JPH07157058A - Spiral conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a spiral conveyor by which articles to be classified among articles carried in a spiral carrying passage can be classified and carried outside of the spiral carrying passage. CONSTITUTION:A carrying-out passage 33 is arranged in a part of a spiral carrying passage 2 to carry articles Y, and the existence of the articles Y being a classifying object among the articles Y carried in the carrying passage 2 is detected by a sensor 37, and next, a classifying mechanism 32 having an endless belt 36 which shields the carrying passage 2 and energizes the classifying articles Y to the carrying-out passage 33 side, is arranged. A classifying mechanism is arranged to energize the articles in the carrying-out passage direction by running them run on a rotary roller. A joining mechanism is arranged to energize the articles to the carrying passage side in a condition where they are put in a position higher than a carrying surface of the spiral carrying passage by the rotary roller.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spiral conveyor used for lifting and lowering various articles, and more particularly to a transfer technique for loading and unloading articles in the middle of a spiral transfer path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the case where various articles such as packaged goods are lifted and lowered, a required area becomes large if a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor is formed on an inclined surface, and in the case of vertical lifting using a bucket, work such as transshipment is required. Therefore, a spiral conveyor as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-125229 is frequently used. The general structure of this type of spiral conveyor is to provide a chain that circulates along a conveying path that is formed in a spiral shape, place an article on a slat fixed to this chain, and circulate the chain to move the article. It is designed to move up and down.

In the spiral conveyor having the above-mentioned structure, an article placed at one end of the conveying path is conveyed to an upper layer or a lower layer through a spiral conveying path, and is simply transferred from the other end of the conveying path to another conveying path. there were. However, in the physical distribution process, it is necessary to sort and join various kinds of articles during transportation, and in order to meet such a demand, for example, a picking device as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 41-2002 has been proposed. There is. The outline of the carrying-in operation of the picking device will be described. Various products are carried onto the spiral chute from a plurality of belt conveyors provided around the spiral chute via the product delivery means. The carrying-out operation is complicated with respect to such a carrying-in operation, and the entire spiral chute is swung corresponding to the delivery destination of the product, and the delivery port of the spiral chute is aligned with the container previously arranged for each delivery destination, It is configured to transfer goods.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned picking device, it is possible to carry in products on a spiral chute and sort them according to their delivery destinations. However, although the carry-in can be done in the middle of the spiral chute, the carry-out is done from a single carry-out port, and moreover, the whole spiral chute is turned by a predetermined angle in order to match the delivery destination.
Difficult control technology is required. In addition, considering the practical processing speed, it is difficult to apply this sorting configuration to a large-sized transport device. Further, the product is carried out to the container by utilizing the carrying of the product downward, and when carrying the product upward, it cannot be carried out unless a new urging means is provided.

That is, the picking device can be applied to a spiral chute that conveys goods downward,
As for unloading, it cannot be applied to spiral conveyors that convey goods upward. Furthermore, since there is only one carry-out port, it cannot be carried out in the middle of the spiral chute, let alone at multiple places in the middle of the spiral conveyor, for each delivery destination,
Alternatively, it is not possible to carry out each product. A first object of the present invention is to provide a spiral conveyor that can sort and carry out the articles to be sorted out of the articles conveyed through the spiral transportation path to the outside of the spiral transportation path. A second object of the present invention is to provide a spiral conveyor that can carry a desired article into and be merged with an article conveyed through a spiral conveyance path.

[0006]

The first object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configurations (1) and (2). (1) A part of the spirally configured conveying path is provided with a carry-out path for carrying out the articles to be sorted out of the conveying paths out of the conveying path, based on the sorting information of the articles. A sorting mechanism provided with an endless belt that is moved from a position that blocks the discharge path to a position that blocks the transport path and that is driven so as to urge articles to be sorted in the discharge path direction. Spiral conveyor to do.

(2) In a part of the spirally formed conveying path, an unloading path for unloading articles to be sorted out of the articles conveyed through the conveying path is provided, and the conveying path is provided. Provided in the article movement area on both sides of
When the articles are conveyed by the conveyance path, the articles are positioned lower than the conveyance surface, and when the articles to be sorted into the carry-out path are conveyed, the articles are positioned higher than the conveyance surface and the articles are ridden and the articles are conveyed to the discharge path side. A spiral conveyor having a sorting mechanism provided with a rotating roller for urging Y.

The second object of the present invention can be achieved by the constitution (3) below. (3) A part of the spirally configured transport path is provided with a transport path for transporting and merging articles into the transport path, and
It is provided in the article movement area on the side of the conveying path, and is positioned at a lower portion with respect to the conveying surface when the article is conveyed by the conveying path, and at a position higher than the conveying surface when the article is carried into the conveying path. A spiral conveyor characterized in that a carrying-in mechanism provided with a rotating roller that is positioned and urges an article on a carrying path.

[0009]

According to the spiral conveyor of the above (1), when there is an article to be sorted and carried out in the article conveyed in the spiral conveyance path, the belt is cut off the conveyance path and urges the article toward the discharge path. Since the sorting mechanism including is driven, the articles can be smoothly sorted and carried out from the spiral transport path to the carry-out path. Further, according to the spiral conveyor of the above (2), when there are articles to be sorted and carried out, a sorting mechanism provided with rotating rollers for riding the articles to be sorted and urging them toward the carry-out path is provided on both sides of the spiral transport path. Since the articles are driven, the articles do not make surface contact with the supporting surface of the conveyance path, and the articles can be smoothly sorted and carried out from the spiral conveyance path to the carry-out path.

Further, according to the spiral conveyor of (3), when the articles conveyed through the carry-in path are carried into the spiral conveying path, that is, merged, the articles are conveyed by the rotating roller in the spiral conveying path. It is urged toward the spiral conveying path side while being positioned at a position higher than the surface. Therefore, the articles do not make surface contact with the supporting surface of the transport path, and a desired number of articles can be smoothly carried in and merged at a desired position of the spiral transport path.

[0011]

Embodiments of the spiral conveyor to which the present invention is applied will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Figure 1
2 is a plan view showing the structure of the spiral conveyor, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the structure of the spiral conveyor, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main parts showing the structure of the slat. In the description of the embodiments, the overall structure of the spiral conveyor will be described first, and then the essential parts will be described.

First, the overall structure of the spiral conveyor 1 in this embodiment will be described. The spiral conveyor 1
A transport path 2 for transporting the article from the lower layer to the upper layer, or from the upper layer to the lower layer, slats 3 on which the article is placed, slats 3
The curved chain 4 for moving the curved chain 4, the motor 5 for driving the curved chain 4, the gantry 7, 8 and the unloading section 31 for unloading the article from the transport path 2 and the like. Although the transport path 2 is continuous,
For convenience of explanation, the description will be made by dividing into a linear lower-layer transport path 2a, a spiral transport path 2b, and a linear upper-layer transport path 2c.
The configuration of the transport path 2 will be described in more detail.
A pair of guide frames 10a and 10b are provided inside a and 9b, and a slat 3 and a curve chain 4 described later are provided between the pair of guide frames 10a and 10b. In addition,
1 and 2, slats 3 and curve chains 4 are shown.
Although not shown, the slat 3 and the curve chain 4 and the like provided below the slat 3 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

The spiral conveyor 1 is constructed so as to circulate and move the slats 3 and the curve chains 4.
2 is provided with an article conveying system indicated by arrows a, b, c, d, and a so-called folding movement system indicated by arrows A, B, C, D. As shown in FIG. 2, the turn-back movement system includes a movement path 2A that passes from the lower side of the upper layer conveyance path 2c to the center of the circulation conveyance path 2b, a descending movement path 2B that descends from the upper layer to the lower layer, and a descending movement path 2B. It is constituted by a moving path 2C from the bottom to the lower side of the transport path 2a. In the descending movement path 2B, the slats 3 are not vertically descended, but are slanted from the position indicated by the arrow B in FIG. In the case of this example, the article is conveyed from the bottom to the top, but the article can be conveyed from the top to the bottom by reversing the driving direction. In the spiral conveyor 1 of the present embodiment, a motor 5 for driving the curve chain 4 is provided at the end of the upper layer transport path 2c,
The arrangement position is not limited.

Then, the carry-out section 3 is provided at a part of the spiral transport path 2b.
1 is provided, but the position is not limited to the illustrated position, and it may be provided inside or outside the spiral conveyance path 2b. The operation of the carry-out section 31 will be described later in detail together with the transportation of the article Y. The point is that the article Y being transported is carried out from the middle of the spiral transport path 2b to the outside of the transport path 2, that is, sorted. The structure is roughly divided into a sorting mechanism 32 and a carry-out path 33. The sorting mechanism 32 is positioned as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 1 when the articles Y are transported by the spiral transport path 2b, and is positioned so as to cross the spiral transport path 2b as shown by a solid line when sorting.

Next, the slat 3 for placing and carrying the article Y will be described with reference to FIG. Slats 3
Is continuously provided along the transport path 2,
The structure of one set is roughly classified into a curve chain 4 and a fixing member 11 fixed so as to move integrally with the curve chain 4, a base plate 12 having a substantially lower surface fixed to the fixing member 11, The substrate 12 includes a pair of rollers 13a and 13b provided on both side surfaces of the substrate 12, a top plate 14 fixed to the upper side of the substrate 12, and the like. When the moving direction of the slat 3 is X, the contact portions 12a, 12b are formed by bending on the rear end side of the substrate 12, and the position regulating members 15a, 15 for preventing winding tightening are formed on the front end side.
b is provided, and the end portions of the position restricting members 15a and 15b are formed as inclined surfaces having a predetermined angle θ. Also, the substrate 12
Bent portions 12c and 12d are formed on both side surfaces of
A pair of rollers 13a, 13 is provided on each bent portion 12c, 12d.
b is rotatably attached, and a pair of rollers 13a, 1
3b is configured to rotate on a pair of guide rails 16a and 16b (see FIG. 2) arranged on the transport path 2 at a predetermined interval. With this configuration, the frictional resistance when the slats 3 move can be significantly reduced.

The base plate 12 is continuously fixed to the curve chain 4, but the space between the base plate 12 and the curve chain 4 does not abut when the curve chain 4 moves linearly as shown in FIG. When moving, for example, the contact portion 12a provided on the front substrate 12 and the position regulating member 15a of the rear substrate 12 corresponding to the rear portion are set to contact with each other. Depending on the turning direction, the contact portion 12b and the position restricting member 15b contact each other. Since the front edge of the rear side top plate 14 is configured to overlap under the rear edge of the front side top plate 14, the overlapping amount is small when the curve chain 4 moves linearly. Although it becomes uniform, when turning along the spiral transport path 2b, the overlapping amount on the inner diameter side increases and the overlapping amount on the outer diameter side decreases. However, since the contact portion 12a formed on the front substrate 12 contacts the position regulating member 15a of the rear substrate 12, the position is regulated without being further biased toward the center. Further, the overlapping amount on the inner diameter side of the top plate 14 does not exceed a certain level.

Next, article conveyance and sorting will be described by taking a spiral conveyor ascending as an example. By driving the motor 5, the curve chain 4 moves along the transport path 2 as shown by arrows a, b, c, d, and the slats 3 also move integrally therewith. Therefore, when the article Y is transferred from the transport path (not shown) or by the worker onto the lower layer transport path 2a as shown by imaginary lines in FIGS. 1 and 2,
As the slats 3 move, they are conveyed from the lower layer conveyance path 2a to the spiral conveyance path 2b and further to the upper layer conveyance path 2c. Then, the end portion of the upper layer transport path 2c is transferred to another conveyor (not shown), and the article Y placed on the lower layer transport path 2a is transferred to the upper side and transferred to another conveyor. While the articles Y are conveyed in this manner, the slats 3 move from the article conveyance path systems a, b, c, d to the folding movement systems A, B, C ,.
It moves to D and circulates above the lower layer conveyance path 2a so that the article Y can be placed and conveyed again.

By the way, when the articles Y are conveyed from the lower layer conveyance path 2a to the upper layer conveyance path 2c, the sorting mechanism 32 is arranged as shown in FIG.
The outer frame 9b is connected as shown by an imaginary line, and the carrying-out path 33 is cut off. Therefore, the article Y is not carried out to the carry-out path 33 and is carried upward along the spiral carrying path 2b as the slat 3 moves, and normal carrying is carried out. On the other hand, when the articles Y are carried out from the spiral transport path 2b to the carry-out path 33, the sorting mechanism 32 is driven from the position indicated by the imaginary line to the position indicated by the solid line, and the spiral transport path 2b is temporarily blocked obliquely. , The article Y is transferred from the spiral transport path 2b to the carry-out path 33. A known swing reciprocating mechanism can be used to swing the sorting mechanism 32 as shown in the drawing. At this time, the sorting mechanism 32 changes the direction and urges the articles Y as described below.

That is, the sorting mechanism 32 has a structure in which an endless belt 36 is wound around a pair of rotating shafts 35a and 35b. For example, the rotating shaft 35b.
Is rotated by a motor (not shown). When carrying out the articles Y, the sorting mechanism 32 is driven to the position shown by the solid line, and the rotary shaft 35b is driven to run the belt 36 in the direction shown by the arrow R in FIG. As a result, the spiral transport path 2 is added to the article Y.
The combined force S of the force to move along b and the force in the arrow R direction comes to act. However, the spiral transport path 2
b is blocked by the sorting mechanism 32, and the belt 36
Is traveling in the direction of arrow R, the article Y is urged from the spiral transport path 2b toward the carry-out path 33 side, and gradually enters the carry-out path 33. Since the carry-out path 33 is also configured to carry out the article Y, a force that pulls the article Y into the carry-out path 33 acts on the article Y, and the belt 36 urges the article Y to sort the article Y. It will be done smoothly.

If there is only one item Y to be sorted, the carry-out path 3
After the sorting into 3, the sorting mechanism 32 is controlled so as to immediately return from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the imaginary line. However, when the sorting of a plurality of articles Y is continued, the sorting mechanism 32 is continuously positioned at the position indicated by the solid line. By the way, it is necessary to drive the sorting mechanism 32 in accordance with the presence or absence of the articles Y to be sorted. Therefore, a sensor 37 for determining whether or not an article to be sorted is provided at a position before the transport section 31, and when the article to be sorted is transported, the sensor 37 is driven to drive the sorting mechanism 32. With this configuration, the articles Y can be reliably sorted. The discrimination by the sensor 37 is
There are barcode reading, color mark detection, and the like, and an arbitrary method can be adopted in consideration of the shape of the article Y and the like. It should be noted that the determination of sorting may be performed by the central controller instead of by the sensor 37.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The feature of the present embodiment is that the articles Y are once lifted and then sorted into the carry-out path, and the spiral carry-out path 2b is shown in the main part.
In the carry-out section 31, rotating rollers 42a and 42b are provided as sorting mechanisms 41 on both sides of the slat 3 in the article moving area. Since the rotating rollers 42a and 42b may have the same structure, the structure of the rotating roller 42b will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating rollers 42a and 42b are rotated by a pair of bearings 45a and 45b provided on a substrate 44 which moves up and down around a fulcrum 43. It is rotatably supported by a motor 46. Further, a stopper 47 is provided below the substrate 44, and when the sorting is not required, that is, in the steady state, the entire substrate 44 is hooked on the stopper 47 and positioned. Then, in the steady state, both of the rotating rollers 42a and 42b are positioned at a position lower than the conveying surface of the spiral conveying path 2b, that is, the surface of the slat 3 by a predetermined distance, as shown by the solid line in FIG. Therefore, when the sorting is not performed, the rotating rollers 42a and 42b have no effect on the article Y being conveyed on the spiral transport path 2b, and the article Y is transported along the spiral transport path 2b.

On the other hand, when the articles Y to be sorted are conveyed, they are detected by the sensor 37 described in the first embodiment, and the rotation roller 42b is integrally shown with the substrate 44 from the state shown by the solid line to the imaginary line. lift. A bag-shaped actuator or the like that is inflated by air supply is suitable for this lifting. By lifting one ends of the rotating rollers 42a and 42b at the same time, the article Y floats from the conveying surface of the spiral conveying path 2b as shown by an imaginary line in FIG.
Be separated from the movement by. Rotating rollers 42a, 42
Since b is rotated by the motor 46 so as to push the article Y toward the outside of the spiral transport path 2b, that is, to the carry-out path 33 side, the lifted article Y is sorted from the spiral transport path 2b to the carry-out path 33.

During sorting, the part of the article Y that was on the rotary roller 42a once falls on the slat 3, but since the slat 3 is moving, the slat 3 is placed on the bottom of the article Y. The combined force of the force and the rotational force of the rotating roller 42b acts, and the article Y moves to the rotating roller 42b.
Is pushed to the side of the carry-out path 33 so as to get over, and sorting is performed. Since the article Y does not make surface contact with the slats 3, the carrying force in the spiral carrying path 2b direction is reduced, and conversely, the carrying force in the unloading path 33 direction increases. Therefore, the article Y smoothly moves to the carry-out path 33. The carry-out path 33 is composed of rollers 38 and a conveyor belt 39, for example, and conveys the sorted articles Y by running the conveyor belt 38.

After the articles Y are sorted in this way,
The rotating rollers 42a and 42b are returned to the positions indicated by the solid lines again, and are positioned at the positions where the stoppers 45 are engaged.
This return operation is performed quickly and smoothly by exhausting air when the actuator having the above-described configuration is used to drive the substrate 44. Rotating rollers 42a, 42b
Is located on the lower side of the carrying surface, so that the next article Y can be normally carried. Then, when the articles Y to be sorted are conveyed, the above operation is repeated again to sort the articles. In the second embodiment, since the articles Y to be sorted are once lifted and pushed out to the carry-out path 33, the direction of the carry-out path 33 is not limited to the tangential direction of the spiral carrying path 2b, but may be directed in the radial direction. In any case, the articles Y can be sorted accurately and smoothly.

Further, in the second embodiment, the curve chain 4 may be driven in the opposite direction to the above, and the carrying direction in the spiral carrying path 2b may be reversed to the above so that the carry-out path 33 functions as a carry-in path. In this case, the rotating roller 42
Each driving means such as a, 42b, roller 38, belt 39, etc. is also driven in the opposite direction. Even when the carry-out path 33 is made to function as a carry-in path, the rotary rollers 42a, 42b
By the action of, the article Y is urged onto the slat 3 in a state of being lifted, so that smooth merging is performed.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In this embodiment, the spiral transport path 2 is used.
Although it relates to a carry-in mechanism for carrying in the article Y in the middle of b, the carry-in is carried out by utilizing the configuration of the rotary rollers 42a and 42b described in the second embodiment. That is, the carry-in mechanism 51, as shown in FIG.
It is provided at a connection position between the carry-in path 52 and the spiral conveyance path 2b provided so as to be connected to a part of the. The article to be carried in is carried in the direction of the arrow by the belt 53 or the like that constitutes the carry-in path 52, and is configured so as to ride on the rotating roller 55 from the roller 54.

By the way, the structure of the rotary roller 55 is substantially the same as the structure of the rotary roller 42b shown in the second embodiment, but the position of the fulcrum 43 and the lifting end are targeted. Then, when the article Y conveyed through the carry-in path 52 is carried into the spiral conveyance path 2b, that is, merged, the article Y is lifted by the rotating roller 55 and rotated to be mounted on the rotating roller 55 in the same manner as described above. The existing article Y is urged onto the spiral conveyance path 2b. Then, when one end of the article Y is applied to the spiral transport path 2b, the article Y is pulled by the spiral transport path 2b and the rotating roller 5
The pushing force of 5 acts to facilitate the smooth loading into the spiral transport path 2b.

The direction of the carry-in path 52 may be configured in the radial direction of the spiral carrying path 2b for the same reason as described in the second embodiment. Also in the third embodiment,
It is also possible to drive the curve chain 4 in the opposite direction to reverse the carrying direction in the spiral carrying path 2b to make the carry-in path 52 function as the carry-out path. In this case, each driving means such as the rotating roller 55, the roller 54, the belt 53, etc. is also driven in the opposite direction. Even when the carry-in path 52 is made to function as the carry-out path, since the articles Y are lifted and urged to the carry-out path by the action of the rotating roller 55, smooth sorting is performed. The carry-out path 33 described in the first and second embodiments and the carry-in path 52 described in the third embodiment may be provided inside instead of outside the spiral transport path 2b.
The number of installations is also not limited. Further, the sorting mechanism and the carry-in mechanism may be integrally configured with respect to the spiral transport path to carry-in and sort-carry out desired articles.

[0029]

As described above, in the spiral conveyor according to the present invention, the carrying-out path is provided in a part of the spiral carrying path for carrying the articles, and the articles conveyed through the spiral carrying path are sorted. By providing the sorting mechanism that includes the belt that shuts off the transport path based on the information and urges the articles to be sorted toward the unloading path, the articles transported on the spiral conveyor can be sorted smoothly. Also,
Since the spiral conveyor according to the present invention is provided with the sorting mechanism for lifting the sorted articles by the rotating roller and urging the sorted articles to the discharge path side, it is possible to smoothly sort the sorted articles among the articles conveyed through the spiral conveyance path to the discharge path. It can be sorted and carried out. Further, the spiral conveyor according to the present invention is provided with a carry-in path for carrying in an article in a spiral carrying path, and urges the carried-in article toward the carrying path side while being lifted from the article supporting surface of the spiral conveyor by a rotating roller. Since the carrying-in mechanism is provided, the articles can be carried in and merged at a desired position of the transport path.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a spiral conveyor that is a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of a spiral conveyor.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an essential part showing the structure of a slat.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a sorting mechanism that is a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a main part showing a configuration and an operation of a sorting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a carry-in mechanism showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the configuration and operation of the carry-in mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Spiral Conveyor 2 Conveying Path 2a Lower Layer Conveying Path 2b Spiral Conveying Path 2c Upper Layer Conveying Path 3 Slat 4 Curve Chain 5 Motor 11 Fixing Member 12 Substrate 12a, 12b Abutting Part 13a, 13b Pair of Rollers 14 Top Plate 15a, 15b Position Regulation Member 16a, 16b Guide rail 31 Carry-out section 32, 41 Sorting mechanism 33 Carry-out path 35a, 35b Rotating shaft 37 Sensor 42a, 42b, 55 Rotating roller 43 Support point 44 Substrate 45a, 45b Bearing 47 47 Stopper 51 Carry-in mechanism 52 Carry-in path Y Article X Transport direction

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 21, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0023

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

During sorting, the part of the article Y that was on the rotary roller 42a once falls on the slat 3, but since the slat 3 is moving, the slat 3 is placed on the bottom of the article Y. The combined force of the force and the rotational force of the rotating roller 42b acts, and the article Y moves to the rotating roller 42b.
Is pushed to the side of the carry-out path 33 so as to get over, and sorting is performed. Since the article Y does not make surface contact with the slats 3, the carrying force in the spiral carrying path 2b direction is reduced, and conversely, the carrying force in the unloading path 33 direction increases. Therefore, the article Y smoothly moves to the carry-out path 33. The carry-out path 33 includes rollers 38 and, for example, a conveyor belt 39 and the like, and conveys the sorted articles Y by running the conveyor belt 39 .

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0024

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

After the articles Y are sorted in this way,
The rotating rollers 42a and 42b are returned to the positions indicated by the solid lines again, and are positioned at the positions where the stoppers 47 are engaged.
This return operation is performed quickly and smoothly by exhausting air when the actuator having the above-described configuration is used to drive the substrate 44. Rotating rollers 42a, 42b
Is located on the lower side of the carrying surface, so that the next article Y can be normally carried. Then, when the articles Y to be sorted are conveyed, the above operation is repeated again to sort the articles. In the second embodiment, since the articles Y to be sorted are once lifted and pushed out to the carry-out path 33, the direction of the carry-out path 33 is not limited to the tangential direction of the spiral transport path 2b and may be directed in the radial direction. In any case, the articles Y can be sorted accurately and smoothly.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An article to be sorted out of articles Y conveyed through the conveyance path (2) is carried out of the conveyance path (2) to a part of the conveyance path (2) formed in a spiral shape. The carry-out path (33) is provided, and the articles Y to be sorted and moved from the position where the carry-out path (33) is blocked to the position where the carry-out path (2) is blocked based on the sorting information of the article Y are carried out ( 33) A spiral conveyor (1) provided with a sorting mechanism (32) having an endless belt (36) which is driven so as to be biased in the direction (33). 2. Articles to be sorted out of the articles Y conveyed through the conveying path (2) are carried out to a part of the conveying path (2) formed in a spiral shape, outside the conveying path (2). The carrying-out path (33) is provided, and it is provided in the article moving area on both sides of the carrying path (2). When the article Y is carried by the carrying path (2), it is positioned at a lower portion than the carrying surface. When the articles Y to be sorted into the carry-out path (33) are conveyed, the rotary rollers (42a, 42a, which are positioned at a position higher than the conveying surface to allow the article Y to ride up, and urge the article Y toward the carry-out path (33) side. 42b) and a sorting mechanism (41) provided with the spiral conveyor (1). 3. A carrying-in path (52) for carrying in and merging the articles Y into the carrying path (2) is provided in a part of the carrying path (2) having a spiral shape, and the carrying path (2). Provided in the article movement area on the side of
When the article Y is conveyed by the conveyance path (2), it is positioned at a lower portion with respect to the conveyance surface, when the article Y is carried into the conveyance path (2), it is positioned at a higher position with respect to the conveyance surface, and the conveyance path ( 2) A spiral conveyor (1), which is provided with a carry-in mechanism (51) having a rotating roller (54) for urging the article Y thereon.