JP7352074B2 - Article group separation and accumulation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article group separation and accumulation device that separates conveyed articles into densely packed article groups.

2. Description of the Related Art In order to box or package a predetermined number of articles such as beverage packs, an apparatus is known that separates the articles conveyed on a conveyor into a predetermined number of article groups while crowding them (see Patent Document 1). In the device of Patent Document 1, the article on the conveyor is held between a pair of vertical belts that are disposed opposite to each other on the left and right sides of the conveyor, and the conveyance speed of the vertical belt and the conveyor is adjusted. A short circuit that separates the articles conveyed above into groups of articles, dams the movement of the separated groups of articles with a stopper/guide plate placed at the downstream end, and places the group of articles that are dammed and crowded on the side. It is sequentially pushed out to the side by a pusher. As a result, a predetermined number of separated articles are aligned and discharged toward the side of the conveyor.

Patent No. 3071240

However, when the article to be handled is an article that easily falls over, such as a small container, the structure of Patent Document 1 prevents the container from colliding with the impact of a subsequent article colliding with the article stopped by the vertical belt or colliding with a stopper. Conveyance speed cannot be increased because there is a possibility of the product falling over.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an article group separation and accumulation device that does not cause overturning of articles even at high conveyance speeds.

The article group separation and accumulation device of the present invention includes a conveyor that conveys articles in a densely packed state back and forth, and a brake on the articles on the conveyor to increase the distance between the articles and the articles conveyed in front of the conveyor. a braking means for expanding the number of articles, an article number recognition means for recognizing the number of articles conveyed downstream from the braking means, and first and second engaging members movable back and forth along the conveyance direction of the conveyor. article group engaging means , and the braking means sends out the articles at the same speed as the transport conveyor until the article recognition means recognizes a predetermined number of articles, and the braking means sends out the articles at the same speed as the conveyor until the article recognition means recognizes a predetermined number of articles. When the following item is recognized, the following item is braked to slow down the following item, and while the following item is being moved, the following item and the following item in the group of a predetermined number of items conveyed downstream are The group of articles is separated by widening the interval between the articles, and the article group engaging means brings the first engaging member into contact with the leading article of the group of articles and brings the second engaging member into contact with the article. It is characterized in that it is brought into contact with the articles at the rear of the group, and conveys the group of articles to the accumulation position at a higher speed than the conveyor while sandwiching the group from upstream and downstream sides.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article group separation and accumulation device that does not cause overturning of articles even when the conveyance speed is high.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an article group separation device that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the conveyor shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the lower side of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the conveyor viewed from the upstream side. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the transfer section when the conveyor is viewed from the upstream side. FIG. 2 is a side view of the first transfer device as seen from the lower side of FIG. 1 (as seen in the Y direction). FIG. 2 is a side view of the first transfer device viewed from the upstream side (X direction). FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of first to fourth grippers attached to the base. FIG. 3 is a side view of the configuration below the base, viewed from the downstream side to the upstream side of the conveyor. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration in which first to fourth grippers hold the first and second container groups. It is a figure explaining the separation process operation of the container group in the conveyor by a star wheel, a front plate, and a rear finger. It is a figure explaining the separation process operation of the container group in the conveyor by a star wheel, a front plate, and a rear finger. It is a figure explaining the separation process operation of the container group in the conveyor by a star wheel, a front plate, and a rear finger. It is a figure explaining the realignment process operation of the article group using the 1st transfer device and the 2nd transfer device. It is a figure explaining the realignment process operation of the article group using the 1st transfer device and the 2nd transfer device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an article processing apparatus equipped with an article group separation and accumulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a conveyor of the apparatus as seen from the lower side of FIG. It is a diagram.

The article processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment transports small articles (resin containers) C in a plurality of rows (for example, two rows) in a dense state in the front and back of the conveyance direction, and transports a plurality of small articles (for example, in each row). A container group separation/accumulation device (article group separation/accumulation device) 10A separates and accumulates the containers (article group) G in the conveying direction (X direction), which are closely packed together (10 items, 20 items in total). A container group transfer and alignment device (article group It has a transfer alignment device) 10B. In FIG. 1, the container C is transported by the transport conveyor 12 from the left side to the right side of the drawing, and as described later, the container C is placed adjacent to one side provided at the accumulation position A downstream of the transport conveyor 12. It is transferred to the alignment plate (alignment section) 13.

In this embodiment, the conveyor 12 is, for example, a two-row belt conveyor 12A, which engages with the containers C in the middle of the conveyance path to reduce the conveyance speed and prevent the containers C being conveyed from behind. A braking mechanism is provided to separate from the container group G in front. The braking mechanism of this embodiment includes a pair of star wheels (braking means) 14 arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the conveyor 12.

The star wheel 14 is provided with a predetermined number of depressions on its outer periphery that engage with the bodies of the containers C in each row conveyed on the conveyor 12. Each star wheel 14 is synchronously rotated in opposite directions by a motor 14A. Each star wheel 14 is normally rotationally controlled so as to send out the containers C in each row at the same speed as the conveyor 12. Therefore, since the containers C are hardly braked by each star wheel 14, the containers C that are being conveyed in a dense manner on the conveyor 12 are discharged from each star wheel 14 and conveyed downstream while maintaining the dense condition. Ru. On the other hand, when a predetermined number of containers C (10 containers in each row) pass, the rotational speed of each star wheel 14 is reduced for a short time, and the containers C engaged with each star wheel 14 are braked. A gap is formed between the receiving container C and the container group G transported downstream of the container C receiving this braking.

The number of containers C passing through the star wheel 14 is recognized by the rotation angle of the star wheel 14, and the rotation speed of the motor 14A is controlled based on the recognized number of containers C. In this embodiment, the amount of rotation of the motor 14A is detected by an encoder or the like, and based on this, the number of containers C that have passed through the star wheel 14 is calculated. Note that the counting method is arbitrary, and a non-contact type sensor such as an optical sensor or another contact type sensor may be used.

In the transport conveyor 12, on the downstream side of the star wheel 14, there is a mechanism (product group staff) that sandwiches the separated container group G from the front and back in the transport direction (X direction) and transfers it to the accumulation position A in a close and stable state. means) will be provided. In this embodiment, the mechanism includes a front plate (first engagement member) 16 that contacts the leading container C of the container group G, and a rear finger (second engagement member) that contacts the rear container C of the container group G. )18.

The front plate 16 is a horizontally long plate-like member that extends across the conveyor 12 and comes into contact with the front edge of the first container C of the container group G. It is supported and driven by a front plate moving mechanism 20 disposed along the side of the front plate 12. On the other hand, the rear fingers 18 are a pair of L-shaped plate members, and each rear finger 18 is supported and driven by a rear finger moving mechanism 22 disposed along the lower downstream portion of the conveyor 12.

The front plate moving mechanism 20 includes a front plate advancement/retraction actuator 20A that causes the front plate 16 to protrude from the side of the conveyor 12 onto the conveyor 12 and retract it laterally, and a front plate movement actuator 20A that causes the front plate 16 to protrude from the side of the conveyor 12 onto the conveyor 12, and a front plate advance/retreat actuator 20A that causes the front plate 16 to retract to the side. A front plate reciprocating actuator 20B that reciprocates the abutted front plate 16 along the conveyor 12 is provided.

The rear finger moving mechanism 22 includes a support member 22A that supports the base end of each rear finger 18, an air cylinder 22B that supports each support member 22A so as to be able to reciprocate in opposite directions in the conveyor width direction, and an air cylinder 22B. It includes a rear finger reciprocating actuator 22C that integrally moves the rear finger 18 back and forth along the conveyor 12. Note that the front plate reciprocating actuator 20B and the rear finger reciprocating actuator 22C are synchronously driven at the same speed, which is faster than the conveyor 12, by servo motors 20C and 22D, respectively. Further, the front plate advance/retreat actuator 20A is driven by a servo motor 20D.

At the accumulation position A, lifting guides 24 that can be raised and lowered are provided along the sides on both sides of the belt conveyor 12A. The elevating guide 24 rises when being slid on the conveyor 12 by the front plate 16 and the rear fingers 18 to prevent the container C from falling to the side. On the other hand, when moving the container group G to the side accumulation plate 13, it is lowered to below the conveyance surface of the conveyor 12 and retreated. Furthermore, a fixed stopper 21 is provided at the downstream end of the transport conveyor 12 to prevent the container group G at the accumulation position A from moving further downstream by the transport conveyor 12.

Note that a part of the upstream corner of the alignment plate 13 along the conveyor 12 is a movable plate in order to prevent interference with the rear finger 18 on the side of the alignment plate 13 that reciprocates along the conveyor 12. 13A. The movable plate 13A is in a retracted position where it does not interfere with the rear finger 18 when the rear finger 18 moves to the accumulation position A, and when the container group G on the transport plate 12 is moved to the alignment plate 13, the movable plate 13A is in a retracted position where it does not interfere with the rear finger 18. Constituting a part of the surface of the plate 13, the container group G is moved onto the alignment plate 13 by sliding on the movable plate 13A.

Above the conveyor 12 and the alignment plate 13, a first transfer device 26 is arranged which divides the container group G on the conveyor 12 into two groups, front and rear, and moves them onto the alignment plate 13, as described later. (See Figures 6-9). The first transfer device 26 includes four pairs of first to fourth grippers 28A to 28D.

As will be described later, the first gripper (first transfer means) 28A picks up a part of the container group G that is divided in the transport direction (X direction) out of the container group G accumulated at the accumulation position A, that is, the first container group ( The second gripper (first transfer means) 28B moves the second container group (first article group) G1 to the first alignment position A1, and moves the second container group (first article group) G1 to the first alignment position A1. (article group) G2 is moved to the second alignment position A2. In addition, in this embodiment, the container group G is divided into two: a first container group G1 on the upstream side and a second container group G2 on the downstream side.

The third gripper (second transfer means) 28C moves the first container group G1 that has been moved to the first alignment position A1 to the third alignment position A3 on the alignment plate 13, and the fourth gripper (second transfer means ) 28D moves the second container group G2, which has been moved to the second alignment position A2, to the fourth alignment position A4 on the alignment plate 13.

Further, on the side of the alignment plate 13 opposite to the conveyor 12, a discharge conveyor 15 for conveying the containers C in the Y direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (X direction) of the conveyor 12 is disposed, and the alignment plate A second transfer device 30 is provided on the discharge conveyor 15 side of No. 13 to transfer the first and second container groups G1 and G2 arranged at the third and fourth alignment positions A3 and A4 onto the discharge conveyor 15. It will be done.

The second transfer device 30 includes container group moving mechanisms 30A and 30B that move the first and second container groups G1 and G2, respectively. The container group moving mechanisms 30A and 30B each include grippers 32A and 32B that can respectively grip the container groups G1 and G2 in the Y direction. The grippers 32A and 32B are each provided at the tip of a rod 33A arranged along the X direction, and the base end of the rod 33A is connected to the slider of two X-direction actuators 33B arranged in parallel along the X direction. are fixed respectively. That is, each gripper 32A, 32B is reciprocated in the X direction by each drive motor 33C of the X direction actuator 33B.

Further, the two X-direction actuators 33B have their base ends held by one Y-direction actuator 33D arranged along the Y direction. That is, the grippers 32A and 32B can integrally reciprocate in the Y direction by one Y-direction actuator 33D, and can reciprocate in the X-direction by two X-direction actuators 33B. Note that the Y-direction actuator 33D causes the two X-direction actuators 33B to integrally reciprocate in the Y-direction by a drive motor 33E.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the conveyor 12 viewed from the upstream side, and shows a state in which the rear finger 18 is in contact with a container C at the rear of a group of containers G on the conveyor 12.

The left and right rear fingers 18 have an L-shape with their tip ends bent toward the center of the conveyor 12, and are reciprocated in opposite directions in the width direction of the conveyor 12 by an air cylinder 22B. . At the position where the star wheel 14 separates the container group G from the rear container C, the rear fingers 18 move their tips toward each other by the air cylinder 22B, so that the container group G approaches the rear surface of the rear container C. be touched. Note that after the rear finger moving mechanism 22 moves the container group G to the accumulation position A, the rear finger 18 is retracted outward by the air cylinder 22B to a position where it does not interfere with the containers C on the conveyor 12, and the rear finger moves. The mechanism 22 returns it to the original position toward the star wheel 14 side (upstream side). In FIG. 3, a portion of the retracted rear finger 18 is depicted in broken lines.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the conveyor 12 at the accumulation position A seen from the upstream side, and the lifting mechanism 25 of the lifting guide 24 is also shown.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lifting guide 24 is located along the side of the container C on the conveyor 12, and is supported by a support member 25A. In this embodiment, since there are two rows of container groups G, lifting guides 24 are provided at three locations between the outside of the conveyor 12 and the containers C. The elevating mechanism 25 reciprocates the support member 25A up and down by driving the motor 25B. FIG. 4 shows a state when the lifting guide 24 is raised and the container group G is transferred to the transfer section A. Note that when the container group G is divided into the first container group G1 and the second container group G2 and transferred onto the accumulation plate 13, the support member 25A is lowered by the elevating mechanism 25, and the three elevating guides 24 is retracted below the conveyance surface of the belt conveyor 12A.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the first transfer device 26 of this embodiment seen from the bottom of FIG. 1 (seen in the Y direction), and FIG. 6 is a side view seen from the upstream side (X direction). be.

In this embodiment, the first to fourth grippers 28A to 28D are held under the base 34 of the first transfer device 26. The base 34 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction) by a lifting mechanism 36 using a nut 36A and a ball screw 36B, and can be reciprocated in the width direction (Y direction) of the conveyor 12 by a base movement actuator 38. . The lifting mechanism 36 and the base moving actuator 38 are driven by drive motors 36C and 38A, respectively.

7 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the first to fourth grippers 28A to 28D attached to the base 34, and FIG. 8 shows the configuration below the base 34 in FIG. 7 on the downstream side of the conveyor 12. FIG.

In this embodiment, the first to fourth grippers 28A to 28D are each composed of a pair of plate-like members that are opened and closed in the Y direction by opening and closing cylinders 40. The opening/closing cylinders 40 of the first gripper 28A and the fourth gripper 28D are fixedly attached to the base 34, while the second gripper 28B and the third gripper 28C have a Y-direction linear motion actuator 40A and an X-direction linear motion actuator 40B, respectively. They are respectively attached to the base 34 via. Note that the Y-direction linear motion actuator 40A and the X-direction linear motion actuator 40B are driven by drive motors 41A and 41B, respectively.

The base 34 has, for example, a rectangular shape with four sides parallel to the XY directions, and the first gripper 28A is arranged at a position closest to the conveyor 12 on the upstream side of the base 34. The second gripper 28B is arranged downstream of the first gripper 28A, and the third gripper 28C is arranged downstream of the first gripper 28A in the Y direction. Further, the fourth gripper 28D is arranged diagonally of the base 34 with respect to the first gripper 28A.

The second gripper 28B is reciprocated by a Y-direction linear actuator 40A between a position aligned with the first gripper 28A in the X direction (FIG. 7) and a position extending outward from the base 34 toward the conveyor 12 side. It is possible. On the other hand, the X-direction linear actuator 40B causes the third gripper 28C to reciprocate from a position where it is lined up with the first gripper 28A in the Y direction (FIG. 7) to a position where it is lined up with the fourth gripper 28D in the Y direction. It is possible.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a movable plate 13A forming a part of the alignment plate 13 is swingable around an axis 13C by an air cylinder 13B. When the container group G is moved on the conveyor 12 while being sandwiched between the front plate 16 and the rear finger 18, the movable plate 13A is rotated around the shaft 13C and pushed down, and the container group G is moved on the conveyor 12. When being transferred from the substrate to the alignment plate 13, it is pushed up so as to form the plane of the alignment plate 13.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a configuration in which the first to fourth grippers 28A to 28D (representatively shown as gripper 28 in this figure) grip the first and second container groups G1 and G2, respectively. As shown in FIG. 9, recesses 29 are formed on the inner surfaces of the pair of grippers 28 to fit the containers C of each group of articles, and when the group of articles is sandwiched between both grippers 28, each container C The position is fixed by

Next, referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, the container groups G are separated on the conveyor 12, and the first and second container groups G1 and G2 are moved from the accumulation position A to the first alignment position A1 and the second alignment position A2. The operation of moving to is explained below.

FIG. 10A shows a state in which a group of containers G separated from subsequent containers C transported on the transport conveyor 12 is moved to an accumulation position A by the front plate 16 and the rear finger 18.

In FIG. 10(a), the lift guide 24 has been raised, and the container group G is guided by the lift guide 24 on both sides thereof, and is supported by the front plate 16 and a pair of rear fingers 18 at the front and rear sides thereof. The star wheel 14 rotates at a normal speed synchronized with the conveyance speed of the conveyor 12, and the containers C at the rear are conveyed on the conveyor 12 in a dense manner. Note that at this time, the movable plate 13A is retracted downward and interference with the rear finger 18 is prevented.

In FIG. 10(b), the front plate 16 and the rear fingers 18 are pulled out laterally from above the conveyor 12. The leading end of the container group G comes into contact with the fixed stopper 21, and the continuously driven transport conveyor 12 prevents the container group G from moving further downstream. In FIG. 10(c), the front plate 16 and the rear finger 18 that have been evacuated from the conveyor 12 start to move upstream, and the first gripper 28A and the second gripper 28B move toward the container group G, respectively. moved upwards.

At this time, the base 34 of the first transfer device 26 is in a raised position by the lifting mechanism 36, and the base moving actuator 38 moves the first gripper 28A to a position directly above the container group G on the conveyor 12. It is moved to the transport conveyor 12 side. Further, the second gripper 28B is arranged in a position aligned with the first gripper 28A in the X direction by the Y direction direct-acting actuator 40A, and is located directly above the container group G on the conveyor 12.

In FIG. 10(d), the lift guide 24 is lowered below the conveyance surface of the conveyor 12, the base 34 is lowered by the lift mechanism 36, and the first gripper 28A grips the first container group G1 on the upstream side of the container group G. A state in which the second gripper 28B grips the second container group G2 on the downstream side of the container group G is shown. Note that at this time, the front plate 16 and the rear finger 18 are moved further upstream, and the movable plate 13A is raised to the same height as the accumulation plate 13.

In FIG. 11E, the base movement actuator 38 of the base 34 of the first transfer device 26 starts to move in the Y direction, and the Y direction linear actuator 40A moves the second gripper 28B toward the conveyor 12 side. and move. As a result, the first container group G1 held by the first gripper 28A and the second container group G2 held by the second gripper 28B are moved onto the accumulation plate 13. Note that during this time, the front plate 16 and the rear finger 18 are also moved to the upstream side.

In FIG. 11(f), the front plate 16 is pushed onto the conveyor 12 while moving upstream together with the rear finger 18. In FIG. 11(g), the movement of the front plate 16 and the rear fingers 18 along the transport conveyor 12 is stopped, and the front plate 16 is completely pushed onto the transport plate 12. At this time, the front plate 16 is located slightly downstream of the head of the container C fed out from the star wheel 14, and the tip of the rear finger 18 is arranged at the position where the container C is fed out from the star wheel 14. At the same time, the rotational speed of the star wheel 14 is decelerated based on the counting result, and the speed at which the containers C are delivered becomes slower than the transport speed of the transport conveyor 12, so that the containers G that have already been delivered from the star wheel 14 are replaced by the following containers. separated from The star wheel 14 of this embodiment is controlled to discharge 10 containers C in 2.5 seconds. At the start of operation, the rotation is controlled so that the containers C in each row are sent out at the same speed as the conveyor 12, and when 10 containers C are recognized, the normal speed is restored for 0.25 seconds to discharge one container C. It is controlled to reduce the speed by about 20%. In this way, by shortening the time for decelerating the container C and reducing the rate of deceleration, the influence of inertial force on the container C during deceleration is minimized. In addition, during this time, the movement of the first and second container groups G1 and G2 to the alignment plate 13 by the first gripper 28A and the second gripper 28B continues.

In FIG. 11(h), the leading edge of the separated container group G comes into contact with the front plate 16, and the rear fingers 18 on both sides are pushed onto the conveyor 12, and the star wheel 14 causes the separated container group G to come into contact with the front plate 16. It comes into contact with the rear container C. The rotation of the star wheel 14 is accelerated until the delivery speed is the same as the transport speed of the transport conveyor 12. In this embodiment, in order to prevent the containers C from falling over due to sudden acceleration, the speed is increased to the normal speed over a period of 2.25 seconds, which is the time it takes for the nine containers C to be discharged. Further, the first container group G1 moved by the first gripper 28A is moved to approximately the first alignment position A1, and the second container group G2 moved by the second gripper 28B is moved to approximately the second alignment position A2. be done. Further, the elevating guide 24 is raised to a position higher than the conveyance surface of the conveyor 12.

In FIG. 12(i), when the movable plate 13A is retracted, the front plate 16 and the rear finger 18 are moved downstream at a speed faster than the transport speed of the transport conveyor 12, and the separated container group G A state in which the top of the stacking position A is approaching the upstream end of the stacking position A is shown. In FIG. 12(j), the front plate 16 and the rear finger 18 have been moved further downstream, and the containers C corresponding to the leading several rows of the container group G have been moved between the lifting guides 24. Further, the first gripper 28A and the second gripper 28B are opened by the opening/closing cylinder 40, the first and second container groups G1 and G2 are released, and the first alignment position A1 of the first and second container groups G1 and G2 is , the movement to the second alignment position A2 is completed. Thereafter, the base 34 is lifted by the lifting mechanism 36, and is moved toward the conveyor 12 by the base moving actuator 38 until the first gripper 28A is located directly above the conveyor 12, as shown in FIG. Ru. At this time, the second gripper 28B is moved by the Y-direction linear motion actuator 40A to a position aligned with the first gripper 28A in the X direction (a position directly above the conveyor 12).

Next, with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the first container group G1 and the second container group G2 are aligned and transferred to the discharge conveyor 15 using the first transfer device 26 and the second transfer device 30. I will explain about it.

FIG. 13 shows a state in which the container group G has been transported to the accumulation position A, and the first and second grippers 28A and 28B are holding the first container group G1 and the second container group G2, respectively, in the container group G. At this time, the base 34 has been moved toward the conveyor 12 side. At this time, the third gripper 28C is arranged in a position lined up with the first gripper 28A in the Y direction, grips the first container group G1 that has been moved to the first alignment position A1 by the first gripper 28A, and The gripper 28D grips the container group G2 that was previously moved to the second alignment position A2 by the second gripper 28B.

Further, the container group moving mechanism 30A of the second transfer device 30 moves the grippers 32A and 32B in the X direction by the The first and second container groups G1 and G2, which have been moved to positions A3 and A4, are clamped, respectively.

Here, the first alignment position A1 and the second alignment position A2 are located at positions where the first container group G1 and the second container group G2 of the container group G on the conveyor 12 are moved in the Y direction, respectively. The alignment position A1 is located farther from the conveyor 12 than the second alignment position A2. Further, the second, fourth, and third alignment positions A2, A4, and A3 are arranged in a line from the conveyor 12 side in this order in the Y direction, and the fourth alignment position A4 is conveyed more than the first alignment position A1. It is located far from the conveyor 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the grippers 32A and 32B of the second transfer device 30 are moved in the Y direction by the Y direction actuator 33D, and the container groups G1 and G2 held by the grippers 32A and 32B are discharged. They are moved onto the conveyor 15 in an aligned state along the conveyance direction of the conveyor 15. At the same time, the base 34 is moved in the Y direction by the base movement actuator 38, the second gripper 28B is moved in the direction of the conveyor 12 by the Y direction linear actuator 40A, and the third gripper 28C is moved directly in the X direction. It is moved in the X direction by the dynamic actuator 40B.

As a result, the first and second container groups G1 and G2 held by the first and second grippers 28A and 28B, respectively, on the conveyor 12 in FIG. , A2, respectively, and held by the third and fourth grippers 28C and 28D, respectively, are moved to the third and fourth alignment positions A3 and A4 on the alignment plate 13, respectively. will be moved. Thereafter, by repeating the same process, the containers C transported in a predetermined row on the transport conveyor 12 are separated in the transport direction into one container group G, and then the container group G is further divided into equal parts. The first and second container groups G1 and G2 are separated and moved in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and are discharged in a state aligned in the intersecting direction.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, containers that are being transported in a crowded state are transported without applying any braking until a predetermined number of containers are recognized, and when the number of containers is recognized, the rotational speed of the star wheel is By slowing down the container for only a short period of time, the inertial force applied to the container can be reduced, and the container can be prevented from overturning. In addition, the front plate and rear fingers move the separated container group while sandwiching it from the front and back, so even if the container group is moved at a higher speed than the conveyance speed of the conveyor, the containers will not fall over and will not be processed. Speed can be increased.

In this embodiment, a star wheel is used to separate the container groups, but a rotating belt or a configuration in which an engaging member is inserted between the containers may also be used as the separation mechanism. In addition, in this embodiment, the containers to be transported are rearranged in the cross direction, but when a predetermined number of containers are to be packed directly into a case, etc., a group of containers can be moved directly to the moved stacking position using a gripper. You can also hold it and move it into the case.

10 Article group separation and accumulation device 12 Conveyor 13 Alignment plate (alignment section)
14 Star wheel (braking means)
16 Front plate (first engagement member)
18 Rear finger (second engagement member)
20 Front plate moving mechanism 22 Rear finger moving mechanism 26 First transfer device 28A, 28B First and second grippers (first transfer means)
28C, 28D 3rd and 4th grippers (second transfer means)
A Accumulation position A1 to A4 1st to 4th alignment position C Container (article)
G Container group (article group)
G1, G2 1st and 2nd container group (article group)

Claims (1)

A transport conveyor that transports goods in a dense state back and forth;
braking means that applies a brake to the article on the transport conveyor to widen the distance between the article and the article conveyed in front of the article;
article number recognition means for recognizing the number of articles conveyed downstream from the braking means;
an article group engaging means having first and second engaging members that are reciprocally movable along the conveyance direction of the conveyor;
The braking means sends out the articles at the same speed as the transport conveyor until the article recognition means recognizes a predetermined number of articles, and when the article number recognition means recognizes a predetermined number of articles, By applying brakes to the following articles to decelerate the following articles, while moving the following articles, the distance between the following articles of the predetermined number of articles conveyed downstream is increased, and the said article group is perform the separation of
The article group engaging means brings the first engaging member into contact with the leading article of the article group and brings the second engaging member into contact with the trailing article of the article group, thereby causing the article group to engage. An article group separation and accumulation device, characterized in that the article group separation and accumulation device transports the articles while holding them from the upstream and downstream sides to the accumulation position at a higher speed than the conveyor.

Images