JP7369446B2 - Transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer device.

BACKGROUND ART Devices equipped with a reversing device for reversing an article are conventionally known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This device has a drive shaft (drive shaft 14) and a rotation shaft (rotation shaft 18) that is perpendicular to the drive shaft and rotates in synchronization with the drive shaft. and a clamping device for articles that rotates 180 degrees around the axis of the drive shaft 14 but cannot rotate around the axis of the fixed shaft, and has one or more article clamping devices that rotate 180 degrees around the axis of the drive shaft 14, but cannot rotate around the axis of the fixed shaft. By inverting the upper and lower surfaces at every turn, it is possible to bring an article that has been inverted and an article that has not been inverted (non-inverted) together.

Specifically, the article held by the clamp device 21 that rotates around the rotation shaft 18 reaches the delivery position where the clamp device 21 is reversed 180 degrees from the receiving position around the drive shaft (drive shaft 14). In this case, the front and back sides of the article at the receiving position and the delivery position (for example, the direction of the unevenness of the pocket part 2) are never reversed (the pocket part 2 is always oriented in the same direction at the receiving position and the delivery position).

On the other hand, the article held by the clamp device 21, which cannot rotate around the axis of the fixed shaft, reaches the delivery position where the clamp device 21 is reversed 180 degrees from the receiving position around the drive shaft (drive shaft 14). In this case, the front and back sides of the article at the receiving position and the delivery position (for example, the direction of the unevenness of the pocket part 2) are reversed.

Patent No. 4298133

However, conventional reversing devices differ in the attitude of the article and its displacement (change) state at the receiving position and the delivery position (for example, when the front and back are not reversed and the position of the tag part 6 is rotated 180 degrees, and when the front and back are reversed and the tag is (for example, the position of the portion 6 is alternately not rotated, etc.) is determined. In other words, the problem is that it is not possible to respond flexibly to changes in posture (with or without flipping the front and back), changes in posture displacement (for example, switching between 90 degree rotation and 180 degree rotation), and posture changes during transport of the article. was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that can switch the posture of an article and flexibly respond to arbitrary changes in posture using a single transfer device. do.

The present invention is a transfer device that circularly moves an article received in a first area to a second area, which includes a storage section for the article and a revolution drive means that revolves the storage section around a first axis. , an autorotation drive means for rotating the housing part about a second axis, and a control means , the axial directions of the first axis and the second axis are the same, and the revolution drive means The means includes a revolution motor, the rotation drive means has a rotation motor, and the control means rotates the revolution motor and the rotation motor in the same direction, and adjusts the phase difference between the rotations of the two. A first aspect of displacing and transferring the posture of the storage section on the path from the first area to the second area by performing control to set it to zero , and stopping the rotation of the rotation motor. By performing control to drive only the revolution motor, it is possible to switch between a second mode in which the storage section is transferred without changing its attitude on the path, and the article can be transferred in its own direction. , the thickness in the transfer height direction changes before and after the transfer direction, or the shape and/or material (hereinafter referred to as "shape, etc.") differs before and after the transfer direction, and multiple items are scheduled to be accumulated. When transporting the articles, the control means switches between the first mode and the second mode at an arbitrary timing so that the thickness or the shape does not become uneven when the articles are accumulated. This is a transfer device characterized in that it discharges in an area of .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transfer device that can flexibly respond to changes in the posture of an article and arbitrary changes in posture using a single transfer device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top view (A), a side view (B), and a front view (C) showing an outline of a transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A) top view, (B) top view, (C) side view, (D) side view, (E) side view, (F) side view showing an overview of the transfer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention , (G) is a top view. (A) top view, (B) top view, (C) side view, (D) side view, (E) side view, (F) side view showing an overview of the transfer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention , (G) is a top view. 1A is a side view and FIG. 1B is a top view schematically showing a transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a side view and FIG. 1B is a top view schematically showing a transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a mode of transferring an article by the transfer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a mode of transfer by the transfer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. They are (A) a side view, (B) a side view, (C) a top view, and (D) a top view showing aspects of transfer by the transfer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view showing an outline of a transfer device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an outline of a transfer device according to another example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a transfer device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a transfer device 10 of this embodiment. The same figure (A) is a top (plan) view showing a part of the transfer device 10 extracted, the same figure (B) is a side view seen from the lower side of the figure (A), and the same figure (C) is the main view. FIG. 2 is a front view showing one accommodating section 11 and an article XA1, and is a front view seen from the right side of FIG. In addition, in this figure and each subsequent figure, some structures are omitted as appropriate to simplify the drawings. In this figure and the subsequent figures, the sizes, shapes, thicknesses, etc. of members are appropriately exaggerated.

For convenience of explanation, in the transfer device 10, the direction in which the article XA1 is supplied to the storage section 11 and discharged from the storage section 11 is referred to as a transfer direction T, and the direction perpendicular to the transfer direction T in a horizontal plane is the transfer width direction. The direction perpendicular to both the transfer direction T and the transfer width direction W is called the transfer height direction H.

The transfer device 10 of this embodiment has a storage section 11 for the article XA1, a revolution drive means 12, a rotation drive means 13, a control means (not shown), etc., and has a first region P1 which is a supply region. This is a device that circulates the received articles to a second area P2 which is a discharge area.

The article XA1 of the present embodiment is, for example, a pouch package in which an article to be packaged is placed in a bag and sealed, and is approximately rectangular in plan view (see (A) of the same figure) and relatively thin (approximately flat). ) has an external shape. In addition, the packaged object, for example, a liquid or a soft solid, is directly enclosed, and the pouch package also has flexibility.

As an example, the accommodating portion 11 is configured to be able to hold two opposing sides of a substantially rectangular article XA1 (pouch package). Further, in this example, in order to allow the article XA1 to be taken out in the discharge area P2, the storage section 11 is open in the center (the method of taking out (discharging) will be described later). Specifically, the accommodating portion 11 includes a set of two holding members 11a and 11b that are approximately rectangular in plan view (FIG. 2(A)) and U-shaped in front view (FIG. 2(C)). The opening portions are arranged so as to face each other, and the article XA1 is held between a pair of holding members 11a and 11b.

Further, in this example, a plurality of (for example, two (two sets)) storage units 11 are arranged at positions 180 degrees apart from each other with the center of the transfer device 10 (first axis A1) as the center. In the same figure (A), the two accommodating parts 11 are respectively arranged so that the right side in the figure, the left side in the figure, and the opposing surfaces of the pair of holding members 11a and 11b are open.

The revolution driving means 12 is a means for revolving the accommodating portion 11 around the first axis A1 as shown by an arrow r1 in FIG. 2B (details will be described later). Hereinafter, the first axis A1 will be referred to as the revolution axis A1.

The rotation driving means 13 is a means for rotating each of the accommodating portions 11 about the second axis A2 as shown by an arrow r2 in FIG. 2B (details will be described later). Hereinafter, the second axis A2 will be referred to as the rotation axis A2. The axial direction of the rotation axis A2 is the same as the axial direction of the revolution axis A1.

Each part of the transfer device 10 is centrally controlled by a control means (not shown). The control means is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. The CPU is a so-called central processing unit, and executes various programs to realize various functions (various controls). RAM is used as a work area for the CPU. The ROM stores the basic OS and programs executed by the CPU.

The transfer device 10 of this embodiment can transfer the article XA1 in the first mode and the second mode by the revolution drive means 12 and the autorotation drive means 13, and can also transfer the article XA1 at any timing during the transfer. It is configured so that you can switch between these. Specifically, the first mode is a mode in which the attitude of the storage section 11 is displaced and transferred on the path of revolution from the first area (supply area) P1 to the second area (discharge area) P2. This is hereinafter referred to as the displacement mode. The displacement of the posture in the displacement mode is the angular displacement of the accommodating portion 11 with respect to the reference position (reference plane BS in FIG. 1(B)). Specifically, the displacement mode is such that the attitude of the accommodating part 11 in the discharging area P2 is rotated by a predetermined angle (180 degrees, 90 degrees, etc.) with respect to the attitude of the accommodating part 11 in the supply area P1, or the attitude of the accommodating part 11 in the discharging area P1 is In the region P2, the posture is the same, but the angle of the storage portion 11 is changed along the route.

Further, the second mode is a mode of transfer in which the attitude of the storage section 11 is not changed on the route, and hereinafter this is referred to as a non-displacement mode.

The control means controls one transfer device 10 so that it can transfer in either a displacement mode or a non-displacement mode, and can switch between these modes at an arbitrary timing.

2 and 3 illustrate displacement and non-displacement aspects of the transfer device 10. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the case where the article XA1 is transferred in a non-displacement manner in the transfer device 10, and FIG. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), and FIG. C) to (F) are side views of FIG. Note that in FIGS. 2(C) to 2(F), for convenience of explanation, illustration of the side surface of the storage portion 11 (the lower side in FIG. 1(A)) is omitted (FIGS. 1(B), 2(F), (See figure (C)).

3 is a diagram showing a case where the article XA1 is transferred in a displacement manner in the transfer device 10, and FIG. 3(A), FIG. 3(B), and FIG. (C) to (F) of the same figure are side views of the same figure (A) etc. viewed from below. Note that, for convenience of explanation, FIGS. 3(C) to 3(F) do not show the side surface of the accommodating portion 11 (the lower surface in FIG. 1(A)) (FIG. 1(B), (See figure (C)).

<Transfer in non-displacement mode>
First, referring to FIG. 2(A), the article XA1 is supplied to the supply area P1 by being pushed, for example, by the pushing means 50 from upstream of the transfer device 10 (here, from the right side in the figure). More specifically, a conveyance path 51 for the article XA1 is provided upstream of the transfer device 10, and the article XA1 is transported from further upstream (here, from the upper part of FIG. is supplied. Then, the pushing means 50, which is configured to move forward and backward with respect to the transfer device 10, advances toward the transfer device 10 (to the left in the figure) and pushes the article XA1 supplied onto the conveyance path 51.

The storage section 11 of the transfer device 10 is on standby in the supply area P1, and the article XA1 slides from the open right side in the figure and is held by the storage section 11 (FIG. 4(B) and FIG. 12(C)). Thereafter, the pushing means 50 retreats in a direction away from the transfer device 10 (to the right in the figure).

The transfer device 10 moves the storage section 11 holding the article XA1 in a circular motion to the discharge area P2 without changing its posture, for example, in the order shown in FIGS. Specifically, the transfer device 10 moves the accommodating portion 11 to the discharge area P2 while revolving around the revolution axis A1. If the position of the storage section 11 at the time of receiving the article XA1 in the supply area P1 is taken as a reference position (reference surface BS), the first surface S1 of the storage section 11, both during the path of revolution and in the discharge area P2, The accommodating portion 11 is caused to revolve so that the second surface S2 is not angularly displaced with respect to the reference surface BS (maintaining the vertical (front and back) and horizontal orientation).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 3F, the article XA1 accommodated in the accommodation section 11 remains in the state received in the supply area P1 without being turned upside down (top and bottom), that is, the surface F is the top surface. (The storage portion 11 is transferred to the discharge area P2 while the first surface S1 is the upper surface and the second surface S2 is the lower surface).

Further, in the discharge area P2, a conveying means (for example, a finger conveyor) 55 for conveying the article XA1 downstream is provided, and the article XA1 is discharged. Although details will be described later, the conveyance means 55 has a holding section (finger, etc.) 56, whereby the article XA1 is taken out from the storage section 11 and conveyed to the downstream side.

<Transfer in displacement mode>
As shown in FIGS. 3(A) to 3(B), the receiving of the article XA1 from the upstream side to the supply area P1 is the same in the displacement mode as well, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The transfer device 10 moves (revolutions) around the discharge area P2 while changing the attitude of the storage section 11 holding the article XA1 in the order shown in FIGS. In other words, if the position of the storage section 11 at the time of receiving the article XA1 in the supply area P1 is taken as the reference position (reference surface BS), the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 of the storage section 11 are set as the reference position during the revolution path. The accommodating part 11 is moved while being angularly displaced with respect to the plane BS (in this example, the accommodating part 11 itself is angularly displaced in accordance with the angle of revolution of the accommodating part 11 about the revolution axis A1). More specifically, the accommodating portion 11 is not rotated about the rotation axis A2 but revolved about the revolution axis A1 and moved to the discharge area P2. The mechanism of rotation of the accommodating portion 11 will be described later.

As a result, as shown in FIG. The upper and lower sides (top and bottom) are rotated (reversed) by 180 degrees from the bottom surface state, and the surface R (back surface) opposite to the surface F is set as the top surface (the first surface S1 is the bottom surface, and the second surface S2 is is the top surface) and is transferred to the discharge area P2.

Furthermore, in the discharge area P2, the article XA1 is discharged by, for example, the finger conveyor 55. This extraction is the same as in the non-displacement mode, so the explanation will be omitted.

As described above, in this embodiment, the article XA1 can be transferred in a non-displacement mode and a displacement mode using one transfer device 10, and the control means can switch between the displacement mode and the non-displacement mode at any timing. I can do it.

Hereinafter, a specific example of the revolution drive means 12 and the rotation drive means 13 of the transfer device 10 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the main components of the transfer device 10 for explaining the revolution drive means 12 and the rotation drive means 13 of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 (A) is a side view; Figure (B) is a top view.

The revolution drive means 12 includes a support means 21 rotatable around the revolution axis A1, a first drive means 22 (for example, a revolution motor) that rotates the revolution axis A1, and a first drive means (a revolution motor). ) 22, a first pulley 24 connected to one end of the rotating shaft 22a, a second pulley 26 attached to one end of the revolution axis A1, and a timing belt 25 stretched between the first pulley 24 and the second pulley 26. has.

The revolution axis A1 is a rotation axis that is inserted through the center of the support means 21 and extends in the transfer width direction W. The support means 21 is, for example, an arm that is fixed to both ends of the revolution axis A1 in the longitudinal direction (transfer width direction W) and extends in the transfer direction T.

When the first pulley 24 rotates in response to the rotational output of the revolution motor 22, the rotation is transmitted to the second pulley 26 via the timing belt 25, and the revolution axis A1 rotates. As a result, the support means (arm) 21 rotates around the revolution axis A1 (see arrow r1 in FIG. 1(B)).

The rotation drive means 13 has a housing part support means 31 that supports the housing part 11 . In this example, the accommodating portion support means 31 are provided at both ends of the arm 21 in the longitudinal direction. The accommodating part support means 31 includes a rotation axis A2 (support shaft) extending along the transfer width direction H and to which the accommodating part 11 is fixed at one end, and a first gear 33 fixed to the other end of the rotation axis A2. has. The rotation axes A2 are each supported by bearing portions 21a provided at both ends of the arm 21 (supported so as to be rotatable relative to the arm 21).

The rotation drive means 13 is further connected to a second drive means (for example, a rotation motor) 35 that rotates the housing part support means 31, and to one end of a rotation shaft 35a of the second drive means (rotation motor) 35. , a third pulley 36 and a fourth pulley 37 attached to the outside of the side plate 23, a timing belt 38 stretched between the third pulley 36 and the fourth pulley 37, and a timing belt 38 coaxial with the revolution axis A1 at one end. It has a rotating shaft 39 connected to the fourth pulley 37, a second gear 40 connected to the other end of the rotating shaft 39, and a third gear 41 meshing with the second gear 40 and the first gear 33. In addition, as shown in the same figure (B), the structure other than the revolution motor 22, the first pulley 24, the second pulley 26, the timing belt 25, the autorotation motor 35, the third pulley 26, and the timing belt 38 is It is also provided on the other end side of the axis A1. The rotation axis 39 has the revolution axis A1 inserted through its center, and is configured to be rotatable relative to the revolution axis A1.

When the third pulley 36 rotates in response to the rotational output of the autorotation motor 35, the rotation is transmitted to the fourth pulley 37 via the timing belt 38, the rotating shaft 39 rotates, and the second gear 40 rotates. As a result, the third gear 41 rotates in the opposite direction to the second gear 40, and the first gear 33 rotates in the same direction as the second gear 40. That is, the first gear 33 is configured to be rotatable relative to the second gear 40. The rotation of the first gear 33 rotates the rotation axis A2, and the accommodating portion 11 fixed to one end thereof rotates relative to the arm 21 around the rotation axis A2 (arrow r2 in FIG. 1(B)). reference).

In this way, the autorotation motor 35 rotates the second gear 40 and rotates the accommodating part support means 31 (first gear 33) and the accommodating part 11 relative to the second gear 40. In other words, the accommodating portion support means 31 is configured to be rotatable together with the arm 21 and to be rotatable relative to the arm 21 by bearing support on the support means 21 .

In this way, the revolution axis A1 of this embodiment is configured to be rotationally controllable independently of the rotation axis A2. In this example, the revolution axis A1 and the rotation axis A2 are each configured to be rotationally controllable independently.

Furthermore, the attitude of the housing portion 11 can be displaced with respect to the reference plane BS due to the phase difference between the rotations of the first gear 33 and the second gear 40.

In other words, in the case of transfer in a displacement mode, for example, the first gear 33 and the second gear 40 have the same number of teeth, the revolution motor 22 and the rotation motor 35 have the same number of rotations, and so on in the same direction. Rotate them so that the phase difference between their rotations becomes 0 (rotate them synchronously). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 3(C) to 3(F), the rotation axis A2 (accommodating section 11) rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the revolution axis A1 (arm 21), and the posture of the accommodating section 11 is changed. It is possible to rotate (reverse) 180 degrees between the supply area P1 and the discharge area P2.

In addition, by appropriately adjusting the number of teeth of the first gear 33 and the second gear 40 and the rotation speed of the revolution motor 22 and the autorotation motor 35, and providing a phase difference between the rotations of both, the supply area P1 and the discharge area P2 or during the route from the supply area P1 to the discharge area P2, the attitude (angle with respect to the reference plane BS) of the accommodating part 11 can be displaced. As an example, the attitude of the discharge area P2 may be rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the attitude of the supply area P1, or the attitude of the supply area P1 and the discharge area P2 may be the same, but the angle of the storage section 11 may be changed by 15 degrees from the reference plane BS only during the route. Displacement such as tilting is possible.

Further, in the case of transfer in a non-displacement mode, the rotation of the rotation motor 35 is controlled to be stopped, and only the revolution motor 22 is driven. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2(C) to 2(F), while the revolution axis A1 (arm 21) rotates, the rotation (autorotation) of the rotation axis A2 (accommodating section 11) is stopped, and the It is possible to move the section 11 from the supply area P1 to the discharge area P2 while maintaining the attitude of the section 11 (for example, an attitude horizontal to the reference plane BS).

Furthermore, the control means can switch between the displacement mode and the non-displacement mode transfer at any timing.

FIG. 5 is a diagram mainly showing the configuration of the vicinity of the discharge area P2, which is the discharge side of the article XA1, with FIG. 5A being a schematic side view and FIG. 5B being a schematic top view.

The transfer device 10 (accommodating section 11) of the present embodiment places the article XA1 on the transfer surface 59S of the transfer means 55 provided on the downstream side in the discharge area P2.

The conveyance means 55 provided on the discharge side (downstream side) includes, for example, a pulley 58 arranged before and after the conveyance direction T (horizontal direction in the figure), a belt 59 stretched around the pulley 58, and a predetermined belt on the outer surface of the belt 59. This is a finger conveyor having a plurality of holding parts (fingers) 56 attached at intervals.

The belt 59 of the finger conveyor 55 has an upper surface (e.g., first surface S1) and a lower surface (e.g., second surface S2) of the accommodating portion 11 in a side view (FIG. 5A). It is located between a pair of holding parts 11a and 11b of the accommodating part 11, which is located in the discharge area P2 in the top view shown in FIG. In other words, whether in the non-displacement mode or in the displacement mode, when the storage section 11 moves to the discharge area P2 by the rotation of the arm 21, the article XA1 is placed on the belt 59 serving as the conveyance surface 59S, and the article It is in a state floating from the lower surface (for example, second surface S2) of the portion 11. Then, the finger 56 is inserted between the pair of holding parts 11a and 11b, and is removed from the housing part 11 in a scraping (sliding) manner.

An example of transfer by the transfer device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The figure shows a mode of transfer by the transfer device 10 (Figures (A) and (B)) and side views (Figures (C) and (B)) showing the state in which the transferred articles XA1 are integrated. D)).

As already mentioned, the transfer device 10 is configured to be able to switch between the displacement mode and the non-displacement mode at any timing. This figure shows an example of a case where the article XA1 is transferred by alternately switching between a displacement mode and a non-displacement mode, and the discharged article XA1 is accumulated as it is. Here, as a displacement mode, a case is illustrated in which the article XA1 received in the supply area P1 is rotated (reversed) by 180 degrees and then discharged from the discharge area P2.

For example, if the thickness of the article XA1 (thickness in the transfer height direction H) changes (gradually becomes thicker or thinner) along the transfer direction T as shown in FIG. By alternately switching between transfer according to the displacement mode ((A) in the same figure) and transfer according to the displacement mode ((B) in the same figure), the article Can be discharged in alternation of states. By stacking these in sequence, it is possible to eliminate wasted space as the stack ZA1, as shown in FIG. 2(C).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2D, in the case of a pouch package XA1 etc. in which a mouth M made of hard resin or the like is provided, the discharge area can be changed by alternately switching between the displacement mode and the non-displacement mode. At P2, the article XA1 (front and back) can be discharged alternately in a non-inverted state and in an inverted state (alternating overlapping of the openings M). By sequentially stacking these, it is possible to eliminate wasted space as the stack ZA1.

Note that the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the displacement mode and the non-displacement mode are alternately switched, but a configuration in which the displacement mode and the non-displacement mode are switched every other time may be used, and the same effect can be obtained.

7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating other examples of displacement modes, and are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of displacement of the posture of the accommodating portion 11. FIG. 7 and 8(A) and 8(B) are schematic side views of the transfer device 10, and FIGS. 8(C) and 8(D) are schematic top views of the transfer device 10. In FIGS. 7 and 8, for convenience of explaining the displacement of the accommodating part 11, the accommodating part 11 is illustrated with one side closed in the transfer direction T and the other side open (C-shaped in side view). Further, the rotation axis A2 of the accommodating portion 11 is illustrated as a triangle, and the state of rotation of the accommodating portion 11 is represented by (displacement of) a corner. For example, FIG. 7(A) shows the case of transfer in a non-displacement manner (see FIG. 2), and FIG. 7(B) shows the case of transfer in a displacement manner (see FIG. 3).

As already mentioned, in the rotation driving means 13, by appropriately adjusting the number of teeth of the first gear 33 and the second gear 40 and the rotation speed of the revolution motor 22 and the rotation motor 35, the first gear 33 By providing a phase difference between the rotations of the second gear 40 and the rotation of the second gear 40, the attitude of the accommodating portion 11 (namely, the article XA1) can be arbitrarily displaced. Furthermore, this displacement is not limited to the inversion shown in FIG. 5, but any posture (angle with respect to the reference plane BS) can be selected.

For example, FIG. 7C shows a case where the attitude of the storage section 11 in the supply area P1 is rotated by 90 degrees in the discharge area P2. In this case, the first gear 33 is rotated relatively slower than the second gear 40. The angle of rotation in the discharge area P2 is not limited to 90 degrees (for example, 45 degrees is also possible).

Moreover, FIG. 7(D) shows a case where the attitude of the supply area P1 and the attitude of the discharge area P2 are the same, but they are inclined with respect to the reference plane BS during the transfer route. For example, by tilting the accommodating part 11 so that the outside of the accommodating part 11 is located above the transfer height direction H from the inside (the side of the revolution axis A1) during the transfer path, centrifugal force can be affected during the transfer path. It is possible to prevent the stored article XA1 from flying out. In this case, the revolution starts with the rotation of the second gear 40 stopped in and around the supply area P1, the second gear 40 is rotated in the middle of the path, and the second gear 40 is rotated in the vicinity of the discharge area P2 or in the vicinity of the discharge area P2. 40 is rotated in the opposite direction to the first gear 33.

In addition, in the examples so far, the case where the housing part 11 is moved (revolution) so as to be higher in the transfer height direction H from the reference surface BS has been illustrated, but it may be moved (revolution) so as to be lower in the transfer height direction H from the reference surface BS. You may make it move (revolution) the accommodating part 11 at the same time.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8(A), even if the first region (supply region) P1 is moved downward in the transfer height direction H, the second region P2 is reached. good. In this case, by synchronizing the rotations of the first gear 33 and the second gear 40 in the same direction, the article XA1 can be discharged, for example, at a position 90 degrees from the reference plane BS.

Further, in this case, an inspection means (not shown) may be provided upstream of the transfer device 10, and the rotational direction of the revolution may be changed depending on the inspection result of the inspection means. For example, as a result of inspection, defective products may be circulated downward and discharged.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, by rotating the first gear 33 and the second gear 40 in opposite directions, the housing section 11 can be lowered from the reference surface BS in the transfer height direction H. The container 11 (article XA1) can be reversed between the first area (supply area) P1 and the second area (discharge area) P2.

Moreover, the same figure (C) and the same figure (D) are top views which show the outline of the transfer device 10 which made the revolution axis A1 extend in the transfer height direction H (vertical direction). In this case, the article XA1 is transferred, for example, in an upright state, and the storage section 11 also has a pair of holding members 11a and 11b erected so as to support both sides of the article XA1. FIG. 4(C) shows the transfer in a displacement mode, and the direction (back and forth) of the transfer direction T of the article XA1 in the supply area P1 and the discharge area P2 is reversed. On the other hand, FIG. 3(D) shows the transfer in a non-displacement mode, and the direction (back and forth) of the transfer direction T of the article XA1 in the supply area P1 and the discharge area P2 does not change.

<Second embodiment>
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the transfer device 10, and is a schematic side view corresponding to FIG. 4(A).

In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the rotation drive means 13 has a dedicated second drive means (rotation motor 35), but this is not necessary and the motor of the revolution drive means 12 (the first drive means 22 ) may also be used as a driving means for the rotational driving means 13.

In this case, a fifth pulley 45, a sixth pulley 46, a seventh pulley 47, and a clutch 60 are provided as transmission means for transmitting the driving force of the first drive means 22 to the second gear 40. The clutch 60 connects the shaft (power transmission shaft) of the sixth pulley 46 and the shaft (power transmission shaft) of the third pulley 36 of the autorotation drive means 13 so that they rotate coaxially, and disconnects them both. do. Further, the timing belt 25 of the revolution drive means 12 is passed around the second pulley 26 via the first pulley 24, the fifth pulley 45, the sixth pulley 46, and the seventh pulley 47. Further, a timing belt 38 (indicated by a large broken line) of the rotation drive means 13 is stretched between the third pulley 36 (fifth pulley 45, seventh pulley 47) and fourth pulley 37. The configuration other than this is the same as that of the first embodiment, although illustration is omitted.

In the transfer mode, the shafts of the sixth pulley 46 and the third pulley 36 are connected by the clutch 60. As a result, as the first drive means 22 rotates, the second pulley 26 rotates and the revolution axis A1 rotates. At the same time, the third pulley 36 rotates via the sixth pulley 46, the second gear 40 and the first gear 33 rotate as in the first embodiment, and the rotation axis A2 rotates.

Furthermore, in the case of transfer in a non-displacement mode, the clutch 60 is disengaged and the rotation of the third pulley 36 is stopped. In this case, it is desirable to prevent free rotation of the third pulley 36 by a separate brake means (not shown). In this way, the revolution axis A1 of this embodiment is configured to be rotationally controllable independently of the rotation axis A2.

Further, in this case, in the case of transfer in a displacement mode, there is a possibility that a slight phase difference occurs between the rotations of the first gear 33 and the second gear 40, which should originally rotate synchronously during the transfer process. In that case, it is preferable to correct the phase difference by engaging and disengaging the clutch 60.

In the second embodiment, the displacement mode is only to rotate (invert) the postures of the storage portions 11 in the supply area P1 and the discharge area P2 by 180 degrees, but this can be realized with one type of driving means (motor).

<Other embodiments>
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of another embodiment of the transfer device 10, and is a schematic side view corresponding to FIG. 4(A). In the above-described embodiment, the support means 21 of the revolution drive means 12 is an arm extending in the transport direction T, but the support means 21 is, for example, a disc-shaped (or annular) shape as shown in the figure. It may also be a holder. A revolution axis A1 is fixed at the center of the support means (holder) 21, and the holder 21 rotates in its circumferential direction as the revolution axis A1 rotates. Then, the accommodating portion support means 31 is fixed with a bearing near the outer periphery of the holder 21. The configuration other than this is the same as that of the first embodiment, although illustration is omitted.

As described above, according to the transfer device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to switch between transfer in the non-displacement mode and transfer in the displacement mode at any timing, and in the displacement mode, the attitude of the storage section 11 (from the reference plane BS) can be changed. angle) can be arbitrarily displaced. In other words, it is possible to flexibly respond to changes in the posture of the storage section 11 during transportation.

The transfer device 10 of this embodiment has a revolution drive means 12 and an autorotation drive means 13 for the storage section 11, and can transfer the article XA1 in a non-displacement mode and a displacement mode, and can transfer the article XA1 in a displacement mode at any timing. The configuration is not limited to the above example as long as the configuration can switch between the non-displacement mode and the non-displacement mode.

For example, the rotation motor 35 of the rotation drive means 13 may be configured to directly rotate (each of) the first gears 33 without using the second gear 40. In this case, in the displacement mode, it becomes possible to respectively displace the plurality of accommodating parts 11, and it is possible to control the plurality of accommodating parts 11 to be displaced to mutually different postures.

Further, a guide member may be provided on (at least a portion of) the outer periphery of the revolving accommodating portion 11 to prevent the article XA1 from flying out due to centrifugal force. Further, a sensor may be provided in the middle of the revolution path of the accommodating section 11 to detect the state of holding (clamping) of the article XA1 by the accommodating section 11.

Further, the method of supplying the article XA1 to the supply area P1 and the method of discharging the article XA1 from the discharge area P2 are not limited to the above example.

Further, the shape of the housing portion 11 is not limited to the above-mentioned example. That is, it can be changed as appropriate depending on the shape of the article XA1 to be accommodated, the configuration of the upstream supply method (conveyance means), and the downstream discharge method (conveyance means).

Further, the number of accommodating portions 11 may be three or more.

In addition, while the storage section 11 is being moved from the supply area P1 to the discharge area P2, the rotation motor 35 of the storage section 11 is rotated in forward and reverse directions to prevent, for example, unevenness of the packaged object (for example, powder or granular material) in the package. It may be controlled to even out.

Moreover, the conveyance means 55 downstream of the transfer device 10 may be a bucket conveyor, a finger conveyor, a plate conveyor, or the like.

In addition, an inspection means for inspecting the front and back sides of the article XA1 is provided on the upstream side of the transfer device 10, and depending on the results, all the articles XA1 moved by the transfer device 10 are switched between rotating or not so that the front side or the back side is displayed. Good too.

Further, the transfer device 10 may be a device (erecting device) that transfers the article XA1 in an upright state. In this case, on the discharge area P2 side, the accommodating portion 11 is stood up (with the opening in the vertical direction) and stopped. In addition, at this time, the stop position of the accommodating part 11 is lower than the conveying surface 59S of the downstream conveying means 55, so that the accommodating part 11 can be easily grasped by a robot hand in a robot supply device, for example. A part of the stored article XA1 may be made to protrude.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea thereof.

That is, in the above embodiments, the position, size, length, shape, material, orientation, etc. of each component can be changed as appropriate.

10 Transfer device 11 Accommodating parts 11a, 11b Holding member 12 Revolution drive means 13 Autorotation drive means 21 Support means 22 First drive means (revolution motor)
31 Storage part support means 33 First gear 35 Second drive means (rotation motor)
40 Second gear 41 Third gear 50 Pushing means 55 Conveying means (finger conveyor)
P1 First area (supply area)
P2 Second area (discharge area)
A1 First axis (revolution axis)
A2 Second axis (rotation axis)

Claims (8)

A transfer device that circularly moves articles received in a first area to a second area,
a storage section for the article;
a revolution drive means for revolving the housing part around a first axis;
an autorotation drive means that rotates the accommodation section about a second axis;
control means ;
The axial directions of the first axis and the second axis are the same,
The revolution drive means has a revolution motor,
The rotation drive means has a rotation motor,
The control means rotates the revolution motor and the autorotation motor in the same direction, and controls the rotation phase difference between the two to be zero, thereby changing the rotation from the first region to the second region. A first aspect in which the posture of the storage section is changed and transferred on the route leading to the container;
By controlling the rotation of the autorotation motor to stop and driving only the revolution motor, it is possible to switch between the second mode and the second mode in which the accommodation section is transferred without changing its attitude on the route. and
Each of the articles has a thickness in the transport height direction that changes before and after the transport direction, or a shape and/or material (hereinafter referred to as "shape, etc.") that differs before and after the transport direction,
When transporting the plurality of articles scheduled to be stacked, the control means may adjust the first mode and the second mode in any manner so that there will be no deviation in the thickness or shape when stacked. Switching at the timing and discharging in the second area,
A transfer device characterized by: The revolution drive means has a support means rotatable about the first axis, and a first drive means for rotating the first axis,
The rotation drive means has a housing part support means that supports the housing part, and the housing part support means is configured to be rotatable together with the support means and rotatable relative to the support means. Ru,
The transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation drive means has a second drive means for rotating the accommodation part support means,
The transfer device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rotation drive means has a first gear and a second gear that are relatively rotatable,
The accommodating part support means includes the first gear,
The second driving means is configured to be able to rotate the first gear by rotating the second gear.
The transfer device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Displacing the posture of the accommodating portion by a rotational phase difference between the first gear and the second gear;
The transfer device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotation drive means is
first gear and
a second gear rotatable relative to the first gear;
comprising a transmission means for transmitting the driving force of the first driving means to the second gear,
The first gear is configured to be rotatable by rotating the second gear,
The accommodation portion support means includes the first gear.
The transfer device according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the first aspect, the accommodating portion in the second region is reversed with respect to the first region.
The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: loading the plurality of articles on a conveying surface of a downstream conveying means;
The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that:

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