JPH09202433A - Position changing device for article to be conveyed - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically change the position of an article such as a corrugated fiberboard box, for example, from a horizontally placed state to a vertically placed state. SOLUTION: A position changing device is provided with the first and second rollers 16, 18 spaced a specified distance apart from each other, driving means 28, 30 for selectively rotating-driving the rollers in either forward or reverse directions, and a control device 40 for controlling the driving means. The control device rotates the first and second rollers reversely when the front part of an article to be conveyed falls in between the first and second rollers. Thus, torque is applied to the article to be conveyed by the first and second rollers, and thereby the position of the load to be conveyed is changed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
For example, the present invention relates to a posture changing device for changing from a horizontally placed state to a vertically placed state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a cargo handling operation, a corrugated cardboard box conveyed in a horizontal position is rotated by a quarter turn to be in a vertical position and the flap on the upper surface side is sealed with a stapler or the like. Sometimes work is done. As a device for changing the posture of a conveyed product by such a work, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
There is one such as that described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10564. This device is one in which a tipping member having a specially shaped supporting surface is arranged in the middle of a carrying device such as a roller conveyor.
The conveyed object is configured to gradually fall along the support surface of the overturning member.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, since the shape of the supporting surface of the overturning member is determined by the size, weight, position of the center of gravity, etc. of the conveyed object, it is necessary to cope with various conveyed objects. However, there is a problem that it is necessary to prepare a plurality of overturning members in advance, and replacement of the overturning members also takes time.

Further, the above-mentioned device cannot automatically change the posture of the conveyed object, and thus requires the assisting force of the worker.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an attitude changing device capable of accommodating various kinds of goods and automatically changing the attitude of the goods. .

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a posture changing device for changing the posture of a conveyed object, wherein the first and second posture changing devices are arranged at a predetermined interval from each other. It is characterized by comprising a roller, a driving means for selectively rotatably driving each of these rollers in either forward or reverse directions, and a control means for controlling this driving means. In particular, when the front part of the conveyed object conveyed in the direction from the first roller toward the second roller falls between the first roller and the second roller, the control device conveys the conveyed object. The first and second rollers are rotated in a direction in which the conveyed article moves backward, and after the front portion of the conveyed article exceeds the second roller, the rear portion of the conveyed article is between the first roller and the second roller. When it falls, the drive means is controlled so as to rotate the first and second rollers in the direction in which the conveyed product advances. The posture changing apparatus according to the present invention also includes a recognition unit that causes the control unit to recognize that the front portion or the rear portion of the conveyed product has fallen between the first roller and the second roller.

In such a structure, when the distance between the first roller and the second roller is set to be larger than the length from the front surface to the center of gravity of the normal rectangular parallelepiped-shaped conveyed object, The portion falls between the first roller and the second roller, the front surface of the conveyed product is supported by the second roller, and the lower surface is supported by the first roller. In such a state, in the above configuration, the first and second rollers are rotated in the backward direction of the conveyed product, but at this time, the lower surface of the conveyed product is pulled upward by the first roller. Finally, the front surface of the conveyed product is supported by the first and second rollers, and the conveyed product is rotated by 90 degrees.

Further, for example, the center of gravity of the conveyed product is biased toward the rear side, and the distance between the first and second rollers is larger than the length from the center of gravity of the conveyed product to the front surface, but the center of gravity of the conveyed product is rearward. If the length is less than
It does not fall between the second roller and the second roller and tries to move beyond the second roller. However, the rear part of the conveyed product falls between the first and second rollers, and the rear surface of the conveyed product is supported by the first roller and the lower surface thereof is supported by the second roller. In this case, since the first and second rollers rotate in the forward direction, the lower surface of the conveyed product is pulled up by the second roller, and the rear surface of the conveyed product becomes the lower surface.

As a means for the control means to recognize that a part of the conveyed product has fallen between the rollers, means by a key input from an operator may be considered, but a detector such as an optical sensor may be used in place. It is preferable to dispose them so that the state of the conveyed product can be recognized based on the signal from the arranged parts.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a load posture changing device constructed according to the present invention. The load posture changing device shown is basically composed of a roller conveyor,
A large number of rollers 1 horizontally arranged at a predetermined interval between a pair of side frames 10 (only one of which is shown) arranged to face each other.
2, 14, 16, and 18 are provided. Rollers 12-18
Are divided into two groups, an upstream side and a downstream side, and a gap portion 20 is provided between them. Here, the gap 2
Of the two rollers located on both sides of 0, the upstream side is the first roller 16 and the downstream side is the second roller 18.
Shall be referred to as

A drive shaft 22 is disposed below the rollers 12 to 18 and extends along one side frame 10 over substantially the entire length thereof. The drive shaft 22 has pulleys 24 of the same number as the rollers 12 to 18 and
It is fixed just below ~ 18. An endless belt 26 is stretched between each of the rollers 12 and 14 except the first and second rollers 16 and 18 and the corresponding pulley 24. Therefore, when a drive source (not shown) is connected to the drive shaft 22 and rotated, the rollers 12 and 14 are all driven to rotate in the same direction, and the article P placed on the rollers 12 and 14 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A. Will be done.

The first and second rollers 16 and 18 are connected to the pulley 24 of the drive shaft 22 via rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30, respectively. More specifically, the input shafts 28a of the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30,
The pulley 32 of 30a and the pulley 24 of the drive shaft 22 are connected by a belt 34, and the pulley 36 of the output shafts 28b and 30b is connected.
The rollers 16 and 18 are connected by a belt 38. Although not shown, the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 have a known structure including, for example, a clutch and a plurality of gears, and receive the control signal to output the shafts 28b and 30b.
The rotation direction of can be switched. When the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 receive a predetermined control signal, the input shafts 28a and 30a and the output shaft 2 are rotated.
The power transmission path between 8b and 30b is separated, and the output shafts 28b and 30b are configured to be rotatable.

A control signal for the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 is issued from a control device 40 such as a microcomputer. The control device 40 issues a control signal in accordance with the behavior of the conveyed product P, but in order to recognize the behavior of the conveyed product P, in the load posture changing device of the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of optical sensors 4 are used.
2, 44, 46 are installed, and their output terminals are connected to the input section of the control device 40.

Although various numbers and installation positions of the optical sensors can be considered, three optical sensors are used in this embodiment. In the first optical sensor 42, the conveyed object P is the first roller 1
6, which is provided above the first roller 16. The second optical sensor 44 is for detecting that the conveyed product P has passed through the second roller 18, and is located above the second roller 18.
It is located slightly downstream. The third optical sensor 46 is
It is for detecting that a part of the conveyed product P has fallen into the gap portion 20, and is attached to the gap portion 20 at a proper position below the conveyance surface.

The first and second rollers 16 and 18
Has a lining made of rubber or the like so that an appropriate friction is generated between it and the conveyed product P.

By using the posture changing device having such a configuration,
A case where the substantially rectangular parallelepiped conveyed article P is changed from the horizontal state to the vertical state will be described below. In this case, the applied article P has the center of gravity at the center like an empty cardboard box, and in the state shown by the solid line in FIG.
The horizontal length from the center of gravity G to the center of gravity G is smaller than the distance between the first and second rollers 16 and 18, and the height is larger than the distance.

First, when a drive source (not shown) connected to the drive shaft 22 is operated, the drive force is transmitted to the rollers 12 and 14 via the drive shaft 22 and the round belt 26, and the rollers 12 and 14 are All are rotated in the same direction,
The conveyed product P on 14 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A. On this occasion,
The rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 related to the first and second rollers 16 and 18 are in the non-power transmission state, and the first and second rollers 16 and 18 are rotatable.

The article P conveyed by the roller 12
When the leading end of the sheet crosses the first optical sensor 42, the output signal from the first optical sensor 42 changes, and the control device 40 recognizes that the conveyed product P has reached the first roller 16.

After that, when the center of gravity G of the conveyed product P passes through the first roller 16, the conveyed product P rotates in the direction of arrow B around the central axis of the first roller 16 and the front portion thereof has the gap 20. And the front surface S1 contacts the second roller 18. At this time, the conveyed product P crosses the third optical sensor 46, but does not reach the second optical sensor 44. Therefore, the control device 40 is output by the output signals from both optical sensors 44 and 46.
Recognizes that the conveyed product P is in the state shown by the chain double-dashed line P'in FIG. When the control device 40 recognizes that the front part of the conveyed product P has fallen into the gap 20, the control device 40 issues a control signal to the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 to cause the first and second rollers 1 to move.
These rollers 16 and 18 are rotated so that the rotation direction of the conveyors 6 and 18 is the direction in which the conveyed product P moves backward, that is, the clockwise direction (reverse rotation direction) in FIG.

When the rollers 16 and 18 are rotated in the state indicated by P ', the lower surface S2 of the conveyed product P is pushed rearward and obliquely upward by the first roller 16, and the front surface S1 of the conveyed product P is moved to the first position. It is pushed rearward and diagonally downward by the second roller 18. As a result, the entire conveyed product P rotates in the direction of the arrow C, and the surface S1 which was the front surface of the conveyed product P is finally laid up on the first roller 16 and becomes the vertically placed state shown by the symbol P ″ in FIG. The control device 40 recognizes that this state has been reached by the output signal from the third optical sensor 46 and issues a control signal to the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 to output the first and second signals.
The rotation of the rollers 16 and 18 is stopped. Although not shown, a fall prevention bar or the like is preferably provided in order to prevent the conveyed product P from falling due to inertia when the posture is changed. When the posture of the conveyed product P is changed in this way, the next step, for example, the work of sealing the upper opening of the conveyed product P, is performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the length from the center of gravity G'to the one surface S1 is the first and second rollers 16,1.
A case will be described in which the posture of the conveyed product P1 is changed, which is larger than the distance between the rollers 8 and is smaller than the distance between the rollers 16 and 18 from the center of gravity G'to the other surface S3.
Those skilled in the art will understand that, in the case of such a conveyed object P1, when the surface S3 is arranged so as to face the conveying direction, the posture is changed by the same operation as described above.

On the other hand, in the conveyance mode in which the surface S3 is the rear surface, the front end of the conveyed product P1 reaches the second roller 18 before the center of gravity G'passes over the first roller 16, and the conveyed product P1 is Continue to move forward. Therefore, since the conveyed product P1 crosses the second photosensor 44, the control device 40 can recognize from the signal from the second photosensor 44 that the front part of the conveyed product P1 did not fall into the gap 20. it can.

When the conveyance is further continued, the rear end of the conveyed product P1 is separated from the first roller 16. At this time, since the center of gravity G'is on the rear side, the conveyed product P1 rotates about the central axis of the second roller 18 in the direction of arrow D, as indicated by the reference sign P1 'in FIG. As I fell into
The rear surface S3 contacts the first roller. The control device 40 is
When the state at this time is recognized from the signal from the third optical sensor 46, a control signal is issued to the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 to rotate the first and second rollers 16 and 18 in the forward rotation direction. .

When the first and second rollers 16 and 18 are rotated in the forward rotation direction, that is, in the direction of advancing the conveyed product P1, the lower surface S2 of the conveyed product P1 is pulled up by the second roller 18 and the rear surface S3. Are pushed downward by the first roller 16. As a result, the conveyed product P2 rotates in the direction of arrow E, and finally the surface S3 of the conveyed product P1 is placed on the first and second rollers 16 and 18, and the posture is changed to the vertically placed state (P1 ″). When the attitude change is completed, the control device 40 controls the rotation direction switching devices 28 and 30 in the same manner as described above.
To control the rotation of the rollers 16 and 18 to stop.

As described above, the posture changing apparatus according to the present invention automatically moves any conveyed article within the predetermined condition and the condition determined by the interval between the first and second rollers 16 and 18. The posture can be changed.
In addition, even for an extremely large conveyed object, for example, an operator gently presses the upper surface of the conveyed object at an appropriate timing to
If a part of the conveyed product is dropped between the second rollers 16 and 18, the postures can be easily changed by the action of these rollers 16 and 18.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although the above embodiment does not assume that the conveyed article is conveyed by the roller 14 on the downstream side after the posture change is completed, a plate indicated by reference numeral 50 in FIG. 1 is provided between the first and second rollers 16 and 18. And the lower surface S2 of the conveyed product P can be supported by being lifted from the initial position below to the conveying surface after the posture change is completed, the conveyed product P can be slid on it and sent to the roller 14 on the downstream side. Is possible. It is also possible to use the pressing force of the plate 50 as an auxiliary force for changing the posture.

Further, although the posture changing device in the above embodiment has a plurality of rollers 12 to 18, the first and second rollers 16 and 16 are required to function as the load posture changing device.
It suffices to have 18, and the other rollers 12 and 14 can be replaced with a belt conveyor or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, the driving force of the first and second rollers 16 and 18 is obtained from the driving shaft 22, but the first and second rollers are driven by separate and independent driving means. You may do it.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically change the posture of a conveyed object, and the labor required for changing the posture can be greatly reduced.

Further, the posture changing device according to the present invention can deal with various conveyed objects even when the distance between the first roller and the second roller is constant, and the first and second rollers can be used. By changing the distance between the rollers, it is possible to handle all kinds of conveyed objects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a posture changing device according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a normal posture changing operation of a conveyed object.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an operation when changing the posture of a conveyed object whose center of gravity is biased by using the posture changing device of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Side frame, 16 ... First roller, 18 ... Second roller, 20 ... Gap portion, 22 ... Drive shaft, 28, 30
... Rotation direction switching device, 40 ... Control device, 42, 44, 4
6 ... Optical sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A posture changing device for changing the posture of a conveyed object, comprising: first and second rollers (16, 18) arranged at a predetermined interval from each other; and the first and second rollers. Driving means (22, 28, 30) for selectively rotating each of the rollers (16, 18) in either forward or reverse directions, and the first roller (16) to the second roller (1).
When the front part of the conveyed product conveyed in the direction toward 8) falls between the first roller (16) and the second roller (18), the conveyed product moves backward. After rotating the first and second rollers (16, 18) so that the front part of the conveyed product passes over the second roller (18),
When the rear part of the conveyed product falls between the first roller (16) and the second roller (18), the first and second rollers (16) move in the forward direction of the conveyed product. ，
18) to rotate the drive means (22, 28,
30)), and the control means (40) that the front portion or the rear portion of the conveyed product has fallen between the first roller (16) and the second roller (18). 40) recognizing means (42, 44, 40)
46), and a posture changing device for a conveyed article.