JP7360015B2 - Goods conveyance device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article conveying device that conveys articles in a stacked state.

As a device for conveying items such as pieces of paper that are difficult to independently convey in a stacked state (stacked state) in a stacked state, a configuration is known in which the articles are stacked and transported in a carrier surrounded by side walls etc. (Patent Document 1). In the device of Patent Document 1, a carrier containing stacked paper pieces is conveyed to a take-out position by a supply conveyor, and after the paper pieces are taken out from inside the carrier, the empty carrier is returned to its original state by a conveyor arranged in parallel with the supply conveyor. It has returned to its position.

Patent No. 3818214

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, in addition to the supply conveyor that serves as the forward route of the carrier, a conveyor that serves as the return route is required. Therefore, when supplying articles in multiple rows for reasons such as increasing throughput, the apparatus becomes large-scale and requires a large space.

An object of the present invention is to provide an article conveying device capable of conveying stacked articles with a smaller installation area.

An article conveying device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a pair of belt conveyors for conveying stacked articles; a pair of endless running bodies arranged in parallel on both sides of the pair of belt conveyors; A plurality of first guides attached to the endless running body in a protruding upright state, a plurality of second guides provided along each of the endless running bodies, and a driving means for synchronously driving the pair of endless running bodies. forming a plurality of areas surrounded by the pair of front and rear first guides and second guides provided on the pair of belt conveyors and the pair of endless running bodies, and forming a plurality of areas surrounded by the pair of front and rear first guides and second guides provided on the pair of belt conveyors and the pair of endless running bodies; an article conveying device that conveys the article to a take-out position where the article is taken out from the area while accommodating the article; When the stacked articles are conveyed to the take-out position, the stacked articles are lifted between the pair of first guides while coming into contact with the bottom surface of the stacked articles. A lifting fork is provided, a plurality of sets of the pair of endless running bodies are arranged in parallel, and the first guide is rotatable from the upright state to an inverted state substantially parallel to the endless running body, and the first guide is rotatable from the area. After the article is taken out , when returning the first guide upstream, the first guide is rotated to the inverted state.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article conveying device capable of conveying stacked articles with a smaller installation area.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an article conveying device that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the article conveyance device and the arrangement of transfer devices. 3 is a schematic view taken from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic view taken from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of the downstream end of one conveyor. It is an enlarged view showing the attachment structure of the front and rear guides and side guides attached to the endless chain. FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the configuration of the endless chain, front and rear guides, and side guides as viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction. It is a top view of a transfer device. FIG. 3 is a side view of the 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 conveying device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

The article conveyance device 10 of this embodiment conveys articles M, such as pieces of paper and bags, which are difficult to convey (self-supporting conveyance) in a stacked state without support. The articles are supplied to the article conveying device 10 in multiple rows in a state in which a predetermined number of articles M are stacked (stacked article group G), and the article conveying device 10 conveys the laminated article group G in multiple rows. In FIG. 1, the stacked article group G is supplied in three rows from the top of the drawing, and is conveyed on the article conveying device 10 in three rows.

At the downstream end of the article conveyance device 10, a transfer device 12 (see FIGS. 2 and 8), which will be described later, is arranged, as well as a discharge conveyor 14 for discharging the articles M transferred by the transfer device 12. Ru. The discharge conveyor 14 is arranged with its conveyance direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the article conveyance device 10, and conveys the articles M taken out from the stacked article group G in a single line. The transfer device 12 transfers the top article A of the multi-row stacked article group G one by one (one sheet at a time) to the discharge conveyor 14 for each row (in this embodiment, three at a time).

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the article transport device 10 and the arrangement of the transfer device 12. 3 is a schematic view taken from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view taken from the direction of arrow B of FIG. The overall configuration of the article conveyance device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the article conveyance device 10 includes a conveyor (placing member) 16 that carries a stacked article group G and conveys it intermittently. A transport conveyor 16 is provided for each row of the stacked article group G, and each row of transport conveyor 16 is comprised of a pair of belt conveyors 16A and 16B. The pair of belt conveyors 16A and 16B are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined interval, and the stacked article group G placed on the conveyor 16 is supported by the conveyors 16A and 16B on both sides. In this embodiment, three pairs of belt conveyors 16A and 16B are provided to convey the stacked article group G in three rows. Note that the upstream ends of the belt conveyors 16A, 16B are each wound around a driving sprocket attached to a single rotating shaft 16C, and are integrally driven by a motor 16D.

The article conveyance device 10 includes two pairs of endless chains (endless running bodies) 18A and 18B arranged in upper and lower stages along the sides above both sides of each conveyor 16. The pair of endless chains 18A, 18B in the lower tier and the pair of endless chains 18A, 18B in the upper tier basically have the same configuration, and as will be described later, the pair of endless chains 18A, 18B in the upper tier are attached to the front, rear, left and right sides of each stacked article group G placed on the conveyor 16. A guide member 34 (34A, 34B) that supports is attached.

Each endless chain 18A, 18B is driven around a rotating shaft 20A, 20B arranged substantially vertically, respectively. The endless chains 18A, 18B in each stage of the pair are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the sprockets 22A, 22B on which the endless chains 18A, 18B are wound are rotated in opposite directions in synchronization with each other. FIG. 3 schematically shows the configuration of the drive system (drive means) of the driving sprockets 22A, 22B of the endless chains 18A, 18B.

A pair of upper and lower sprockets 22A integrally attached to the upstream rotating shaft 20A and a pair of upper and lower sprockets 22B integrally attached to the upstream rotating shaft 20B are driven by the rotation of the rotating shafts 20A and 20B. It is rotated integrally as a unit. In FIG. 3, for example, a chain drive motor 24 is connected to the rightmost rotating shaft 20A, and can be directly rotated by the chain drive motor 24. The lower end of each rotating shaft 20A, 20B is engaged with one horizontal rotating shaft 20C via a bevel gear 25, respectively. The bevel gear 25 is arranged so that all the rotating shafts 20A rotate at the same speed in the same direction, and is configured so that all the rotating shafts 20B rotate at the same speed in the opposite direction to the rotating shaft 20A. Ru.

Further, on the downstream side of the article conveyance device 10, as shown in FIG. 2, articles M are taken out one by one from the stacked article group G transferred to the downstream end (takeout position) of the conveyor 16 in each row. A transfer device 12 for transferring to the discharge conveyor 14 is arranged. As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the transfer device 12 vertically lifts each stacked article group G that has been transferred to the downstream end (take-out position) of the transport conveyor 16, and lifts each stacked article group G transferred to the corresponding fixed guide 26. a first lift device 28 that moves inward, a robot 30 that sequentially holds the topmost article M of the stacked article group G in each fixed guide 26 and transfers it onto the discharge conveyor 14; A second lifting device 32 is provided to lift the stacked article group G within the fixed guide 26 by the thickness of the articles M that have been removed.

Note that in FIG. 2, only the first lift device 28 is shown. The first lift device 28 includes a number of forks 28A corresponding to each conveyor 16 (three in this embodiment), and each stacked article group G is inserted between the pair of belt conveyors 16A and 16B from below. It is lifted vertically by each fork 28A and moved into the fixed guide 26.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the configuration and function of the guide member 34 attached to each endless chain 18A, 18B will be described. The guide member 34 is a member that supports the periphery of the stacked article group G in which the articles M are stacked and prevents the stacked article group G from collapsing. 1 guide) 34A, and a side guide (second guide) 34B that supports the sides.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of the downstream end of one conveyor 16, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing the attachment structure of the front and rear guides 34A and side guides 34B attached to the endless chain 18B. Moreover, FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of the configuration of the endless chain 18B, the front and rear guides 34A, and the side guides 34B as viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction. Note that since the endless chain 18A has a laterally symmetrical configuration with the endless chain 18B, a description of the endless chain 18A will be omitted.

The side guide 34B is attached to the pair of upper and lower endless chains 18B, for example, via attachments 36 that protrude outward from each outer link of the endless chains 18B. The side guide 34B is a vertically long flat plate member that is vertically spanned by the upper and lower endless chains 18B, and is arranged so that the flat plate follows the travel path of the endless chains 18B (arranged in parallel). The width of the flat plate of the side guide 34B is set to a size that does not interfere with rotation on the sprocket 22B. Side guides 34B attached to the left and right endless chains 18A and 18B with the same configuration form side walls on both sides of the conveyor 16 that move to follow the conveyor 16.

On the other hand, the front and rear guides 34A are attached to the attachments 36 of the upper and lower endless chains 18B with a predetermined number of side guides 34B interposed therebetween. The front and rear guides 34A are also vertically long flat plate members, the width of which is shorter than half the distance between the left and right endless chains 18A and 18B, and is provided at the same position of the left and right endless chains 18A and 18B, respectively, with respect to the conveyance direction. . Further, the front and rear guide 34A is pivotally supported by an attachment 36 via a rotating shaft 38.

The front and rear guide 34A rotates around the rotating shaft 38 in a range of about 90 degrees from backward (inverted state) to a direction substantially perpendicular to the endless chain 18B (upright state) with respect to the running direction of the endless chain 18B. It is possible. Further, the front and rear guides 34A are biased to rotate around the rotating shaft 38 from an inverted state to an upright state by a biasing member such as a spring (not shown). Therefore, the front and rear guides 34A provided on the left and right endless chains 18A, 18B are located at orthogonal positions inside the conveyor moving along the conveyor 16, and thereby the left and right endless chains 18A, 18B of the conveyor 16 The space sandwiched between is partitioned in the transport direction at predetermined intervals corresponding to the longitudinal width of the article M in the transport direction.

As a result, the conveyor 16 has a space (area) partitioned on four sides by the front and rear guides 34A and side guides 34B attached to the endless chains 18A and 18B that run following the conveyor belts 16A and 16B. The stacked article group G placed on the conveyor belts 16A and 16B is conveyed while being accommodated in a space partitioned by the front and rear guides 34A and side guides 34B.

Further, in the conveyor 16 of this embodiment, a guide plate 40 is provided close to each other along the return path of each endless chain 18A, 18B. The guide plate 40 engages with the front and rear guides 34A moving on the return path, and rotates the front and rear guides 34A around the rotating shaft 38 to a parallel position against the urging force. As a result, the front and rear guides 34A are arranged along the traveling direction on the return trip, so that the front and rear guides 34A do not take up much width.

Next, the configuration of the transfer device 12 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. 8 is a plan view of the transfer device 12, and FIG. 9 is a side view.

As described above, the fixed guide 26 and the transfer device 12 include the first lift device 28, the robot 30, and the second lift device 32. The first lift 28 moves upward between the pair of belt conveyors 16A and 16B provided on each conveyor 16, and lifts each stacked article group G into the fixed guide 26 above. A fork 28A is provided.

Each fork 28A is integrally supported by a fork support member 28B. The fork support member 28B is connected to a movement mechanism 28C using an air cylinder or the like that allows the fork support member 28B to move forward and backward along the conveyance direction of the conveyor 16. The advancing/retracting mechanism 28C can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 28D using a ball screw or the like.

The fork 28A is initially located at a position slightly lower than the transport surface of the transport conveyor 16 and at a slightly spaced distance from the downstream end of the transport conveyor 16. When the stacked article group G reaches the downstream end of the conveyor 16, each fork 28A is pushed out between the belt conveyors 16A and 16B by the advance/retreat mechanism 28C, and is further raised by the elevating mechanism 28D to move the stacked article group G. It comes into contact with the bottom.

Subsequently, the fork 28A is raised as it is, and each stacked article group G is housed in the fixed guide 26. The fixed guide 26 is a guide member that supports the stacked article group G on all sides so that it does not collapse, and its lower end is connected to a front and rear guide 34A and a side guide 34B that surround the stacked article group G on all sides at the downstream end of the conveyor 16. placed a short distance from the top of the Therefore, when the stacked article group G is slightly raised by the fork 28A, the upper end of the stacked article group G is immediately inserted into the fixed guide 26, and when the fork 28A is raised to the lower end of the fixed guide 26, All of the stacked article group G is housed within the fixed guide 26.

In addition, in FIG. 9, the fork 28A, the fork support member 28B, and the advancing/retracting mechanism 28C at the position in contact with the bottom surface of the stacked article group G on the belt conveyors 16A and 16B are drawn with solid lines, and the stacked article group G is fixedly guided. The fork 28A, the fork support member 28B, and the advancing/retracting mechanism 28C in the fully housed position in the fork 26 are drawn with broken lines.

On the other hand, the second lift device 32 holds the stacked article group G that has been moved into the fixed guide 26, and when the articles M of the stacked article group G are transferred one by one to the discharge conveyor 14 by the robot 30, the second lift device 32 The stacked article group G is raised by the same amount. That is, the height of the uppermost article M in the stacked article group G is always maintained constant, so that the robot 30 can always receive the article M from the stacked article group G at the same height.

Like the first lift device 28, the second lift device 32 includes a plurality of forks 32A corresponding to the number of conveyors 16, a fork support member 32B that integrally supports the forks 32A, and a fork support member 32B that advances and retreats. It includes an advancing/retracting mechanism 32C that freely supports the advancing/retracting mechanism 32C and an elevating/lowering mechanism 32D that supports the advancing/retracting mechanism 32C so as to be movable up and down. However, the fork 32A of the second lift device 32 has a complementary bifurcated shape that does not interfere with the fork 28A of the first lift device 28.

That is, the stacked article group G within the fixed guide 26 is initially supported at the center of the bottom surface by the fork 28A of the first lift device 28. Thereafter, the fork 32A of the second lift device 32 is advanced by the advancing/retracting mechanism 32C below the bottom surface of the stacked article group G housed in the fixed guide 26, and is raised by the elevating mechanism 32D to sandwich the fork 28A therebetween. It comes into contact with the bottom surface of the stacked article group G.

When the fork 32A of the second lift device 32 supports the bottom surface of the stacked article group G, the fork 28A of the first lift device 28 is moved back by the advance/retreat mechanism 28C and returned to its original position below by the elevating mechanism 28D. After that, the conveyor 16 and the endless chains 18A and 18B are driven, and the stacked article group G stored in the next space partitioned on all sides by the front and rear guides 34A and the side guides 34B is moved to the downstream end of the conveyor 16. will be moved to.

When the uppermost article M is delivered to the robot 30, the elevating mechanism 32D of the second lift device 32 raises the fork 32A by the thickness of the article M in synchronization with the movement of the robot 30, and lifts the fork 32A by the thickness of the article M. Increase G. When the number of laminated articles G lifted by the fork 32A reaches 10, the fork 28A of the first lift device 28 picks up the next laminated article group G waiting at the take-out position, starting from the top article M. Raise it until it touches the lower end of the fork 32A. Then, the fork 32A is moved backward by the advancing/retracting mechanism 32C. At this time, all stacked article groups G accommodated in the fixed guide 26 are in a state of being supported by the fork 28A, and the lifting mechanism 28D of the first lift device 28 is moved to the uppermost part in synchronization with the movement of the robot 30. When the article M is delivered to the robot 30, the fork 28A is raised by the thickness of the article M, and the stacked article group G is raised.

On the other hand, the fork 32A that has been retreated by the forward/backward mechanism 32C is lowered to its original height by the lifting mechanism 32D, and then moved forward by the forward/backward mechanism 32C. It rises to a position where it comes into contact with the article M below. Thereafter, the fork 28A is moved back by the advancing/retracting mechanism 32C and lowered to the original height by the lifting mechanism 28D, and the lifting of the stacked article group G housed in the fixed guide 26 is controlled by the second lift device 32. Note that the robot 30 is, for example, a parallel link robot or an arm robot equipped with a suction head at its tip, and sequentially suctions the articles M placed on the top of the stacked article group G and transfers them onto the conveyance surface of the discharge conveyor 14. I will post it.

As described above, according to the article conveyance device of the present embodiment, by forming an area capable of accommodating a stacked article group with a plurality of guide members attached to the endless traveling body, articles are accommodated in a carrier etc. and conveyed. There is no need for a mechanism to return the carrier. Furthermore, since the front and rear guides are movable between the orthogonal position and the parallel position, it does not take up much space to return the front and rear guides. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to transport the stacked articles while guiding them around the stacked articles in a smaller installation area.

In this embodiment, the stacked articles are placed on a pair of belt conveyors, but the stacked articles may be placed on a slidable plate and moved forward on the plate while being pushed by front and rear guides. .

Further, in this embodiment, three sets of endless chains 18A and 18B are driven by one motor, but a motor may be arranged for each set. Furthermore, the three forks 28A disposed in the first lift device 28 and the three forks 32A disposed in the second lift device 32 may be individually controlled by disposing a motor in each fork. good.

10 Article conveyance device 12 Transfer device 14 Discharge conveyor 16 Conveyance conveyor 16A, 16B Belt conveyor 18A, 18B Endless chain 26 Fixed guide 28 First lift device 30 Robot 32 Second lift device 34A Front and rear guide (first guide)
34B Side guide (second guide)
G Laminated article group M Article

Claims (1)

a pair of belt conveyors that transport the stacked articles;
a pair of endless running bodies arranged in parallel on both sides of the pair of belt conveyors ;
a plurality of first guides attached to each of the endless traveling bodies in a protruding upright state;
a plurality of second guides provided along each of the endless running bodies;
and a driving means for driving the pair of endless running bodies in synchronization,
A plurality of regions are formed surrounded by the pair of front and rear first guides and second guides provided on the pair of belt conveyors and the pair of endless running bodies, and the stacked articles are stored in the regions. An article conveyance device that conveys an article to a take-out position where the article is taken out from the area,
At the take-out position, the stacked articles wait at a position lower than the conveying surface of the pair of belt conveyors and between the pair of belt conveyors, and when the stacked articles are conveyed to the take-out position, the stacked articles are transported to the take-out position. a fork that lifts the stacked articles by rising between the pair of first guides while coming into contact with the bottom surface of the fork;
A plurality of the pairs of endless running bodies are arranged in parallel, and the first guide is rotatable from the upright state to an inverted state in which it is substantially parallel to the endless running bodies,
The article conveying device is characterized in that when returning the first guide upstream after the article is taken out from the area , the first guide is rotated to the inverted state.

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