JPH0558440A - Article storage equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide article storage equipment allowing the supply and discharge of articles without using a pusher. CONSTITUTION:There is provided a belt conveyor 42 having width nearly corresponding to the width of the article receipt part 26 of article storage equipment and installed adjoining the article receipt part and for carrying articles placed in nearly parallel with an article carrying member toward the article receipt part. The article storage equipment has the belt conveyor 42 comprising a plurality of narrow-wide belt conveyor elements 44 in spaced relation in the width direction and extended in the direction toward the article receipt part. And, the article carrying member is in spaced relation in the width direction and has a plurality of pick up members 46 designed to pass through the space between the narrow-width belt conveyors upward. The pick up members are designed to pick up the articles A transported to the article receipt member by the belt conveyor from the belt conveyor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to, for example, a product set in a production line for accumulating or discharging a product flowing in the line without stopping the flow of the line. The present invention relates to an article storage device.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-32362 discloses such an article storage device, which is generally shown in FIGS.
It has a configuration as shown in. That is, the apparatus is mounted on a frame 10, a plurality of fixed sprockets 12 rotatably mounted at predetermined positions on the left and right frame portions of the frame (in the example shown, mounted on a movable plate 14 which is vertically movable). ) Multiple movable sprockets 1
6, a pair of endless chains 18 that are respectively hung on the left and right fixed and movable sprockets and driven in a substantially vertical plane, and a plurality of endless chains that are set substantially horizontally with a predetermined interval therebetween. The article conveying member 20, a driving unit (the first motor 22 and the second motor 24 in the illustrated example) for rotationally driving the sprocket, and an article to be moved on the article conveying member 20 that is moved in the frame to the outside. It has an article receiving section 26 for receiving articles from the above, and an article ejecting section 28 for ejecting articles from the article conveying member moved in the frame to the outside.

In this apparatus, the first motor 22 is driven while the second motor 24 is stopped, and the sprocket 1 is driven.
Rotating 2 clockwise (as seen in FIG. 1) shortens the length of the lower chain portion 18 'between the two sprockets connected to the first and second motors, whereas Thus, the length of the upper chain portion 18 ″ between the sprockets is lengthened, so that a large number of articles are stored and stored in this upper portion.

On the contrary, if the second motor 24 is driven while the first motor 22 is stopped, the upper portion 18 '' of the chain is moved toward the lower portion 18 'and accumulated. The article A is sent to the article discharge unit 28.

In order to supply an article onto the article conveying member of such an apparatus, the article is conveyed by a belt conveyor to the vicinity of the article receiving section of the article accumulating apparatus, and the pusher is used to convey the article. The method of pushing it onto the article conveying member is generally used. Further, in the case of discharging the article from the article storage device, a method of pushing out the article conveyed to the article discharge part by the article transporting member to a belt conveyor set outside the storage device by a pusher is generally opposite to the above. It has been targeted.

However, if the article is, for example, a soft confectionery, the busher may deform it.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide an article storage device capable of supplying and discharging articles without using a pusher.

[0008]

That is, the device according to the present invention comprises a frame, a plurality of fixed sprockets rotatably mounted at predetermined positions on the frame, and a movable sprocket movably mounted on the frame, and the fixed and movable sprockets. An endless chain that is hung and driven in a substantially vertical plane, a plurality of article conveying members that are set substantially horizontally to each other at a predetermined distance from each other, drive means that rotationally drives the sprocket, An article receiving unit for externally receiving an article on the article conveying member moved in the frame, and an article ejecting unit for ejecting the article from the article conveying member moved in the frame to the outside. And a width substantially corresponding to the width of the article receiving section, which is set adjacent to the article receiving section. A belt conveyor that conveys articles arranged substantially parallel to an article conveying member toward an article receiving section, having a plurality of widths that are spaced in the width direction and are extended in a direction toward the article receiving section. A plurality of belt conveyors each having a narrow belt conveyor element, wherein the article conveying members are spaced in the width direction, and are configured to pass upward through a gap between the narrow belt conveyor elements. And a pickup member for picking up an article carried by the belt conveyor to the article receiving member from the belt conveyor.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a belt conveyor for ejecting articles, which has a width substantially corresponding to the width of the article ejecting section and is set adjacent to the article ejecting section. And has a belt conveyor composed of a plurality of narrow belt conveyor elements that are extended in the direction from the article discharge portion to the outside, and the pickup member of the article conveying member has the width Is designed to be passed downward through the gap between the narrow belt conveyor elements, so that the articles conveyed by the article conveying member to the article discharging section are picked up by the belt conveyor for discharging. It is characterized by

[0010]

The apparatus according to the present invention has the above-mentioned constitution, and the articles conveyed by the belt conveyor for supplying the articles are picked up by the pickup member of the article conveying member, and the articles are conveyed. The article conveyed by the conveying member to the article discharging section of the accumulator will be naturally placed on the belt conveyor for discharging the article,
Therefore, articles can be taken in and out without using a pusher.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

The article storage device according to the present invention is basically similar to the conventional article storage device described above, and includes a frame 10, a plurality of fixed sprockets 12 rotatably mounted at predetermined positions of the frame, and a movable body. A plurality of movable sprockets 16 mounted on the endless chain, an endless chain 18 hung on the fixed and movable sprockets and driven in a substantially vertical plane, and set substantially horizontally along the endless chain at predetermined intervals. Plurality of article transport members 20
And drive means 22 and 2 for rotating the sprocket.
4, an article receiving section 26 that receives an article from the outside onto the article conveying member that is moved in the frame, and an article discharge for discharging the article from the article conveying member that is moved in the frame to the outside. And part 28.

The features of the apparatus according to the present invention are shown in FIGS.
It is in the point shown in. First, in the apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, it has a width substantially corresponding to the width of the article receiving section, is set adjacent to the article receiving section, and is set substantially parallel to the article conveying member 20. A plurality of narrow belts for feeding articles that convey the arranged articles toward the article receiving section, the belts having a width in the width direction and extending in the direction toward the article receiving section. It has a belt conveyor 42 composed of conveyor elements 44. On the other hand, the article conveying member 2
Reference numeral 0 has a cross member 45 extending in the width direction thereof, and a pickup member 46 attached to the cross member at intervals in the width direction and extending toward the belt conveyor. The article conveying member has a pickup member 46.
Are driven so as to pass upward through the gaps between the narrow belt conveyor elements 44 of the belt conveyor, so that the article A carried by the belt conveyor 42 to the article receiving section 26 is picked up by the pickup member 4
6 is picked up from the belt conveyor 42.

Although not shown, in the article discharging member 28 according to the present invention, a belt conveyor similar to the above-mentioned belt conveyor for supplying articles is provided for the article conveying member having the above-mentioned pickup member. A large number of belt conveyors for discharge, which are set so as to extend an article conveyed by an article conveying member that is moved downward in the article ejecting section between adjacent pickup members of the article conveying member. The belt conveyor element can be used for scooping.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modified example of such a belt conveyor for discharging articles. That is,
In this example, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the article conveying member 20 includes a central transverse member 50 extending in the width direction and a large number of pickups attached along the member at regular intervals and extending in the front-rear direction. In contrast to this, the discharging belt conveyor includes a member 52 and a pair of belt conveyors 54 set before and after the article conveying member 20 that is moved downward in the article discharging unit 28. These belt conveyors are composed of a large number of belt conveyor elements 56 set so as to extend between the pickup members 56 of the article conveying member 20, similarly to the above-described feeding belt conveyor 42. The upper traveling portions of these are driven toward a belt conveyor 58 outside the article storage device. Such an apparatus is suitable when the article to be placed on the article conveying member is relatively large, and two ejecting belt conveyors scoop up the front and rear parts of the article and eject them to the outside. is there.

Although the above modification is described as being set in the article discharge section of the article storage device, it will be apparent that it can be set in the article receiving section.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of the article storage device showing the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an article storage device viewed from the article receiving side.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an article receiving portion which is a main part of the article storage device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an article conveying member used in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an article discharging unit which is a main part of the apparatus according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 --- Article storage device, 20 --- Article transport member, 26
--- Article receiving section, 28 --- Article discharging section, 42 ---
-Belt conveyor, 44 --- Belt conveyor element, 46 --- Pickup member.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A frame (10), a plurality of fixed sprockets (12) rotatably mounted at predetermined positions on the frame, and a plurality of movable sprocket (16) movably mounted, and these fixed and movable. An endless chain (18) which is hung on a sprocket and driven in a substantially vertical plane, and a plurality of article conveying members (2) which are set substantially horizontally along the endless chain at predetermined intervals.
0) and a drive means (2) for rotationally driving the sprocket.
2, 24), an article receiving section (26) for receiving articles on the article conveying member moved in the frame from outside, and articles ejected to the outside from the article conveying member moved in the frame. For discharging articles (28)
An article accumulating device (1) having: a width substantially corresponding to a width of the article receiving section (26), the width being set adjacent to the article receiving section, and being set in the article transporting member (20). A belt conveyor (42) for transporting articles arranged substantially in parallel toward an article receiving section, the plurality of narrow widths being spaced in the width direction and extending in a direction toward the article receiving section. A plurality of pick-up members (46) having a belt conveyor (42) composed of belt conveyor elements (44), wherein the article conveying members are adapted to pass upward through the gaps between the belt conveyor elements. The pickup member (46) picks up the article carried by the belt conveyor (42) to the article receiving section from the belt conveyor (42). An article storage device characterized by being made. 2. A belt conveyor (54) for discharging an article, which has a width substantially corresponding to the width of the article discharging section (28) and is set adjacent to the article discharging section (28) in the width direction. And a belt conveyer composed of a plurality of narrow belt conveyer elements (56) which are spaced apart from each other and extend in a direction outward from the article discharge section. Material (5
2) is adapted to pass downward through a gap between the narrow belt conveyor elements, whereby the article conveyed by the article conveying member to the article ejecting section is ejected by the belt conveyor. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that