It may be formed in a curved surface.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the pressing cylinder has been described as being arranged so that the pressing plate can be extruded toward the facing connecting shaft side, but the position and configuration of the pressing cylinder are not limited to this, for example. , The pressing plate may be arranged so as to be extruded from above the case toward the conveyor roller, and the rod portion of the pressing cylinder can enter the upper part of the peripheral edge of the opening of the case without providing the pressing plate. You may be doing it.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the fall prevention guide is described as being connected to the connecting shaft and having the upper portion inclined inward above the reversing conveyor, but the configuration of the fall prevention guide is not limited to this. For example, the fall prevention guide may extend horizontally from the pair of rotating members.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the conveyor has been described as being provided with a conveyor roller for transporting the case, but the method for transporting the case is not limited to this, and for example, the conveyor roller is not provided. The case may be conveyed using a belt-type conveyor, or the case may be placed on a trolley running on a rail arranged on the conveyor and conveyed.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, a partition plate is provided on the surfaces of the pair of rotating members facing each other to prevent the work from jumping out of the chute from the case. The prevention method is not limited to this, for example, the side surface of the rotating member is partitioned by sufficiently narrowing the distance between the pair of rotating members so as to be equal to the length of the opening of the case without providing a partition plate. It may be used as a substitute for a board.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation direction of the rotating member when the case is inverted and when the inverted case is returned is reversed, or is limited to one direction. However, the rotation of the rotating member of the present invention has been described. The direction is not limited to this, and for example, after the case is inverted, the rotation direction of the rotating member may be finely switched to cause the case to be shaken.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the maximum rotation angle at the time of case reversal is assumed to be a position (200 degrees) further rotated by 20 degrees from the position where the case is completely inverted (180 degrees), but the case is inverted. The maximum rotation angle at the time is not limited to this, and for example, it may be rotated by 200 degrees or more, or may be configured to discharge the work in the case only by rotating up to 180 degrees or less.

100 ・ ・ ・ Case reversing machine 110 ・ ・ ・ Conveyor mechanism 111 ・ ・ ・ Conveyor 112 ・ ・ ・ Upstream side conveyor 113 ・ ・ ・ Downstream side conveyor 114 ・ ・ ・ Reversing conveyor 115 ・ ・ ・ Transfer guide 116 ・ ・ ・ Chute 116a ・ ・ ・ Vertical surface 116b ・ ・ ・ Inclined surface 116c ・ ・ ・ Curved surface connecting part 118 ・ ・ ・ Conveyor roller 119 ・ ・ ・ Connecting shaft 120 ・ ・ ・ Rotating mechanism 121 ・ ・ ・ Rotating member 122 ・ ・ ・ Partition plate 123・ ・ ・ Drive device 124 ・ ・ ・ Support roller 130 ・ ・ ・ Holding mechanism 131 ・ ・ ・ Pressing cylinder 132 ・ ・ ・ Pressing plate 133 ・ ・ ・ Fall prevention guide C ・ ・ ・ Case H ・ ・ ・ Handle W ・ ・・ Work L ・ ・ ・ Virtual circle drawn by the outer edge of the opening of the case

Claims (9)

A transport mechanism that can transport a case with an open top that accommodates and discharges the work at a predetermined position, a rotation mechanism that can reverse the case on the transport mechanism, and a holding mechanism that prevents the case from falling when the case is flipped. It is a case reversing machine with and
The transfer mechanism has a transfer unit and a chute for receiving a work dropped from the inverted case.
The rotation mechanism has at least one rotating member and a driving device that applies a rotational force to the rotating member.
The transfer unit is provided with a reversing transfer unit and a loading / unloading transfer unit that carries a case into the reversing transfer unit and carries it out from the reversing transfer unit.
The reversing transfer unit is provided with transfer guides formed at both ends of the reversing transfer unit in the width direction and extending in the traveling direction of the reversing transfer unit.
The reversing transfer unit is connected to the rotating member with a fixed relative position so that the case can pass through the rotating member.
The rotating member is configured to be rotatable only in one direction from the upstream side of the chute to the downstream side of the chute with the vicinity of the center of the case carried onto the reversing transfer portion as the rotation center .
The holding mechanism is fixed in a position relative to the reversing transfer unit, and is provided with a fall prevention guide arranged so as to be located at least above the case when the case is carried into the reversing transfer unit. ,
The fall prevention guide is a case reversing machine characterized in that the fall prevention guides are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side at a distance from each other on the side of the reversing transfer unit in the transport direction. The case reversing machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is rotatably supported by a support roller. The case reversing machine according to claim 2, wherein the rotating member transmits a rotational force via the support roller. The claim is characterized in that at least a part of the fall prevention guide is formed in a tapered shape that is inclined toward the center of the case carried on the reversing transfer portion and in a direction away from the upper surface of the carried case. The case reversing machine according to any one of items 1 to 3. The holding mechanism is characterized by having a pressing cylinder that presses the case from at least one side of the transfer guide to the other side of the transfer guide when the case is carried into the reversing transfer unit. The case reversing machine according to any one of claims 4. The carry-in / out transfer unit is characterized by having an upstream transfer unit for carrying a case into the reversing transfer unit and a downstream transfer unit for transporting a case carried out from the reversing transfer unit. The case reversing machine according to any one of items 1 to 5. The case reversing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the transfer guide is configured to be able to support a case carried onto the reversing transfer unit even during reversing. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a partition plate extending in the vertical direction is provided above the front and rear ends in the transport direction of the case carried into the reverse transfer section. Case reversing machine. The chute according to claims 1 to 8 , wherein the chute has an inclined surface that gradually separates from the virtual circle drawn by the outer peripheral edge of the opening of the case in the middle of reversal as it goes downward from the side of the case. The case reversing machine described in either.

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