JPH085954Y2 - Palletizer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial application] The present invention relates to an improvement of a palletizer.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, containers such as bottles and cans used in the brewing industry, the soft drink manufacturing industry, the chemical industry, or the canning industry are manufactured in plastic cases, carton cases, in order to reduce distribution costs, automate factories, and save labor. Instead of wooden boxes, containers such as bottles are aligned on a pallet, and stacked in multiple layers with sheets of corrugated cardboard or plastic thin plates in between, and packed with strings, rubber bands, or shrink films. The bulk pallet method has been widely adopted, and a palletizer is used to stack containers in such a bulk pallet shape.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a transfer device in a conventional palletizer. In this figure, 61 is a rectangular outer frame which is fixed to a bracket member (not shown) which is vertically movable and horizontally movable. Held in. Further, 62 is a cross-shaped inner frame, and movable plates 63 to 66 constituting each side thereof are provided so as to be parallel to the respective side portions 67 to 70 of the outer frame 61. Further, 71 to 78 are air cylinders for sliding the movable plates 63 to 66 in parallel, and two air cylinders are arranged outside each movable plate 63 to 66 on each side. 79 to 82 are the inner dimensions a and b of the inner frame 62
A turnbuckle for adjusting the air cylinders 71 and 72,73 and 74,75 and 76,77, two on each side.
One for each of the and 78.

Then, each time the type of bottle, which is the target object of the bulk process, is changed (changed), the turnbuckle 79-
By operating 82, the inner dimensions a and b of the inner frame 62 are adjusted so as to match the outer dimensions of one layer of the aligned objects.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

However, each time the mold is changed, the turnbuckle 79
It is necessary to operate ~ 82, and this operation requires a considerable amount of time, and it may be necessary to make fine adjustments and re-adjust the internal dimensions a and b after changing the mold, which interrupts bulk processing. There was an inconvenience that

The present invention has been made with the above matters in mind, and the purpose thereof is to reduce the time required for changing the type of an object when the type of the object changes, and to perform fine adjustment after changing the type. It is to provide an efficient palletizer that does not need to be performed.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, an intermediate mounting portion that is vertically movable along a vertical column,
An elevating base mounted to be movable up and down along the column, a bracket member mounted to the elevating base to be movable in the horizontal direction, and a transfer member mounted on the bracket member and surrounding an aligned object from its periphery. In a palletizer equipped with a device, a cylinder with a brake drives an inner frame of the transfer device, which is formed in a cross beam shape.

[Action]

Since the cylinder that drives the inner frame is provided with a brake, it is possible to maintain the inner dimension of the inner frame at a predetermined value. Therefore, as in the conventional case, a dimension adjusting member such as a turnbuckle is provided. It is not necessary to use it, the time required for mold change can be reduced, and fine adjustment is not required after mold change.

〔Example〕

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a palletizer according to the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1 is a column which is erected at an appropriate interval, and although not shown in detail, a lifting drive for a chain block or the like. It is equipped with a device, and 2 is its chain. Reference numeral 3 denotes an intermediate mounting portion made of a sheet material capable of withstanding heavy objects held by the chain 2 via a support base 4, and is configured to move up and down along the column 1.

Reference numeral 5 denotes an elevating base that is held in a horizontal state on the column 1 and that can be moved up and down along the column 1. The elevating base 5 has a bracket member 6 that moves horizontally by a horizontal driving device (not shown). It is provided. Further, below the bracket member 6, a transfer device 9 is attached which surrounds a bottle (an example of an object) 8 arranged in a predetermined state by an alignment conveyor 7 from the periphery thereof.

The structure of the transfer device 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. First, in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 10 denotes an outer frame fixedly held by the bracket member 6, in which two side members 11 and 12 such as lip groove type steel are arranged in parallel with each other, and The members 11 and 12 are formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view by the side members 13 and 14 having a prismatic shape which connect the members 11 and 12 at both ends thereof. In addition, 11a and 12a are holes for mounting the air cylinders 20 to 23 with a brake, which will be described later, respectively.

Reference numeral 15 is a cross-shaped inner frame, and movable plates 16, 17, 18, and 19 constituting each side thereof are parallel to the side members 11 to 14 of the outer frame 10 and slide inward or outward. It is provided in. Although not shown in detail, appropriate buffer members are provided inside the movable plates 16 to 19 so as not to damage the bottle 8.

Reference numerals 20 to 27 denote air cylinders with brakes for sliding the movable plates 16 to 19 in parallel. The air cylinders 20 to 27 are provided with a brake portion B in addition to the normal air cylinder portion S and are provided outside the movable plates 16 to 19. Two are arranged on each side. Then, in order to control the air cylinder portion S and the brake portion B in each of the brake-equipped air cylinders 20 to 27 independently of each other, a piping system 28 connecting each of the eight air cylinder portions S and eight brakes are connected. Piping systems 29 connecting the parts B are provided independently of each other, 30 is an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing the air cylinder part S, and 31 is an electromagnetic valve for operating the brake part B.

Next, the mounting structure of the air cylinders 20 to 27 with brake will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. For example, holding members 32 and 33 are attached to the outer surface of the movable plate 19 at appropriate intervals, and the insertion portions 34 and 35 formed on the upper portions of the holding members 32 and 33 are supported by a shaft 36 that is inserted. Attach the members 37, 37, 38, 38, and support members 37, 3
The air cylinder 26 with a brake is horizontally supported by 7 and the air cylinder 27 with a brake is horizontally supported by the supporting members 38, 38. The rod 26a of the brake air cylinder 26 is connected to the movable plate 16 via a cylinder slide 39 that fits the shaft 36, while the rod 27a of the brake air cylinder 27 is attached.
Is connected to the movable plate 17 via a cylinder slide 40 on which the shaft 36 is fitted.

Further, cylinder slides 41, 42 connected to the holding members 32, 33 are provided at both ends of the shaft 36, and the cylinder slides 41, 42 are formed on the side members 11, 12 of the outer frame 10. The wheels 41a, 4 are guided by the guide portions 11b, 12b.
2a is provided, and rods 21a and 23a of brake-equipped air cylinders 21 and 23 horizontally attached to the side members 11 and 12 are connected to the cylinder slides 41 and 42, respectively. Note that this configuration is the same for the mounting structure of the brake-equipped air cylinders 24, 25 provided corresponding to the movable plate 18, and the brake-equipped air cylinders 20 and 22 provided corresponding to the movable plates 16 and 17, respectively. Needless to say.

Referring again to FIG. 1, 43 is a pallet placed on the platform 44, and 45 is a supply device for the separate sheet 46.

Next, the operation of the palletizer configured as described above will be described. A predetermined number of bottles 8 are conveyed on the alignment conveyor 7 in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
When gathered in 7a, the stopper 7b operates to stop the flow of the following bottles 8 and the alignment conveyor 7 is stopped. At this time, the bottles 8 for one layer are aligned in a predetermined state on the delivery end 7a of the alignment conveyor 7. And at this time,
The bracket member 6 is located above the bottles 8 that have moved horizontally along the elevating base 5 and gathered.
Descends from above the aligned bottles 8 so that the inner frame 15 of the transfer device 9 surrounds the bottle 8 for one layer.

Then, the solenoid valve 31 for operating the brake portion operates, air is supplied to the brake portion B of each of the brake-equipped air cylinders 20 to 27 through the piping system 29, and the brake is released.
The solenoid valve 30 for opening and closing the air cylinder operates and the piping system 28
Air is supplied to each of the air cylinder portions S of the air cylinders with brakes 20 to 27 via the air cylinders 20 to 27 with brakes to operate to move the movable plates 16 to 19
Slide so that they are closer to each other,
It is restricted to the outermost side and stops. At this time, there is some margin in the stroke of the brake-equipped air cylinders 20-27.

Then, the electromagnetic valve 31 for operating the brake portion is operated to exhaust the air from each brake portion B via the piping system 29 to apply a brake, whereby the movable plates 16 to 19 have predetermined inner dimensions (sixth dimension). Keep the dimensions a, b) in the figure. Air is supplied to both sides of each air cylinder portion S to prevent the piston rod from jumping out at the time of starting.

Then, the intermediate mounting portion 4 is vertically moved so as to be at the same height as the upper end surface of the alignment conveyor 7, and in that state, the transfer device 9 is horizontally moved in the direction of arrow B, so that the transfer device 9 on the alignment conveyor 7 is moved. The bottle 8 for one layer is the intermediate mounting portion 4
Reprinted in. At this time, the inner frame 15 holds the bottle 8 for one layer in a predetermined state.

Next, the intermediate placing section 4 with the bottle 8 for one layer placed thereon is moved in the vertical direction, and the position thereof is set to the uppermost height position of the pallet 43 placed on the platform 44. 1
In the example shown in the drawing, the same height as that of the upper surface of the separate sheet 46 placed on the uppermost bottle 8 is aligned with the arrow C.
By horizontally moving the transfer device 9 in the direction, the one-layer bottle 8 on the intermediate mounting portion 4 is transferred onto the separate sheet 46.

Further, the solenoid valve 31 for operating the brake portion operates to supply air to each brake portion B through the piping system 29 to release the brake, and at the same time, the solenoid valve for opening and closing the air cylinder portion.
When the air cylinders S are supplied to the air cylinder portions S via the piping system 28 by the operation of the air cylinders 30, the air cylinders 20 to 27 with brakes operate and the movable plates 16 to 19 slide to the outermost side. After that, the solenoid valve for operating the brake 31
Is operated to exhaust the brakes from the respective brake parts B via the piping system 29 to apply the brakes, and the solenoid valve 30 for opening / closing the air cylinder parts is operated to operate the air cylinder parts via the piping system 28. Supply air to both sides of S. At this time, the inner frame 15 releases the holding of the bottle 8 for one layer, and the inner surfaces of the movable plates 16 to 19 are not in contact with the bottle 8. In this state, the bracket member 6 (therefore, the inner frame 15 and the movable plates 16 to 19) moves above the bottle 8 for one layer placed on the separate sheet 46 and then moves horizontally along the elevating base 5. Then, it returns to the initial position (above the alignment conveyor 7).

As can be understood from the above description, in the palletizer according to the present invention, the movable plates 16 to 19 of the inner frame 15 can be slid by the air cylinders 20 to 27 with a brake to maintain a predetermined inner dimension. Moreover, even when the type of the bottle 8 is changed, it is possible to move so as to have the inner dimension corresponding to the outermost dimension of the bottle 8 for one layer, and to maintain the state, so that the turnbuckle as in the conventional case. Does not have to be adjusted or finely adjusted after changing the mold.

Needless to say, the palletizer according to the present invention can be applied to objects other than the bottle 8 such as a can.

[Effect of device]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the time required for mold changing work can be reduced by 20 to 25%, and since there is no need for fine adjustment after mold changing, bulk processing is interrupted. The inconvenience such as that of the device is eliminated, and the working efficiency of this type of device is significantly improved. Also, there is no variation in accuracy when the object is transferred to the intermediate mounting section,
It became possible to perform bulk processing more reliably.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a palletizer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a transfer device incorporated in the palletizer. 3 and 4 are plan views of the transfer device, FIG. 4 is a view on arrow X in FIG. 2, and FIG.
It is an arrow Y view in the figure. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a transfer device in a conventional palletizer. 1 ... Support post, 4 ... Intermediate mounting part, 5 ... Lifting base, 6
…… Bracket member, 9 …… Transfer device, 15 ……
Inner frame, 20-27 …… Cylinder with brake.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An intermediate mounting portion mounted to be vertically movable along a vertical column, an elevating base mounted to be vertically movable along the column, and horizontally mounted to the elevator base. In a palletizer equipped with a bracket member and a transfer device that is mounted on the bracket member and surrounds aligned objects from the periphery thereof, a cylinder with a brake drives an inner frame of the transfer device, which is configured in a cross beam shape. Palletizer characterized by doing so.