JPH04242517A - Product catching device and its controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a product-catching device and its controller to take up products such as food staffs contained in a cup continuously fed on a product- supply conveyor as a state during transferring without checking the stream on the conveyor or without guid the products laterally by a guide rail and further, to arrange them in a specified arrangement. CONSTITUTION:This product-catching device 4 is provided with a product-feed conveyor 1 to supply products continuously, a product-catching means 15 of the flowing products 2 on the conveyor 1 to catch them while chasing, a driving means 8, 11, 14 transferring the product-catcher to respective X, Y, and Z axes, a traversing conveyor 5 for the catched products, and a proximity detector of the products. And the controller of the product-catching device is provided with an input device for the initial conditions of the product size, feeding speed of the products, etc., a controller for respective driving motors of the conveyor and the product-catching part, and the controlling device in which a catching action pattern is computed and preset from the input conditions and controllers for respective driving motors are regulated.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product catching device for taking out moving products fed by a supply means such as a conveyor and arranging them at a predetermined position, and a control device for the product catching device.

0002

[Prior Art] When packaging foods, etc. in cup-shaped containers,
Products that are continuously sent by a supply means such as a finished product supply conveyor are guided by a guide rail, and for example, products that are sent irregularly are arranged in several rows on the supply means by the guide rail. The products are stopped by a stopper, and the stopped products are taken out in units of several pieces onto another conveyor.
They are stacked in two or three tiers by placing trays on top of each other or by partitioning them.

0003

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. If a guide rail is used to guide the products sideways on the supply means, or a stopper is used to block the products on the supply means, individual products tend to fall on the supply means, and if some of the products fall over, the products may fall. The alignment is disordered,
It becomes impossible to mechanically take out several pieces at a time. For this reason, while removing or raising fallen products, there is a need to wait for the next process, and there is a risk of stacking errors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a product capturing device and its control device that solve the above problems.

[0005]

[Means for solving the problem] A product catching device is arranged on the machine side of the product supply means (conveyor), and the product catching device picks up the product flowing on the supply means at a constant or variable arbitrary speed. , arrange them in the specified position on the machine side. The control device controls the product supply means and the product capture device, and while maintaining the same relative positions of the product on the supply means and the product capture device while moving, according to a set control pattern of the product capture operation, A product capture device captures and picks up the product. The control device automatically calculates the relationship between this capture position and the desired arrangement, places the products in a fixed position on the machine side, and repeatedly executes the operation of returning to the original standby position.

[0006]

[Operation] In the product capturing device, the product capturing section, such as a vacuum suction pad supported movably in three dimensions on the machine body, is the object of measurement and control. At the origin (standby) position, this catching section is kept at a constant position and height, and this position and height are defined as the origin (standby) position. The approach of the product to the origin position is detected by a detection means such as a phototube placed a certain distance upstream from the origin position, and if the product capture device is waiting at the origin position at the time of detection, the product will move in the same direction as the product supply means. movement begins. Position of product and product capture device (
The relative distance) and speed are repeatedly calculated and detected by the control device based on pulse counts detected from each drive system in the moving direction of the supply means, or detection values from a separately provided light wave distance detector. Similarly, the control device automatically adjusts the moving speed of the product capturing device in a direction that makes the relative distance zero. When the positions and speeds of both sides match, the capturing unit descends a certain distance to capture the product according to the operation pattern calculated by the control device based on the initially input product size, arrangement position, and arrangement number. The product capture device stops moving in the same direction as the supply means, automatically calculates the relationship between the arbitrary stopping position and the predetermined stacking position, and moves the product to the stacking position on the machine side in a predetermined pattern. The catching section carries the products horizontally, descends at the arranging position to arrange the products, rises to a predetermined height, and returns to the original position.

[0007] The product is supplied to the supply means irregularly and at a constant or variable rate. Several product trapping devices are installed side by side from upstream to downstream of the product supply means, and the downstream product trapping device sequentially picks up the next product that passes by during the operation of the upstream trapping device and places it on the machine side for processing. .

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the figure, 1 is a product supply conveyor that sends the product 2 in the direction of arrow 3 as one of the product supply means, 4 is a product catching device installed on the machine side of the supply conveyor 1, and 5 is a sidewall installed on the opposite machine side. It is a feed conveyor.

The product catching device 4 includes an X-axis drive system 8 section driven by a motor 7 fixedly installed on a table 6 in parallel with the supply conveyor 1, and an X-axis drive system 8 section movably supported and driven in the direction of arrow 9 on the X-axis drive system 8 section. a Y-axis drive system 11 section driven by a motor 10; a Z-axis drive system 14 section driven by a motor 13 movably supported and driven by the Y-axis drive system 11 section in the direction of arrow 12; 1
It consists of four parts and a product capturing part 15 which is supported and driven in a vertically movable manner. A case is shown in which a vacuum suction type pad is used as the product capturing section 15, and FIGS. 1 and 2 show the product capturing section 15 in a standby state at the origin (standby) position and height. 16 is a detection means such as a phototube for detecting the approach of the product 2, which is placed a certain distance upstream from the origin position in a direction across the supply conveyor 1; 17 is a place where the products are arranged on the traverse conveyor 5; 1 indicates a case where three products 2 are lined up, and each time the three products 2 are lined up, the horizontal feed conveyor 5 moves toward the arrow 1.
The product is driven horizontally by one product in eight directions. Supply conveyor 1
On the machine side, from upstream to downstream, there is a similar product capturing device 4, a lateral conveyor 5, and a detection means 16 such as a phototube for detecting product approach.
Multiple sets are arranged and used all at once.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system according to the present invention, in which 20 is a control device, 21 is a supply conveyor 1, X, Y, and Z axis systems 8, 11, 14 for the product catching device 4 and the transverse conveyor 5 are shown. In each drive controller, 22 is a motor for the supply conveyor 1 and the traverse conveyor 5, and 23 is an input device connected to the control device 20. FIG. 4 is an example of the control flow of the present invention performed by the control system shown in FIG. Control first involves inputting the product size (diameter, height) from the input device 23 to the control device 20.
The feed speed, arrangement position, and number of products are input, and the feed conveyor 1 is driven. The control device 20 calculates and stores the operation pattern of the capturing section 15 after capturing the product based on the input conditions. Initially, the product catching device 4 is waiting at the origin position (solid line position in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the product catching device 4
While waiting at the origin position, a detection means 16 such as a phototube detects the product 2.
When the approach of the conveyor 1 is detected, the forward movement of the product catching device 4, that is, the movement in the same direction as the conveyor 1 by the X-axis drive is automatically started. The control device 20 repeatedly calculates the relative distance between the advancing product capturing section 15 and the corresponding product 2 and their respective moving speeds at minimum time intervals, and when the speeds and positions of the two are not equal, the product capturing section The speed of the X-axis drive system 8 is automatically adjusted in a direction that makes the relative distance between the product 15 and the corresponding product 2 zero. At this time, the relative distance between the product capture unit 15 and the corresponding product 2 can be determined by a pulse signal generated from an encoder attached to the shaft end of each drive system, or by position detection means such as a light wave distance meter at a fixed position. The measurement signal can be used for calculation. When the positions and speeds of the product capture unit 15 and the product 2 become approximately equal, the control device 20 causes the product capture unit 15 to start a capture operation,
It descends onto the corresponding product 2, captures it, and rises to the origin height, and in this state, the control device 20 moves the X-axis of the product capture device 4, according to the operation pattern set and stored in the control device 20. The Y-axis and Z-axis controller 21 and motors 7, 10, and 13 are automatically controlled and driven to control the product capturing section 15.
, and calculates the relationship between this arbitrary stop position and the target position, and then moves the catching unit 15 laterally to the product arrangement position 17 as shown by arrows 24 and 25 in FIGS. 1 and 2. ,
Lowering, arranging products, raising, returning to the home position,
The stop operation is executed, the robot returns to the standby position, and the same control is repeated.

[0011] According to the above-described method, the conventional forced guidance by guide rails on the supply conveyor and the damming of products by stoppers are eliminated, and it is possible to eliminate the waiting time and accumulation errors caused by falling and disordering of products. In addition, it becomes possible to quickly and easily respond to changes in the size of the products being handled or changes in the number of products to be arranged.

0012

[Effects of the Invention] The product capturing device according to the present invention includes a product supply conveyor that continuously supplies products, a product capture section that chases and captures the products flowing on the product supply conveyor, and the product capture section. By providing drive means for moving the product in each direction of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, a conveyor for transversely feeding the product captured by the product capture section, and a detection means for detecting the approach of the product, The control device for the capturing device includes an input device for inputting initial conditions such as product size and product supply speed, and a controller for each drive motor of the conveyor and product capturing section, and a controller that calculates and sets a capturing operation pattern from the input conditions and controls each drive. By providing a control device for controlling the motor controller, the following effects are achieved.

[0013] The products moving on the product supply conveyor can be captured in a running state and automatically arranged at fixed positions on the supply means machine side in a specified pattern operation. Therefore, when taking out, rearranging, and stacking products that are continuously supplied by a conveyor in a packaging machine, etc., it is no longer necessary to forcibly guide or dam the products on the supply means as in the past. It can eliminate the occurrence of falling and disordered lines. As a result, it becomes possible to reliably perform the operation of arranging products from the supply conveyor to the take-out machine side with high efficiency.

[0014] Also, the size of the product to be supplied, the supply speed,
By inputting the arrangement position and number into the control device, the control device calculates and sets the capture operation pattern of product capture, lifting, horizontal movement, side-by-side movement, and return movement to the origin by the product capture device, and automatically controls the product. This makes it easier to respond to changes in product size, arrangement position, and number, and has the effect of significantly increasing equipment operating efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overview of a product catching device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a y-y arrow view in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of control performed by the control system of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Product supply conveyor 2. Product 4 Product capture device 5 Lateral feed conveyor 8 X-axis drive system 11 Y-axis drive system section 14 Z-axis drive system 15 Product capture part

Claims (2)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A product supply conveyor that continuously supplies products, a product capture section that chases and captures products flowing by the product supply conveyor, and a product capture section that is
A product characterized by comprising a drive means for moving in each direction of the axis, Y axis, and Z axis, a conveyor for transversely feeding the product captured by the product capturing section, and a detection means for detecting the approach of the product. Capture device. 2. An input device for inputting initial conditions such as product size and product supply speed, a controller for each drive motor of the conveyor and product capturing section, and a controller for each drive motor that calculates and sets a capturing operation pattern from the input conditions. 1. A control device for a product trapping device, comprising: a control device for controlling.