JP7246221B2 - Work ejection mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a work discharging mechanism suitable for supplying a group of works to a plurality of rows in a manufacturing line for manufacturing articles by supplying works to predetermined containers having a plurality of rows. More particularly, the present invention relates to a work discharging mechanism for suitably supplying works such as ingredients to a plurality of containers in a food manufacturing line.

In a food production line, a plurality of rows of cup-shaped containers are stored in a frame provided on a conveyor line and sequentially conveyed by the conveyor line. There are many ways to do it. Usually, in the production line, it is often the case that a plurality of cup-shaped containers are continuously arranged in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor line (line width direction). (Ingredients, soup, etc.) are supplied intermittently and sequentially (Fig. 4).

Conventionally, parts feeders and other devices that use vibration have often been used to supply workpieces to such containers. Therefore, it is desired to utilize a device capable of high-speed filling with higher feed weight accuracy. Further, in the case of such a device that has a higher feed weight accuracy and can be filled at a higher speed, the size of the device is often increased.

On the other hand, the interval between the containers in the width direction on the conveyor line is often narrow. That is, in many cases, the distance between the lines of containers (hereinafter referred to as "rows") parallel to the traveling direction of the conveyor line is narrow.
Therefore, in the production line as described above, even if an attempt is made to use a weighing/supplying device having a higher feeding weight accuracy, a higher filling speed, and a larger size, the intervals between the rows are often narrow. In many cases, it was difficult to arrange large equipment such as the computer scale for each row of the conveyor line.

Therefore, the workpieces supplied from a single workpiece supply device, such as a computer scale, which has higher supply weight accuracy and can be filled at a higher speed, is quickly distributed and supplied to multiple rows of about 2 to 4 on the conveyor line. I can think of a way. For example, the following prior patents concerning such a sorting mechanism can be cited.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-182824

Although the sorting mechanism described in the above prior art can be used to supply works for the above purpose, the sorting direction is two, and the sorting line is limited. Moreover, when using a device such as a computer scale that has a high feed weight accuracy and is capable of filling at a higher speed, it is preferable to reduce vibration as much as possible. Therefore, there is room for examining other methods.

Therefore, the present inventors set the task of developing a workpiece discharge mechanism that can quickly distribute a group of workpieces that are sequentially and intermittently supplied to each row in the conveyor line with little vibration. .

As a result of the diligent research of the present inventors, it was found that the workpieces discharged from the work supply device such as a computer scale can cover about 2 to 4 line rows, and the ingredients are discharged from the work supply device at predetermined time intervals. As a sorting mechanism for quickly sorting works such as each row, it is possible to use a tubular member that rotates around a predetermined axis and discharges the supplied work at a predetermined rotation angle. found to be less and more effective.

The rotating tubular member and a plurality of conduits arranged around the predetermined axis at regular intervals to receive the workpiece discharged at the predetermined rotation angle, wherein the outlet end of each conduit is a conveyor line. It has been found that the above object can be achieved by providing a work discharge mechanism having conduits positioned so as to be able to supply work to a predetermined row.
That is, the first invention of the present application is
"A work discharge mechanism that distributes and discharges a group of works supplied intermittently and sequentially to a plurality of conveyor lines, wherein the work discharge mechanism
a tubular member that rotates around a predetermined axis and discharges the supplied work at a predetermined rotation angle;
a plurality of conduits uniformly spaced around said predetermined axis for receiving workpieces ejected at said predetermined rotational angle, wherein the outlet end of each conduit is positioned to feed a predetermined row of conveyor lines; a conduit through which
A work discharge mechanism having a ", is.

Further, it is preferable to provide a plate-like member connected to the inlet of each conduit and having a hole corresponding to each inlet.
That is, the second invention of the present application is
"The work discharge mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a plate-like member connected to the inlet of each conduit and having a hole corresponding to each inlet."

Further, it is preferable to provide a relay stock mechanism continuously connected to the outlet end of each conduit for accumulating and discharging a group of workpieces falling through the conduit.
That is, the third invention of the present application is
3. A work discharge mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a relay stock mechanism for accumulating and discharging a group of works falling through said conduit continuously from the exit end of said conduit.

Next, the stock part has a hollow cylindrical member arranged vertically, and a substantially elliptical rotating plate is mounted in the cylindrical member to realize two actions of "receiving" and "discharging" in one action. It is preferable that the intermediate member has a workpiece accumulation/ejection mechanism.
That is, the fourth invention of the present application is
"The relay stock mechanism
a hollow cylindrical member;
an elliptical partition member that is provided inside the cylindrical member and that rotates about a rotation axis that passes through the cylindrical member substantially horizontally;
4. The work discharge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: ", is.

Next, it is preferable that each work discharge mechanism described above is used continuously in the discharge section of a computer scale such as a computer scale.
That is, the fifth invention of the present application is
``The work discharge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the work discharge mechanism is a work discharge mechanism that is continuously installed in a discharge portion of a computer scale.''

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic front view showing the entire work supply system for a conveyor line, including the work discharge mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view of a work ejection mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an intermediate stock mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a perspective schematic diagram which shows a conveyor line of multiple rows. 1 is a perspective view of a work ejection mechanism having a tubular member and a conduit according to the first embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a work ejection mechanism having a tubular member and a conduit according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a work ejection mechanism with tubular members and conduits of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a front view of the first intermediate stock section of the intermediate stock mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing the procedure of an example of supplying containers on the conveyor line from the intermediate stock mechanism in the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective schematic diagram and plane schematic diagram of the example which showed arrangement|positioning of a computer scale. It is the front view which showed the sorting chute. FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing the entire work supply system for the conveyor line including the work discharge mechanism of the second embodiment of the present invention;

1 Work discharge mechanism 3 Tubular member 5 Conduit 7 Intermediate stock mechanism 9 First intermediate stock part 11 Second intermediate stock part 13 Opening 15 Fixed member 21 Cylindrical member 23 Partition member 25 Sorting chute member 50 Computer scale 60 Conveyor line CP Cup shape Container W Work

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, it demonstrates, referring drawings for the embodiment of this invention. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the entire work supply system for a conveyor line 60, including the work discharge mechanism 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the work discharge mechanism 1 of the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the intermediate stock mechanism 7 of the first embodiment of the present invention.

The work supply system shown in FIG. 1 is a general front view of a first embodiment of a work supply system for intermittently supplying works to a plurality of rows of a conveyor line 60 . The work supply system of the first embodiment of the present invention shows an example of a work supply system using a computer scale 50. FIG.
The work discharge mechanism 1 of the present invention is provided below the computer scale 50. The work discharge mechanism 1 passes through the tubular member 3 that rotates intermittently and the work W that the tubular member 3 discharges at a predetermined angle. and a relay stock mechanism 7 for storing works W discharged from each conduit 5, which has a first relay stock portion 9 and a second relay stock portion 11 which are installed in two upper and lower stages. ing.

It has a cup-shaped container CP for receiving the work W discharged from the second relay stock section 11 and a conveyor line 60 for conveying the cup-shaped container CP.
The work supply system including the work discharge mechanism of the present invention can be applied to any type of work supply device. , a mode of sorting to each row of the conveyor line 60 by the sorting means of the work discharge mechanism 1 of the present invention is described. The contents of the present invention will be specifically described below.

─Conveyor line with multiple rows─
As shown in FIG. 4, the work discharge mechanism 1 of the first embodiment has a conveyor line 60 in a food production line, that is, a conveyor line 60 having a plurality of rows and sequentially conveyed in a predetermined direction. It is assumed that works W (dry ingredients, confectionery, etc.) are sequentially supplied to each cup-shaped container CP arranged on 60 .

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of rows of containers CP are sequentially conveyed by a conveyor line 60, and a work W such as ingredients and soup of a predetermined weight is put into the containers. In the production line, a plurality of containers CP are continuously arranged in a direction (line width direction) perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor line 60, and a predetermined work W (ingredients, soup, etc.) is placed in each container. are supplied intermittently and sequentially at approximately the same time.

─Work─
The work W according to the present invention is assumed to be dried ingredients such as food, soup, sweets, etc., but it is needless to say that the work W is not limited to these. Normally, dried ingredients and the like in a food production line are not exactly the same in size and shape, and in most cases there are some differences in shape. A computer scale is excellent for weighing and discharging a predetermined amount of such dry food. That is, in the present invention, the present invention can be suitably applied in the case where the work to be supplied is food having such a shape and size.

In particular, the workpieces to be supplied in the present application are of the type that are sequentially supplied to containers on a conveyor line, and are particularly suitable for instant cup noodles in cups and dry foods used for confectionery. Specifically, freeze-dried or hot-air dried ingredients used for instant noodles (cup noodles or bag noodles), or particulate dried ingredients (meat-based ingredients) that have been oil-heat dried (fried) or baked , vegetable ingredients), powdered soups (granule soups), etc., and dry particulate confectionery (freeze-dried, hot-air dried, oil-heat dried (fried), baked, etc.).

In addition, it is preferable that the work to be finally supplied has a discharged (supplied) weight of about 0.5 to 20.0 g in one discharge from a work supply device such as a computer scale. Further, it is more preferable to set it to about 1.0 g to 10.0 g. More preferably, it is about 2.0 g to 5.0 g.

─Workpiece Ejection Mechanism (Rotary Ejection Mechanism)─
A work discharge mechanism 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention is a tubular member that intermittently rotates around a vertical rotating shaft, and is capable of discharging a work at a predetermined rotation angle. have
In a first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the tubular member 5 rotates about a vertical axis of rotation, has a bottom and has an inclined portion at the bottom. 4 shows a mode in which an opening 13 is provided at the inclined end.

The workpiece W supplied to the tubular member 5 from above passes through the tube of the tubular member 5 and is discharged obliquely downward from the opening 13 in the direction in which the opening is directed by the rotating shaft. become.
The intermittently rotating tubular member 3 of the present invention may be of the type shown in FIG. 5, or of a type having a curved lower end as shown in FIG.
Further, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotation angle at which the discharge from the opening is possible is set every 120°, and the workpiece is inserted into the inlet of the conduit 5 at the position. It is constructed so that it can be discharged (FIG. 5(b)). Via each conduit 5, the workpiece W is guided to each row of the conveyor line 60 and dropped.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, a disk-shaped fixing member 15 is used to fix the inlet of the conduit 5, and the fixing member 15 is provided with holes at every 120°. A connecting portion for the conduit 5 is provided continuously with the hole.
Only by intermittently rotating the tubular member 3 in this way, it is possible to sequentially supply each row on the conveyor line 60, and it is possible to supply from a computer scale or the like that is intermittently and quickly supplied. It is possible to sequentially and quickly distribute the works W to a plurality of rows while reducing the influence of vibration on the weighing machine such as the computer scale 50 .

Further, the conduit 5 is provided to drop the work W downward according to the direction of gravity, and the material thereof is not particularly limited, but a flexible material is easy to use. It is also possible to have a flexible form with a bellows-like outer surface. In addition, it is preferable to use a material and a structure with low friction for the inner surface with which the work W comes into contact so that the work W can easily drop to the lower part. Further, the tubular member 3 can be rotated by connecting a predetermined power section via a belt or the like.

In addition to the rotating discharge mechanism using the annular member 3, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to use (b) for each degree. As described above, the works W can be sorted by only rotating a predetermined angle, so that the works W can be discharged quickly and with little influence of vibration on the weighing machine (computer scale, etc.).
Further, by limiting the structure of the tubular member 3 to various modes in this way, various supply modes can be realized. The rotation angle is not particularly limited, and can be made smaller by changing the size of the conduit 5 or the like.

─Intermediate Stock Mechanism─
In the first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a relay stock mechanism 7 for temporarily holding the work W discharged by the work discharge mechanism 1 together with the work discharge mechanism before the work W is put into the cup-shaped container CP. .
If the intermediate stock mechanism 7 is not provided, the cup is supplied directly from the work discharge mechanism 1. In this case, if the distance from the work discharge mechanism 1 to the cup-shaped container CP below it is large, Since the work W drops downward with momentum, the work W may be damaged or bounce when it lands in the cup-shaped container.

Therefore, in such a case, the intermediate stock mechanism 7 once stocks and holds the work W immediately before it is supplied to the cup-shaped container CP, and then releases the stock so that the work W is gently placed in the cup. can be fed into the cup at any time.
In addition, the supply of the workpiece W from the workpiece discharge mechanism 1 causes a time lag for each lane. be able to.

In the intermediate stock mechanism 7 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate stock mechanism 7 has a first intermediate stock portion 9 and a second intermediate stock portion 11 which are provided in two upper and lower stages. . By providing two stages in this way, it is possible to store the works W in the first intermediate stock part 9 in the upper stage while supplying the works W in the second intermediate stock part 11 in the lower stage. The time from receiving to discharging can be shortened.

As shown in FIG. 3, each relay stock part (9, 11) has a hollow cylindrical member 21 and a rotating shaft that is provided inside the cylindrical member 21 and passes through the cylindrical member substantially horizontally. An elliptical partition member 23 is provided.
When the partition member 23 is in the state of (a) or (b) of FIG. 8, the work W that has fallen from above can be temporarily stocked, and after stocking, the state shown in (a) or (b) of FIG. By rotating the partition member left and right along the rotation axis around the arrow, the stocked work can be discharged downward. Incidentally, the elliptical shape referred to in the present invention naturally includes a circular shape.

In addition, in this embodiment, the intermediate stock portion is also a cylindrical member, but is not limited to this, and may of course be a prismatic cylindrical member, for example. In addition, in the case of a prism shape, the partition member may also be of course a rectangular shape.
The partition members 23 in the first and second stock parts (9, 11) are rotated in synchronism with the progress of the conveyor line 60, so that the workpieces W are sequentially moved to the respective cup-shaped containers on the conveyor line 60. can be fed into the CP.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, by connecting a plurality of relay stock parts (9, 11) in two stages in series, supply from a work supply device such as a weighing machine (e.g., computer scale) and cup-shaped container Since it is possible to provide a time difference in the discharge to the CP, it becomes easier to deal with various aspects of management such as dealing with the occurrence of troubles. However, although this embodiment shows the case of two stages, the intermediate stock mechanism 7 may of course be of one stage.

After rotating in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8, the work W is received from above, so that the next work W to be supplied can be stocked. In this manner, supply of work W→stock→downward discharge of work W (rotation of partition member 23)→supply of work W→stock→downward discharge of work W (rotation of partition member 23). By repeating this, the works W can be sequentially supplied to the cup-shaped containers CP on the conveyor line which are sequentially transferred.
A predetermined power unit may be used to rotate the partition member 23, and various motors and the like can be used.

─Mechanism for supply of workpiece─
The present invention requires a mechanism for supplying a group of works to the work discharge mechanism 1 of the present invention. Various mechanisms including the computer scale 50 can be used as the supply mechanism.
Computer scale 50 is typically used in various fields. In order to supply objects such as food whose weight is not evenly distributed so that they reach the target weight as much as possible, the computer scale stores a small amount of the object to be supplied in advance in a plurality of hoppers. Measure the weight in advance. Next, among the plurality of hoppers, the weights of arbitrary plurality of hoppers are combined to determine a combination that is the combination of hoppers closest to the target weight.

The apparatus realizes a method of discharging articles from each of the determined combinations of hoppers and supplying them to predetermined supply destinations.
Here, especially in the case of a circular type computer scale, since a plurality of hoppers and feeders for supplying the hoppers are required, the overall size is inevitably increased in many cases. On the other hand, in a dry food production line, a plurality of rows to be supplied are often provided in a manner perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor, and the intervals between the rows are generally small.

Therefore, when trying to use a computer scale in such a dry food production line, the intervals between the rows are often small, so it is difficult to place the computer scale on the production line due to the large size of the computer scale. There were many cases.
By using the work discharge mechanism of the present invention, even large equipment such as a computer scale can be supplied to multiple rows of the conveyor, so it is possible to use the computer scale in the conveyor line. Become.

In FIG. 1, each work discharge mechanism is configured to cover three rows (lanes). That is, an example in which four work discharge mechanisms 1 described above are installed to cover 12 rows (lanes) is shown, but, for example, by making the rotation angle smaller, more lanes can be covered. It is also possible to For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7(a), four conduits 5 are provided, making it possible to cover four rows (lanes).

The number of times the computer scale is supplied in the first embodiment, that is, the number of times the work is discharged from the tubular member is not particularly limited, but can be approximately 50 times/minute. Moreover, 100 times/minute or more is preferable. Furthermore, it is more preferably 120 times/minute or more. Therefore, if one computer scale is configured to cover three rows of lanes, the number of times workpieces are supplied to the cup-shaped containers on the conveyor lane is approximately 1/3 times the number of times workpieces are discharged from the tubular member per minute. .

─About the work supply flow to the conveyor line─
The flow of work supply to the conveyor line shown in FIG. 1 will be described below. In particular, the following example describes the flow in a production line for instant noodles in cups. A case in which cup-shaped containers containing noodle blocks are already intermittently conveyed on the conveyor line 60 and ingredients are supplied into the cup-shaped containers containing the noodle blocks will be described.
The computer scale is set to supply a predetermined amount (about 1.0 g to 10.0 g) of dried ingredients for cup noodles. Each of the four computer scales quickly finds a weight combination and rapidly and intermittently dispenses downwards for the weight combination closest to the predetermined weight.

The lower tubular member 3 rotates by 120° each time it is discharged, receives the work W supplied from the computer scale 50 at the position, and discharges it to the entrance of the conduit 5 arranged at three points around the circumference. The works W are set to be sequentially supplied to the intermediate stock section 7 via the conduit 5 .

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a group of workpieces W that have passed through the conduit 5 are first sequentially stored in the first relay stock section 9 (FIG. 9(a)→(b)), and then a group of workpieces W are stored in the adjacent conduit 5. The work W continues to pass through, and in a state in which the work W is stored in all of the first relay stock portion 9, the partition member 23 rotates to move the work W to the second relay stock portion 11 (FIG. 9). (b)→(c)). In addition, the works W previously stored in the second relay stock section 11 are transferred to the cup-shaped container on the conveyor line at an appropriate timing before the first relay stock section 9 completes the storage of the works W. supply (FIG. 9(b)→(c)).

In this way, the two operations of "receiving" and "discharging" the work can be realized in one operation, so that the work can be quickly supplied.
The conveyor line 60 advances while the works W are supplied to the respective cup-shaped containers (arrows in FIG. 9(d)), and preparations are made to supply the ingredients (work) W to the next cup-shaped containers CP. Ingredients (works) are supplied in the same manner as described below.

Also, the workpieces W are put into the cup-shaped container CP sequentially at predetermined time intervals. The time interval is adjusted to be the same interval as the timing of transporting the cup-shaped container CP on the conveyor line 60 .
That is, after the workpieces W are supplied from the second stock unit 11 to the cup-shaped containers CP on the conveyor line 60, and before the workpieces are supplied to the cup-shaped containers in the next row, the computer scale 50 supplies the tubular members 3 →Each conduit 5 is discharged three times, and a group of discharged works W corresponding to 3 times x 4 units = 12 rows are stored in all rows (lanes) of the first stock section 9. .

Then, the works W already stored in the second stock part 11 are supplied to the cup-shaped container CP by the rotation of the partition member 23, and after the supply of the works W to the cup-shaped container CP is completed, the first stock The partition member 23 of the portion 9 rotates to supply the next work W to the second stock portion 11 .
A group of works (ingredients) is sequentially supplied to each cup on the conveyor line by repeating the cycle with such timing.
It should be noted that the rotation timing of the partition member 23 at the stock portion and the method of supplying the work W from the first stock portion 9 to the second stock portion 11, etc. are shown as an example, and can be changed and adjusted as appropriate. Of course.

─Other Embodiments─
FIG. 1 shows an example in which the computer scales are arranged continuously in the horizontal direction (line width direction) orthogonal to the line progressing direction, but the arrangement of the computer scales is not limited to this.
When using the computer scale 50 of the present invention in a production line, various usage modes other than the mode shown in FIG. 1 are conceivable. As an example, FIG. 10 shows an arrangement example in which four computer scales 50 are arranged in a 12-row manufacturing line. In this way, it is also possible to secure a space by arranging computer scales in a staggered fashion in front and behind the direction of movement in the production line.

A plurality of rows of work discharging mechanisms 1 (tubular members 3 and conduits 5) and the like are provided at the supply destination of each computer scale, as in the case of FIG. 1 is installed at the discharge destination of the conduit 5 so that the workpiece W can be supplied to the cup-shaped container CP on the conveyor line 60. As shown in FIG.

Next, with regard to the intermediate stock mechanism 7, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the type using the cylindrical member 21 and the partition member 23 that rotates within the cylindrical member is shown, but it is not limited to this. It goes without saying that a normal opening/closing type or slide type shutter type may be used. Furthermore, a sorting chute member 25 capable of supplying works in a plurality of rows may be used, which is provided with a bottom that opens and closes to the left and right as shown in FIG. The sorting chute member 25 makes it possible to supply two conveyor lines.

11 may be disposed below the intermediate stock mechanism 7 shown in FIG. In this case, after the works W falling from one conduit 5 are further stocked in the sorting chute through the relay stock mechanism 7, the works are sorted to the left and right and discharged, so that the works W are further arranged in two rows of cup-shaped containers (frames). ) can be sorted and supplied.
That is, as shown in FIG. 11, by opening either the left or right bottom of the second-stage chute member 25 provided below the first-stage chute member 25, two adjacent rows are It is possible to adopt a mode in which they can be supplied alternately.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one computer scale 50 is configured so that three conduits 5 can correspond, and a group discharged via the conduit 5 → the relay stock section 7 Furthermore, by using the sorting chute 25 of FIG. 11, 12 conveyor lines can be supplied by two computer scales (FIG. 12).
In addition to the above, the method of discharging/supplying workpieces to the conveyor line is not limited to the above, and various forms are of course possible by appropriately combining members such as a chute/discharging unit.

Claims (5)

A work discharge mechanism that distributes and discharges a group of works that are intermittently sequentially supplied to a plurality of conveyor lines,
a tubular member that rotates around a predetermined axis, discharges the supplied work at a predetermined rotation angle, and has an inclined surface at the bottom and an opening at the side ;
a plurality of conduits uniformly spaced around said predetermined axis for receiving workpieces ejected at said predetermined rotational angle, wherein the outlet end of each conduit is positioned to feed a predetermined row of conveyor lines; a conduit through which
A work discharge mechanism having a 2. The work discharging mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a plate-like member connected to the inlet of each conduit and having a hole corresponding to each inlet. 3. A work discharging mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a relay stock mechanism for accumulating and discharging a group of works falling through said conduits, continuing to the exit end of said conduits. The intermediate stock mechanism is
a hollow cylindrical member;
an elliptical partition member which is provided inside a cylindrical member and whose rotation center is a rotating shaft which substantially horizontally penetrates the cylindrical member;
The work ejection mechanism according to claim 3, comprising: 5. The work discharge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said work discharge mechanism is a work discharge mechanism that is continuously installed in a discharge section of a computer scale.

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