JP7058192B2 - Alignment transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an aligned transport device for aligning and transporting conveyed objects.

In various production lines, articles discharged sequentially from the front-end process (hereinafter referred to as "conveyed goods") are conveyed by a conveyor toward the back-end process. If no measures are taken, the distance between the transported items is not constant, and the transported items may be transported to the next process while they are in contact with each other, or the transported items may be transported side by side in the width direction of the transport surface. be.

Patent Document 1 discloses a transport device capable of keeping the pitch of the transported material 106 intermittently transported constant. This conveyor has a conveyor 102 that conveys the conveyed object 106 and an alignment conveyor that aligns the conveyed objects 106 at a constant pitch. The alignment conveyor includes a belt-shaped endless rotating body to which a plurality of contact bodies in contact with the conveyed object 106 are attached, and a motor for driving the endless rotating body. The rotation speed of the endless rotating body of the alignment conveyor is set to be lower than the transfer speed of the transfer conveyor 102. The aligning conveyor 103 aligns the conveyed objects 106 so that the pitch becomes constant due to the speed difference with the conveyed conveyor 102 by bringing the conveyed objects 106 conveyed by the conveyor 102 into contact with the contact body so as to be pressed against the contact body.

Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus capable of packing and stocking (pre-packing alignment) between the conveyed objects 206 that are intermittently conveyed. This device has a pre-packed belt conveyor and an alignment device installed adjacent to the pre-packed belt conveyor 202. When the detector detects that the conveyed object 206 conveyed by the pre-packed belt conveyor has reached a predetermined stock position, the pre-packed belt conveyor is stopped. At the same time as this transport stop, the transport items 206 are aligned and stocked in the alignment device 203.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-210548 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-289840

In Patent Document 1, a plurality of conveyed objects 106 conveyed by the conveyor 102 are aligned at a constant pitch by an alignment conveyor 103 provided with a motor. That is, in Patent Document 1, in order to align the conveyed objects 106, an apparatus provided with a drive source other than the conveyor 102 is required, and control of the apparatus is also required. Therefore, the device configuration becomes complicated, the power consumption increases, and the cost increases. Further, in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, the pitches of the plurality of conveyed objects 106 can be made constant, but the intervals between the conveyed objects 106 cannot be reduced (pre-prepared).

In Patent Document 2, it is possible to pre-pack and align a plurality of conveyed objects 206 transported by the pre-packed belt conveyor 202 at predetermined intervals using an aligning device 203 and stock them. However, in Patent Document 2, a detector for detecting the position of the conveyed object 206 is required in order to perform pre-packing alignment and stocking, and the alignment device 203 and the like are driven from the detection signal of the detector. Need to control. That is, also in Patent Document 2, the device configuration for aligning the conveyed objects 206 becomes complicated, the power consumption increases, and the cost increases.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an alignment transfer device capable of pre-packing and aligning conveyed objects in a state where the conveyed objects do not come into contact with each other with a simple configuration.

The alignment transfer device in the present invention is an alignment transfer device capable of stocking a plurality of objects to be conveyed in a one-row front-packed state, and includes a transfer conveyor provided with a transfer body for sequentially transporting the plurality of objects, and the above-mentioned. A pair of guide bodies arranged on both sides in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction with respect to the transport body of the transport conveyor, and a stopper body having a contact surface with which the transport object at the head of the transport direction abuts. A plurality of rotation support portions arranged on the upstream side of the stopper body in the transport direction and laterally in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction with respect to the transport body and arranged at intervals in the transport direction. And each includes a plurality of rotating bodies having one said rotation support portion and a plurality of wing portions.

According to the above configuration, when the conveyed object is being conveyed, the blade portion freely rotates with the movement of the conveyed object, so that the conveyed object is not hindered. On the other hand, the transported object at the head in the transport direction stops when it comes into contact with the stopper body. Here, in the present invention, when the immediately preceding conveyed object is stopped, the wing portion of the rotating body immediately after the immediately preceding conveyed object hits the wing portion, and the wing portion is locked so that the wing portion does not rotate any more. At this time, when the subsequent conveyed object hits the same or different wing portion as the wing portion that hit the immediately preceding conveyed object in the rotating body whose rotation is stopped, the subsequent conveyed object is also stopped. From the above, when the conveyed object at the head in the conveyed direction comes into contact with the stopper body, a plurality of conveyed objects are stopped with the wing portion interposed between them, and the conveyed objects are in contact with each other. It will be packed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the transported objects from being scratched due to contact between the transported objects, and it is easy to perform the post-process. Since a pair of guide bodies are installed on both sides of the conveyed body, the conveyed object is conveyed even if a force is applied to the conveyed object in the width direction of the conveyed object during transportation or pre-packing operation. You can prevent it from getting out of your body. In the present invention, a rotating body having a freely rotating wing portion, a stopper body, and a pair of guide bodies are provided, and a simple configuration that does not require a drive source such as a motor or its control for purposes other than rotating the conveyor. Therefore, it is possible to realize pre-packing alignment of the conveyed objects in a state where the conveyed objects do not come into contact with each other. Since no drive source or control configuration is required for pre-packing, the configuration is simple and the cost can be reduced.

In the present invention, when one of the conveyed objects is located between two adjacent wing portions belonging to the same rotating body, the two adjacent wing portions are both with the transport path center line. It is preferable to intersect.

According to the above configuration, in a state where one carrier is between two adjacent blades in the same rotating body, the two adjacent blades are both between the facing surfaces of a pair of guide bodies. If it intersects the transport path center line, which is a vertical bisector of a vertically connecting line segment, and extends beyond this center line to the other side, the subsequent transported object to be transported along the transport path center line. Is easy to hit the part of the rear wing beyond the center line of the transport path. As a result, when the succeeding object comes into contact with the rear wing portion, the angle formed by the rear wing portion and the transport direction tends to be large. Therefore, since this subsequent conveyed object is more reliably stopped by the rear wing portion, two or more conveyed objects may enter between two adjacent wing portions in the same rotating body. It's hard to happen. Further, if the rear wing portion does not extend beyond the center line of the transport path, the wing portion may rotate in the opposite direction when the subsequent transported object hits the wing portion. In this respect, in the above configuration, since the wing portion intersects the center line of the transport path, the wing portion is prevented from rotating in the reverse direction.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the four blades are arranged in a cross shape on a plane parallel to the transport surface.

The angular spacing of the plurality of blades of the rotating body has a great influence on the pre-packing function of the conveyed object. If the angle is too large, two or more objects are likely to be interposed between two adjacent blades in the same rotating body. Also, if the angle is too small, it is possible that no conveyed material will fit between the two adjacent wings. In the above configuration, the four wing portions are arranged in a cross shape, and the angular distance between the adjacent wing portions is approximately 90 degrees. With this configuration, with one transported object interposed between the two adjacent blades, the two blades tend to intersect the center line of the transport path, so the transport that was sent next It is unlikely that an object will get in between two adjacent wings.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the tip portion of the wing portion is inclined at an acute angle on the side opposite to the rotation direction of the wing portion.

When the transported object sent from the upstream side in the transport direction hits the wing portion, if the tip portion of the wing portion is inclined at an acute angle on the side opposite to the rotation direction of the wing portion, the tip portion of the wing portion is sharpened. The sloping surface makes it easier for the transported object to hit. Therefore, the contact position of the transported object on the upstream side with the wing portion is easily maintained on the other side of the transport path center line when viewed from the rotation support portion. Therefore, it is unlikely that two or more conveyed objects will enter between two adjacent blades in the same rotating body.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the positions of the blades of the plurality of rotating bodies in the vertical direction orthogonal to the transport surface are staggered in the transport direction.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the blade portions attached to the rotational support portions adjacent to each other in the transport direction from interfering with each other. As a result, it is possible to reduce the interval between the conveyed objects during transportation and stocking, and by extension, the entire device can be miniaturized.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the surface hardness of the surface of the wing portion that can come into contact with the wing portion is lower than the surface hardness of the surface of the wing portion that can come into contact with the wing portion.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the conveyed object from being scratched by the wing portion coming into contact with the conveyed object.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the surface hardness of the surface of the pair of guides that can come into contact with the conveyed object is lower than the surface hardness of the surface of the pair of guides that can come into contact with the conveyed object. ..

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the conveyed object from being scratched when the conveyed object comes into contact with the pair of guide bodies.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the surface hardness of the surface of the stopper body that can come into contact with the conveyed object is lower than the surface hardness of the surface of the conveyed object that can come into contact with the stopper body.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the conveyed object from being scratched when the leading conveyed object abuts on the stopper body and is stopped.

In the present invention, the contact surface of the stopper body is in contact with the upstream surface of the conveyed object in contact with the contact surface in the extending direction of the wing portion. It is preferable that the transport surface is inclined clockwise from the width direction of the transport surface as a limit in the parallel direction.

If the transport body is rotating when the transport object at the head in the transport direction comes into contact with the stopper body, the transport object at the head in the transport direction receives a forward force F1 in the transport direction due to the rotation of the transport body. Further, the wing portion in contact with the leading conveyed object is pushed by the subsequent conveyed object on the surface opposite to the side where the stopper body is located and tries to rotate. As a result, the leading carrier receives a force F2 from the wing portion in the tangential direction around the rotation support portion of the wing portion. That is, since the leading conveyed object receives the force F2 in the rotational direction from the wing portion while receiving the force F1 in the transport direction due to the rotation of the conveyed body, it slides along the contact surface and the contact surface. It becomes easy to shift toward the direction where the rotation support portion of the wing portion is located in the direction along the above. In this respect, in the above configuration, the contact surface of the stopper body is in a direction parallel to the extending direction of the wing portion in contact with the surface on the upstream side of the transport direction of the transported object in contact with the contact surface. By inclining clockwise from the width direction of the transport surface to the limit, it is possible to suppress sliding along the contact surface of the leading conveyed object and the resulting misalignment.

In the present invention, the conveyed object may be circular in a cross section parallel to the conveyed surface.

When the shape of the conveyed object is circular, the position of the rotating body in contact with the conveyed object is almost constant, so that the posture of the wing portion is also stable. Therefore, it is easy for only one carrier to intervene between two adjacent blades in one rotating body.

As described above, the present invention can provide an alignment transfer device capable of pre-packing and aligning conveyed objects in a state where the conveyed objects do not come into contact with each other with a simple configuration.

It is a top view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which includes the width direction of the transport surface of the alignment transport apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) It is a top view of the conveyed object which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (B) It is a side view of the conveyed object which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (C) It is sectional drawing in the AA cross section of the conveyed object which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) It is a top view of the rotating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (B) It is a side view of the rotating body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the top view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is the figure of the state when the conveyed object comes into contact with a stopper body. It is a top view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is the figure of the state after performing the operation of taking out the conveyed object which was in contact with a stopper body. It is a top view of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a top view of a part of the alignment transfer apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG.

Next, the aligned transfer device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. In the following, the transport direction of the transport conveyor 2 is the front-rear direction (the downstream side is the front, the upstream side is the rear), the direction orthogonal to the transport surface 7 is the vertical direction, and the width direction of the transport surface 7 is the left-right direction (relative to the transport direction). Left is defined as left and right is defined as right). Hereinafter, explanations will be given using these directional words as appropriate.

The aligned transfer device 1 of the present embodiment conveys a plurality of conveyed objects 6 processed in the previous process and intermittently conveyed without contacting each other, and also makes it easier to perform the subsequent process. It is packed, aligned and stocked.

The pre-process of the aligned transfer device 1 is, for example, a process of cutting a pulley part. The post-process is, for example, an inspection process of pulley parts. A robot (unmanned) performs the work of placing the conveyed object 6 from the previous process to the loading position at the end of the conveyed surface 7. On the other hand, the work of taking out the conveyed object 6 from the take-out position in the front row of the conveyed surface 7 and moving it to the work area of the post-process is performed by the worker himself engaged in the inspection process of the post-process.

Next, the aligned transfer device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the aligned transport device 1 includes a transport conveyor 2 provided with a transport body 8 for sequentially transporting a plurality of transport objects 6, a pair of guide bodies 3, a stopper body 4, and a plurality of units. It is provided with a rotating body 5. Each rotating body 5 has a rotation support portion 10 and a plurality of blade portions 11 rotatably attached to the rotation support portion 10.

In the aligned transfer device 1 of the present embodiment, when the conveyed object 6 is conveyed, as shown in FIG. 7, the wing portion 11 freely rotates with the movement of the conveyed object 6, so that the conveyed object 6 is connected. Transport is not hindered. On the other hand, the transported object 6 at the head in the transport direction stops when it comes into contact with the stopper body 4. Here, in the present embodiment, when the immediately preceding conveyed object 6 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 6, the immediately preceding conveyed object 6 is hit by the wing portion 11 of the rotating body 5 immediately after the wing portion. 11 is locked and does not rotate any more. Then, when the subsequent conveyed object 6 hits the same or different wing portion 11 as the wing portion 11 that hit the immediately preceding conveyed object 6 in the rotating body 5 whose rotation is stopped, the subsequent conveyed object 6 is also stopped. Will be done. From the above, when the conveyed object 6 at the head in the conveyed direction comes into contact with the stopper body 4, the plurality of conveyed objects 6 are stopped with the blade portion 11 interposed between them, and the conveyed objects 6 are stopped. It will be pre-packed without contact. Then, when the conveyed object 6 in contact with the stopper body 4 is taken out from the take-out position in the front row of the conveyed surface 7, as shown in FIG. 7, the conveyed object 6 following the conveyed object 6 in contact with the stopper body 4 is taken out. The transport of a plurality of transported objects 6 mounted on the transport body 8 starts in order from the downstream side. When the subsequent conveyed object 6 of the conveyed object 6 that has been in contact with the stopper body 4 comes into contact with the stopper body 4, the plurality of conveyed objects 6 are stopped again with the blade portion 11 interposed between them. Therefore, the conveyed objects 6 are pre-packed without contacting each other.

[Details of Conveyed Items 6]
The conveyed object 6 to be conveyed is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, a pulley part obtained by cutting a steel material will be described as an example. The pulley component of the present embodiment may have a shape in which cylinders having different diameters are connected. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the conveyed object 6 has a shape in which cylinders 6A and 6B having different bottom diameters are connected, and the bottom surface of the cylinder 6A is from the bottom surface of the cylinder 6B. It is assumed that the cylinder 6B is placed on the cylinder 6A. The cylinders 6A and 6B are not separated and are integrated, but for convenience of explanation, the terms cylinders 6A and 6B are used. The conveyed object 6 does not have to be made of a steel material. Further, it is preferable that the conveyed object 6 has a circular shape as described above in a cross section parallel to the conveyed surface 7, but it does not have to be circular.

[Details of Conveyor 2]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conveyor 2 is hung on a pedestal 9, a drive roller 13 and a driven roller 15 attached to the pedestal 9 via a shaft portion, and a drive roller 13 and a driven roller 15. It is an endless conveyor belt and includes a conveyor body 8 having a conveyor surface 7 on the outer periphery thereof, a drive motor 14 for rotationally driving a drive roller 13, and the like. The transport body 8 is not limited to the conveyor belt, but may be a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor. However, in the case of a conveyor belt, the power consumption and noise required for transportation can be significantly reduced as compared with a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor.

The drive roller 13 is connected to the drive motor 14 by a belt or the like, and is rotationally driven by the drive force of the drive motor 14. When the drive roller 13 rotates, the carrier 8 hooked on the drive roller 13 and the driven roller 15 rotates. The outer periphery of the transport body 8 is a transport surface 7 on which the transport material 6 is placed, and by rotating the transport body 8, a plurality of transport objects 6 are transported in the transport direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of recesses are formed along the circumferential direction on the surfaces (central portion in the width direction) of the drive roller 13 and the driven roller 15, respectively, in order to prevent meandering of the carrier 8. .. The concave portion of the drive roller 13 and the concave portion of the driven roller 15 engage with a plurality of convex portions provided in the central portion in the width direction on the inner peripheral side of the transport body 8 to prevent the transport body 8 from meandering.

By rotating the transport surface 7 so as to move it forward, the transport object 6 is transported forward. The aligned transfer device 1 includes a control unit that controls the drive motor 14 of the transfer conveyor 2. If a sensor is provided at the front end of the conveyor 2 to detect whether or not the transported object 6 is present at the take-out position in contact with the stopper body 4, the conveyor 2 is automatically unmanned based on the detection signal of this sensor. Can be driven. In this case, for example, when the front row conveyed object 6 is taken out, the conveyor 2 is automatically started based on the detection signal to maintain the conveyed object 6 in a state in which it can be conveyed in one direction, and then, When the subsequent conveyed object 6 comes into contact with the stopper body 4, the conveyor 2 is automatically stopped based on the detection signal. However, regardless of this, the conveyor 2 may be manually switched between starting and stopping by an operator (manual operation), and is always maintained in an activated state in which the conveyed object 6 is conveyed in one direction. May be.

[Details of a pair of guide bodies 3]
The pair of guide bodies 3 is, for example, a plate-shaped member long in the transport direction. The pair of guide bodies 3 are arranged so as to face each other on both sides of the transport body 8 in the left-right direction. The pair of guide bodies 3 may be fixedly arranged on the gantry 9 via the leg members 17 so as to have a height that allows contact with the cylinder 6B. By arranging a pair of guide bodies 3 on both sides of the carrier 8, even if a force in the left-right direction acts on the carrier 6 during transport or at the time of alignment described later, the transport 6 is the carrier 8. You can prevent it from going out of your body. The guide body 3 may not be arranged on the side of the front end portion of the transfer conveyor 2 in consideration of workability when the operator takes out the leading conveyed object 6 at the front end portion of the transfer conveyor 2.

[Details of stopper body 4]
The stopper body 4 is installed at the front end portion of the transport body 8. The stopper body 4 is fixedly installed. The stopper body 4 is installed so that the contact surface 12 coincides with each other in the left-right direction. The installation method is not particularly limited, but for example, the stopper body 4 may be attached to the gantry 9 of the conveyor 2. The rear surface of the stopper body 4 is the contact surface 12 with which the conveyed object 6 abuts. When the leading conveyed object 6 conveyed from the upstream side comes into contact with the contact surface 12 of the stopper body 4, the leading conveyed object 6 stops as shown in FIG. Then, the subsequent conveyed objects 6 stop moving in a state of being pre-packed by the action of the rotating body 5 described later. The stopper body 4 may be installed so that the contact surface 12 does not match in the left-right direction.

[Details of rotating body 5]
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the rotating body 5 has one rotation support portion 10 and a plurality of blade portions 11. It is preferable that each wing portion 11 is rotatably attached to the rotation support portion 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it is preferable that a plurality of rotation support portions 10 are arranged on the gantry 9 on the outside of the transport surface 7. Each rotating body 5 may be arranged on the gantry 9 so that the wing portion 11 has a height that allows contact with the cylinder 6A. Further, as for how the plurality of rotation support portions 10 are arranged, on the upstream side in the transport direction from the stopper body 4, on both sides of the transport surface 7 in the left-right direction with respect to the transport body 8, in the transport direction. It is preferable that they are arranged upright in a staggered pattern at intervals.

The rotating body 5 is an important member for transporting and pre-packing a plurality of conveyed objects 6 intermittently conveyed from the upstream side without contacting each other. In a state where the conveyed object 6 at the head in the conveyed direction is not in contact with the stopper body 4, as shown in FIG. 7, the blade portion 11 freely rotates with the movement of the conveyed object 6, and the conveyed object 6 Transport is not hindered. On the other hand, when the leading conveyed object 6 hits the contact surface 12 of the stopper body 4 and stops moving, as shown in FIG. 6, the leading conveyed object 6 is hit by the wing portion 11 of the rotating body 5 immediately after the preceding conveyed object 6. The rotating body 5 is locked and cannot rotate any more. Then, when the subsequent conveyed object 6 hits the same or different wing portion 11 as the wing portion 11 that hit the immediately preceding conveyed object 6 in the rotating body 5, the subsequent conveyed object 6 is also stopped. That is, when the leading conveyed object 6 comes into contact with the stopper body 4, the plurality of conveyed objects 6 are stopped with the blade portion 11 interposed between them, and the conveyed objects 6 are pre-packed.

When the operator takes out the leading conveyed object 6 from the take-out position in contact with the stopper body 4, as shown in FIG. 7, the lock by the leading conveyed object 6 is released, and the wing portion 11 becomes rotatable. .. As a result, the transfer of the conveyed object 6 by the transfer conveyor 2 is started. However, as shown in FIG. 6, when the subsequent conveyed object 6 of the conveyed object 6 taken out earlier comes into contact with the stopper body 4, the conveying is stopped again in the pre-packed state.

It is preferable that the length of the wing portion 11 is larger than the diameter of the conveyed object 6 and larger than the width of the conveyed body 8. Then, when one carrier 6 exists between two adjacent wing portions 11 belonging to the same rotating body 5, the two adjacent wing portions 11 are both of a pair of guide bodies 3. It is preferable to intersect the transport path center line 16 which is a perpendicular bisector of a line segment vertically connecting the facing surfaces. With one carrier 6 between two adjacent blades 11 in the same rotating body 5, the two blades 11 of the rotating body 5 both intersect the transport path centerline 16 and cross this centerline. When extending beyond the transport path center line 16, the subsequent transported object 6 transported along the transport path center line 16 tends to hit a portion of the rear wing portion 11 beyond the transport path center line 16. As a result, when the succeeding object 6 comes into contact with the rear wing portion 11, the angle formed by the rear wing portion 11 and the transport direction tends to be large. Therefore, since the subsequent conveyed object 6 is more reliably stopped by the rear wing portion 11, two or more conveyed objects 6 are between two adjacent wing portions 11 in the same rotating body 5. It is unlikely that it will get in. Further, if the rear wing portion 11 does not extend beyond the transport path center line 16, the wing portion 11 will rotate in the opposite direction when the subsequent transport object 6 hits the wing portion 11. There is also a risk. At this point, since the wing portion 11 intersects the transport path center line 16, the wing portion 11 is prevented from rotating in the reverse direction.

As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the wing portion 11 is attached to the rotary support portion 10 via the tubular base portion 18, and radially outward from the tubular base portion 18. It is extended. The angular spacing of the plurality of blades 11 of the rotating body 5 has a great influence on the pre-packing function of the conveyed object 6. If the angle is too large, two or more conveyed objects 6 are likely to be interposed between two adjacent blades 11 in the same rotating body 5. Further, if the angle is too small, it is possible that none of the conveyed objects 6 can be inserted between the adjacent blade portions 11. It is preferable that the four wing portions 11 are arranged in a cross shape, and in this case, the angular distance between the two adjacent wing portions 11 is approximately 90 degrees. With this configuration, the two adjacent wing portions 11 are likely to intersect the transport path center line 16 in a state where one conveyed object 6 is interposed between the two adjacent wing portions 11. It is unlikely that the conveyed object 6 sent to the above will enter between two adjacent wing portions 11.

It is preferable that the tip portion of the wing portion 11 is inclined at an acute angle on the side opposite to the rotation direction of the wing portion 11. When the transported object 6 sent from the upstream side in the transport direction hits the wing portion 11, if the tip portion of the wing portion 11 is inclined on the side opposite to the rotation direction of the wing portion 11 and is sharply pointed. The transported object 6 can easily hit the inclined surface of the tip of the wing portion 11. Therefore, the contact position of the transported object 6 on the upstream side with the wing portion 11 is likely to be maintained on the other side of the transport path center line 16 when viewed from the rotation support portion 10. Therefore, it is unlikely that two or more conveyed objects 6 will enter between two adjacent blades 11 in the same rotating body 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the rotating bodies 5 adjacent to each other in the transport direction, the height positions of the wing portions 11 are vertically staggered so as not to interfere with each other when arranged. Is preferable. This prevents the blade portions 11 attached to the rotating bodies 5 adjacent to each other in the transport direction from interfering with each other. Therefore, the interval between the conveyed objects 6 at the time of conveying and at the time of stocking can be reduced, and by extension, the entire aligned conveying and conveying device 1 can be miniaturized.

The conveyed object 6 comes into contact with the pair of left and right guide bodies 3, the stopper body 4, and the wing portion 11 of the rotating body 5 during transportation and front packing. At that time, if the surface hardness of the guide body 3 or the like at the contact destination is high, there is a risk that the conveyed object 6 will be scratched when it comes into contact with it. Therefore, the surface hardness of the surface of the pair of guide bodies 3, the stopper body 4, and the wing portion 11 that can come into contact with the conveyed object 6 is the surface hardness of the pair of guide bodies 3, the stopper body 4, and the conveyed object 6. Further, it is preferably lower than the surface hardness of the surface that can come into contact with the wing portion 11.

The conveyed object 6 may be circular in a cross section parallel to the conveyed surface 7. If the conveyed object 6 is a quadrangle or the like, the posture of the wing portion 11 changes depending on whether it hits a corner or a side, and stable front packing becomes difficult. When the shape of the conveyed object 6 is circular, the contact position of the wing portion 11 is unlikely to change depending on the posture of the conveyed object 6, and the position of the rotating body 5 in contact with the conveyed object 6 of the wing portion 11 becomes almost constant. Therefore, the posture of the wing portion 11 is also stable. Therefore, only one carrier 6 is likely to intervene between two adjacent blades 11 in one rotating body 5.

[Example]
With respect to the above embodiments, examples in which dimensions, materials, and the like are defined more specifically will be described.

As the conveyed object 6 to be conveyed, a pulley component obtained by cutting the steel material S45C is used. The transported object 6 has a shape in which cylinders having different diameters are connected. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (c), the transported object 6 has a shape in which cylinders 6A and 6B having different bottom diameters are connected. The cylinder 6B is placed on the cylinder 6A, and the cylinders 6A and 6B are not separated and are integrated. The cylinder 6A of the transported object 6 has a bottom surface diameter of about 70 mm and a height of about 25 mm. The cylinder 6B has a bottom surface diameter of about 60 mm and a height of about 25 mm. The surface of the conveyed object 6 that can be contacted with the pair of guide body 3, stopper body 4, and wing portion 11 is made of steel material S45C, and the surface hardness is Brinell according to the JIS G4051-2009 standard. The hardness is 137 to 170.

As the carrier 8, an endless conveyor belt made of a urethane resin composition is used. The outer circumference of the transport body 8 is a transport surface 7 for transporting the transported object 6. The transport body 8 is wound around the drive roller 13 and the driven roller 15, and the transport body 8 is arranged on the gantry 9 so that the transport surface 7 is horizontal. The thickness of the transport body 8 is about 1.3 mm, the width is about 50 mm, and the length in the transport direction (distance between the shafts between the drive roller 13 and the driven roller 15) is about 2 m. Since the width of the carrier 8 is set to be narrower than the bottom diameter of the carrier 6, the workability of taking out the carrier 6 is improved as compared with the case where the width of the carrier 8 is set to be equal to or larger than the bottom diameter of the carrier 6. good. Further, the position of the rotation support portion 10 arranged outside the transport body 8 can be moved closer to the center in the width direction, and the transport device can be miniaturized accordingly.

As the guide body 3, a plate-shaped member long in the transport direction is used. A pair of guide bodies 3 are arranged so as to face each other on both sides of the transport body 8 in the left-right direction. The guide body 3 is not arranged on the side of the front end portion of the conveyor 2 in consideration of workability when the operator takes out the leading conveyed object 6 at the front end portion of the conveyor 2. The pair of guide bodies 3 are fixedly arranged on the gantry 9 via the leg members 17 so as to have a height that allows contact with the cylinder 6B. The thickness of the plates of the pair of guide bodies 3 arranged to face each other on both sides of the transport body 8 in the left-right direction is about 6 mm on both the left and right sides. Further, the distance between the facing surfaces of the pair of guide bodies 3 is about 64 mm, which is slightly larger than the diameter of the cylinder 6B of the conveyed object 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stopper body 4 is fixedly installed at the front end portion of the transport body 8 so that the contact surface 12 of the stopper body 4 coincides with the left-right direction of the transport surface 7. The stopper body 4 is installed on the gantry 9.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the rotating body 5 has one rotation support portion 10 and four blade portions 11. The four wing portions 11 are rotatably attached to the rotation support portion 10 at equal angular intervals via a cylindrical base portion 18 so as to form a cross shape. The length of the wing portion 11 is 95 mm, which is larger than the diameter of the cylinder 6A of the conveyed object 6 and larger than the width of the conveyed body 8. The radius of gyration of the wing portion 11 is 110 mm.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when one carrier 6 exists between two adjacent wing portions 11 belonging to the same rotating body 5, the two adjacent wing portions 11 are together. The rotation support portion 10 is arranged so as to intersect the transport path center line 16 which is a perpendicular bisector of a line segment vertically connecting the facing surfaces of the pair of guide bodies 3. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of rotation support portions 10 are arranged on the gantry 9 on the outside of the transport surface 7. Further, as for how to arrange the plurality of rotation support portions 10, as shown in FIG. 1, on the upstream side in the transport direction from the stopper body 4, in the left-right direction of the transport surface 7 with respect to the transport body 8. Arrange them upright in a staggered pattern on both sides with a space in the transport direction. The rotation support portions 10 are arranged so that the mounting pitch P1 of the rotation support portions 10 arranged in the left-right direction of the transport surface 7 is 240 mm on both the left and right sides.

As shown in FIGS. A rotation support portion 10 having a height such that the above-mentioned does not occur is used. The length from the upper surface of the gantry 9 to the lower surface of the base 18 in the rotation support portion 10 is about 1 mm on the right side and about 9 mm on the left side with respect to the direction of transportation.

The tip of the wing portion 11 is sharply pointed at an acute angle in a plane parallel to the transport surface 7, and the inclination angle is 45 °. The cross-sectional structure of the wing portion 11 is a solid structure. The cross-sectional shape of the wing portion 11 is rectangular, and is a square having a side of about 6 mm.

The surfaces of the pair of guide body 3, stopper body 4, and wing portion 11 that can come into contact with the conveyed object 6 are made of polyamide resin (cast nylon NB grade, manufactured by Samsung Belt Co., Ltd.) and have a hard surface. According to the JIS K7202 standard, the Rockwell hardness on the R scale is 115 to 120. As a matter of course, the surface hardness of the surfaces of the pair of guide bodies 3, the stopper body 4, and the wing portion 11 that can come into contact with the conveyed object 6 is the pair of guide bodies 3 and the stopper body 4 of the conveyed object 6. It is lower than the surface hardness of the surface that can come into contact with the wing portion 11.

Although not shown in the figure, for example, a leg portion of about 650 mm is provided under the gantry 9 so that the workability is improved when the operator takes out the conveyed object 6 at the first taking-out position in the conveying direction.

[Transport test]
In the alignment transfer device 1 of the embodiment, the pulley parts of a plurality of conveyed objects 6 which are intermittently conveyed one by one in an upright state can be conveyed and pre-aligned without the conveyed objects 6 coming into contact with each other. I evaluated whether it was.

In the transfer test, the aligned transfer device 1 was used to transfer 200 pieces of the conveyed items 6 manufactured in the previous step for 8 hours continuously. During that time, the state of the transported object 6 being transported in line was confirmed by video camera photography. Then, when the operator took out the conveyed object 6 in contact with the stopper body 4 from the taking-out position, all the appearances of the conveyed object 6 were confirmed.

[result]
During the aligned transportation, the conveyed objects 6 did not come into contact with each other. There were no scars on the transported object 6 during the aligned transfer. Therefore, it can be said that the conveyed object 6 was not damaged by the contact with the guide body 3, the stopper body 4, and the rotating body 5. In addition, the plurality of conveyed objects 6 could be aligned in a pre-packed state without any problem.

The guide body 3, the stopper body 4, and the rotating body 5 of the aligned transfer device 1 of the embodiment are not provided with a drive source such as a motor or its control at all, and the electric power consumed by the operation of the aligned transfer device 1 is This is due only to the operating operation of the conveyor 2. Nevertheless, in this transfer test, it was possible to pre-align the plurality of conveyed objects 6 in a state where the conveyed objects 6 did not come into contact with each other without any problem. In a device that requires control of a drive source such as a motor for aligning the conveyed objects 6 or the motor, which is a purpose other than rotating the conveyor 2, the device is used for the drive source or the control device. The configuration becomes complicated, the energy consumed by the operation of the equipment increases, and maintenance is required. The alignment transfer device 1 of the embodiment has a simpler configuration than a drive source such as a motor for aligning the conveyed objects 6 and a device that requires control thereof, which is a purpose other than rotating the transfer conveyor 2. With energy saving and maintenance saving, the conveyed objects 6 that are intermittently conveyed can be conveyed so that the conveyed objects 6 do not come into contact with each other, and can be pre-packed and aligned without the conveyed objects 6 coming into contact with each other. Here, the "simple configuration" is a device configuration that does not require a drive source such as a motor for aligning the conveyed objects 6 or its control, which is a purpose other than rotating the conveyor 2.

[Modification example]
Hereinafter, modifications of the present embodiment will be described.

(1) In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the rotating body 5 is on the upstream side of the stopper body 4 in the transport direction, and is on either side in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction with respect to the transport body 8. In addition, they may be arranged upright at intervals in the transport direction. At this time, the mounting pitch P2 of the rotation support portion 10 may be, for example, 125 mm, which is about half of the mounting pitch P1 of the rotation support portion 10 of the embodiment.

(2) In the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the contact surface 12 of the stopper body 4 comes into contact with the surface on the upstream side of the conveyed object 6 in contact with the contact surface 12 in the transport direction. The wing portion 11 may be inclined clockwise from the width direction of the transport surface 7 only in a direction parallel to the extending direction of the wing portion 11. For example, the angle between the extending direction of the wing portion 11 in contact with the surface on the upstream side of the conveyed object 6 in contact with the contact surface 12 and the width direction of the conveyed surface 7 is 31 °. In this case, the stopper body 4 may be attached so that the contact surface 12 is inclined clockwise from the width direction of the transport surface 7 at an angle larger than 0 ° and 31 ° or less.

According to the configuration of the above modification, if the transport body 8 is rotating when the transport object 6 at the head in the transport direction comes into contact with the stopper body 4, the transport object 6 at the head in the transport direction is the transport body 8. Receives a forward force F1 in the transport direction due to the rotation of. Further, the wing portion 11 in contact with the leading conveyed object 6 is pushed by the subsequent conveyed object 6 on the surface opposite to the side where the stopper body 4 is located and tries to rotate. As a result, the leading conveyed object 6 receives a force F2 from the wing portion 11 in the tangential direction around the rotation support portion 10 of the wing portion 11. That is, the leading conveyed object 6 slides along the contact surface 12 because it receives the rotational force F2 from the blade portion 11 while receiving the conveyed direction forward force F1 due to the rotation of the conveyed body 8. In the direction along the contact surface 12, the rotation support portion 10 of the wing portion 11 tends to shift toward the position. The resultant force of F1 and F2 is F3, the component force of F3 in the direction along the contact surface 12 is F4, and the component force of the resultant force F3 in the direction orthogonal to the contact surface 12 is opposite to the contact surface 12. The directional force (the reaction force that the conveyed object 6 receives from the stopper body 4) is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 as F5. In this respect, in this modification, the contact surface 12 of the stopper body 4 is in contact with the upstream surface of the conveyed object 6 in contact with the contact surface 12 in the extending direction of the wing portion 11. By inclining clockwise from the width direction of the transport surface 7 with respect to the direction parallel to the transport surface 7, it is possible to suppress sliding along the contact surface 12 of the head transport surface 6 and the resulting misalignment.

(3) In the above embodiment, the transport surface 7 may be tilted back and forth, left and right, front and back, left and right with respect to the horizontal plane.

(4) In the above embodiment, the number of wing portions 11 included in one rotating body 5 may be other than four. Further, the angular intervals of the plurality of blades 11 in the same rotating body 5 do not have to be equal intervals.

(5) In the above embodiment, the tip of the wing may not be sharply pointed. For example, it may be formed in a rectangular shape.

(6) In the above embodiment, in the rotating bodies 5 adjacent to each other in the transport direction, the height positions of the wing portions 11 are vertically staggered so as not to interfere with each other when arranged. It doesn't have to be. The height positions of all the blades 11 in the aligned transfer device 1 may be the same.

(7) In the above embodiment, the rotation support portion and the wing portion have a substantially integrated structure, and the rotation support portion may be fitted into a hole of a bearing arranged on the gantry. In this case, the rotary support portion is rotatable in the hole of the bearing, and the wing portion is rotatable around the rotary support portion.

(8) In the above embodiment, when the surface of the conveyed object 6 that can be contacted with the pair of guide bodies, stopper bodies, and blades is made of the steel material S45C, the pair of guide bodies, stoppers. The surface of the body and the wing portion that can come into contact with the conveyed object 6 may be formed of a material other than the polyamide resin, which has excellent physical properties such as mechanical strength (rigidity), toughness, and friction / wear characteristics. For example, the surface of the pair of guide body, stopper body, and wing portion that can come into contact with the conveyed object 6 is thermoplastic such as polyacetal resin, polytetrafluoroethylene resin, polophenylene sulfide resin, and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene resin. It may be formed of a resin or a heat-curable resin such as a phenol resin.

(9) In the above-described embodiment, the pair of guide bodies, stopper bodies, and surfaces of the conveyed object that can be contacted with the wing portion may be formed of synthetic resin. In this case, the surfaces of the pair of guide bodies, stopper bodies, and wings that can come into contact with the conveyed object are formed of a material having a lower surface hardness than the conveyed object such as soft resin.

1 Aligned transport device 2 Transport conveyor 3 Pair of guide body 4 Stopper body 5 Rotating body 6 Transport surface 8 Transport body 9 Stand 10 Rotation support part 11 Wing part 12 Contact surface 13 Drive roller 14 Drive motor 15 Driven roller

Claims (10)

It is an aligned transfer device that can stock a plurality of items to be conveyed in a one-row front-packed state.
A conveyor equipped with a conveyor that transports multiple objects in sequence,
A pair of guide bodies arranged on both sides in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction with respect to the transport body of the conveyor,
A stopper body having a contact surface with which the transported object at the head in the transport direction abuts,
A plurality of rotational support portions arranged on the upstream side of the stopper body in the transport direction and laterally in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction with respect to the transport body and arranged at intervals in the transport direction. When,
An aligned transport device, each comprising one said rotary support and a plurality of rotating bodies having a plurality of wings. When one of the conveyed objects is present between two adjacent wing portions belonging to the same rotating body, the two adjacent wing portions both intersect the transport path center line. The aligned transfer device according to claim 1. The aligned transport device according to claim 2, wherein the four blades are arranged in a cross shape on a plane parallel to the transport surface. The aligned transfer device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the tip portion of the wing portion is inclined on the side opposite to the rotation direction of the wing portion and is sharply sharpened. The aligned transport device according to claim 3 , wherein the positions of the blades of the plurality of rotating bodies in the vertical direction orthogonal to the transport surface are staggered in the transport direction. Any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the surface hardness of the surface of the wing portion that can come into contact with the wing portion is lower than the surface hardness of the surface of the wing portion that can come into contact with the wing portion. Alignment transfer device according to the section. Claim 1 is characterized in that the surface hardness of the surface of the pair of guides that can come into contact with the conveyed object is lower than the surface hardness of the surface of the pair of guides that can come into contact with the conveyed object. The aligned transfer device according to any one of 6 to 6. One of claims 1 to 7, wherein the surface hardness of the surface of the stopper body that can come into contact with the conveyed object is lower than the surface hardness of the surface of the stopper body that can come into contact with the stopper body. Alignment transfer device according to the section. The contact surface of the stopper body is limited to a direction parallel to the extending direction of the wing portion in contact with the upstream surface of the conveyed object in contact with the contact surface. The aligned transport device according to claim 3 , wherein the transport surface is inclined clockwise from the width direction. The aligned transfer device according to claim 3 , wherein the conveyed object is circular in a cross section parallel to the conveyed surface.

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