JPH09295617A - Article-sorting/carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device which carries items, fed in a vertical line, while sorting them into various groups, for example arbitrary directions toward wide spaces or arbitrary heights, based on a specific sorting criterion. SOLUTION: The downstream rear half of a feed conveyor 1 which feeds an item 3 downstream is composed as an inclining part 6 so that it is bendable downward. A sorting conveyor 15 is provided below the belt in the state of being bent, and a receiving conveyor 12 is provided in a position extended from the belt in the state of being unbent. By making the sorting conveyor 15 operable to both right and left, the item can be sorted and carried to either one of sorting/carrying conveyors 16 and 17 situated right and left, respectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article sorting and conveying apparatus, which conveys articles arranged on an upper surface of an endless belt which is circulated and driven by an endless belt in an arbitrary direction arranged downstream. The present invention relates to a sorting and conveying apparatus for articles that can be sorted and arranged on a plurality of arrangement planes or an arrangement plane that is developed in an arbitrary hierarchy.

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional article sorting and conveying apparatus, there is, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 6-194720. This consists of a swivel conveyor that can swivel about a vertical axis and a distribution conveyor that can move in parallel in the lateral direction, and the height of the downstream end of the swivel conveyor and the height of the upstream end of the distribution conveyor are the same. When the distribution conveyor moves laterally and is swung to the left and right of the neutral position, the swivel conveyor is drawn in a direction in which the gap between the opposite ends at the same height is reduced. .

[0002]

The above-mentioned conventional device is a device suitable for rearranging confectionery and the like into a plurality of parallel columns on a common plane within the range where the swivel conveyor can swivel. Thus, for example, it is a useful device when it is desired to rearrange confectionery or the like fed in one column in parallel rows of 3 to 4 on a wide conveyor. However, as in the object of the present invention, articles fed in a single tandem state are sorted into various groups and transported in a desired direction toward a wide range of space or at an arbitrary height. Therefore, it is impossible with the conventional device.

The present invention has been made in view of the current state of the art as described above, and has been transported from the upstream side to a single file by a relatively simple device and easy operation. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of sorting and transporting articles into a wide range of spaces in arbitrary directions or at arbitrary heights based on predetermined sorting criteria.

Another object of the present invention is to utilize the operation of transferring an article having a relatively elongated shape such as a cylindrical shape or a rod shape to a conveyor at a low position, so that the orientation of the article being conveyed can be desired. It is possible to perform the operation of aligning the directions, thereby making it possible to omit another work required for aligning the orientation of the articles, which is conventionally required, thereby improving the work efficiency.

[0005]

As means for solving the above-mentioned problems, in the article sorting and conveying apparatus of the present invention, the articles arranged on the upper surface of the endless belt which is upstream and circulates is downstream. Side-to-side feed conveyor, and at the turnaround point located at the downstream end of the endless belt of the feed conveyor, the upper surface is fed to receive the article on the upper surface of another endless belt whose tips are adjacent to each other. In a conveying device having a feed conveyor and a feed conveyor which is arranged as an extension plane having the same height and is driven to circulate, the feed plate has a belt receiving plate that constitutes a turning point of a belt whose downstream end runs on the upper surface. Is provided on the downstream side of the belt, and the receiving plate is configured as a floating type capable of partial movement along the traveling direction of the belt, and absorbs the slack of the belt caused by the partial movement. An absorbing device for activating the circulating conveyor is provided in the endless belt of the feeding conveyor, and the feeding conveyor is configured with a joint portion provided on the way as a boundary and a downstream portion thereof as a tilting portion, and the tilting portion. A tilting means capable of forcibly tilting and returning at a predetermined angle in the downward direction with respect to the above, and in the middle of the conveyor, selecting the conveying direction and sorting and conveying the articles on the downstream side fed from the conveyor. A sensor for selecting a conveyor is provided, and when the tip of the tilting portion is lowered by the tilting of the predetermined angle, the sorting conveyor is provided at a position where the conveyed article can be received from the tip to the upper surface thereof. , The sorting conveyor is selected on the basis of a command from a sensor provided in the feeding conveyor, and is lowered onto the upper surface. And it includes a power source to force the conveyor drive in a specific direction for transporting toward a conveying articles sorting conveyor for said selected direction to the sorting conveyor.

The distribution conveyor according to claim 2
As described above, the number of articles may be one, and the article conveying direction selected based on a command from a sensor provided in the feeding conveyor may be a direction intersecting with the feeding direction of the feeding conveyor.

For such a sorting and conveying apparatus for articles,
When the article conveyed from the upstream side by the feeding conveyor passes through the sensor, it issues, for example, a "tilt" command to the tilting means of the tilting section in accordance with the previously incorporated schedule. Then, the tilting part tilts at the predetermined angle in the direction in which the downstream side is downward with the joint part as the boundary, so that the article descends toward the sorting and conveying system provided in the lower stage along the inclined surface of the tilting part. . At the same time, a command in the transport direction for the sorting conveyor located in the first step of the lower stage transport system has arrived from the sensor, and the transport activation in the direction based on the command is issued to the power source of the sorting conveyor and sent. The conveyed articles unloaded from the end of the tilting portion of the loading conveyor onto the upper surface of the sorting conveyor are transported to the sorting and conveying conveyor waiting on the downstream side in the selected direction.

When the article is conveyed to the upper stage rather than to the lower stage conveying system, the "upper" command is issued from the sensor to the tilting means of the tilting section. Then, the tilting portion returns upward, and the articles on the endless belt are sent to the receiving conveyor located downstream along the upstream extension plane. At the same time, based on the command from the sensor, the receiving plate provided in the sending conveyor moves partially toward the downstream side along the traveling direction, and the folding point of the belt of the sending conveyor is connected to the front end of the receiving conveyor on the downstream side. As a result, the articles are smoothly delivered to the receiving conveyor.

The floating receiving plate provided on the downstream side of the infeed conveyor has a receiving plate installed and a partial receiving plate depending on how to select the receiving conveyor position and the sorting conveyor position. In some cases, it may not be necessary to install transportation means. For example, the front end position of the receiving conveyor is set according to the total length of the tilting part, and the tilting part is tilted by a predetermined angle while keeping its entire length, and the tip of the tilting part is moved to the position where articles can be transferred to the upper surface of the sorting conveyor You can set the installation position of.

In the case where a plurality of the sorting conveyors are installed, a plurality of the sorting conveyors are installed, and each of the article conveying directions selected based on a command from a sensor provided in the feeding conveyor is almost all. It is a direction intersecting with the transport direction of the infeed conveyor, and the transfer mode when transferring the articles on the sorting conveyor to the sorting transport conveyor is such that the article is dropped from the upper sorting conveyor upper surface to the lower sorting transport conveyor upper surface. In order to sort the articles sent from the upstream side to multiple sorting conveyors with such a drop arrangement, the command issued by the sensor when passing through the sensor is sent to each sorting conveyor. The tilting angle of the unique tilting part necessary for the Ri separate the operation of the sorting conveyor leading to the downstream side of the conveyor, it is transmitted in the order chosen each set.

If the destination of the article is directed to the upper stage rather than the lower stage transport system, the sensor sends an "upper" command to the tilting means of the tilting unit, as in the case where there is only one sorting conveyor. Achieved by It is apparent that the treatment of the partial movement of the backing plate in that case can be achieved by the same procedure as described above.

Further, based on such a structure, when an operation of transferring a cylindrical or rod-shaped elongated article to a conveyor at a low position is interposed in the middle of conveyance, the direction of the article being conveyed is in a desired direction. The operation of aligning the articles is performed in a very natural state during the process of being conveyed through the drop, and it is possible to omit the purpose of incorporating the operation for aligning the orientation of the articles, thereby improving the work efficiency. be able to.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, the feeding conveyor 1 feeds the articles 3 arranged on the upper surface of the endless belt 2 which is circulated and driven, toward the downstream side. A sensor 4 is provided in the middle of the running surface of the endless belt 2 to detect passage of the article 3 and issue a predetermined command. A joint portion 5 for bending and tilting the feeding conveyor 1 is provided on the downstream side of the sensor 4, and the tilting portion 6 on the downstream side can be tilted downward from here. The cylinder 7 is a cylinder as a means for repeatedly performing the tilting operation on the tilting unit 6. In the feed-in conveyor 1, the endless belt 2 is provided with a belt receiving plate 8 that forms a turning point at the downstream end, inside the downstream side of the feeding conveyor 1, and the receiving plate 8 is a portion along the running direction of the belt. It is configured as a floating system that can be moved dynamically.
The cylinder 9 is for moving the receiving plate 8 along the traveling direction of the belt. 10 is an absorber for the excess belt,
The cylinder 11 absorbs the slack of the belt caused by the partial movement of the receiving plate 8, and is provided in the middle of the endless belt 2. Reference numeral 12 is a receiving conveyor, and at a turning point 13 located at the downstream end of the feeding conveyor 1, the upper surface of the receiving conveyor 1 is to receive the article 3 on the upper surface of another endless belt 14 whose tips are adjacent to each other. It is arranged as an extension plane having the same height and is driven circularly.
The sensor 4 detects the passage of the article 3 and, according to a predetermined program, selects the conveyance direction of the article on the downstream side fed from the conveyor 1 and the sorting conveyance conveyor according to a predetermined program. To send a command for.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a sorting conveyor, which is provided at a position at which the top surface of the conveyor 3 can receive the conveyed article 3 when the tip of the tilting portion 6 of the feeding conveyor 1 is lowered by tilting at a predetermined angle. .

The sorting conveyor 15 selects a transport direction based on a command from the sensor 4, and transports the transported article lowered on the upper surface toward the sorting transport conveyor 16 or 17 for the selected direction. A power source 18 is provided for forcing the sorting conveyor 15 to perform a transport drive in a specific direction. 19 is a power source for the infeed conveyor 1.

The operation of carrying out desired sorting and conveying of conveyed articles by the sorting and conveying apparatus having the above construction will be described. Conveyor 1 sent from upstream and sent in
The article 3 placed on the endless belt 2 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow and passes in front of the sensor 4. The sensor 4 that has detected this passage issues a command to the cylinder 7 and tilts the tilting portion 6 downward according to a predetermined program, for example, if the order is to be sent to the sorting and conveying conveyor 16. At the same time, the cylinder 9 is instructed to move the receiving plate 8 in the direction in which the tilting portion 6 shortens. As a result, the belt absorber 10 operates to absorb the excess portion of the endless belt 2. At the same time, power source 1
A command relating to the driving direction of the sorting conveyor 15 is issued to 8 to rotate the driving direction toward the sorting and conveying conveyor 16. As a result, the article 3 descends on the tilting unit 6 tilted downward, reaches the sorting conveyor 15, and is guided by the conveyor which is rotationally driven in the direction of the sorting and conveying conveyor 16 to be conveyed in the direction of the conveyor. It

FIG. 4 shows a different embodiment. In this embodiment, three long and narrow sorting conveyors are arranged side by side, and the transfer from the sorting conveyor to the sorting / conveying conveyor is performed from a certain height. It is designed to be performed in the form of falling to a low place. In the figure, 1 is a feed conveyor, 3a is a long article, 4 is a sensor, 6 is a tilting unit, and 7
Is a cylinder, 12 is a receiving conveyor, 15a is a sorting conveyor, 16a is a sorting and conveying conveyor, and 18a is a power source.

By adopting such a conveyance method for the long article 3a, it is possible to move in a free posture away from the binding by the conveyor surface while the long article 3a drops from the conveyor and drops in the air. , It becomes possible to change the posture of the article to a desired direction by utilizing the interval, and it is possible to omit the step of aligning the orientation of the article to the desired direction, which has been conventionally required, by one step. Becomes

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, an example in which the expansive space of the conveying path is intended for two stages, that is, the plane into which the articles are sent and the one plane located at the lower stage, has been described. The purpose of the configuration of (1) is not limited to this two-stage system, and it is naturally possible, for example, to provide another plane at a lower position below the lower plane of the above-mentioned embodiment and install a new sorting conveyor here. Yes, it is clear that it is possible to further increase the number of transport paths. Needless to say, changing the tip position of the feeding conveyor by moving the receiving plate in accordance with the tilt angle of the tilting portion at this time effectively works for simplifying the device.

[0020]

Since the article sorting and conveying apparatus according to the present invention is constructed as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, the articles conveyed from the upstream side under the single-row column are arranged in a wide space based on a predetermined sorting standard by a relatively simple device and easy operation. Towards any direction, or at any height,
It is now possible to sort and transport to various groups.

2) According to the second aspect of the present invention, the articles conveyed from the upstream side under the single-row column are moved in an arbitrary direction based on a predetermined sorting standard based on an extremely simple device and easy operation. Alternatively, it is possible to sort and transport the sheets at any height.

3) In claim 3, when an article having a relatively elongated shape such as a cylindrical shape or a rod shape is transferred to a conveyor at a low position, an operation for aligning the article being conveyed in a desired direction is automatically performed. By doing so, it is possible to omit another work conventionally required for aligning the orientation of the articles, and thereby to improve the work efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an enlarged main part of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Infeed conveyor 3,3a Article 4 Sensor 5 Joint part 6 Tilt part 7,9,11 Cylinder 8 Catch plate 10 Absorbing device 12 Receiving conveyor 15,15a Sorting conveyor 16,16a, 17 Sorting conveyor 18,18a, 19 Power source

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A feed-in conveyor which feeds articles arranged on the upper surface of an upstream endless belt which is circulated and driven toward the downstream side, and a turning point which is located at the downstream end of the endless belt of this feed-in conveyor. In a conveying device having a feeding conveyor and a receiving conveyor circulated and driven so that the upper surface is arranged as an extension plane having an equal height for receiving the article on the upper surface of another endless belt whose tips are adjacent to each other, A belt receiving plate whose front end constitutes a turning point of the belt traveling on the upper surface is provided on the downstream side of the feeding conveyor, and the receiving plate is configured to be a floating type capable of partial movement along the traveling direction of the belt. However, an absorbing device for absorbing the slack of the belt caused by the partial movement is provided in the middle of the endless belt of the circulating conveyor. The joint section provided on the way is used as a boundary, and the downstream side thereof is configured as a tilting section, which is provided with tilting means capable of forcibly tilting and returning at a predetermined angle in the downward direction with respect to the tilting section, and the conveyor. When the tip of the tilting portion is lowered by tilting at the predetermined angle, the sensor is provided in the middle of the selection of the transporting direction of the downstream articles fed from the conveyor and the sorting and transporting conveyor. A distribution conveyor is provided at a position at which the conveyed article can be received from the tip with respect to the upper surface thereof, and the distribution conveyor selects a conveyance direction based on a command from a sensor provided in the feeding conveyor. ,
The article characterized by comprising a power source for forcing the sorting conveyor to carry a transport drive in a specific direction for transporting the transported article lowered onto the upper surface toward the sorting transport conveyor for the selected direction. Sorting and conveying device. 2. The number of the sorting conveyors is one, and the article conveying direction selected based on a command from a sensor provided in the feeding conveyor is a direction intersecting with the feeding direction of the feeding conveyor. Equipment for sorting and transporting goods. 3. An article conveying direction comprising a plurality of the sorting conveyors and selected based on a command from a sensor provided in the feeding conveyor, each of which is substantially a direction intersecting the feeding direction of the feeding conveyor. 2. The sorting / conveying device for articles according to claim 1, wherein the transfer mode when the articles on the sorting conveyor are transferred to the sorting / conveying conveyor is a mode in which the articles are dropped from the upper surface of the upper sorting conveyor to the upper surface of the lower sorting conveyor. .