JP7211854B2 - weight sorting system - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a weight sorting system, and more particularly to a weight sorting system configured to inspect articles while they are being transported and sort them according to the inspection results.

A weighing device for inspecting an article while conveying it and a sorting device for sorting the inspected article on the downstream side in the conveying direction according to the inspection result are incorporated in a production line of a factory or the like to inspect and sort the article. Weigh sorting systems configured in this manner, for example weigh sorting systems, have been known for some time.

In such a system, high productivity is required by linking the weighing device and the sorting device within the range of their respective capabilities, so advanced setting operations are often required to match the two devices. .

Therefore, conventionally, in order to reduce the user's setting operation burden, the other of the weighing device and the sorting device calculates the inspection and sorting information that makes the other one of the weighing device and the sorting device the desired inspection and sorting ability based on the device information. and control is proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this weight sorting system, desired inspection and sorting is performed based on inspection device information including the transport path length and transport speed of the first conveyor on the side of the inspection device, which is a weighing device, and detection information on the position and transport interval of the transported article. Calculation of inspection and selection information for obtaining the ability, and based on the inspection and selection information, execution of control of the transfer speed of the second conveyor on the sorting device side and the movement speed according to the movement timing and movement direction of the sorting member. (See Patent Document 1, paragraph 0066).

JP 2009-28674 A

However, in the conventional weight sorting system as described above, a weighing conveyor is included on the side of the weighing device, and on the weighing conveyor, the leading article and the trailing article temporarily fall into a state of riding together. If this occurs, even items that can be sorted according to the inspection results within the sorting capacity of the sorting device will be discharged as two-piece NG products including non-defective products or inspection NG products including defective products. In some cases, the yield became worse.

Specifically, even if two items are on the weighing conveyor due to a slip of the preceding item, it is possible to control the transportation speed and sorting operation speed of the preceding item in the sorting device like the conventional weight sorting system. , or if the sorting device is configured such that the time interval between the sorting and discharging of the preceding and succeeding items becomes longer depending on the inspection results and the order of transportation, the inspection of the succeeding items can sometimes be completed normally. . However, in such a case, it is not clear whether the non-defective product and the defective product can be sorted correctly. In some cases, the NG was discharged as part of the article, and the yield was deteriorated.

The present invention has been made to solve such an unsolved problem, and sorting control of the preceding articles so that the inspection of the succeeding articles can be normally completed even when so-called two-piece loading occurs on the weighing device side. To provide a weight sorting system capable of normally finishing inspection of succeeding articles and enhancing productivity when possible.

In order to achieve the above object, the weight sorting system according to the present invention operates the sorting mechanism based on the quality determination result according to the weighed value obtained by weighing the sequentially carried items on the weighing conveyor, and sorts the items. Sorting on a sorting conveyor downstream of the weighing conveyor, and weighing at least the preceding item on the weighing conveyor when the preceding item and the succeeding item are carried in at intervals shorter than a predetermined interval. A weight sorting system for judging that an article is doubled for which a value cannot be obtained normally, operating the sorting mechanism, and sorting the articles judged to be doubled in a predetermined sorting direction, wherein the predetermined interval is set to the above It is set as a responsive operation time of the sorting mechanism, and when sorting the preceding article determined to be two-piece , the following article carried in following the preceding article is determined by the carry-in interval and the predetermined a sortability determination unit for determining whether sorting is possible based on the quality determination result according to the weighed value of the succeeding article by comparing the interval with the interval, and when the determination result of the sortability determination unit is sortable, the above two sorting the preceding articles determined to be individual pieces in the predetermined sorting direction, and executing sorting based on the quality judgment result of the succeeding articles brought in following the preceding articles ; a sorting control unit for determining that the succeeding article carried in following the preceding article together with the preceding article is two-on-one and sorting the article in the predetermined sorting direction when the determination result indicates that the sorting is not possible. characterized by

With this configuration, in the present invention, it is determined whether or not the interval between the preceding article and the succeeding article which are successively conveyed onto the weighing conveyor is shorter than a predetermined interval. After sorting, it is determined by the sorting propriety determining unit whether or not the transport interval is such that weight sorting of subsequent articles is possible. Therefore, even in the case of double-stacking, the sorting capacity of the sorting device (variable adjustable range of the sorting transport speed and the moving speed of the sorting member for each sorting operation direction, sorting timing due to the tandem arrangement of the sorting mechanism, etc.) When the wide variable time, etc.) is high and the transport interval allows the weight sorting of the subsequent item, the weight sorting of the subsequent item is possible. Therefore, even if two articles are on the weighing conveyor of the weighing device, the frequency of successfully completing the inspection of subsequent articles can be increased, and the productivity of the weight sorting system can be enhanced.

In the present invention, the sorting control unit controls the article conveying speed of the sorting conveyor to which the preceding articles are carried, and widens the distance between the preceding article and the succeeding article so that the sorting is possible. can be configured.

With this configuration, it is possible to widen the space between the leading article and the trailing article immediately after the leading article is carried to the sorting conveyor when two articles are on the sorting conveyor side. A sorting operation according to the inspection result can be performed easily and accurately.

Further, in the present invention, the sorting control section may be configured to operate the sorting mechanism corresponding to the article conveying speed of the sorting conveyor so that the sorting is possible.

In this case, it is possible to sort the succeeding articles according to the weight determination result.

According to the present invention, even if two items are on the weighing conveyor, the inspection of the succeeding article can be normally completed if the preceding article can be sorted and controlled so as to normally complete the inspection of the succeeding article. A weight sorting system that can increase productivity can be provided.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a weight sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic functional block diagram of a control system in a weight sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. (a) is a schematic plan view of a weight sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a conveying state in which weight sorting of succeeding articles during inspection is possible even though two items are on the weighing conveyor. , and (b) is a schematic plan view of the same weight sorting system, showing a conveying state in which two articles are on the weighing conveyor and it is difficult to sort the weight of the article on the following side. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of sorting control according to product intervals when two products are stacked in the weight sorting system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the weight sorting system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when two items on the weighing conveyor occur, but it is possible to sort the weight of the subsequent item under inspection, the two items on the preceding item are discharged as NG and the subsequent item is discharged. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a process of performing weight sorting of articles; In the weight sorting system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when two items are on the weighing conveyor and the transport state is such that it is difficult to sort the weight of the following item, both the preceding and following items FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a process of executing double-loaded NG discharge;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated, referring drawings.

1 to 6 show a weight sorting system according to one embodiment of the invention.

This embodiment exemplifies a case where the present invention is applied to a weight sorting system having a scale capable of measuring the weight of articles.

First, its configuration will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the weight sorting system 1 of the present embodiment carries out weight sorting (inspection and sorting) while transporting articles W to be inspected. 2 and a downstream conveyor 3 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the weight sorting system 1 includes a weighing device 10, a sorting device 20, a control device 30 that controls both devices 10 and 20, and setting information to the control device 30 by a user's operation input or the like. An information input unit 41 for inputting information and an information output unit 42 for outputting setting information to the outside using a display device or the like are provided.

The weighing device 10 includes a weighing conveyor 12 with a weighing table 11 , a weighing section 13 to which a weight is applied via the weighing table 11 , a transport drive motor 14 for driving the weighing conveyor 12 , and an upstream end side of the weighing conveyor 12 . and a positioned article detection sensor 15 .

The weighing conveyor 12 is supported by the weighing table 11 and can sequentially convey the articles W fed from the preceding conveyor 2 at a predetermined conveying pitch in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The front conveyor 2 and the rear conveyor 3 described above, the weighing conveyor 12, and the sorting conveyor 22, which will be described later, each have an endless conveyor belt stretched over, for example, a plurality of conveyor rollers arranged in parallel. Of the transport rollers, the transport roller on the drive side is driven by a motor.

The weighing unit 13 is provided on the base side of the weighing table 11 as an inspection unit that inspects the articles W conveyed by the weighing conveyor 12, and outputs weighing signals that change according to the weight of the articles W to the control device 30. It's like

The transport drive motor 14 is a variable-speed motor that drives the weighing conveyor 12 in the transport direction according to a transport drive signal from the control device 30 and moves the upper running surface of the weighing conveyor 12 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. be.

The article detection sensor 15 is a non-contact type sensor that detects articles W carried into the weighing conveyor 12 on the upstream end side of the weighing conveyor 12, for example, an optical sensor that is shielded by the article W. can be detected as rising or falling transitions of the output signal.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the sorting device 20 includes a sorting conveyor 22 supported by a support table 21, a pair of sorting members 23A and 23B, a transport drive motor 24, a carry-in detection sensor 25, and a sorting drive. a portion 26;

The sorting conveyor 22 is arranged downstream of the weighing conveyor 12 in the conveying direction, and is composed of a belt conveyor that carries in the same direction the inspected articles W carried out in the direction A from the weighing conveyor 12 and conveys them linearly. ing.

Base end sides of the sorting members 23A and 23B are rotatably supported by the support bases 21 on both sides of the sorting conveyor 22 in the width direction, and as shown in FIGS. It is of the flipper type in which the free end sides of the are moved toward and away from each other.

These sorting members 23A and 23B are supported by the support table 21 and change their relative postures on the sorting conveyor 22, so that both of them assume parallel standby postures shown by solid lines in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). Allow the article W being conveyed to pass in the A direction when picking up. When one of the sorting members 23A and 23B takes the standby position and the other takes the crossed posture indicated by the phantom lines in FIGS. can be discharged to one side or the other side in the vertical direction (width direction).

The sorting members 23A and 23B are further provided corresponding to a predetermined sorting position Rj on the sorting conveyor 22, and adjust the conveying route of the article W reaching the sorting position Rj according to the sorting command signal from the control device 30. are distributed according to the

The transport drive motor 24 is a variable-speed motor that drives the sorting conveyor 22 in the transport direction according to a transport drive signal from the control device 30 .

The carry-in detection sensor 25 is of a non-contact type for detecting the articles W carried in from the weighing conveyor 12 on the upstream end side of the sorting conveyor 22, for example, an optical sensor similar to the article detection sensor 15. and trailing edges are detectable as rising or falling transitions of the output signal.

The sorting drive unit 26 is a sorting mechanism capable of sorting the discharge direction of the articles W in the direction corresponding to the sorting command signal by moving or holding the sorting members 23A and 23B to relative postures corresponding to the sorting command signal. and is composed of, for example, a rotary actuator, an air cylinder, a rotary/linear motion conversion mechanism, an electromagnetic switching valve, or the like.

The control device 30 includes, for example, a microcomputer configuration including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM and an I/O interface, as well as a programmable controller that gives input/output signals to a driver for driving the transfer. For speed control of the conveying drive motors 14 and 24, for example, an F/V control method that performs motor speed feedback control in accordance with a deviation between a voltage feedback signal proportional to the motor rotation speed and a signal commanding a target value of the motor rotation speed. (See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-028892).

This control device 30 can realize a plurality of control function units according to a control program stored in the ROM. First storage means 31 for storing weighing device information such as quality judgment and sorting judgment conditions corresponding to the weighed value corresponding to the output signal of 13; It also has a second storage means 32 for storing sorting device information such as operating speed (hereinafter referred to as moving speed) in each attitude switching direction of 23A and 23B and specifications of the sorting mechanism.

Further, the control device 30 is a first control means for executing control for quality judgment and sorting judgment corresponding to the weighed value corresponding to the output signal of the weighing unit 13 based on the information stored in both the storage means 31 and 32. 33, and a second control means 34 for executing control to adjust the capabilities such as the operating speed of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20 so as to match each other.

The control conditions referred to here include variable control parameters such as the transport speed of the weighing conveyor 12, the transport speed of the sorting conveyor 22, and the moving speed of the sorting members 23A and 23B in the orientation switching directions. Furthermore, the reference conveyor speed of the first and second conveyors 12, 22, the upper limit of acceleration during speed adjustment, or the position or time of completion of acceleration may be included.

In addition to such control conditions, the weighing device information and the sorting device information include, for example, the operating states of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20, operating conditions required for each product type and other setting information, and machine specifications. It contains the originating information, etc.

The operating state includes, for example, the sorting positions of the sorting members 23A and 23B of the sorting device 20, the direction and angle of movement, the transport speed of the weighing conveyor 12 and the sorting conveyor 22, and the like. Further, the operating conditions include the determination timing and determination threshold of the weighing device 10 corresponding to the belt speed of the weighing conveyor 12, the sorting movement direction of the sorting members 23A and 23B of the sorting device 20 corresponding to the belt speed of the sorting conveyor 22, and the like. movement speed and the like. The information derived from the machine specifications includes the clock and version information on the software of the control device 30, the transport path lengths of the weighing conveyor 12 and the sorting conveyor 22, the lengths and operating angles of the sorting members 23A and 23B (standby positions and angular displacement between distribution positions).

Further, since the moving speed of the distributing members 23A and 23B during the distributing operation can be converted into the moving time between the distributing position and the standby position of the distributing members 23A and 23B, the moving speed of the distributing members 23A and 23B can be replaced with Therefore, the moving time of the sorting members 23A and 23B can be used as sorting device information.

The first control means 33 of the control device 30 controls the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20 so that the operability of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20 becomes desired when the type of the article W to be inspected in the weighing device 10 is specified. After preferentially setting the operating conditions of one of the devices, for example, the operating conditions of the weighing device 10, the operating conditions of the other of the two devices, such as the operating conditions of the sorting device 20, are automatically set in accordance with the operating conditions of the weighing device 10. is set to

Further, the second control means 34 of the control device 30 controls the operation of the sorting device 20 when the conveying pitches of the plurality of articles W on the weighing conveyor 12 and the sorting conveyor 22 irregularly change due to the slipping of the articles W or the like. In accordance with the operating state and operating conditions of the weighing device 10, the capabilities of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20, such as the operating speed, are adjusted by dynamically switching their control conditions.

The adjustment of the operating speed of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20 by the second control means 34 is, as shown in FIG. A conveying time interval Ti (Ti=T1−T2−Tw) corresponding to the separation distance (length) between the leading end of the subsequent article W is This is executed when the road narrows as shown in FIG. 3(b) due to a delay such as a slip.

Alternatively, the adjustment by the second control means 34 is such that the leading edge interval (Ti+Tw) corresponding to the transportation time corresponding to the separation distance from the leading edge of the article W immediately after the start of carrying-in onto the sorting conveyor 22 to the leading edge of the succeeding article W is , is executed when the value becomes shorter than a predetermined transport time Tc (=transport distance Lc/transport speed Vc) corresponding to the transport distance of the weighing conveyor 12 of the weighing device 10 .

In addition, the second control means 34 controls the first storage means 31, the second storage means 32 and the first control means 33, which are other components of the control device 30, the peripheral article detection sensor 15, and the carried-in detection sensor. 25 and the information input unit 41, a plurality of control functions as shown in FIG. 2 can be exhibited.

Specifically, the second control means 34 stores the transport time Tw corresponding to the length of the product from the first storage means 31 when the front end or the rear end of the preceding article Wa is detected by the carry-in detection sensor 25, for example. , the transport speed at the time of inspection from the first control means 33 or the speed ratio to the reference transport speed, and the tip detection timings of the preceding and succeeding articles Wa and Wb from the article detection sensor 15 (at the conveying times T1 and T2). Correspondence), the function of the product interval detection means 51 for detecting the transport time interval Ti between the preceding and succeeding products Wa and Wb can be exhibited.

For example, the second control means 34, in cooperation with the second storage means 32 and the first control means 33, retrieves from the second storage means 32 a two-piece determination criterion that is the normal lower limit value of the transport time interval Ti. The value is captured as an interval value (T1-Tw in FIG. 3(a)) about the predetermined transport time Tc of the weighing conveyor 12, and when the carry-in detection sensor 25 detects the trailing edge of the preceding article Wa, the detection time Then, it is determined whether or not a so-called double loading has occurred, in which both the weight of the preceding article Wa during or immediately after being weighed on the weighing conveyor 12 and the load of the following article Wb before being weighed are applied to the weighing section 13. It is designed to That is, the second control means 34 determines that the transport time interval Ti between the subsequent article Wb detected by the article detection sensor 15 and the preceding article Wa carried in prior to the article Wb satisfies the double-piece determination reference value. If not, the preceding article Wa is sorted by the sorting device 20 in the sorting direction of two vehicle articles (for example, the direction corresponding to the positions P1 and P4 of the sorting members 23A and 23B in FIG. 3A). Generate a decision signal.

Then, when the second control means 34 determines that two articles have been placed on the weighing conveyor 12, which is the weighing conveyor, during the inspection of the preceding article Wa, the article W carried into the weighing conveyor 12 and the succeeding article are conveyed. The condition of the time interval Ti is compared with the sorting capability Tj of the judgment threshold (hereinafter also simply referred to as the judgment threshold) to find a time interval in which the succeeding articles Wb can be sorted by adjusting the operating capabilities of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20, for example. value (Ti>Tj) or a time interval value (Ti≦Tj) that is highly likely to make it impossible to sort the succeeding article Wb even with its adjustment. be able to.

Here, the sorting ability Tj of the judgment threshold for determining whether or not there is a high possibility that the conveying time interval Ti falls into a state in which sorting is impossible even by adjusting the operation capabilities of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20 is the following article Wb. Although it can be set as the shortest (fastest) sorting operation time of the sorting device 20 that can respond to the sorting command input, the transport time interval Ti varies depending on the sorting transport speed and the moving speed of the sorting members 23A and 23B for each sorting operation direction. By expanding the adjustable range and arranging the sorting mechanism (not limited to the flipper method, but any one or combination of push method, drop method, air jet method, etc.), a wide variable time for sorting timing. etc., and a relatively large interval value can be set.

In addition, the sorting ability Tj, which is the threshold value for determining whether or not there is a high possibility that sorting is not possible even after the transportation time interval Ti is adjusted as described above, is set by the information input unit 41 for each type of article W, and is set by the information input unit 41. The second control means 34 sets the sorting capacity Tj(w) of the sorting device 20 for each product type based on the transport speed of the weighing conveyor 12 and the sorting requirements of the sorting device 20 stored in the storage means 32 of . It has become so. That is, the second control means 34 cooperates with the second storage means 32 and the information input section 41 to function as the ability input means 53 for setting and inputting the sorting ability Tj(w). .

Further, when the carry-in detection sensor 25 detects the leading end or the trailing end of the preceding article Wa, the second control means 34 determines that the preceding article Wa has been doubled during the inspection by the sortability determination means 52. Moreover, when it is determined that the transport time interval Ti' (>Tj) that enables sorting of the succeeding article Wb can be achieved by adjusting the operating speed of the sorting device 20 with respect to the operating speed of the weighing device 10, the preceding article Wa is carried in, the belt speed of the sorting conveyor 22 is increased, and the transport time interval Ti between the preceding and following articles Wa and Wb is expanded to the transport time interval Ti' that enables sorting of the succeeding article Wb. The function of the conveyor control means 54 which outputs a signal to the conveyance drive motor 24 is demonstrated.

When the function of the conveyor control means 54 is exhibited, the second control means 34 cooperates with the first control means 33 to change the movement speed of the distribution member 23A, 23B from the distribution position side to the standby position side. , the movement speed from the standby position side to the distribution position side can be made different to function as a distribution control means 55 that further widens the transfer time interval Ti'.

The first control means 33 of the control device 30 has the function of a weight determination means 56 that performs weight determination and sorting determination based on the weighing signal from the weighing section 13 .

As described above, in the weight sorting system 1 of the present embodiment, the second control means 34 of the control device 30 sorts out the preceding articles Wa in the sorting direction of the two vehicle articles in addition to judging that two vehicles are on board. After the weight determination result of the succeeding article Wb, there is a sortability determination means 52 for determining whether or not it is a transport time interval Ti that allows sorting based on the weight determination result of the succeeding article Wb. >Tj), the weight of the subsequent article Wb is measured and sorting is performed based on the weight determination result, and when the determination result is a transport interval Ti (≦Tj) where sorting is not possible, the succeeding article Wb is sorted. Sort in the sorting direction of two vehicle items.

Further, in the present embodiment, the conveyor control means 54 and the sorting control means 55, which are the sorting control units, control the article conveyance of the sorting conveyor 22 into which the preceding article Wa has been carried so that the succeeding article Wb can be sorted. The speed is controlled to increase, and the transfer time interval Ti is widened to a relatively large transfer time interval Ti'.

Further, in the present embodiment, the conveyor control means 54 and the sorting control means 55, which are sorting control units, correspond to the article conveying speed of the sorting conveyor 22 for each type so that the succeeding articles Wb can be sorted. to operate the sorting drive unit 26 .

Next, operation will be described.

In the weight sorting system of this embodiment configured as described above, the weight of the article W being conveyed is measured by the weighing section 13 of the weighing device 10, and the measured value The excess or deficiency of the weight, which is the quality state of each article W, is determined based on .

Further, when the conveying pitches of the plurality of articles W on the weighing conveyor 12 and the sorting conveyor 22 change irregularly, the second control means 34 of the control device 30 changes the operating conditions of the sorting device 20 to the operating state of the weighing device 10. and control to adjust according to operating conditions.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic processing procedure of a control program that executes such control.

As shown in the figure, first, stored information such as weighing device information and sorting device information is read from the first storage means 31 and the second storage means 32 of the control device 30 (step S11). A sorting capability Tj of the sorting device 20 that can match the inspection conditions (conveyance speed, etc.) of the article W is input (step S12).

Next, the conveying time interval Ti between the trailing end of the preceding article W and the leading end of the following article W at the time when it was carried onto the sorting conveyor 22 of the sorting device 20 is detected (step S13). is less than a normal lower limit of a predetermined transport time Tc for the transport distance of the weighing conveyor 12 (=preceding article transport time T1-transport time Tw for the length of the item). It is determined whether or not a two-on-one state in which the time interval Ti is less than the normal lower limit has occurred (step S14).

At this time, if it is determined that a two-piece state has occurred (YES in step S14), then whether the transport time interval Ti between the preceding article Wa and the succeeding article Wb is greater than the sorting ability Tj of the judgment threshold. Based on whether or not, it is determined whether or not the interval value allows sorting of the succeeding article Wb by adjusting the operation capabilities of the weighing device 10 and the sorting device 20 even though the two-piece state has occurred (Ti>Tj). (Step S15).

At the time of outputting the inspection result of the succeeding article Wb, for example, when the leading edge of the following article Wb is at the conveying timing (t3) in FIG. 5C, the conveying time interval Ti is determined as shown in FIG. Rather than becoming sufficiently large with respect to the threshold sorting ability Tj, slippage of the preceding article Wa occurs, and as shown in FIGS. is equal to or less than the sorting capability Tj of the determination threshold, and it is determined that the interval value for sorting the succeeding article Wb is not obtained even by the adjustment described above (NO in step S15 (Ti≤Tj and Ti′≦Tj), as shown in FIGS. 6(c) and 6(d), not only the preceding article Wa but also the succeeding article Wb are subjected to the two-piece NG discharge process. (Step S16).

In addition, at time t3 (see FIG. 5) when the inspection result of the succeeding article Wb is output, the transportation time interval Ti with respect to the preceding article Wa is larger than the sorting ability Tj of the judgment threshold, and the succeeding article Wb can be sorted by the adjustment described above. If it is determined that the interval value can be obtained (YES (Ti>Tj) in step S15), as shown in FIGS. Unlike being discharged to D1, as shown in FIG. 5(d), the succeeding article Wb undergoes weight sorting processing, and can be discharged as a non-defective article while the sorting members 23A and 23B are in the standby state. (step S17).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the transport time interval Ti does not become less than the normal lower limit of the predetermined transport time Tc of the weighing conveyor 12 and the two-piece state does not occur (NO (Ti≧Tc) in step S14). case), the normal weight sorting process is executed by the first control means 33 (step S18).

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not a two-piece state has occurred based on the transportation time interval Ti between the preceding article Wa and the succeeding article Wb on the weighing conveyor 12, which is the weighing conveyor. When a two-piece loading state does not satisfy the predetermined transport time Tc, which is the allowable condition of , two preceding articles Wa are sorted in the sorting direction D1 (see FIGS. 5(c) and 5(d)) of the vehicle item. On the other hand, the sortability determining means 52 determines whether or not the transport time interval (Ti>Tj) allows weight sorting of the succeeding article Wb.

Therefore, the sorting capability Tj of the sorting device 20 for the succeeding articles Wb is high (the minimum sorting time is relatively short compared to the conveying time interval Ti), and the conveying time interval Ti is the time (Ti >Tj), rapid weight sorting becomes possible. Therefore, even if a so-called two-item ride occurs on the weighing conveyor 12 on the weighing device 10 side, when the sorting control of the preceding articles Wa on the sorting device 20 side is possible so as to normally end the inspection of the succeeding articles Wb, The inspection of the succeeding article Wb can be reliably completed normally, and the productivity of the weight sorting system 1 can be enhanced.

In addition, in this embodiment, immediately after the leading article Wa is carried into the sorting device 20 side, the article conveying speed of the sorting conveyor 22 is controlled so that the leading article Wa and the following article Wb are separated from each other. Since the transport time interval Ti can be extended, normal inspection of subsequent articles Wb and sorting operation according to the inspection result (weight determination result) can be easily and accurately performed.

Moreover, the sorting control means 55 of the control device 30 controls the sorting members 23A and 23B, which are sorting mechanisms, in accordance with the article conveying speed Vc of the sorting conveyor 22, so that the succeeding articles Wb can be sorted. is configured to operate, it is possible to accurately sort the succeeding articles Wb according to the weight determination result.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if two articles are on the weighing conveyor 12, when it is possible to perform the sorting control of the preceding article Wa such that the inspection of the succeeding article Wb is normally completed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a weight sorting system 1 that can normally complete the inspection of the succeeding article Wb without sorting and discharging a plurality of two-piece articles together as two-piece NG articles, and that can improve productivity. .

In the present embodiment, the sorting members 23A and 23B are exemplified as the sorting mechanism of the sorting device 20, but as described above, the flipper method is not limited to the push-out method of pushing out the articles W in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor. , a drop method in which the conveyed articles W are dropped vertically downward by changing the shape and posture of the conveyor or are lowered along an inclined conveying surface, and an air jet method in which the articles W on the conveyor are blown away by jets of compressed air. , of course, can be employed in the sorting mechanism.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the discharge direction of the two-piece NG product and the discharge direction of the NG product by weight judgment are at the same position in the conveying direction, and the directions are perpendicular to the conveying direction and opposite to each other. However, a plurality of sorting mechanisms of the same type or different sorting methods may be arranged in tandem in the conveying direction, and sorted and discharged to any of a plurality of different discharge positions in the conveying direction according to the sorting determination result.

As described above, the weight sorting system of the present invention, even when two items are on the weighing conveyor, can perform the sorting control of the preceding items so that the inspection of the succeeding items can be normally completed. This invention is applicable to weight sorting systems in general configured to inspect articles while conveying them and sort them according to the inspection results. Useful.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 weight sorting system 10 weighing device 12 weighing conveyor 13 weighing section 14, 24 transport drive motor 15 article detection sensor (article detection section, carry-in interval detection section)
20 sorting device (sorting unit)
22 sorting conveyor 23A, 23B sorting member (sorting mechanism)
25 carry-in detection sensor 30 control device 33 first control means 34 second control means 51 product interval detection means 52 selection availability determination means (selection availability determination unit)
53 Capability input means 54 Conveyor control means (sorting control section)
55 distribution control means (sorting control unit)
56 Weight determination means D1 Sorting direction of two vehicle items P1, P2 Standby position P3, P4 Sorting position T1 Transport time (preceding item transport time)
T2 transport time (subsequent article transport time)
Ti transport time interval (interval between predecessor and successor)
Tj Sorting ability (judgment threshold)
W Goods (goods to be inspected)
Wa Predecessor product Wb Successor product

Claims (3)

A sorting mechanism is operated on the basis of the quality determination result corresponding to the weight value obtained by weighing the sequentially carried articles on the weighing conveyor, and sorting the articles on the sorting conveyor downstream from the weighing conveyor, When the carry-in interval of the preceding article and the subsequent article that are successively carried among the articles is shorter than a predetermined interval, at least the preceding article on the weighing conveyor is determined to be two-piece for which the weighing value cannot be obtained normally. A weight sorting system that operates a sorting mechanism and sorts the articles determined to be two-piece in a predetermined sorting direction,
The predetermined interval is set as a responsive operating time of the sorting mechanism, and when sorting the preceding article determined to be two-piece, the subsequent article carried in following the preceding article is a sorting possibility determination unit that compares the carry-in interval with the predetermined interval and determines whether sorting is possible based on the quality determination result according to the weighed value of the succeeding article;
When the judgment result of the sortability judging unit is sortable , the preceding article judged to be two-piece is sorted in the predetermined sorting direction, while the succeeding article carried in following the preceding article is sorted . Sorting is executed based on the quality determination result, and when the determination result of the sortability determination unit is unsortable, the following item carried in together with the preceding item following the preceding item is determined to be two pieces. and a sorting control unit for sorting in the predetermined sorting direction. The sorting control unit controls the article conveying speed of the sorting conveyor to which the preceding articles are carried, and widens the distance between the preceding article and the succeeding article so that the sorting is possible. Weigh sorting system according to claim 1. 3. The weight sorting system according to claim 2, wherein the sorting control unit operates the sorting mechanism in accordance with the article conveying speed of the sorting conveyor so as to enable the sorting.

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