JPH0692421A - Article sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an article sorting device which can relieve a worker's burden by making article sorting work semi-automatic. CONSTITUTION:Ten storage racks 11-20 consisting of four-stage storage boxes respectively are disposed along a circular traveling passage. Into the four storage boxes inside the storage rack 11 located at a throwing-in position, articles can be thrown from the respective throwing-in ports of a throwing-in part 40. On the four display windows 60a-60d of a code display device 60, the code of the storage box where articles can be thrown is displayed. When a control panel 35 is operated, the respective storage racks 11-20 travels along the circular traveling passage by means of a drive device 30, and the storage racks located at a throwing-in position change in turn. A worker only stands between a belt conveyer 70 for carrying-in and the throwing-in part 40 to throw a conveyed article 100 from the throwing-in part 40. Sorted articles are discharged to a carrying-out belt conveyer 80 from a discharge part 50.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for sorting articles, and more particularly to a device for sorting articles that are continuously supplied into a plurality of storage boxes in order.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When delivering a large number of items, it is necessary to classify each item according to the destination. When performing such classification, usually, a storage box is prepared for each destination, each destination is displayed on each storage box, and the operator puts individual articles into the corresponding storage box. I'm working. In order to automate such work, an article sorting device is used in some industries. For example, in a fixed-size mail piece, a sorting device is used which automatically reads a zip code written on the mail piece and automatically sorts into a storage box corresponding to the zip code.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Like a fixed-size mail,
If the articles whose size and thickness are limited to a certain extent are sorted, it is relatively easy to introduce a device that completely automates the sorting work. However, it is expected that a device that performs a complete automatic classification process for a product that is relatively large to some extent or a product of which the size, shape, etc. are not specified becomes a considerably large-scale device and becomes costly. Therefore, in the current logistics industry, workers are currently performing manual division.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an article sorting apparatus which can reduce the burden on the operator by semi-automating the article sorting operation.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

(1) The first invention of the present application is defined on a plurality of storage boxes arranged along the ring-shaped moving path, a driving means for moving the plurality of storage boxes along the ring-shaped moving path, and the ring-shaped moving path. A loading port for loading an article into the storage box located at the loading point, a code display means for displaying a code for identifying the storage box located at the loading point, and loading based on a predetermined work signal. A control means for controlling the driving means is provided so that the storage box located at the point is moved to another position and the storage box adjacent thereto is moved to the loading point.

(2) In the second invention of the present application, a plurality of storage racks each of which is arranged along the circular movement path and each of which is composed of n stages of storage boxes, and the plurality of storage racks are arranged along the circular movement path. Drive means for moving the container, n loading ports for loading articles into an n-stage storage box located at a loading point defined on the annular moving path, and an n-level storage box located at the loading point. Code display means for displaying n codes for identification and a storage rack located at the loading point is moved to another position based on a predetermined work signal, and a storage rack adjacent to this is moved to the loading point. The control means for controlling the driving means is provided.

[0007]

[Operation] In the past, when sorting articles, multiple storage boxes (storage shelves) were installed, and workers carried out the individual items while putting them in the corresponding boxes. The basic idea of the present invention is that instead of the worker walking around,
By moving the storage box, the burden on the operator is reduced. That is, since the plurality of storage boxes can be moved along the circular movement path, the worker only needs to stand at a predetermined input point and perform the input operation. Further, since the code indicating the storage box at the loading point is displayed, the worker can always confirm that the loading box is being loaded into the correct loading box, and the correct work can be performed.

[0008]

The present invention will be described below based on illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a sorting device according to this embodiment. In the storage case 10, ten storage racks 11 to 20 are stored, as indicated by broken lines in the figure. Each of the storage racks 11 to 20 is composed of a storage box having four stages, and a total of 40 storage boxes are stored in the storage case 10. Each storage rack 11-
The 20 can move on a predetermined circular movement path, as will be described later. The drive device 30 includes the storage racks 11 to 11.
It is a device serving as a power source for moving the 20 along the circular movement path. A control board 35 is attached to the upper surface of the drive device 30, and an operator can move the storage racks 11 to 20 by operating the control board 35. A loading unit 40 is installed on the front side of the storage case 10, and a discharging unit 50 is installed on the other side. A code display device 60 is installed beside the input unit 40. Four display windows 60a-60d are attached to the code display device 60 corresponding to the storage boxes arranged in four stages.

A carry-in belt conveyor 70 is installed in front of the sorting apparatus, and a carry-out belt conveyor 80 is installed on the other side. The articles 100 to be sorted are conveyed to the illustrated position by the carry-in belt conveyor 70. The worker stands by between the carry-in belt conveyor 70 and the loading section 40 to perform the work. That is, the worker performs the work of picking up the article 100 conveyed by the carry-in belt conveyor 70 and loading the article 100 into the storage case 10 from the loading section 40. FIG. 2 shows a state of this charging work. Actually, as shown in FIG. 1, the loading section 40 and the storage rack 11 are located close to each other, but in FIG. 2, they are separated from each other for convenience of description. The input unit 40 and the storage rack 11 both have a similar structure in which four shelves are provided, but the storage rack 11 is provided with a back plate and the storage box 11a.
11d are formed. On the other hand, the input unit 40
No back plate is provided in the device, and it has a so-called through structure, so that the inlets 40a to 40d are formed. When the articles are loaded from the loading ports 40a to 40d, they are loaded into the storage boxes 11a to 11d, respectively.

The storage racks 12 to 20 are the storage racks 11
It is a rack with exactly the same structure as. As described above, these storage racks 11 to 20 can move on the circular movement path. FIG. 3 is a top view showing this state. Although the storage racks 11 to 20 are arranged in a rectangular shape, they are all arranged so as to be movable along an annular movement path 90 (for example, a rail). Here, the position adjacent to the charging unit 40 is called a charging position P, and the discharging unit 50
The position adjacent to is called the discharge position Q. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the storage rack 11 is at the loading position P and the storage rack 16 is at the discharge position Q, but the storage racks 11 are driven by the drive device 30 so as to shift one by one clockwise. Then, the storage rack 12 comes to the loading position P, and the storage rack 17 comes to the discharging position Q. Thus, 10 storage racks 11-20
Are configured to move on the rails as the circular moving path 90 in a state where they are connected to each other like a train car.

Now, each storage box will be given a code number. For example, the storage boxes 11a to 11d of the storage rack 11 have codes 001 and 00, respectively.
2, 003, 004, and subsequently, the storage boxes 12a to 12d of the storage rack 12 have codes 005, 0, respectively.
06007, 008, and likewise consecutive code numbers are attached to the storage boxes 20a to 20 of the storage rack 20.
Codes 037, 038, 039, 04 are included in d.
0 is attached. In this way, the codes 001 to 040 are attached to all 40 storage boxes. The code display device 60 displays the code numbers of the four storage boxes currently located at the loading position P respectively in the display windows 60a to 60a.
It has a function of displaying 0d. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 1, the code 001 is displayed in the display window 60a.
The code 002 is displayed in b and the code 003 is displayed in the display window 60c.
However, the code 004 is displayed in the display window 60d. In this state, when the drive device 30 is operated to rotate clockwise by one rack in FIG. 3 to bring the storage rack 12 to the storage position P,
The display windows 60a to 60d of the code display device 60 display the codes 005 to 008. Such a display can be easily performed by connecting the code display device 60 to the drive device 30 and recognizing which storage rack is currently located at the loading position P.

The drive unit 30 is controlled by a control panel 35. For example, if the control panel 35 is provided with a work button for moving each storage rack clockwise by one rack and a work button for moving it counterclockwise, the worker can By pressing the button
A desired storage box can be moved to the loading position P. Moreover, since the code number of the storage box currently at the loading position P is displayed on the code display device 60, the operator confirms that the desired storage box is behind the loading port, It is possible to perform the actual input work. Article 100 conveyed by the carry-in belt conveyor 70
By displaying the code corresponding to the code number attached to each storage box, the operator has confirmed that the code displayed on the article 100 matches the code displayed on the code display device 60. The operation of loading the article 100 into the corresponding storage box can be performed above. The code attached to each storage box is not limited to a number and may be any code. For example, character codes such as "Hokkaido", "Aomori", "Akita", "Iwate", ... Are attached, and these character codes are displayed in the display windows 60a to 60d of the code display device 60. For example, if the worker
It suffices to check the address display of the destination of 0 and the display of the code display device 60.

In this way, when the sorting work for inserting the large number of articles conveyed by the carry-in belt conveyor 70 into any of the 40 storage boxes is completed, the worker
The discharge work is performed by turning to the discharge unit 50. The discharge unit 50 is
It has the same structure as the loading unit 40, and the articles in the four storage boxes of the storage rack at the discharge position Q can be taken out from the four discharge ports, respectively. By placing the discharged articles on the carry-out belt conveyor 80, the sorted articles can be conveyed as they are to the delivery point. By moving the storage rack, it is possible to discharge the articles in an arbitrary storage box.

As described above, the merit of this apparatus is that the worker is standing between the carry-in belt conveyor 70 and the loading unit 40, and the carry-in belt conveyor 70 is in the standing state.
The point is that it is possible to perform the work of loading the article conveyed by the above into the predetermined loading port of the loading unit 40. If necessary, the control panel 35 can be operated to move the desired storage box to the loading position P, so that the operator only has to perform the loading operation from the loading section 40 at all times. However, this device cannot perform very efficient work for sorting the articles conveyed by the carry-in belt conveyor 70 into storage boxes at random positions. For example, when the second article to be loaded into the storage box with the code 021 comes after the first article to be loaded into the storage box with the code 001, the operator uses the storage box 11a in the storage rack 11 After the first article is put into (code 001), each storage rack is moved by 5 racks to move the storage rack 1
It is necessary to bring 5 to the loading position P and load the second article into the storage box 16a (code 021). In general,
It takes some time to move the storage rack, so such work is not efficient. In practice, this device is suitable for the task of sequentially dividing each storage box. The following is an example when applied to such work.

Here, a description will be given of an embodiment in which this device is applied to the business of a non-life insurance company sending out insurance policies to each branch office. This insurance company is Hokkaido branch (code 0
01), Aomori branch (code 002), Akita branch (code 003), Iwate branch (code 004), Miyagi branch (code 005), ..., Okinawa branch (code 040) 40
Have a branch office. Then, consider a case in which three types of insurance policies, that is, a car insurance policy, a fire insurance policy, and a travel insurance policy, are issued and the processing is carried out for shipping to each branch. In this case, usually, roll-up securities paper is printed for each security, and necessary information is printed on the securities paper (usually, printing is performed by a high-speed printer based on customer data in a computer), 1 Securities are issued by cutting them into individual securities. Therefore, the securities will be issued for each insurance type. In other words, first of all, regarding automobile insurance policy, Hokkaido branch office (code 001) ~
Securities up to Okinawa branch (code 040) will be issued, and then fire insurance policy will be issued from Hokkaido branch (code 001) ~
Securities issued up to Okinawa branch (code 040), and finally about travel insurance, Hokkaido branch (code 001)
~ Securities to Okinawa branch (code 040) will be issued. Then, the securities are carried in this order by the carry-in belt conveyor 70.

When such securities are issued, the sorting device of the present invention can be used to perform sorting very efficiently. As shown in FIG. 1, the worker uses the storage rack 11
It suffices to start the work in a state in which is at the loading position P.
First, when a car insurance policy addressed to the Hokkaido branch office (code 001) is delivered, insert it into the slot 40a,
Next, when the car insurance policy addressed to Aomori branch office (code 002) is delivered, it is put into the slot 40b, and when the car insurance policy addressed to Akita branch office (code 003) is delivered, it is put in. When a car insurance policy addressed to the Iwate branch office (code 004) is carried into the mouth 40c, it may be put into the mouth 40d. Further, when the automobile insurance policy addressed to the Miyagi branch office (code 005) is conveyed, the buttons on the control panel 35 are operated to move each storage rack clockwise by one rack, and the storage rack 12 is moved to the loading position P. After confirming that the display code of the display window 60a has changed to 005, the automobile insurance policy addressed to this Miyagi branch office (code 005) may be inserted into the insertion slot 40a. In the same manner, every time the injection of automobile insurance policies for the four branch offices is completed, the control panel 3
5 can be operated to move the storage rack and continue the sorting work. Thus, Okinawa branch (code 04
The automobile insurance policy addressed to 0) is loaded into the loading slot 40d with the storage rack 20 in the loading position P.

When the classification of the automobile insurance policy is completed in this way, the fire insurance policy is carried next. First, when the fire insurance policy addressed to the Hokkaido branch office (code 001) is delivered, operate the control panel 35 to re-install the storage rack 1.
1 to the loading position P (the storage rack 11
This means that the securities have been put into the slot 40a. In this way, regarding the fire insurance policy, the Hokkaido branch (code 001) to the Okinawa branch (code 040)
Then, the travel insurance policy is classified from Hokkaido branch office (code 001) to Okinawa branch office (code 040). After all, each storage rack
This means that the vehicle made three rounds along the circular moving path 90. And
Each storage box stores a car insurance policy, a fire insurance policy, and a travel insurance policy addressed to one branch office. Therefore, when the securities in each storage box are discharged onto the carry-out belt conveyor 80 through the discharging unit 50, the sorting for each securities addressed to each branch is completed. As described above, in the work in which the storage boxes are sequentially divided, it is possible to perform a very efficient work by using this device.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 described above, the carry-out section 5
Although the work of taking out the article from 0 and placing it on the carry-out belt conveyor is carried out manually, an example of automating the carry-out work will be briefly described. 4 and 5
[Fig. 3] is a side view and a top view of this automatic carry-out mechanism. A support 120 is fixed to the side of the carry-out belt conveyor 110, and a lifter 130 slides up and down along the support 120 by a motor drive. Also, two forks are attached to this lifter 130, and it is expanded and contracted in the left-right direction in the figure by driving a motor. The article to be carried out is taken out by this fork and transferred to the carrying-out belt conveyor 110 by the pusher 150. If such an automatic carry-out mechanism is provided, the articles in the storage rack 160 at the carry-out position Q can be automatically carried out to the carry-out belt conveyor 110. In this embodiment, the article is taken out directly from the storage rack 160 at the carry-out position Q, but the article may be carried out through the carry-out section 50 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

The storage rack 11 shown in FIG. 2 was provided with a fixed shelf, and articles were stored on this shelf. On the other hand, when this automatic carry-out mechanism is used, a dedicated storage rack 1 having a structure as shown in FIG.
You need 60. The storage rack 160 is provided with a receiving shelf 162, but the receiving shelf 162 is not a shelf for placing an article, but a shelf for placing a container 170. That is, the storage rack 160 accommodates the four containers 170 supported by the receiving shelves 162. Each container 170 is a box having an open top surface, and articles can be loaded from this top surface. Therefore, all the articles are stored in the container 170, and the articles are carried out together with the container 170.

Now, the work of carrying out the article from the storage rack 160 having moved to the carry-out position Q to the carry-out belt conveyor 110 is performed as follows. First, the lifter 130 is moved to a desired position, the fork 140 is extended, and the fork 140 is inserted below the container 170 to be carried out. 7A and 7B are a front view and a side view, respectively, showing the state at this time. Then, fork 1
40 is moved upwards and the container 170 receives the shelves 162
Lift from. 8 (a) and 8 (b) are respectively a front view and a side view showing the state at this time. If the fork 140 is contracted as it is, the container 170 can be taken out from the storage rack 160. After that, the lifter 130 is lowered to the position of the carry-out belt conveyor 110, and the pusher 150 pushes the container 170 on the fork 140 onto the carry-out belt conveyor 110. FIG. 9 is a top view showing the state at this time. In this way, the articles in the storage rack 160 are automatically carried out together with the container 170.

The present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be implemented in various modes other than this. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the operator moves the storage rack by operating the control panel 35, but the control input to the control panel 35 is performed based on a predetermined work signal given from another device. You may go. For example, when used in a system for issuing the above-mentioned three types of securities, a computer that controls the printing work of the securities outputs a predetermined work signal (for example, a signal notifying the completion timing of printing for four branch offices). If the storage rack is moved at an appropriate timing based on the work signal, the worker can proceed with the work without touching the control panel 35 at all.

[0022]

As described above, according to the article sorting apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of storage boxes are arranged along the circular movement path and are moved, so that the operator can move them to a fixed position. It becomes possible to perform the sorting work while standing, and it becomes possible to reduce the labor burden on the worker.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article sorting apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between a loading unit 40 and a storage rack 11 in the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an automatic carry-out mechanism additionally used in the device shown in FIG.

5 is a top view of the automatic unloading mechanism shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

6 is a diagram showing a dedicated storage rack used in the automatic unloading mechanism shown in FIG.

7A and 7B are a front view and a side view showing a first stage of the carry-out operation in the automatic carry-out mechanism shown in FIG.

8A and 8B are a front view and a side view showing a second stage of the carry-out operation in the automatic carry-out mechanism shown in FIG.

9 is a top view showing a third stage of the carry-out operation in the automatic carry-out mechanism shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Storage box 11-20 ... Storage rack 11a-11d ... Storage box 30 ... Drive device 35 ... Control panel 40 ... Input part 40a-40d ... Input port 50 ... Ejection part 60 ... Code display device 60a-60d ... Display window 70 ... carry-in belt conveyor 80 ... carry-out belt conveyor 90 ... annular moving path 100 ... article 110 ... carry-out belt conveyor 120 ... support 130 ... lifter 140 ... fork 150 ... pusher 160 ... storage rack 162 ... receiving rack 170 ... container P ... Input position Q ... Discharge position

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of storage boxes arranged along an annular moving path, a driving means for moving the plurality of storage boxes along the annular moving path, and a loading point defined on the annular moving path. A loading slot for loading articles into the storage box located at, a code display means for displaying a code for identifying the storage box located at the loading point, and a loading point based on a predetermined work signal. And a control means for controlling the driving means so as to move the storage box located at the other position to another position and move the storage box adjacent to the storage box to the loading point. . 2. A plurality of storage racks, each of which is arranged along an annular movement path and is composed of n stages of storage boxes, and drive means for moving the plurality of storage racks along the annular movement path. N input ports for inserting articles into the n-stage storage boxes located at the input points defined on the circular movement path, and n for specifying the n-step storage boxes located at the input points. Code display means for displaying individual codes, and based on a predetermined work signal, move the storage rack located at the loading point to another position, and move the storage rack adjacent to this to the loading point. And a control means for controlling the drive means, and an article sorting apparatus.