JPH0674932U - Article distribution device in article supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To prevent articles from stagnating on a partition provided between transfer paths to a plurality of predetermined supply positions. [Structure] In an article supply device 13 configured so that a large number of articles sent to a dispersion feeder 14 are dispersed and sent to a predetermined plurality of straight advance feeders 15, each straight advance feeder 15 The plurality of distribution members 25 arranged close to the respective partition portions 22 above the respective partition portions 22 protruding between the adjacent ones correspond to the respective distribution members 25. A plurality of support portions 26 that movably support the respective distribution members 25 so as to swing between the grooves of the straight-moving feeders 15 on both sides of the partition portion 22 and the respective distribution members 25 swing. And a drive unit 27 that is driven as described above.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention is applied to an article supply device that supplies articles to a plurality of predetermined supply positions when the articles are easily caught by a partition provided between transfer paths to the supply positions and are easily stagnant. The present invention relates to a product sorting device in a product supply device.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventional article supply devices include those shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. This is applied to a combination weigher, and is composed of a dispersion feeder 1 and a number of, for example, 12 straight feeders 2 following the dispersion feeder 1. The dispersion feeder 1 includes an umbrella-shaped portion 1a formed in an umbrella shape and a drive unit 5 that gives the umbrella-shaped portion 1a a reciprocating motion in the circumferential direction. The linear feeder 2 includes a groove member 7 arranged radially from a position below the outer peripheral edge of the dispersion feeder 1, and a drive unit 8 that gives the groove member 7 reciprocating vibration in the groove direction. When the articles to be weighed are sent to the central portion of the upper surface of the dispersion feeder 1, the articles supply apparatus transfers the articles from the position so that the articles are dispersed outward, and sends the articles to the linear feeder 2. Each of the linear feeders 2 transfers the article to the outside, discharges the article from the discharge port of the groove member 7, and throws the product into, for example, a charging hopper (not shown) provided below the discharge port.

However, when the articles are soft and long, such as pickled cucumbers, sprouts, squid fillets, string-shaped jelly confectionery, etc., they are provided at 12 locations on the outer periphery of the dispersion feeder 1. The linear portion 4 may be caught while straddling the straight feeders 2 on both sides, and may be stagnant without being transferred. When the stagnation of the articles occurs in this way, the transportation path of the articles of the groove member 7 becomes narrow, whereby the conveying speed of the succeeding articles becomes extremely slow, and the quantity of the articles supplied to the input hopper becomes extremely small. Sometimes. Further, the groove member 7 having a narrow transfer path may cause the article to bridge, and the article may not be supplied to the input hopper at all. When such a phenomenon occurs in a plurality of straight-ahead feeders 2, there is a problem in that the weighing accuracy and the weighing capability of the combination weigher are reduced.

Therefore, the applicant has devised an article supply device shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 in order to solve the above problems (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 61-035529). As shown in each of the drawings, this article supply device is different from the above-described conventional supply device in that an annular frame body 10 and a plurality of article contact members 11 projecting from the lower surface of the annular frame body 10 A drive unit 12 that reciprocally drives the frame body 10 in the circumferential direction for a predetermined distance is provided. Then, each article contact member 11 reaches the vicinity of the one shaped portion 4. This article supply device operates the drive unit 12 continuously or intermittently to reciprocally drive a plurality of article contact members 11 for a predetermined distance, thereby keeping the articles in the vicinity of the base of the one shaped section 4. It is something to prevent.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, according to the above-described conventional article supply device, all the article contact members 11 simultaneously and continuously or intermittently reciprocate in the delivery port 3 of the dispersion feeder 1, so that they are dispersed by the dispersion feeder 1 and go straight. In some cases, the article that has been normally transferred to item 2 may be caught in the article contact member 11, and the article that has been caught may narrow or block the delivery port 3 of the dispersion feeder 1. When such a phenomenon occurs in the plurality of straight-line feeders 2, there is a problem that the weighing accuracy and the weighing capability of the combination weigher are deteriorated as in the above case.

The present invention provides a product sorting device in a product supply device capable of preventing the product from stagnating on a partition provided between transfer paths to a plurality of predetermined supply positions. The purpose is to

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The first invention is that a plurality of articles sent to a substantially predetermined position are transferred so as to be dispersed from the predetermined position, and a plurality of transfer from a plurality of predetermined inlets to respective corresponding supply positions. In an article supply device configured to be fed into a path, the transfer path partition sections are located above the respective transfer path partition sections projecting between adjacent ones of the transfer path sections. And a plurality of distribution members that are arranged in such a manner that each distribution member moves so as to move or oscillate between the transfer paths on both sides thereof passing above the corresponding transfer path partition section. The present invention is characterized by comprising a plurality of support portions that support each other and a drive portion that drives the respective sorting members so as to move or swing.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a large number of articles sent to a substantially predetermined position are transferred from the predetermined position so as to be dispersed, and headed to respective corresponding supply positions from a plurality of predetermined inlets. In an article supply device configured to be fed to a plurality of transfer paths, the transfer path partitioning portions are provided above the respective transfer path partitioning portions projecting between adjacent ones of the transfer paths. And a plurality of distribution members that are arranged close to each other, and movably support the respective distribution members so that the respective distribution members move or oscillate in a direction substantially along the corresponding transfer path partition section. The present invention is characterized by comprising a plurality of support portions and a drive portion that drives the respective sorting members so as to move or swing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the article sorting device of the article feeding apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the article is placed on the transfer path partition portion and in front of the sorting member. An article detector that outputs a drive signal to the drive unit so as to drive the distribution member or the predetermined distribution member corresponding to the transfer path partition when detecting Is.

[0010]

[Action]

 According to the first invention, the sorting member passes near the upper position of the transfer path partition section and moves or swings between the transfer paths on both sides of the transfer path partition section, so that the articles mounted on the transfer path partition section are distributed. Can be pushed away and slipped into the transfer path. Therefore, the articles do not stagnate on the transfer path partition.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the sorting member moves or swings in the vicinity of the position above the transfer path partition section substantially along the transfer path partition section, so that the object mounted on the transfer path partition section. Goods can be pushed away or bounced off by the sorting member and slid down into the transfer path. Therefore, the articles do not stagnate on the transfer path partition.

According to the third invention, when the article detector detects that the article is placed on the transfer path partition and before the sorting member, the corresponding sorting member is moved or swung. . Therefore, when the article is not placed on the transfer path partition section, the sorting member corresponding to the article can be stopped. Then, for example, when the articles are placed on the transfer path partition portions adjacent to each other, only one of the predetermined sorting members can be moved or swung. As a result, it is possible to prevent both articles displaced by the adjacent sorting member from moving simultaneously in the transfer path passing between them.

[0013]

【Example】

 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The article distributing device in the article supplying apparatus of this embodiment is applied to the article supplying apparatus 13 of the combination scale shown in FIG. The article supply device 13 includes a dispersion feeder 14 and, for example, twelve linear feeders 15 following the dispersion feeder 14. The dispersion feeder 14 is composed of an umbrella-shaped portion 16 whose upper surface is formed in an umbrella shape with a downward inclination from the central portion, and a drive portion 17 which gives the umbrella-shaped portion 16 reciprocating vibration in the circumferential direction. There is. The linear feeders 15 are provided by the number corresponding to the weighing section of the combination weigher, and are composed of a transport trough 18 that forms a transfer path and a drive section 19 that applies reciprocating vibration to the transfer trough 18 in the direction of the transfer path. It is configured. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the respective transport troughs 18 are radially arranged outward from the dispersion feeder 14, and the receiving inlet 20 at one end is located below the outer peripheral edge of the umbrella-shaped portion 16. The discharge port 21 at the other end is arranged in the upper direction of the input hopper (not shown) with respect to the weighing hopper.

As shown in FIG. 1, the linear feeders 15 are provided so as not to come into contact with the dispersion feeder 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the partition portions 22 of the transport troughs 18 of the straight-advancing feeders 15 adjacent to each other are formed to be bent so as to project above the bottom surface of the transport trough 18, and both transport troughs 18 are formed. Are provided so that they do not touch each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the partition portion 22 is provided with a rising portion 23 extending from a substantially central portion of the transport trough 18 to the discharge port 21. The rising portion 23 is for preventing articles from being discharged in a state where the articles straddle the discharge ports 21 adjacent to each other, and the articles discharged from a predetermined discharge port 21 are below the input hopper. I am sure that it will be put in.

Next, the article distribution device 24 attached to the article supply device 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The article distribution device 24 includes a distribution member 25, a support section 26, a drive section 27, and an article detector 28. The article distributing device 24 is provided for each partition 22 of the twelve linear feeders 15, and the twelve article distributing devices 24 are provided on an annular frame 29. Since all the article distribution devices 24 are the same, only one device will be described and the other devices will not be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the annular frame 29 has a size such that it connects the positions above the positions of the slanted edges 30 of the rising portions 23 of the linear feeders 15. It is formed of a rope having a predetermined thickness, is arranged concentrically with the dispersion feeder 14, and is fixedly attached to the base 31 of the combined scale.

As shown in FIG. 1, the distribution member 25 is formed by cutting and removing the lower right corner of the rectangular rubber plate in the figure, and the inclined side 32 formed by this cutting is formed by the inclined edge portion 3 of the rising portion 23. The shape is substantially parallel to 0. As shown in FIG. 1, in the distributing member 25, the inclined side 32 reaches near the upper side of the inclined edge portion 30 and the lower edge is the horizontal portion of the partition portion 22 in the hanging position. It is placed so that it reaches the vicinity of the upper part.

The support portion 26, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a mounting portion 33 to which the sorting member 25 is mounted. Shafts project from both ends of the mounting portion 33, and each shaft is rotatably supported by bearings 34 provided on the lower surface of the frame body 29. The direction of this axis is parallel to the partition section 22, and when the mounting section 33 reciprocally rotates about this axis within a predetermined angle range, as shown by an arrow 35 in FIG. The member 25 swings within a predetermined angle range.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driving unit 27 is composed of a reciprocating air cylinder, and its rod-side end is connected to an arm 37 via a pivot 36. The arm 37 is attached to the mounting unit 33. Are connected. Then, the end portion on the cylinder body side is coupled to the frame body 29 via the pivot shaft 38, and by expanding and contracting, the mounting portion 33 can be reciprocally rotated within a predetermined angle range. The number of times the sorting member 25 is swung is preferably about 2 to 5 times / sec, but can be set to an appropriate number depending on the shape and softness of the article. The swing time is preferably about 1.5 sec, but this swing time can be set to an appropriate time depending on the shape of the article. Further, the angle of swing is not limited to the angle shown by the arrow 35 in FIG. 2, and can be changed according to the shape of the article or the like.

The article detector 28 is a reflection type photodetector, and is provided on the inner wall surface of the frame 29 as shown in FIG. The article detector 28 detects the article 39 when the article 39 is placed on the partition 22 and in front of the sorting member 25 (see FIG. 1) and outputs a drive signal to the drive controller (see FIG. (Not shown), and the drive control unit drives the drive unit 27.

Next, operations of the article supply device 13 and the article distribution device 24 will be described. The articles supplied onto the dispersion feeder 14 are transferred to the input hopper by the dispersion feeder 14 and the straight feeder 15. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, when the article 39 is transported while being placed on a certain partition 22 and reaches the position below the article detector 28, the article detector 28 detects the article 39. The corresponding driving unit 27 is driven. Then, the sorting member 25 swings within a predetermined angle range for a predetermined time to push away the article placed on the partition 22 and slide it into the groove of one of the transfer troughs 18. As described above, when an article is placed on a certain partition portion 22, only the sorting member 25 corresponding to the partition portion 22 is swung to move the article on the partition portion 22 into the groove of the transport trough 18. It is possible to prevent the stagnation of the article by moving the article. Then, when the article is not placed on the partition section 22, the sorting member 25 corresponding to the article can be stopped so that the sorting member 25 comes into contact with the article which is normally transferred. It is possible to continue its normal transfer state.

A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The article distribution device 24 of this embodiment is provided on the same article supply device 13 as that of the first embodiment and on the same frame body 29 at the same position as the article distribution device 24 of the first embodiment in the same number. There is. Briefly, as shown in FIG. 4, the article distribution device 40 of this embodiment divides the return member 41 (the distribution member according to claim 2) when the article is placed on the partition 22. The article is oscillated in the direction of the arrow 42 substantially along the portion 22 to return the article into the groove on the side of the receiving port 20 of the transport trough 18, and when the article is again transported by the linear feeder 15, the article is normally transported. In this way, this will prevent the goods from becoming stagnant.

The article distribution device 40 includes a return member 41, a support portion 43, a drive portion 44, and an article detector 28, and a total of twelve units are provided. Only the pedestal will be described, and the other parts will not be described. Since the article supply device 13, the frame 29, and the article detector 28 are the same as those in the first embodiment, they are designated by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the return member 41 has two bent L-shaped rubber plates facing each other with a space therebetween and a bent portion of the rubber plate via the connecting shaft 45. It is a combination. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the one arm 46 of the return member 41 is disposed in the hanging position, and the lower edge thereof is arranged so as to reach the vicinity of the upper portion of the horizontal portion of the partition portion 22. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the supporting portion 43 rotatably supports the connecting shaft 45 of the returning member 41, and the upper end thereof is attached to the lower surface of the frame body 29 so as to be coupled thereto.

As shown in FIG. 5, the driving unit 44 is composed of a reciprocating air cylinder, and its rod-side end is connected to an arm 48 via a pivot 47, and this arm 48 is connected to a pivot 49. ing. Both ends of the pivot 49 are rotatably supported by bearings 51, 51 provided on the lower surface of the frame 29, as shown in FIG. Another arm 52 is connected to the pivot 49 at a position forming an angle of 90 ° with the arm 48, and the tip of this arm 52 and the end of the return member 41 in the horizontal direction are The links are connected via a connecting rod 53. In addition, spherical joints (joints provided with a spherical journal) 54, 54 are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the connecting rod 53, respectively, and the arm 52 and the return member 41 are linked to each other via the spherical joints 54. There is. The cylinder body side end is connected to the frame 29 via a pivot 50. The drive unit 44 can expand and contract to swing the arm 46 of the return member 41 clockwise from the hanging position shown in FIG. 4 within a predetermined angle range (within the range indicated by the arrow 42). The number of times the return member 41 is swung is preferably about 2 to 5 times / sec as in the first embodiment, but can be set to an appropriate number depending on the shape and softness of the article. The swing time is preferably about 1.5 seconds, but can be set to an appropriate time depending on the shape of the article. The swing angle is not limited to the angle shown by the arrow 42 in FIG. 4, but can be changed according to the shape of the article.

Next, the operation of the article distribution device 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, when the article 39 is transferred on a certain partition 22 and reaches the position below the article detector 28, the article detector 28 detects the article 39 and responds to it. Drive the drive unit 44. Then, the return member 41 swings within a predetermined angle range for a predetermined time, and the article placed on the partition 22 is jumped into the groove of the transfer trough 18 on the receiving port 20 side, and the article is normally operated. It can be sorted as it is transported. As described above, when an article is placed on a certain partition 22, only the return member 41 corresponding to the partition 22 is swung to move the article on the partition 22 into the groove of the transport trough 18. It is possible to prevent the stagnation of the article by moving to. Then, when the article is not placed on the partition section 22, the return member 41 corresponding to the article can be stopped so that the return member 41 comes into contact with the article being normally transferred. And the normal transfer state can be continued.

However, in the first and second embodiments, the distributing member 25 or the returning member 41 is shown to be rocked by the air cylinder, but in some cases, the distributing member 25 or the returning member 41 is distributed by using a hydraulic cylinder, a motor, a magnet or the like. The member 25 and the like may be swung.

In the first and second embodiments, the distributing member 25 and the returning member 41 are formed of rubber plates, but they may be formed of other materials such as plastic plates and metal plates. The shapes of the distribution member 25 and the return member 41 are not limited to the shapes of the above-described embodiment, and may be arbitrary shapes according to the shape, property, etc. of the article. For example, although the distribution member 25 is one flat plate, it may be two flat plates or two rod-shaped bodies that are parallel to each other with a predetermined space therebetween. Further, although the returning member 41 is two rubber plates formed in an L shape, one rubber plate can be omitted by omitting one of them. In short, it is necessary to determine the shape and material of the sorting member 25 or the returning member 41 so that the article can be pushed away or bounced off without damaging it.

Further, in the first embodiment, as a way of swinging the distributing member 25, for example, when the distributing member 25 moves to the right side position shown in FIG. 2, it stops at that position for a predetermined time, and then the left side. It can be operated in a cycle of moving to a position and stopping at the left position for a predetermined time. Further, as another example, the distribution member 25 may be swung without being stopped at the right and left positions like a pendulum of a timepiece. Similarly, the swinging method of the return member 41 of the second embodiment may be a swinging method of stopping at the drooping position for a predetermined time, or may be a swinging method without stopping at the drooping position.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, when the article detector 28 detects an article, the corresponding sorting member 25 or the returning member 41 is always swung. When the article is placed on the upper part, one of the predetermined sorting members 25 and the like can be swung. As a result, it is possible to prevent both articles that have been pushed away or bounced off by the adjacent sorting member 25 or the like from moving simultaneously into the grooves of the transport trough 18 that pass between them.

In the second embodiment, the return member 41 is swung in the direction of the partition portion 22, but it may be swung in the direction toward the receiving port 20 of the transport trough 18. This allows the article to be splashed into the groove of the transport trough 18.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the article distributing apparatus 40 is applied to the article feeding apparatus 13 of the combination weigher, but it can be applied to an article feeding apparatus other than the combination weigher.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the article distribution device is applied to the article supply device 13 in which the linear feeders 15 are arranged radially around the dispersion feeder 14, but the configuration other than this is adopted. The present invention can also be applied to the article supply device. For example, the article distributing device 24, 40 of the present invention can be applied to an article supply device including each linear feeder arranged in parallel and a dispersion feeder for distributing the articles and transferring the articles to each linear feeder. .

In the first embodiment, the distribution member 25 is operated so as to pass through the position above the partition 22 and swing between the grooves of the transport troughs 18 on both sides thereof. The distribution member 25 may be operated so as to reciprocate between the grooves of the transport troughs 18 on both sides thereof. Similarly, although the return member 41 of the second embodiment is swung, it may be reciprocated substantially along the partition portion 22.

[0036]

[Effect of device]

 According to the first to third inventions, the article on the transfer path partitioning part is pushed away or bounced off by the sorting member and slid down into the transfer path. As in the conventional case, on the same surface of the dispersion feeder. The configuration is not such that the article is moved and sent into the transfer path. As a result, there is an effect that the article is not caught by the sorting member and can be sent into the transfer path more reliably than before. Therefore, according to the article distribution device in the article supply device of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly supply special and soft items such as soft and slender items such as pickled cucumbers and jelly confections to the predetermined supply position without any stagnation. There is an effect. When this article supply device is applied to a combination weigher as shown in the embodiment, it is possible to constantly supply an appropriate amount of articles to each weighing hopper. It is possible to obtain the effect that the quantitative measurement of the product does not decrease and the processing capacity does not decrease.

According to the third invention, when an article is placed on a certain transfer path partition section, only the sorting member corresponding to the transfer path partition section is operated to move the article into the transfer path. It is possible to return the article to the normal state. Moreover, when the article is not placed on the transfer path partition, the sorting member corresponding to the article can be stopped so that the sorting member does not come into contact with the article being normally transported. The effect is that the normal transfer state can be continued.

Further, according to the third invention, for example, when an article is placed on the transfer path partition sections adjacent to each other, one of the predetermined sorting members can be operated. This makes it possible to prevent both articles displaced by the adjacent sorting members from moving simultaneously in the transfer path passing between them, and as a result, the articles in one transfer path. Can be prevented from gathering in a large amount, and there is an effect that the article can be supplied to the predetermined supply position very smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of an article distribution device in an article supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the distribution device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the distribution device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional front view of an article distribution device in an article supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the same distribution device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partially omitted plan view showing an example of a conventional article supply device.

7 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view of the conventional article supply device as seen from the direction BB of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a partially omitted plan view showing another conventional article supply device.

FIG. 9 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view of another conventional article supply device as seen from the direction AA of FIG. 8.

[Explanation of symbols]

 13 article supply device 14 dispersion feeder 15 rectilinear feeder 17 drive section 19 drive section 22 partition section 24 article distribution apparatus 25 distribution member 26 support section 27 drive section 28 article detector

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A large number of articles sent to a substantially predetermined position are transferred so as to be dispersed from the predetermined position to a plurality of transfer paths from a plurality of predetermined inlets to respective corresponding supply positions. In an article supply device configured to be fed in, disposed above the respective transfer path partition parts projecting between adjacent ones of the transfer path parts, and arranged close to the respective transfer path partition parts. A plurality of distribution members, and the respective distribution members are movably moved so as to move or swing between the transfer paths on both sides of the plurality of transfer members passing above the corresponding transfer path partition. An article distributing apparatus in an article supply apparatus, comprising: a plurality of supporting sections for supporting; and a driving section that drives the respective distributing members so as to move or swing. 2. A plurality of articles sent to a substantially predetermined position are transferred from the predetermined position so as to be dispersed, and to a plurality of transfer paths from a plurality of predetermined inlets to respective corresponding supply positions. In an article supply device configured to be fed in, disposed above the respective transfer path partition parts projecting between adjacent ones of the transfer path parts, and arranged close to the respective transfer path partition parts. A plurality of distribution members, and a plurality of support portions that movably support the respective distribution members so that the respective distribution members move or swing in a direction substantially along the corresponding transfer path partitioning portion. And a driving unit that drives the respective sorting members so as to move or oscillate, the article sorting apparatus in the article feeding apparatus. 3. The article distribution device in the article supply device according to claim 1, wherein when it is detected that the article is placed on the transfer path partition section and in front of the distribution member, An article distribution device in an article supply apparatus, comprising an article detector that outputs a drive signal to the drive section so as to drive the distribution member corresponding to the transfer path partition section or the predetermined distribution section.