JPH05301633A - Breeding box stacking device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To solve the problem that a time lag from the end of a stacking process for one cycle to the start of the next cycle at a stacking device is relatively long and not favorable in the light of working efficiency due to a temporary stop function for breeding boxes in front of a lift mechanism. CONSTITUTION:In a breeding box stacking device in the form that boxes are stacked from below by push-up of a lift mechanism 10, a supporting mechanism 11 for holding a breeding box 1 pushed up by a lift mechanism 10 at the pushed up position is constituted by a stacking device in the mount form provided with an engaging piece which can be moved in and out of the mount part by an electric cylinder on both right and left side walls of the breeding box 1 and a stopper S is directly attached having the lengthwise width L for preventing the next breeding box 1 from entering the movement track of an elevating table 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved technique for automatically stacking seedling raising boxes after seeding or washing in a predetermined number of stages.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a seedling raising box stacking device of this type, a device shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-227714 has been known. This is a means of sequentially stacking the transported nursery boxes from below by pushing them up with an air cylinder, and the support mechanism that holds the pushed nursery boxes in the pushed position is located above the chain conveyor. It is provided.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned nursery box stacking device, that is, means for stacking a nursery box from the lower layer by pushing up the lift mechanism, the lift mechanism pushes up the nursery box and transfers it to the support mechanism, and During one cycle of the stacking process that descends to the original position, it is necessary to have a function of temporarily stopping the nursery box to be conveyed next before the lift mechanism so as not to interfere with the operation of the lift mechanism. .. In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the transfer of the nursery boxes in the stacking device part for stacking the nursery boxes is configured by a chain conveyor,
This chain conveyor is linked to the operation of the laminating apparatus and stopped to achieve the above-mentioned temporary stop function. However, since the starting end of the chain conveyor is located at a position distant from the stacking device on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the nursery box, the stacking process is completed in one cycle until the next cycle is started. There was a time lag, and the work efficiency was poor. An object of the present invention is to improve work efficiency as a stacking device by eliminating the time lag as much as possible.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a lift mechanism that pushes upward a certain amount of a stackable seedling raising box that has been transported to a predetermined position, and a lift mechanism that pushes it up. A supporting mechanism for holding the raised nursery boxes in the pushed up position, and a stacking operation for sequentially stacking the nursery boxes held by the supporting mechanism from the lower-layer nursery boxes by the lifting mechanism pushing up the nursery box. Repeatedly, when the seedling raising box held by the support mechanism reaches a predetermined number of stages, the operation of the lift mechanism stops, and a stage number detection sensor for detecting the stage number of the seedling raising box held by the support mechanism, the support mechanism and the lift mechanism. And a control means for linking the
The seedling raising box, which is transported next to the seedling raising box pushed up by the lift mechanism, is kept in a position where it does not interfere with the operation of the lift mechanism during the period from the start of pushing up the lift mechanism to the return to the original position. The lift mechanism is provided with a stopper.

[0005]

In other words, since the lift mechanism itself for pushing up the nursery box is equipped with a stopper for temporarily stopping the next carrying nursery box, it is easy to bring the stop position of the temporarily stopped nursery box close to the lift mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time lag as much as possible. Since the lift mechanism pushes up the nursery box, the stacking step 1 of the lift mechanism
During the cycle, it is possible to have a stopper located higher than the lower end of the next nursery box, and the stopper can be used to make the next nursery box stand by at a position where it does not interfere with the lift mechanism. .. In order to smoothly transfer the seedling raising box to the lift mechanism part, the stopper may be lowered below the lower end of the next seedling raising box for a short period between the start and end of one cycle of the lift mechanism. In this case, in order to prevent the next nursery box from entering even when the stopper is lower than the lower end of the nursery box, as shown in FIG. The position of the stopper S which is the rear end of the table 18 is made to coincide with each other, or as shown in FIG. 17, the inclined portion Sk is formed at the upper rear corner of the stopper S so that the next seedling is raised as the lifting table 18 rises. The box 1 may be pushed back slightly, or the stopper S may be provided with an interval L in the carrying direction as shown in FIG. A little below the bottom of 1 Such as by so as to movement, it is possible to wait in a position not interfering the subsequent nursery box 1 to the lift mechanism 10.

[0006]

[Effects of the Invention] Therefore, the time lag required to transfer the next seedling raising box is set to be as short as possible every time one cycle of the lift mechanism is operated by devising the stopper for stopping the transportation of the seedling raising box in the lift mechanism itself. It was possible to improve work efficiency.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall view of a seedling raising box stacking device for stacking a predetermined number (30) of seedling raising boxes 1 after being seeded at a seedling raising plant, etc., 2 is a conveyor for transporting the seedling raising boxes 1, 3 is a seedling raising box 1 Stacking device that pushes up and stacks sequentially from the bottom, 4
Is a trolley for carrying the group 1A of stacked seedling raising boxes and carrying it to a subsequent step such as a germination room. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,
The transport conveyor 2 includes first to fourth transport units 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d from the upper side in the nursery box transport direction,
Each is composed of a dedicated electric motor 5 and a large number of rotating rollers 6 so that they can be driven independently. The transport conveyor 2 adopts the same drive structure for the first to third transport units 2a, 2b and 2c. The structure of the second transport unit 2b will be described below. As shown in FIG. The roller unit 6 formed by attaching the
Input sprocket 9 provided at the opposite end of the chain interlocking mechanism 8 of one of the support shafts 7
And the electric motor 5 are chain-linked. 5 and 6
As shown in FIG. 4, the fourth transport unit 2d includes a pair of rails 34,
A slide base 36, which is movable in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction at 34, has a first unit composed of an electric motor 5 and a roller unit 6.
It is configured to have a drive part having the same structure as the third transport part, and functions to load the seedling raising group 1A on the dolly 4 by the forward and backward movement of the slide table itself and the lateral movement by the roller unit 6. The dolly 4 is for carrying a total of four nursery box groups 1A stacked in 30 stages in the front, rear, left and right, and transporting them.
By the loading action of the fourth transport section 2d, the seedling raising box group 1A is sequentially packed from the back on the lower side in the seedling raising box transporting direction, and then transported to the germination chamber. As shown in FIG. 13, the nursery box 1
Is a resin molded product, and the bottom surface 1a serves as a transfer surface on which the roller unit 6 of the conveyor 2 is mounted, and the carrying mounting portions 1c provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 1b are formed at the front and rear ends of the side wall, respectively. There is. Due to the structure in which the lower end edge of the reinforcing rib 1b on the side wall is located slightly above the bottom surface 1a, the seedling raising box 1 is formed in a stackable shape with upper and lower overlapping portions.

Next, the structure of the laminating apparatus 3 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, the laminating apparatus 3
Is a lift mechanism 10 that pushes the nursery box 1 that has been transported to a predetermined position upward by a certain amount, and a support mechanism 11 that holds the nursery box 1 that has been pushed up by the lift mechanism 10 at the pushed up position. It consists of Support mechanism 11
Is mounted on the left and right side walls of the nursery box 1 by a horizontal slide movement by an electric cylinder (corresponding to a driving means) 13.
A pair of elongated engagement pieces 1 that can be moved in and out simultaneously with respect to c
2 (see FIG. 13) (the engaging piece 12 may be retractable by swinging movement), and the engaging piece 12 is in a receiving posture (state of FIG. 7) protruding toward the nursery box 1 side. By mounting the mounting portion 1c on these protruding engagement pieces 12, the seedling raising box 1 can be mounted and supported, and the engagement pieces 12 move outward and are in a non-working posture. The withdrawal movement amount of the engagement piece 12 is set in a state in which the vertical movement of the nursery box 1 is allowed. A hydraulic cylinder or a solenoid may be used instead of the electric cylinder 13 composed of the electric motor 14 and the screw feed mechanism 15. The lift mechanism 10 includes a lifting table 1 to which three action protrusions 17 (the rightmost one in FIG. 3 is a stopper that prevents the next seedling box from advancing).
8 and a rotary cam 19 for raising and lowering the elevator 18 and a geared motor 20. The action projections 17 are arranged between the roller units 6, and a bearing 21 that follows and contacts the rotating cam 19 is supported at the central portion of the lift table 18, and a guide mechanism 22 that determines a lifting movement trajectory before and after the lift table 18. Is prepared. The guide mechanism 22 is
As shown in FIG. 9, the guide shaft 25 attached to the lifting table 18 is fitted into the cylindrical shaft 24 supported by the conveyor frame 23, and is inserted between the receiving plate 25a at the lower end of the guide shaft 25 and the conveyor frame 23 side. The compression spring 26 is interposed. In other words, the elevating table 18 is urged downward by the front and rear springs 26, 26 so that the bearing 21 moves.
9 is followed. Reference numeral 18a is an escape hole for avoiding interference with the roller 6. A plurality of detection pieces K _{1 to} K ₅ are bolted to the rotary cam 19, and a sensor (optical sensor or the like) 27 that operates by the passage of the detection pieces K _{1 to} K ₅ is provided on the conveyor frame 23. The attached detection sensor 27, the geared motor 20, the first to third conveyance units 2a, 2b, and 2c, a total of three electric motors 5, a pair of electric cylinders 13, and a detection sensor 2 described later.
The automatic stacking control circuit A shown in FIG. 2 is configured by connecting the solenoid 9, the limit switch 31, and the contact switch 33 to the control device 28.

Next, the operation of the laminating apparatus 3 will be described. Figure 9
As shown in FIG. 3, the solenoid 3 is provided at the end of the second transport unit 2b.
A contact type nursery box detection sensor 29 is provided at the tip of an arm 35 that is swingable about the left-right axis P by extension and contraction of 0, and when the transport nursery box 1 abuts the detection sensor 29, the second
The electric motor 5 of the transport section 1b is stopped, the geared motor 20 is activated, and the rotary cam 19 starts to rotate. Then, when it takes 0.14 seconds to raise the seedling raising box 1 by the first predetermined height (14.5 mm), the detection sensor 27 is activated by the second detection piece K ₂ (state of FIG. 10), and thereby the electric cylinder 13 is activated. While the left and right engaging pieces 12 move from the receiving posture to the non-acting posture in 0.12 seconds,
From detection of detection piece K ₂ to detection of third detection piece K ₃
The contact radius of the rotary cam 19 with the bearing 21 is constant for 0.17 seconds, and the seedling raising box 1 is maintained at the first predetermined height. The first predetermined height is set to be slightly higher than the height (12.5 mm) at which the push-up nursery box 1 contacts the lower end of the upper nursery box 1. When the detection sensor 27 is activated by the third detection piece K ₃ , the electric cylinder 13 is stopped and the rotary cam 1
The ascending / descending table 18 starts to rise again by 9, and the fourth detection piece K ₄ reaches the detection sensor 27 in 0.42 seconds (FIG. 1).
1 state) and the lift 18 is raised to the upper limit (50 mm) which is the second predetermined height, and the electric cylinder 13 operates to move the engaging piece 12 from the non-acting position to the receiving position in 0.12 seconds. Furthermore, the contact radius of the rotary cam 19 with the bearing 21 is constant for 0.16 seconds until the fifth detection piece K ₅ is detected, and the seedling raising box 1 is maintained at the second predetermined height. When the detection sensor 27 is actuated by the fifth detection piece K ₅ , the electric cylinder 13 is stopped and the rotary cam 19 starts the descent of the lift table 18. Then, when it takes 0.71 seconds to return to the original state (state of FIG. 9) where the first detection piece K ₁ reaches the detection sensor 27 portion, the lift 18 also descends to the original height, and the geared motor 20 stops. Then, the geared motor 20 is maintained in the stopped state until the sensor 29 is activated by the next seedling raising box 1. Also, since the electric motor 5 of the second conveying section 2b operates the sensing sensor 29 to the fifth detection piece K ₅ reaches the detecting sensor 27 site is stopped, while the other is being driven.

When the stacking operation for one cycle of 1.60 seconds is repeated and 30 stages are stacked, the contact switch 3 mounted on the laminated frame 32 by the uppermost seedling raising box 1
3 (see FIG. 3) is operated, the geared motor 20 is operated, the lift 18 is raised to the first predetermined height, the engagement piece 12 is operated in the non-acting posture, and the solenoid 30 is contracted and moved. The arm 35 moves down, the seedling raising group 1A is once placed on the lift table 18, then the raising and lowering table 18 descends, and the seedling raising group 1A is moved to the carriage 4 by the second to fourth transport units 2b, 2c, 2d. It is transported. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a limit switch 31 for detecting passage of the seedling raising box 1 is provided in the third conveying section 2c, and the seedling raising group 1A is provided.
When the limit switch 31 is actuated in accordance with the passage, the sorenoid 30 extends and returns to the state in which the conveyance of the nursery box 1 is blocked. For reference, FIG. 15 shows the operation sequence system graph of the above-mentioned one cycle, and also shows the shape of the rotary cam 19 and the detection piece K.
An enlarged view showing the relationship with _{1 to} K ₅ is shown in FIG. 14, respectively.

During the above-mentioned one cycle, the next nursery box 1 moves up and down.
The trailing edge of the lift table 18 enters the movement trajectory of the table 18.
It is prevented by the stopper S attached to the
The projection 17 is usually slightly smaller than the lower end of the nursery box 1 (2 mm
This is the waiting position because it waits at a position that has fallen a distance.
Then, the function to prevent the stopper S from entering cannot be demonstrated.
Become. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the stopper S
Since there is a width L in the transport direction,
A little distance is raised from the start of the ascending / descending movement of the lifting platform 18.
The next nursery box 1 is conveyed by the width L than the time required for
A smooth stopper machine with a long setting time
Noh is revealed. As described above, the lift mechanism 10
The upper surface of the raising seedling box 1 that is pushed up by
This placement is performed by abutting on the lower surface of the placement-supported nursery box 1
Reach a height equivalent to raising the nursery box 1 slightly
And the lifting operation of the lift mechanism 10 is stopped and engaged.
The piece 12 is retracted and moved, and after the engagement piece 12 is retracted and moved, the riff
Reactivate the mechanism 10 to push up the raising seedling box 1 by a certain amount.
Then, the engaging piece 12 in the retracted position is projected and moved to raise the seedling.
When the box 1 is mounted on and supported by the support mechanism 11, it is lifted and raised.
Detection means B (detection sensor 2) for detecting the height position of the seedling box 1
7 and the first to fifth detection pieces K₁~ K _FiveDrive)
Control the electric cylinder 13 and the lift mechanism 10, which are means
It is linked to the control device 28 which is a means.

It should be noted that reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall structure of a laminating apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing an automatic stacking control circuit.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a structure of first to third conveyance units.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a structure of first to third transport units.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the structure of a fourth transport section.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the structure of a fourth transport section.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the laminating apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a drive structure of first to third transport units.

FIG. 9 is an operation diagram showing a lifting operation state in the stacking device.

FIG. 10 is an operation diagram showing a lifting operation state in the laminating apparatus.

FIG. 11 is an operation diagram showing a lifting operation state in the stacking device.

FIG. 12 is an operation diagram showing a lifting operation state in the laminating apparatus.

FIG. 13: Perspective view of nursery box

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the shape of the rotating cam and the detection piece.

FIG. 15 is an operating system graph of the stacking device.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the stacking device showing another structure of the stopper.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a stacking device showing another structure of a stopper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Nursery Box 10 Lift Mechanism 11 Support Mechanism 28 Control Means 33 Stage Number Detection Sensor S Stopper

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lift mechanism (1) for pushing up a stackable seedling raising box (1) conveyed to a predetermined position upward by a predetermined amount.
0) and a support mechanism (11) for holding the seedling raising box (1) pushed up by the lift mechanism (10) at the pushed up position, and the seedling raising held by the support mechanism (11). By repeating the stacking operation of sequentially stacking the boxes (1) from the seedling growing boxes (1) in the lower layers by pushing up the seedling growing boxes of the lift mechanism (10), the supporting mechanism (1)
The number of stages of the nursery box (1) held by the support mechanism (11) is detected in a state where the operation of the lift mechanism (10) is stopped when the number of the nursery box (1) retained by 1) reaches a predetermined number of stages. Step number detection sensor (33) and the support mechanism (11)
And a control means (2) that links the lift mechanism (10) with
8) is further provided, and the seedling raising box (1) conveyed next to the seedling raising box (1) pushed up by the lift mechanism (10) is returned to the original state after the lifting operation of the lift mechanism (10) is started. The seedling raising box stacking device, wherein the lift mechanism (10) is provided with a stopper (S) that waits at a position where it does not interfere with the operation of the lift mechanism (10) until returning to the position.