JPH0344966B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention utilizes a set of adjacent alignment conveyors which are sequentially accelerated and a one-sided guide plate provided in a curved manner on the conveyor to transport unaligned containers in a plurality of rows on a conveyor. This relates to a method of arranging them in a line. Such a method of arranging containers is described, for example, in German Published Publication No. 2541813,
It is known as shown in No. 161216, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-42413, etc. Its basic form is shown in FIG. 1, in which containers 2 are conveyed unaligned on a conveyor 1 in the direction of the arrow, and are conveyed to a set of alignment conveyors 4 by a guide plate 3 on one side. A set of alignment conveyors 4 is faster than the conveyor 1 and consists of a plurality of (seven in this example) conveyors 5 to 11 that are sequentially accelerated, and aligns the containers 2 in a line along the one-side guide plate 3. It is something. The conveyor 11 is normally set at a slightly slower speed than the preceding conveyor 10, and conveys the containers arranged in a line to the next processing stage via the conveyor 12 as required.

However, in the above method, as shown in FIG. 2, a protruding container may occur which does not follow the guide plate on one side. If the protruding container C continues as it is, it will overlap the normally arranged containers A and B, and after passing through the state shown in FIG. 3, it will become jammed downstream as shown in FIG. 4 (this state is called jamming). Conventional methods for preventing jamming include a method of installing a spring-loaded guide 13 upstream of the jamming position, as shown in FIG. 5, or a method of releasing the jamming state using an auxiliary device such as a vibrator. However, these methods could not completely prevent jamming.

The present invention provides a method that prevents jamming even when containers protrude.The present invention provides a method for preventing jamming from occurring even when containers protrude. In this method, a protruding container detection sensor is provided at a position downstream of the arranging conveyor, and a protruding container detection signal from the sensor is used to detect the arranging containers near the detection position of the sensor. This method of arranging containers is characterized in that the speed of one or more containers is momentarily changed from the normal speed to place the protruding containers into the row. The outline will be explained with reference to FIG. Everything other than the sensor 14 is the same as in Fig. 1, and when the sensor 14 detects a protruding container, the detection signal is sent to the control section 15, and the control section issues a motor speed change instruction via the CPU 16 to drive each conveyor. This is to change the speed of the variable speed motor 17. For example, as shown in FIG.
The speed of Step 1 is instantaneously increased to create a gap between the normally arranged containers A downstream of the protruding containers C and the next normally arranged containers B, as shown in Figure 8. This allows the protruding container to naturally fit into the gap to prevent jamming. On the other hand, conveyor 9 or conveyors 5 to 9
Even by delaying the timing for a moment, a gap can be created between normally arranged containers, and a protruding container can fit into this gap, thereby preventing jamming. The rate of speed increase or deceleration may be about 40% of the normal speed, and the time may be 0.1 to several seconds. The protruding container detection sensor may be a contact sensor such as a limit switch, or a non-contact sensor such as a photoelectric switch or proximity switch. Detection is performed at a location near the downstream of the alignment conveyor, at a location near the conveyor 9 or 10, or at one location before and behind them. Or you can do it in two places. The type of protruding container detection sensor, its installation location, and the number thereof may vary depending on the situation in which jamming would occur without the method of the present invention, that is, the shape of the container, the conveyor speed, etc., and may be changed as appropriate to prevent jamming. Just set it.

The present invention is a simple means of providing a protruding container detection sensor as described above, and by changing one or more speeds of the alignment conveyor according to instructions from the sensor, the protruding containers are placed between normally aligned containers. This shows the excellent effect of almost eliminating jamming. Although the present invention is characterized by the provision of a protruding container detection sensor, it is also possible to use various auxiliary means commonly used in such container alignment methods in addition to the provision of the detection sensor. Of course, the effect can be further improved by using conventional means in combination, and it is also possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of jamming.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a conventional container alignment method, FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic plan views of the main parts to explain the state in which jamming occurs, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the main parts of the conventional method for preventing jamming. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view and flow sheet showing the container alignment method according to the present invention;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic plan views of essential parts for explaining the anti-jamming effect of the present invention. 1 is a container feeding conveyor, 2 is a container, 3 is a guide plate on one side, 4 is a set of alignment conveyors, 14 is a protruding container detection sensor,
A and B are normally arranged containers, and C is a protruding container.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method in which unaligned containers sent in multiple rows on a conveyor are aligned in a line using a set of adjacent alignment conveyors that are sequentially accelerated and a one-sided guide plate curved above the conveyor,
A protruding container detection sensor is provided at a position downstream of the alignment conveyor, and the speed of one or more of the alignment conveyors near the detection position of the sensor is momentarily changed from the normal speed based on the protruding container detection signal of the sensor. , a method for arranging containers characterized by placing protruding containers in a row.