JP7332360B2 - Sorting device and sorting system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a sorting device or a sorting system that is used in a distribution center or the like and used when sorting received articles (conveyed items).

Articles (conveyed goods) received at a distribution center are unloaded from a transportation means such as a truck, and then conveyed along a transportation route provided within the distribution center. In the process of being conveyed on the conveying route, the articles to be conveyed are sorted into a target dispensing chute out of a plurality of dispensing chutes provided on the sides of the conveying route. Conveyed articles sorted to the target dispensing chute are retained in the region of the tip of the dispensing chute. Conveyed goods accumulated in the area at the tip of the discharge chute (hereinafter referred to as the accumulation part) are picked up by workers for each destination, and after being accumulated on the car carriage, they are transported by delivery vehicles such as trucks and cargo. It is loaded on the machine and shipped from the distribution center.

As a method of sorting the articles conveyed on the conveying route to the target dispensing chute, for example, a traveling cart equipped with a carrier belt that moves the placed conveyed articles in a direction perpendicular to the conveying route is run along the conveying route. The carrier belt is driven to advance the conveyed articles to the end of the intended sorting chute side in the moving direction of the carrier belt before delivering the conveyed articles to the intended sorting chute (equivalent to the payout chute). It has been proposed to stop by pressing (see Patent Literature 1). In Patent Document 1, before delivering the conveyed articles to the target sorting chute, the carrier belt is driven to move the conveyed articles in advance to the end on the target sorting chute side in the movement direction of the carrier belt, and then stop. This minimizes the moving distance of the conveyed items from the drive of the carrier belt when sorting to the target sorting chute to the start of pulling of the conveyed items by the pull-in roller, and slips between the conveyed items and the carrier belt. or when the load on the drive motor of the carrier belt when sorting heavy items is large. The shoot width of the shoot can be suppressed.

In addition, a linear conveying device provided with a group of idle rollers forming a conveying surface along the conveying path by a conveying means, and a group of rollers forming the conveying surface are arranged, and a rotation device rotated by a direction changing device is provided. A branching conveying device having a body is arranged side by side in the width direction of the path so that the branching conveying device is positioned on the side of the branching conveying means, and conveyed in a state of being shifted to the side where the branching conveying device is arranged in the width direction of the conveying route. It has been proposed to convey objects (see Patent Document 2). In this patent document 2, by conveying the conveyed object in a state where the branch conveying device is arranged in the width direction of the conveying route, regardless of whether or not the rotating body rotates, the conveying that is conveyed through the conveying route is performed. Since the center of gravity of the object is located on the branching conveying device, the rotation of each roller of the branching conveying device allows the article to proceed straight along the conveying path when the rotating body is not rotating, or when the rotating body is rotating. In this case, the conveyed articles are sent out in the sorting direction by the respective rollers, and the conveyed articles are reliably pulled in by the feed rollers between the branch conveying device and the branch conveying means, so that the conveyed articles can be reliably sorted.

Japanese Patent No. 3311603 Japanese Patent No. 4576987

As described above, the articles sorted in the process of being conveyed on the conveying path are picked up by the destination by the worker's accumulation work (makeup work) and accumulated on the car carriage. This make-up work is a time-consuming work, because the sorted goods are sorted into the goods having the same delivery area, and the sorted goods are efficiently stacked on the cart. On the other hand, in conveying equipment, the speed of conveying goods and the speeding up of sorting mechanisms are progressing, and the sorting capacity of conveyed goods is improving. Therefore, the stagnant portion of the dispensing chute is likely to be full of the articles sorted by the dispensing chute. Since the items sorted on the delivery chute are of different sizes and weights, for example, among the items staying in the delivery chute, light and small items are crushed and damaged by heavy items. Probability is high. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the conveyance of the goods and the delivery of the goods so that the stagnation portion of the dispensing chute does not become full with the goods.

However, in Patent Literature 1, by minimizing the moving distance of the transported object from the drive of the carrier belt when sorting to the target sorting chute to the start of pulling the transported object by the pull-in roller, the transport trajectory of the transported object is minimized. This invention is based on the premise that the sorting is performed so that the total number of items is almost the same.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001, a rotating body provided in a branching conveying device is rotated to change the direction of a roller of the rotating body, thereby determining whether the conveyed object is to be transferred to the conveying means or to the branching conveying means. It is something to do. Therefore, when a dispensing chute is assumed as the branching conveying means, the conveying direction of the conveyed product can be changed by changing the rotation angle of the rotating body, and multiple rows can be dispensed in the width direction of the dispensing chute. It is possible to improve the stagnation state of the conveyed product in the stagnation part. However, if one had a conventional sorting system, the entire sorting system would need to be replaced, which is costly. In addition, in the case of Patent Document 2, the conveying direction of the conveyed object is changed by changing the rotation angle of the rotating body. Since a strong force is not applied to send out the conveyed items, the conveyed items tend to vary in the width direction of the dispensing chute, so a wide dispensing chute is required. Since the wide delivery chutes reduce the number of delivery chutes installed in the sorting system, there is a risk that the articles cannot be sorted by delivery area.

The present invention can increase the degree of freedom in sorting articles delivered from a sorting conveyor with a simple configuration, and can prevent a decrease in work efficiency in make-up work and damage to conveyed articles due to stacking of stagnant conveyed articles. An object of the present invention is to provide a sorting device and a sorting system capable of

In order to solve the above-described problems, the sorting device of the present invention provides a sorting device that, when delivering an article moving along a conveying path to a dispensing path , moves the article in a direction that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying direction of the article on the conveying path. A sorting device for sorting the articles delivered in the delivery direction in the width direction of the delivery path, wherein the delivery path is arranged between the transportation path and the delivery path, and the transportation path One end located on the upstream side of the article is located farther from the conveying path than the other end on the opposite side of the one end, and the direction of the rotating shaft is the sending direction of the article sent toward the dispensing path a plurality of rotating rollers, including a first rotating roller disposed at an angle with respect to the conveying path; a first position and a second position where vertices on both end surfaces of the rotating rollers are located above the conveying surface; a lifting device for rotating the plurality of rotating rollers; and a control device for controlling the lifting operation of the device.

Further, the first rotating roller is arranged in a state in which it is inclined upward from one end to the other end in the rotation axis direction with respect to the downstream side of the transporting direction in the transporting path.

Further, the plurality of rotating rollers include a second rotating roller arranged closer to the dispensing path than the first rotating roller, and the second rotating roller is a rotating shaft of the second rotating roller. One end in the direction of rotation is arranged near the center of the first rotating roller in the direction of the rotation axis, and the other end of the second rotation roller in the direction of the rotation axis of the second rotating roller is located in the vicinity of the dispensing path It is characterized by being arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the first rotating roller.

In addition, the second rotating roller has apexes on both end surfaces of the second rotating roller positioned higher than vertices on both end surfaces of the first rotating roller, and the rotational axis of the second rotating roller. It is characterized by being arranged in a state of being inclined upward with respect to the downstream side of the conveying direction in the conveying path from one end to the other end in the direction.

Further, the tilt angle of the second rotating roller is set larger than the tilt angle of the first rotating roller.

Further, the control device is characterized by controlling the lifting device based on the delivery destination of the article.

Further, the control device controls the lifting device based on the size of the article.

Further, the control device is characterized by controlling the lifting device based on input information indicating a region in the width direction of the payout path.

Further, the control device is characterized by controlling the lifting device based on positional information of a person positioned near the payout route.

Further, the sorting system of the present invention comprises a conveyer for conveying articles, and a delivery for dispensing the articles sent out in a sending direction which is a direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying direction of the articles on the conveying conveyor. A chute, disposed between the conveying conveyor and the dispensing chute, and of both ends in the direction of the rotation axis, one end positioned upstream of the conveying conveyor is positioned further than the other end opposite to the one end. a plurality of rotating rollers including a first rotating roller positioned away from the conveyor and arranged so that the direction of the rotation axis is tilted with respect to the delivery direction of the articles delivered toward the delivery chute; a first position where the apexes of both end surfaces of each of the rotating rollers are located below the conveying surface of the article on the conveying conveyor, and a first position where the apexes of both end surfaces of each of the rotating rollers are located above the conveying surface of the article. and a control device for controlling the rotation of the plurality of rotating rollers and the lifting operation of the lifting device.

Further, the first rotating roller is arranged in a state in which it is inclined upward with respect to the downstream side of the conveying direction in the conveying direction from one end to the other end in the rotating shaft direction.

Further, the plurality of rotating rollers include a second rotating roller arranged closer to the dispensing chute than the first rotating roller, and the second rotating roller is a rotating shaft of the second rotating roller. One end in the direction of rotation is arranged near the center in the direction of the rotation axis of the first rotary roller, and the other end in the direction of the rotation axis of the second rotary roller is arranged in the vicinity of the dispensing chute. It is characterized by being arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the first rotating roller.

In addition, the second rotating roller has apexes on both end surfaces of the second rotating roller positioned higher than vertices on both end surfaces of the first rotating roller, and the rotational axis of the second rotating roller. It is characterized by being arranged in a state in which it is inclined upward with respect to the downstream side of the conveying direction in the conveying direction from one end to the other end in the direction.

Further, the tilt angle of the second rotating roller is set larger than the tilt angle of the first rotating roller.

Further, the control device is characterized by controlling the lifting device based on the delivery destination of the article.

Further, the control device controls the lifting device based on the size of the article.

Further, the control device is characterized by controlling the lifting device based on input information indicating a region in the width direction of the dispensing chute.

Further, the control device controls the lifting device based on the positional information of a person positioned near the dispensing chute.

According to the present invention, the full width of the delivery chute can be effectively utilized simply by inserting the apparatus of the present invention between the delivery chute delivered from the sorting conveyor and the sorting conveyor.

According to the present invention, with the above configuration, the degree of freedom in sorting the articles delivered from the sorting conveyor is increased, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in work efficiency of makeup work and damage to the conveyed items due to stacking of stagnant conveyed items. be able to.

It is a top view which shows an example of the sorting system of this invention. FIG. 4 is a top view showing an example of the configuration in the vicinity of the dispensing chute; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration in the vicinity of a payout chute; It is a perspective view which decomposes|disassembles and shows some distribution mechanisms. It is a top view of a sorting mechanism. It is a side view of a sorting mechanism. (a) is a side view of the sorting mechanism in the first state as seen from the upstream side in the conveying direction, and (b) is a side view of the sorting mechanism in the second state as seen from the upstream side in the conveying direction. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view when sorting articles into two areas divided in the width direction of the dispensing chute; It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of a distribution mechanism and a slat conveyor apparatus. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship of forces acting on an article that has run over the first motor roller; It is a functional block diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of a sorting system. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing when articles are sorted according to delivery destinations; FIG.

The present embodiment will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a sorting system, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration in the vicinity of a dispensing chute. The sorting system 10 has a sorting conveyor device 11 , infeed conveyor devices 12 and 13 and a plurality of delivery chutes 14 . The sorting conveyor device 11 transports the articles (conveyed goods) 100 delivered from the infeed conveyor devices 12 and 13 along the transport route, and then delivers them to one of a plurality of delivery chutes 14 .

The sorting conveyor device 11 has a plurality of conveyor devices such as a straight conveyor device and a curved conveyor device, and the plurality of conveyor devices are arranged so that the conveying route of the articles 100 is endless. Conveyor devices used in the sorting conveyor device 11 include, for example, a slat conveyor device.

Although not shown in detail, the slat conveyor device 20 has a pair of left and right sprockets arranged rotatably at the upstream end and the downstream end in the conveying direction of the article 100, respectively. A pair of left and right drive chains are stretched between the left and right drive chains, respectively, and a plurality of slats 21 are provided between the left and right drive chains to support the article 100 from below. By driving the drive chains, the slats 21 are The article 100 is conveyed while being moved in the conveying direction.

A plurality of slats 21 of the slat conveyor device 20 are each equipped with delivery means called slide shoes 22 . The slide shoe 22 is fitted between the two slats 21 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the slats 21 . The slide shoe 22 moves along a guide portion 23 or a guide portion 24 installed below the slat 21 forming the conveying surface by following the downwardly extending pin portion thereof. The slide shoe 22 moves along the longitudinal direction of the slat 21 by being guided by one of branch guide portions 25 provided corresponding to each of the plurality of dispensing chutes 14 . Both side surfaces 22 a and 22 b of the slide shoe 22 function as pressing surfaces for pressing the article 100 . Both side surfaces 22a and 22b of the slide shoe 22 are called pressing surfaces 22a and 22b. The pressing surfaces 22a and 22b are inclined at an angle θ (for example, θ=20°) with respect to the conveying direction (direction A in FIG. 2).

Here, a suction device 26 that exerts a suction action on the magnetic body 22c of the slide shoe 22 is provided at the branched portion between the guide portion 23 and the upstream end portion of each branched guide portion 25 . The suction device 26 is composed of, for example, two permanent magnets and an electromagnet provided between the two permanent magnets. The attracting device 26 causes the attracting action of the electromagnet to move the magnetic body 22c of the slide shoe 22 along the branch guide portion 25 when current is supplied to the electromagnet. That is, the slide shoe 22 moves toward the guide portion 24 side. When the magnetic body 22 c of the slide shoe 22 is moved along the branch guide portion 25 , the article 100 held by the slat 21 is pushed out in the longitudinal direction of the slat 21 by the slide shoe 22 and delivered to the delivery chute 14 . The number of slide shoes used when delivering the articles 100 toward the delivery chute 14 is set, for example, according to the size (maximum length) of the articles 100 to be conveyed.

On the other hand, when the electromagnet is not supplied with electric current, the electromagnet attracts nothing. to move. Therefore, the slide shoe 22 remains held in place on the slat 21 .

2, the delivery chute 14 is arranged on the left side (below the slat conveyor device 20 in FIG. 2) with respect to the conveying direction of the article 100 (direction A in FIG. 2). 25 extends from the guide portion 23 toward the guide portion 24 , and the suction device 26 is arranged at the upstream end of the branched guide portion 25 branched from the guide portion 23 . However, the position where the dispensing chute 14 is arranged may be arranged not only on the left side with respect to the conveying direction of the article 100 but also on the right side. In this case, the branch guide portion 25 extends from the guide portion 24 toward the guide portion 23, and the suction device 26 can be arranged at the upstream end portion of the branch guide portion 25 branched from the guide portion 24. preferable.

In this embodiment, a slat conveyor device will be described as an example of the sorting conveyor device 11. However, in addition to the slat conveyor device, a roller conveyor device for conveying the articles 100 while rotating a plurality of rollers, a tail pulley and a head pulley are also included. It is also possible to use a belt conveyor or the like in which an endless belt is wound around each of the belts and the article 100 is conveyed by running the endless belt. For example, when a roller conveyor device is used, a slide shoe is fitted onto each of a plurality of rollers of the roller conveyor device, and the article 100 is delivered to the delivery chute 14 by moving the slide shoe in the axial direction of the roller. Alternatively, the article 100 may be delivered to the delivery chute 14 by rotating the diverter. Further, in the case of a belt conveyor device, since it has a structure for running an endless belt, it is possible to adopt a structure in which a general diverter rotates to discharge the articles 100 to the discharge chute 14 instead of a slide shoe structure. . Further, it may be a cross belt sorter device in which a plurality of carriages are connected and a belt conveyor device, which is a cross belt and runs in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the carriages, is placed on the carriages.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a sorting mechanism 30 is provided between the slat conveyor device 20 and the dispensing chute 14 . The sorting mechanism 30 corresponds to the sorting device described in the claims when combined with a control device 54 to be described later. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the sorting mechanism 30 is held by a holding member such as a pedestal.

4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the sorting mechanism 30, FIG. 5 is a top view of the sorting mechanism, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the sorting mechanism. In the side view of the sorting mechanism shown in FIG. 6, the right side of the center line C1 in FIG. state. Note that the illustration of the two motor rollers is omitted in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sorting mechanism 30 has, for example, two motor rollers 31 and 32, an elevator device 33, and guide units 34 and 35. FIG. The motor rollers 31 and 32 are driven and controlled by a control device 54 which will be described later. The motor roller 31 is pivotally supported by bearing brackets 37 and 38 fixed to a holding plate 36 . Similarly, the motor roller 32 is pivotally supported by bearing brackets 39 and 40 fixed to the holding plate 36 . Hereinafter, the motor roller 31 arranged on the upstream side is called the first motor roller 31 and the motor roller 32 arranged on the downstream side is called the second motor roller 32 . Here, in the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32, when the article 100 rides on it, the surface of each roller may slide against the lower surface of the article 100. In such a case, each motor roller force cannot be transmitted to the article due to the rotation of the Therefore, the roller surfaces of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 may be coated with anti-slip tape over the entire circumference. If the surfaces of the motor rollers do not slide on the lower surface of the article 100, it is not necessary to attach the anti-slip tape.

The first motor roller 31 is in sliding contact with the lower surface of the article 100 pushed out toward the side of the slat conveyor device 20 by the slide shoe 22, and the tangential force generated by the rotation of the roller portion of the first motor roller 31 The article 100 is drawn toward the dispensing chute 14. - 特許庁The second motor roller 32 is in sliding contact with the lower surface of the article 100 while the article 100 is pulled in by the first motor roller 31, and the tangential force generated by the rotation of the roller portion of the second motor roller 32 pulls the article. 100 is pulled toward the payout chute 14.

The first motor roller 31 is arranged such that the upstream end of the first motor roller 31 is located farther from the sorting conveyor device 11 than the downstream end of the first motor roller 31 when viewed from above in FIG. The angle between the rotation axis (L1) direction of the first motor roller 31 and the conveying direction A in the sorting conveyor device 11 (specifically, the slat conveyor device 20) is _θ1 , for example.

The second motor roller 32 is located outside the first motor roller 31 (a position farther from the slat conveyor device 20 than the first motor roller 31 arranged on the side of the slat conveyor device 20) in the top view shown in FIG. placed in The upstream end of the second motor roller 32 is arranged near the center of the first motor roller 31 in the direction of the rotation axis (L1), and the downstream end of the second motor roller 32 is arranged upstream of the second motor roller 32. It is arranged at a position farther from the slat conveyor device 20 than the side end. Here, the angle between the rotation axis (L1) of the first motor roller 31 and the rotation axis (L2) of the second motor roller 32 is _θ2 , for example.

Also, the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are arranged so as to incline upward from the upstream end to the downstream end. Here, the first motor roller 31 is inclined so that the height of the apex P2 of the downstream end surface is, for example, +1 (mm) when the apex P1 of the upstream end surface is used as a reference. Further, when the vertex P1 of the upstream end face of the first motor roller 31 is used as a reference, the second motor roller 32 has a vertex P3 of the upstream end face of +2 (mm) and a vertex of the downstream end face of the second motor roller 32, for example. It is inclined so that the height of P4 is, for example, +6 (mm). That is, the inclination angle of the second motor roller 32 is set larger than the inclination angle of the first motor roller 31 . It should be noted that the height of the apex of the end surface of each motor roller is merely an example, and is appropriately set depending on the size of the article.

In this manner, by inclining the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 upward from the upstream side toward the downstream side, the articles to be sent are reliably received, in other words, the lower surface of the article to be sent is set to the motor rollers. can be grounded to By increasing the inclination angle of the second motor roller 32 to the inclination angle of the first motor roller 31, when the article runs on the first motor roller 31, the front end of the article floats up. If the inclination angle of the second motor roller 32 is the same as the inclination angle of the first motor roller 31 , it becomes impossible to ground an article that is lifted up by riding on the first motor roller 31 . Therefore, in order to ensure that an article that floats up on the first motor roller 31 is grounded on the second motor roller 32 located downstream, the inclination angle of the second motor roller 32 is set to the inclination angle of the first motor roller 31. It is set larger than

The lifting device 33 is, for example, a power cylinder. Hereinafter, the power cylinder will be described with reference numeral 33 attached. Although not shown, the power cylinder 33 includes a ball screw, a rod 45 to which a ball nut screwed with the ball screw is fixed at one end, a case 46, a motor 47, and the like. When the motor 47 is driven, the ball screw connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 47 is rotated to move the ball nut screwed to the rotating ball screw in the axial direction of the ball screw. is expanded and contracted with respect to the case 46 . Although illustration is omitted, the motor 47 may be directly fixed to the case 46, or may be fixed to the case 46 while being accommodated in the motor case.

As shown in FIG. 4, the power cylinder 33 is fixed to the base 48 so that the rod 45 extends and contracts in the vertical direction. Reference numeral 49 in FIG. 4 denotes a metal fitting fixed to the tip of the rod 45 , and the metal fitting 49 is connected to a connecting piece 36 a provided on the lower surface of the holding plate 36 .

Here, if a power cylinder provided with a plurality of magnetic sensors in the height direction inside the case 46 is used as the lifting device 33, the expansion/contraction state of the rod 45 is detected by the output of the magnetic sensors. Moreover, when using a power cylinder in which a plurality of magnetic sensors are not provided inside the case 46 , the expansion/contraction state of the rod 45 may be detected based on the number of revolutions of the motor 47 .

Although a power cylinder is taken as an example of the lifting device 33, it may be a device composed of a link mechanism and an actuator for driving the link mechanism, or a device composed of a pulley, a belt, and an actuator. .

The guide units 34 and 35 are members that guide the moving direction of the holding plate 36 that is moved up and down by the power cylinder 33 . The guide unit 34 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 48 at one end in the longitudinal direction, and the guide unit 35 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 48 at the other end in the longitudinal direction. Since the guide units 34 and 35 have the same configuration, only the configuration of the guide unit 34 will be described.

The guide unit 34 has a guide rod 34a and a sleeve body 34b. The guide rod 34 a is inserted through guide bushes 34 c held at both ends in the vertical direction of a sleeve body 34 b fixed to the upper surface of the base 48 . Therefore, the guide rod 34a moves along the vertical direction of the sleeve body 34b. Here, the guide rod 34a is fixed to the holding plate 36 at its upper end. A stopper 50 (see FIG. 6) is fixed to the lower end of the guide rod 34a.

The distribution mechanism 30 raises and lowers the holding plate 36 by the lifting device 33 described above to displace the positions of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 pivotally supported by the holding plate 36 in the height direction. As shown in FIG. 7( a ), the sorting mechanism 30 is configured such that the positions of the apexes of the end surfaces of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 (P1 to P4 described above) are positioned from the conveying surface 20 a of the slat conveyor device 20 . 7(b), the positions of the apexes of the end faces of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are positioned above the conveying surface 20a of the slat conveyor device 20. is also high (hereinafter referred to as a second state).

As shown in FIG. 8 , when the sorting mechanism 30 is in the first state, the articles 100 sent out in the width direction of the slat conveyor device 20 by the slide shoe 22 of the slat conveyor device 20 are moved by the first motor roller of the sorting mechanism 30 . 31 and the second motor roller 32, and is delivered to the delivery chute 14. Therefore, the article 100 is sent out from the slat conveyor device 20 toward the discharge chute 14 in the direction in which the resultant force F3 of the force F1 along the conveying direction of the slat conveyor device 20 and the force F2 caused by the pressing by the slide shoe 22 acts. be As a result, the article 100 moves in the direction of the arrow H indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8, and is delivered to the area downstream of the delivery chute 14 (first sorting area D1, which will be described later).

On the other hand, when the distribution mechanism 30 is in the second state, as shown in FIG. , for example, about 15 mm above. That is, the article 100 delivered in the width direction of the slat conveyor device 20 by the slide shoe 22 of the slat conveyor device 20 rides on the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 in this order immediately before being delivered to the delivery chute 14. , receives the force due to the rotation of these motor rollers. As a result, the force acting in the conveying direction on the slat conveyor device 20 is reduced, while the force acting in the width direction of the slat conveyor device 20 is reduced for the article 100 that has run on the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 in this order. Join. Therefore, the article 100 delivered from the slat conveyor device 20 toward the delivery chute 14 moves in the direction of the arrow I indicated by the dotted line in FIG. As a result, it is dispensed to an area (second sorting area D2) on the upstream side of the dispensation chute 14 .

Next, the position where the sorting mechanism 30 is arranged will be described. The relative positions of the dispensing chute 14 and the slat conveyor device 20 are fixed. Therefore, in the conveying direction of the slat conveyor device 20, the position at which the movement of the slide shoe 22 is completed is constant. As shown in FIG. 2, the angle between the moving locus of the pressing surface 22a of the slide shoe 22 of the slat conveyor device 20 and the conveying direction of the sorting conveyor device is θ. As shown in FIG. 9, the trajectory of the pressing surface 22a of the slide shoe 22 when pushing out the article 100 is a chain double-dashed line indicated by symbol J in FIG. Further, by the movement of the slide shoe 22, the locus of movement of the center of gravity G of the article 100 delivered from the slat conveyor device 20 toward the delivery chute 14 by the slide shoe 22 becomes a chain double-dashed line K indicated by reference numerals in FIG. . Here, when the articles 100 delivered to the delivery chute 14 by the slide shoe 22 are distributed to the upstream region in the width direction of the delivery chute 14 , the article 100 has an area of the lower surface of the article 100 with respect to the first motor roller 31 . It is preferable to ride on the range of 50% or more of . Therefore, in the sorting mechanism 30, the vertex P2 of the downstream end of the first motor roller 31 constituting the sorting mechanism 30 is located on the movement trajectory K of the center of gravity G of the article 100, or the movement trajectory of the center of gravity G of the article 100 It is preferable that the area be located between K and the movement locus J of the pressing surface 22a of the slide shoe 22 that feeds the article 100 .

Next, the angle at which the motor rollers constituting the sorting mechanism 30 are inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the sorting conveyor device will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the moving direction of the article 100 sent out by the slide shoe 22 is assumed to be the horizontal direction in FIG. Hereinafter, let L be the length of the article 100 and W be the width of the article 100 . A case will be described below in which the article 100 rides on the first motor roller 31 in a range of 50% of the area of the lower surface of the article 100 . Here, in FIG. 10 , the area indicated by symbol R is 50% of the area of the lower surface of the article 100 .
The size of the articles 100 is the size of the articles 100 assumed to be conveyed by the sorting conveyor device 11 . Here, when the motor roller makes sliding contact in the range of 50% of the area of the lower surface of the article 100, the installation angle _θ3 of the first motor roller 31 installed on the side of the slat conveyor device 20 is the following (1) formula. The installation angle _θ3 is the angle formed by the delivery direction of the article 100 delivered by the slide shoe 22 and the rotation axis (L1) direction of the first motor roller 31 .

θ ₃ =tan ⁻¹ (W/2L) (1)

Further, when the speed of the article 100 delivered by the slide shoe 22 is V1, the rotational speed V2 of the first motor roller 31 is given by the following equation (2).

V2=V1×sin θ ₃ (2)

Therefore, if the speed at which the article 100 drawn by the first motor roller 31 is dispensed toward the dispensation chute 14 is V, the speed V at which the article 100 is dispensed toward the dispensation chute 14 is given by the following equation (3). .

V={V1 ² +V2 ² +2×V1×V2×cos (180−θ ₃ )} ^0.5 (3)

When the article 100 rides on the first motor roller 31 , a force based on the rotation of the first motor roller 31 is applied to the article 100 . For example, when the force of the rotating first motor roller 31 is F5, the force F5 of the first motor roller 31 is given by the following equation (4). Note that F5 is a force that acts in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis (L1) direction of the first motor roller 31 .

F5=H1×μ1 (4)

Symbol H1 is the force acting in the tangential direction of the first motor roller 31 when the first motor roller 31 rotates, and symbol μ1 is the coefficient of friction between the article 100 and the first motor roller 31 .

Further, the force F6 acting on the article 100 delivered by the slide shoe 22 is given by the following equation (5).

F6=P×0.3×μ2 (5)

The symbol P is the weight of the article 100, and the symbol μ2 is the coefficient of friction between the article 100 and the slat conveyor device 20.

Here, the resultant force of the forces applied to the article 100 when the article 100 rides on the first motor roller 31 is the force F7 with which the article 100 is sent out toward the dispensing chute 14 . Therefore, the resultant force F7 is represented by the following formula (6).

F7={F5 ² +F6 ² +2×F5×F6×cos (90−θ ₃ )} ^0.5 (6)

Further, when the force applied in the direction perpendicular to the delivery direction of the article 100 delivered by the slide shoe is F8, F8 is expressed by the following equation (7).

F8=F5×sin(90−θ ₃ ) (7)

Therefore, assuming that the angle formed by the direction in which the article 100 is delivered by the slide shoe 22 and the direction in which the article 100 drawn into the first motor roller 31 is delivered to the delivery chute 14 is _θ4 , the angle _θ4 is expressed as follows. (8) It is represented by Formula.

θ ₄ =sin ⁻¹ (F8/F7) (8)

For example, if the length L of the article 100 is L=375 mm and the width W is W=295 mm, the installation angle _θ3 of the first motor roller 31 is 21.5° from the above equation (1).

Further, when the tangential force H1 of the first motor roller 31 is H1=3.1 kgf, and the friction coefficient μ1 between the article 100 and the first motor roller 31 is μ1=0.8, the rotating first motor roller The force F5 of No. 31 is F5=2.5 kgf from the above equation (4). Further, if the weight P of the article 100 is P=15 kg and the coefficient of friction μ2 between the article 100 and the slat conveyor device 20 is 0.5, then the force F6 acting on the article 100 is given by the above equation (5) , F6=2.6 kgf. Furthermore, the force F7 with which the article 100 is sent out toward the dispensing chute 14 is F7=4.2 kgf from the above-described formula (6).

Further, if the speed V1 of the article 100 is V1=148.6 m/min, the rotation speed V2 of the first motor roller 31 is V2=54.4 m/min from the above equation (2). Therefore, the speed V of the article 100 delivered to the delivery chute 14 after riding on the first motor roller 31 is V=99.9 m/min from the above equation (3). The force F8 applied in the direction orthogonal to the delivery direction of the articles 100 delivered toward the delivery chute 14 is F8=2.3 kgf from the above-described equation (7). Therefore, the angle θ ₄ between the delivery direction of the article 100 delivered by the slide shoe 22 and the direction in which the article 100 is actually delivered to the delivery chute 14 is θ ₄ =33. 2°.

Here, the pressing surface 22a of the slide shoe 22 is inclined at .theta.=20.degree. Therefore, when the conveying direction of the slat conveyor device 20 is used as a reference, the angle _θ1 formed between the direction of the rotating shaft (L1) of the first motor roller 31 and the conveying direction of the slat conveyor device 20 is 1.5°. Become. As described above, when distributing the articles 100 pushed out by the slide shoe to the upstream side in the width direction of the dispensing chute, it is necessary for the first motor roller 31 to ride on 50% or more of the area of the lower surface of the articles 100. . Therefore, the first motor roller 31 is installed so that the angle between the rotation axis (L1) direction of the first motor roller 31 and the conveying direction of the slat conveyor device 20 is 1.5° or more.

Although the description is omitted, the installation angle of the second motor roller 32 (the angle formed by the direction of the rotation axis (L1) of the first motor roller 31 and the direction of the rotation axis (L2) of the second motor roller 32) θ ₂ can also be obtained based on the same principle as when the first motor roller 31 is installed. As an example, the installation angle θ ₁ of the first motor roller 31 is θ ₁ =2.3°, and the installation angle θ ₂ of the second motor roller 32 is θ ₂ =4.7°.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the sorting system 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the electrical configuration of the slat conveyor device 11 and the infeed conveyor devices 12 and 13 is omitted, and the configuration for delivering the article 100 to the delivery chute 14 is described. The sorting system 10 includes a sorting conveyor device 11 , infeed conveyor devices 12 and 13 , a sorting mechanism 30 , a sorting information acquisition section 51 , an input information acquisition section 52 , a position information acquisition section 53 and a control device 54 .

The sorting information acquisition unit 51 is provided in each of the infeed conveyor devices 12 and 13, for example, and includes barcode readers 51a and 51b that acquire identifiers such as barcodes attached to the articles 100 as sorting information. Note that the sorting information includes the size of the article 100, information on the delivery destination, and the like.

The input information acquiring unit 52 acquires as input information the sorting area in the dispensing chute 14 (the area on the right side or the left side of the center of the dispensing chute 14 in the width direction in FIG. 2) when the articles 100 are to be dispensed. . Examples of the input information acquisition unit 52 include an operation button 52a installed near the dispensing chute 14, a microphone 52b held by the worker who performs the makeup work, and the like. When the input information acquiring section 52 is the operation button 52a, the input information acquiring section 52 has the number of operation buttons corresponding to each of the plurality of sorting areas in the dispensing chute 14 . In other words, when the input information acquisition unit 52 is the operation button 52a, the input information is acquired by operating the operation button 52a that matches the sorting area. Moreover, when the input information acquisition unit 52 is the microphone 52b, the microphone 52b acquires the voice uttered by the worker as the input information. Here, among the sorting areas set in the delivery chute 14, the area on the left side of the center in the width direction of the delivery chute 14 (the area on the downstream side in the conveying direction) is the first sorting area D1, and the width direction of the delivery chute 14 is The area on the right side of the center (upstream area in the conveying direction) is defined as a second sorting area D2. In other words, the input information is acquired by the operator uttering a sound representing the first sorting area D1 or the second sorting area D2.

The position information acquisition unit 53 acquires position information of a worker who performs makeup work near the dispensing chute 14, for example. The position information acquisition unit 53 is a three-dimensional information acquisition device such as laser scanners 53a and 53b that can determine the position of an obstacle (person) within the detection area. These laser scanners 53a and 53b are arranged at the downstream end of the delivery chute 14 in the delivery direction of the articles 100, in other words, at the retention section where the delivered articles 100 are retained. Note that the laser scanner 53a detects a region (region E1 in FIG. 8) on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the slat conveyor device 20 in the region near the delivery chute 14 shown in FIG. Further, the laser scanner 53b uses the upstream area (area E2 in FIG. 8) in the conveying direction of the slat conveyor device 20 in the area near the delivery chute 14 shown in FIG. 8 as a detection area.

In the present embodiment, the sorting system 10 has all the configurations of the sorting information acquiring unit 51, the input information acquiring unit 52, and the position information acquiring unit 53. In the sorting system 10, the sorting information acquiring unit 51, the input information acquiring unit 52 or the location information acquisition unit 53. Any one acquisition unit may be used.

The control device 54 controls the driving of the slat conveyor device 20 and the feed conveyor devices 12 and 13, and controls the motor 31a built in the first motor roller 31 and the motor 32a built in the second motor roller 32 of the sorting mechanism 30. , and by supplying power to the motor 47 of the lifting device 33, drive control of each motor roller is performed. The control device 54 stores table data summarizing the size of the article 100, the delivery destination of the article 100, the delivery area, and the position of the delivery chute to be delivered in the storage unit 54a. Thus, by reading the sticker attached to the article 100 or the bar code printed on the outer peripheral surface of the article 100, the article 100 can be delivered to the target delivery chute 14. FIG.

Finally, the case where the goods 100 are delivered based on the delivery area of the goods 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The goods 100 whose delivery destination is the first delivery area are sorted into the first sorting area D1, and the goods 100 whose delivery destination is the second delivery area different from the first delivery area are sorted into the second sorting area D2. Explain the case.

Step S101 is a process of acquiring sorting information. As described above, the sorting information acquisition unit 51 reads the barcode information attached to the articles 100 delivered by either the infeed conveyor device 12 or the infeed conveyor device 13 . Then, the sorting information acquisition unit 51 transmits the barcode information to the control device 54 .

Step S102 is a process of setting the sorting positions of the articles. Based on the delivery address obtained from the bar code information read by the sorting information acquisition unit 51, the control device 54 identifies the delivery area including the delivery address. Then, the control device 54 sets the payout chute 14 associated with the specified delivery area and the areas to be sorted in the payout chute 14 .

Step S103 is a process of determining whether or not the articles have been conveyed to the target position by the sorting conveyor device. For example, the position of the dispensing chute 14 for dispensing the article 100 to the suction device 26 is fixed in advance. Accordingly, in step S103, the control device 54 sets the position where the suction device 26 is provided as the target position, and determines whether or not the article 100 has been transported to the position where the suction device 26 is provided. As a specific example of the determination process in step S103, the sorting conveyor device 11 is provided with a sensor for detecting the articles 100 conveyed to the position where the suction device 26 is provided, and the control device 54 detects the presence or absence of the detection signal of the sensor. The determination process in step S103 may be performed by For example, when the sensor detects the article 100, the control device 54 determines that the sorting conveyor device 11 has conveyed the article 100 to the target position, and determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S103. In this case, the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, for example, when the sensor does not detect the article 100, the control device 54 determines that the sorting conveyor device 11 has not conveyed the article 100 to the target position, and determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S103. In this case, the control device 54 repeatedly executes the determination process of step S103 until the result of the determination process of step S103 becomes Yes.

Step S104 is a process of driving (energizing) the suction device. The controller 54 energizes the attracting device 26 to attract the magnetic body 22c of the slide shoe 22 by an electromagnet. As a result, the magnetic body 22 c of the slide shoe 22 is attracted to the suction device 26 and guided to the branch guide portion 25 . Therefore, the slide shoes 22 move along the slats 21 .

Step S105 is a process of determining whether or not the delivery area including the delivery destination is the first delivery area. By step S102, the delivery destination of the article 100 and the delivery area including the delivery destination are specified. If the delivery destination is the first delivery area, the control device 54 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S105. In this case, the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, if the delivery destination is not the first delivery area but the second delivery area, the control device 54 determines No as a result of the determination process in step S105. In this case, the process proceeds to step S111.

Step S106 is a process of determining whether or not the sorting mechanism is in the first state. The control device 54 identifies the expansion/contraction state of the rod 45 based on the number of revolutions of the motor 47 that drives the power cylinder 33, which is a lifting device. When it is determined that the rod 45 of the power cylinder 33 is drawn inside the case 46, the control device 54 determines that the distribution mechanism 30 is in the first state. In this case, the control device 54 determines Yes as a result of the determination process in step S106.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the rod 45 of the power cylinder 33 is pulled out from inside the case 46, the control device 54 determines that the distribution mechanism 30 is in the second state. In this case, the control device 54 determines No as a result of the determination process in step S106, and proceeds to step S109.

Step S107 is a process of determining whether or not the first and second motor rollers are rotating. When the motors of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are being rotated, the control device 54 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S107. In this case, the process proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, when the motors of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are stopped, the control device 54 determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S107. In this case, the process returns to step S101.

Step S108 is a process of stopping the first and second motor rollers. The control device 54 stops power supply to each motor of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 . Thereby, the rotation of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 is stopped. If the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are rotated regardless of whether the sorting mechanism 30 is in the first state or the second state, steps S107 and S108 may be omitted.

When the result of the determination process in step S106 described above is No, the process proceeds to step S109.

Step S109 is processing for switching the sorting mechanism to the first state. The control device 54 drives and controls the motor 47 of the power cylinder 33, which is a lifting device, to switch the distribution mechanism 30 in the second state to the first state. Therefore, the vertices P1 and P2 of the first motorized roller 31 and the vertices P3 and P4 of the second motorized roller 32 of the sorting mechanism 30 move below the conveying surface 20a of the slat conveyor device 20. FIG.

Step S110 is processing for stopping the first and second motor rollers. The control device 54 stops power supply to the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 . As a result, the rotation of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 is stopped. When the distribution mechanism 30 is in the first state, it is not necessary to stop the rotation of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32. If the two-motor roller 32 is to be kept rotating, the process of step S110 may be omitted.

Therefore, when the processing from step S106 to step S108 or the processing of step S106, step S109, step S110, step S107 and step S108 are performed, the sorting mechanism 30 is held in the first state. When the sorting mechanism 30 is in the first state, the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are such that the tops of the end faces of both ends in the rotation axis direction of each roller are positioned below the conveying surface 20 a of the slat conveyor device 20 . positioned. Therefore, the articles delivered from the slat conveyor device 20 are delivered to the delivery chute 14 without riding on the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the articles 100 in the first delivery area are sent out in the direction indicated by symbol H in FIG.

On the other hand, when the result of the determination process in step S105 described above is No, the process proceeds to step S111.

Step S111 is a process of determining whether or not the sorting mechanism is in the second state. For example, when the control device 54 determines that the rod 45 of the power cylinder, which is the lifting device 33, is pulled out from the inside of the case 46, the control device 54 determines that the distribution mechanism 30 is in the second state. In this case, the control device 54 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S111, and proceeds to step S113.

On the other hand, when determining that the rod 45 of the power cylinder, which is the lifting device 33, is pulled into the case 46, the control device 54 determines that the distribution mechanism 30 is in the first state. In this case, the control device 54 determines No as a result of the determination process in step S111, and proceeds to step S112.

Step S112 is processing for switching the sorting mechanism to the second state. The control device 54 drives and controls the motor 47 of the power cylinder, which is the lifting device 33, to switch the sorting mechanism 30 in the first state to the second state. Therefore, the vertices P1 and P2 of both end surfaces of the first motor roller 31 and the apexes P3 and P4 of both end surfaces of the second motor roller 32 of the sorting mechanism 30 project upward from the conveying surface 20a of the slat conveyor device 20. becomes.

Step S113 is a process of determining whether or not the first and second motor rollers are stopped. When the motors of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are stopped, the control device 54 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S113. In this case, the process proceeds to step S114.

On the other hand, when the motors of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are being driven, the result of determination processing in step S113 is No. In this case, the process proceeds to step S115.

Step S114 is a process for rotating the first and second motor rollers. The control device 54 supplies power to each motor of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 . This causes the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 to rotate. If the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are rotated regardless of whether the sorting mechanism 30 is in the first state or the second state, the processing of steps S113 and S114 may be omitted.

Step S115 is a process of determining whether or not a certain period of time has elapsed. The control device 54 measures the elapsed time after the sorting mechanism 30 is driven. If a certain period of time has passed since the distribution mechanism 30 was driven, the control device 54 determines Yes as a result of the determination processing in step S115. In this case, the process proceeds to step S116. If the predetermined period of time has not elapsed since the distribution mechanism 30 was driven, the control device 54 determines No as a result of the determination processing in step S115. In this case, the control device 54 repeatedly executes the process of step S115 until the result of the determination process of step S115 becomes Yes. The above-mentioned fixed time is, for example, the time until the article 100 pushed out by the slide shoe 22 reaches the dispensing chute 14 . Note that this time is set in advance based on the results of experiments, simulations, and the like.

Step S116 is processing for stopping the first and second motor rollers. The control device 54 stops power supply to the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 . As a result, the rotation of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 is stopped. In addition, when the distribution mechanism 30 is in the second state, it is not necessary to stop the rotation of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32. If the two-motor roller 32 is to be kept rotating, the processes of S115 and S116 may be omitted.

Therefore, when the processing from step S111 to step S116 is performed, the sorting mechanism 30 is held in the second state. When the sorting mechanism 30 is in the second state, the apexes of both end surfaces of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 project upward from the conveying surface 20 a of the slat conveyor device 20 . Therefore, while the article 100 is sent out by the slide shoe 22, it rides on the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 in this order. By riding on each of the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32, the tangential force of each motor roller acts on the article 100. As shown in FIG. The direction in which this force is applied is different from the delivery direction of the articles 100 delivered from the slat conveyor device 20 toward the delivery chute 14, and is further upstream in the conveying direction than the delivery direction. be Further, the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are arranged so as to be inclined upward toward the downstream side of the conveying direction of the articles 100 of the slat conveyor device 20 . Therefore, even if the lower surface of the article to be delivered is distorted, the distortion of the lower surface of the article can be absorbed when it rides on the motor roller, and the force from the motor roller can be transmitted to the article. Become.

As a result, the articles 100 delivered to the delivery chute when the sorting mechanism is in the second state are delivered to the second sorting area D2 of the delivery chute 14. FIG.

Thus, by switching the first motor roller and the second motor roller that constitute the sorting mechanism to the first state or the second state, the articles 100 can be appropriately sorted according to the delivery destination. As a result, the worker can perform the make-up work without the articles 100 remaining in each dispensing area, and the efficiency of the make-up work can be improved.

Although the articles are sorted into the first sorting area D1 and the second sorting area D2 according to the delivery area of the delivery destination, the sorting areas to be dispensed may be sorted according to the size of the articles. In such a case, since articles of different sizes are not sorted into the same sorting area, it is possible to prevent damage to the articles 100 caused by, for example, pressing of the small articles 100 by the large articles 100. becomes.

In addition to this, it is also possible to distribute the sorting areas to which the articles are put out based on the input information such as the input of the operation button 52a or the input of voice from the microphone 52b. Furthermore, the sorting areas for dispensing the articles may be sorted based on the position of the worker, more specifically, the position where the worker is performing the make-up work. In the case of allocating the sorting areas for distributing the articles based on the input information such as the input of the operation button 52a or the input of the voice from the microphone 52b and the position of the worker, it is possible to distribute the articles in accordance with the makeup work. A new article can be dispensed into the space of the articles removed from the retention portion of the dispensation chute by the up operation. As a result, the delivery of articles is not biased, and the articles can be delivered efficiently.

In this embodiment, a case is described in which articles are delivered from the slat conveyor device 20 arranged on the conveying route to the delivery chute 14 serving as the delivery route. The present invention can also be used when sorting and delivering articles to a transport conveyor device.

In this embodiment, the case of the sorting mechanism 30 having two motor rollers, the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32, is described as an example. In some cases, three or more motorized rollers may be arranged.

In this embodiment, the first motor roller 31 and the second motor roller 32 are lifted and lowered simultaneously by the single lifting device 33. , and these motor rollers can be raised and lowered individually.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Sorting system, 11... Sorting conveyor device, 12, 13... Feeding conveyor device, 14... Discharge chute, 20... Slat conveyor device, 22... Slide shoe, 30... Sorting mechanism, 31... First motor roller, 32... Second motor roller 51 Sorting information acquisition unit 52 Input information acquisition unit 53 Position information acquisition unit 54 Control device

Claims (18)

When an article moving along a conveying path is sent to a delivery path, the article delivered in the delivery direction, which is a direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transportation direction of the article in the transportation path, is defined by the width of the delivery path. In the sorting device that sorts in the direction,
One end located on the upstream side of the transport path is located between the transport path and the dispensing path, and among both ends in the direction of the rotation axis, is further away from the transport path than the other end opposite to the one end. a plurality of rotating rollers including a first rotating roller positioned at the same position and arranged such that the direction of the rotation axis is inclined with respect to the delivery direction of the article delivered toward the delivery path;
a first position in which the apexes of both end surfaces of the plurality of rotating rollers are positioned below the conveying surface of the article in the conveying path; A lifting device for lifting and lowering between a second position located above the
a control device that controls the rotation of the plurality of rotating rollers and the lifting operation of the lifting device;
A sorting device comprising: In the sorting device according to claim 1 ,
The sorting device, wherein the first rotating roller is arranged in a state in which the first rotating roller is inclined upward with respect to the downstream side of the transporting direction in the transporting path from one end to the other end in the rotating shaft direction. In the sorting device according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
The plurality of rotating rollers include a second rotating roller arranged closer to the dispensing path than the first rotating roller,
wherein one end of the second rotating roller in the rotation axis direction of the second rotation roller is disposed near the center of the first rotation roller in the rotation axis direction;
The second rotating roller is inclined with respect to the first rotating roller so that the other end of the second rotating roller in the rotation axis direction is positioned near the dispensing path. sorting device. In the sorting device according to claim 3 ,
In the second rotating roller, apexes on both end surfaces of the second rotating roller are positioned higher than vertices on both end surfaces of the first rotating roller, and in the rotation axis direction of the second rotating roller A sorting device, wherein the sorting device is arranged in a state in which it is inclined upward from one end to the other end with respect to the downstream side of the transport direction in the transport path. In the sorting device according to claim 4 ,
The sorting device, wherein the inclination angle of the second rotating roller is set larger than the inclination angle of the first rotating roller. In the sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The sorting device, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on the delivery destination of the article. In the sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The sorting device, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on the size of the article. In the sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The sorting device, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on input information indicating an area in the width direction of the payout path. In the sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The sorting device, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on positional information of a person positioned near the payout route. a conveying conveyor for conveying articles;
a delivery chute for delivering the articles delivered in a delivery direction which is a direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying direction of the articles on the transport conveyor;
It is arranged between the transport conveyor and the delivery chute, and one end located on the upstream side of the transport conveyor among both ends in the rotation axis direction is further away from the transport conveyor than the other end opposite to the one end. a plurality of rotating rollers including a first rotating roller positioned at the same position and arranged so that the direction of the rotation axis is tilted with respect to the delivery direction of the article delivered toward the dispensing chute;
a first position in which the apexes of both end surfaces of the plurality of rotating rollers are positioned below the conveying surface of the article on the conveying conveyor; A lifting device for lifting and lowering between a second position located above the
a control device that controls the rotation of the plurality of rotating rollers and the lifting operation of the lifting device;
A sorting system comprising: The sorting system of claim 10 , wherein
The sorting system, wherein the first rotating rollers are arranged in an upwardly inclined state from one end to the other end in the rotating shaft direction with respect to the downstream side of the transporting direction of the transporting conveyor. In the sorting system according to claim 10 or claim 11 ,
the plurality of rotating rollers include a second rotating roller arranged closer to the dispensing chute than the first rotating roller;
wherein one end of the second rotating roller in the rotation axis direction of the second rotation roller is disposed near the center of the first rotation roller in the rotation axis direction;
The second rotating roller is inclined with respect to the first rotating roller so that the other end of the second rotating roller in the rotation axis direction is positioned near the dispensing chute. sorting system. 13. The sorting system of claim 12 , wherein
In the second rotating roller, apexes on both end surfaces of the second rotating roller are positioned higher than vertices on both end surfaces of the first rotating roller, and in the rotation axis direction of the second rotating roller A sorting system characterized in that the sorting system is arranged in a state of being inclined upward from one end to the other end with respect to the downstream side of the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor. 14. The sorting system of claim 13 , wherein
The sorting system, wherein the inclination angle of the second rotating roller is set larger than the inclination angle of the first rotating roller. In the sorting system according to any one of claims 10 to 14 ,
The sorting system, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on the delivery destination of the article. In the sorting system according to any one of claims 10 to 14 ,
The sorting system, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on the size of the articles. In the sorting system according to any one of claims 10 to 14 ,
The sorting system, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on input information indicating a region in the width direction of the dispensing chute. In the sorting system according to any one of claims 10 to 14 ,
The sorting system, wherein the control device controls the lifting device based on positional information of a person positioned near the dispensing chute.