JPH04253612A - Article transferring method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently contain toner cartridges with a smaller dimensions compared with the dimensions of a supporting vessel into a container without altering the catching pitch of chucking head in a transferring machine, when transferring the toner cartridges by specified numbers from the container to the supporting vessel by use of the transferring machine. CONSTITUTION:A supporting vessel 30 contains three-articles 10 every a certain pitch P in a row. A transferring machine 40 has three chucking heads arranged with the same pitch as the mounted pitch P of the articles in the supporting vessel 30. Toner cartridges 10 with the half size of the mounted pitch P of the toner cartridges 10 in the supporting vessel 30 are contained in the half pitch of the mounted pitch of the supporting vessel 30 in a container 20. Three articles 10 with the pitch P are transferred at one time from the container 20 to the supporting vessel 30. This operation is repeated twice every row.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article transfer method for transferring a predetermined number of articles such as toner cartridges used in electrophotographic copying machines from a container to a support container on a conveyance line.

0002

[Prior Art] When filling toner into a toner cartridge used in an electrophotographic copying machine, the toner cartridge, which cannot stand on its own, is supported vertically in a support container and transported, and the toner is filled during transport. be done. Therefore, a large number of toner cartridges that cannot stand on their own and are lined up in a container are chucked by a chucking head of a transfer device, and a predetermined number of toner cartridges are sequentially transferred to a support container and transported to a toner filling process. Usually, several toner cartridges are loaded into the support container, and when transferring the toner cartridges to the support container, the maximum number of toner cartridges that can be transferred to the support container are transferred from the container to the support container all at once. It is set to be posted. Such a transfer method will be explained with reference to FIG.

Nine toner cartridges 10 are housed in the container 20 in three rows and three columns. Then, the toner cartridges 10 in the container 20 are transferred one row (three cartridges) at a time to the support container 30 by the transfer device 50. Transfer machine 5
0 is three chucking heads 51 arranged horizontally.
Each chucking head 51 simultaneously chucks the openings of the three vertical toner cartridges 10. The arrangement pitch of the three chucking heads 51 in the transfer machine 50 and the storage pitch of the toner cartridges 10 in the container 20 are the same as the pitch of the three toner cartridges 10 in the support container 30.
This corresponds to the mounting pitch P of 0. The support containers 30 loaded with the toner cartridges 10 are sequentially transported to a toner filling line.

0004

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In toner filling lines, toner cartridges 10 of various sizes are being conveyed on the same line due to the trend toward high-mix, low-volume production. Therefore, even if the supporting containers 30 support different toner cartridges, they each have a common external shape. Furthermore, the storage pitch P of the toner cartridges 10 in the container 20 is also the arrangement pitch P of the chucking heads 51 in the transfer machine 50 and the support container 3
Due to the relationship with the mounting pitch P of the toner cartridges 10 at 0, it cannot be changed. Therefore, when a toner cartridge 10 that is extremely small compared to the support container 30 is transported to the toner filling line, a large empty space is created in the container 20 that stores the toner cartridge 10, as shown in FIG. Efficiency is significantly reduced. The toner cartridges 10 are placed in the container 20, ignoring the mounting pitch P of the toner cartridges in the support container 30.
When loading, as shown in FIG.
If the arrangement pitch of the chucking heads 51 cannot be freely adjusted, transfer from the container 20 to the support container 30 will be impossible. As a result, the transfer machine 50 requires a variable pitch mechanism for the chucking head 51, making it complicated.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to efficiently store articles smaller in size than the support container in the container, and furthermore, it does not have a pitch variable mechanism. To provide an article transfer method that can reliably transfer all articles in a container to a support container using a transfer machine.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The article transfer method of the present invention sequentially transfers a large number of articles housed in a container to a support container in which N articles are loaded in a line at a predetermined pitch P. A method of loading articles, which includes a step of storing articles having dimensions of 1/n (n is an integer of 2 or more) or less of an article loading pitch P in a support container into a container at a pitch of P x 1/n; A transfer machine in which N chucking heads for chucking containers are provided at the same pitch P as the loading pitch P of the articles in the support container, N A transfer step of selectively chucking N articles arranged at a pitch P from among the n articles by each chucking head and transferring them to a support container, and this transfer step is repeated n times per line. The above object is achieved by repeating the steps at a rate of .

[0007]

[Operation] In the article transfer method of the present invention, the number of articles loaded in the support container N in one row is 1/n (n is an integer of 2 or more) or less of the article loading pitch P in the support container. It is efficiently stored in the container at a rate n times higher than that of the container. The articles stored in the container at a ratio of N x n pieces per row are selectively chucked by the chucking head of the transfer machine and transferred to the support container in batches by selectively chucking the articles with a pitch of P in one row. It will be posted. Therefore, there is no need for a mechanism for changing the pitch of the chucking head of the transfer machine, and by repeating this operation at a rate of n items in a row, all the items in the container are transferred to the support container.

[0008]

[Examples] The present invention will be explained below with reference to Examples.

The article transfer method of the present invention is carried out, for example, when a toner cartridge 10 used in an electrophotographic copying machine is transferred from a container 20 to a support container 30 by a transfer machine as shown in FIG. be done. The support container 30 is configured to mount three cylindrical toner cartridges 10 in a row at a predetermined pitch P that is larger than the outer diameter of the toner cartridges.

The container 20 originally carries toner cartridges having an outer diameter that is approximately the same as the cartridge mounting pitch P in the support container 30 in the row direction (X direction) and the column direction ( Store three pieces in each direction (Y direction). However, here, the outer diameter is P/3 to P/2
Six toner cartridges 10 are stored in the X direction and six in the Y direction at a pitch of P/2. The container 20 moves in the Y direction on the carry-in line 21 and is carried to a transfer position below the transfer machine 40. Then, the 36 toner cartridges 10 in the container 20 are sequentially loaded into the support container 30 by the transfer machine 40. The support container 30 is conveyed to the toner filling process via a transfer position below the transfer device 40 by a carry-in line 31 in the X direction that passes in front of the carry-in line 21 . The empty container 20 is carried out via a carry-out line 22 provided parallel to the carry-in line 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer machine 40 has three chucking heads 41 arranged at equal intervals in the X direction. The three chucking heads 41 are movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the vertical direction (Z direction). A chucking member 41a for chucking the opening of the toner cartridge 10 from the inside is provided at the lower end of each chucking head 41, respectively. Each chucking member 41a is an inflatable type that inflates a rubber bag with pressurized air so as to be able to clamp each opening of each toner cartridge 10 having an outer diameter of P or less. The arrangement pitch of the three heads 41 in the transfer machine 40 is the cartridge mounting pitch P in the support container 30.
The pitch P is set to be the same as .

In the article transfer method of the present invention, first, the container 20 containing 36 toner cartridges 10, 6 each in the X direction and the Y direction, is moved to the transfer position below the transfer machine 40 by the carry-in line 21. It will be brought in. Next, the empty support container 30 is moved in the X direction by the carry-in line 31 and stopped in front of the container 20. When the container 20 stops, every other toner cartridge (indicated by diagonal lines) of the six toner cartridges 10 lined up in the front row in the container 20, which are at the mounting pitch P of the support container 30, is transferred to the transfer machine 40. It is chucked by the chucking head 41 and mounted on the support container 30. The support container 30 loaded with the toner cartridge 10 is transported toward a toner filling process, and then the empty support container 30 is transported to a new transfer position below the transfer device 40. The three toner cartridges 10 remaining in the front row are lined up at the mounting pitch P of the support containers 30, and in the next process, the empty support containers 30 are
Then, these three cartridges 10 are transferred by the transfer machine 40. Thereafter, in the same manner, three toner cartridges 10 arranged in the second to sixth rows are sequentially transferred to two support containers 30 in every other row. By doing so, the toner cartridges 10 having an outer diameter of P/2 to P/3 are housed in the container 20 in close contact with each other at a pitch of P/2. Moreover, in the transfer machine 40, there is no need to change the arrangement pitch of the chucking heads 41.

The outer diameter of the toner cartridge 10 is P/4.
~P/3, 81 toner cartridges 10
are stored in the pallet 20 in 9 rows and 9 columns with a pitch of P/3. In this case, the transfer is performed three times, three times per column.

The article transfer method of the present invention can also be applied to the transfer of articles other than the toner cartridge 10.

[0015]

[Effects of the Invention] The article transfer method of the present invention is thus:
Articles whose dimensions are smaller than the transfer pitch of the articles in the support container can be densely stored in the container at a pitch smaller than the loading pitch. Therefore, the efficiency of storing goods in the container is improved. In addition, even though the goods are stored closely in the container, the arrangement pitch of the chucking heads in the transfer machine can be made to match the loading pitch of the goods in the support container. There is no need to provide a pitch variable mechanism for the chucking head, and the structure of the transfer machine itself is simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an implementation state of the article transfer method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conventional article transfer method.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a conventional article transfer method.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining another problem with the conventional article transfer method.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Toner cartridge 20 Container 30 Support container 40 Transfer machine 41 Chucking head

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for sequentially transferring a large number of articles housed in a container to a support container in which N articles are loaded in a line at a predetermined pitch P, the method comprising: loading the articles in the support container; A step of storing articles having dimensions of 1/n of the pitch P (n is an integer of 2 or more) or less into a container at a pitch of P x 1/n, and a chucking head that chucks the support container. By means of N transfer machines installed at the same pitch as the loading pitch P of the articles, N×n articles lined up in a row at a pitch of P×1/n in a container are lined up at a pitch P. An article transfer process that includes a transfer process of selectively chucking N articles by each chucking head and transferring them to a support container, and a process of repeating this transfer process n times per row. Method.