JPH0971317A - Cylindrical body aligning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To align cylindrical bodies zigzag with the common structure independently of the kind of cylindrical body by switching the rotating speed of each rotor at two stages of high speed and low speed per each time when a recessed groove of each rotor is engaged with the cylindrical body of the downstream end of a guide passage. SOLUTION: A first cylindrical body W, which is carried to the downstream end of a guide passage 3 of each line, is engaged with a recessed groove 24a or 24b of a rotor 4. With the rotation of the rotor 4, the first cylindrical body W is delivered to a carrying passage through a clearance between the rotor 4 and a guide wall 26. At this stage, since the rotating speed of the rotor 4, for example, the peripheral velocity of the rotor 4 is lower than the carrying speed of the carrying passage, the force in the direction for hindering the movement of the cylindrical body in the carrying direction of the carrying passage is applied to the first cylindrical body W from a part of the rotor 4, which contacts with the peripheral part of the cylindrical body W, and a relatively large positional displacement in the cross direction of the carrying passage is generated for delivery. In the case of a second cylindrical body W, since the peripheral velocity of the rotor 4 is nearly equal to the carrying speed, the force in the direction for hindering the movement of the cylindrical body to the carrying direction is not applied to the second cylindrical body W, and the second cylindrical body W is not displaced in the cross direction of the carrying passage.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cylindrical body aligning device for staggering and arranging cylindrical bodies such as cylindrical cans.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in the case of a cylindrical can, when transporting the cylindrical can, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of cylindrical cans in a staggered manner, that is, to arrange the cylindrical cans vertically and horizontally. It is common practice to arrange them in a matrix, with each of the plurality of cylindrical cans in each row being located between the cylindrical cans in the adjacent row.

As a device for arranging the cylindrical cans in a zigzag manner as described above, there is a conventional device, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-94.
The one disclosed in No. 286 is known.

In the apparatus of the above publication, a plurality of cylindrical cans are respectively conveyed by a conveyor by a plurality of rows of guide paths formed by a plurality of guide frames arranged side by side in the width direction on the conveyor, and the guide paths are provided. When sequentially discharging cylindrical cans from the conveyor to the downstream side of the conveyor, a displacement of about half a pitch is generated in the width direction of the conveyor between the odd-numbered cylindrical cans and the even-numbered cylindrical cans. The cylindrical cans are arranged in a zigzag pattern at the downstream end of the conveyor by transporting the cylindrical cans to the downstream end of the conveyor with the positional deviation.

More specifically, in the apparatus of the same publication, a rotatable feed piece is provided at the downstream end of the guide passage in each row, and the outer peripheral surface of this feed piece is the same as the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can. The four arcuate constraining surfaces that fit are 90 degrees in the direction of rotation of the feed piece.
They are formed at intervals of degrees. In this case, of the four constraining surfaces, two constraining surfaces having an interval of 180 degrees are provided with suction ports connected to the vacuum device, and the remaining two constraining surfaces are not provided with suction ports. There is.

[0006] For example, with respect to the odd-numbered cylindrical cans in the guide passages in each row, the cylindrical bodies are simply rotated by engaging the constraining surface of the feed piece having no suction port and rotating the feed piece. It is linearly discharged from the guide path and conveyed as it is to the downstream side on the conveyor.For the even-numbered cylindrical cans, the feed piece is rotated while being suction-held by the vacuum device on the constraining surface having the suction port, When the feed piece rotates to a position that is displaced from the odd-numbered cylindrical cans by about a half pitch, the cylindrical cans are separated from the constraining surface and discharged to the downstream side of the conveyor.

However, in such a case, the following various inconveniences occur.

That is, in order to cause the positional displacement of the cylindrical can as in the above publication, when the cylindrical can is suction-held on the constraining surface having the suction port of the feed piece, it is necessary to securely perform the suction-holding. .

However, cylindrical cans include, for example, relatively heavy steel cans and lightweight aluminum cans. In order to surely adsorb and hold the steel cans on the constraining surface of the feed piece, compared to aluminum cans, a vacuum device is used. Requires a large suction force. If the suction force of the vacuum device is set to be relatively strong in order to ensure the suction and holding of the steel can, the suction force becomes too strong for the lightweight aluminum can and the feed piece is separated from the restraining surface. There is a possibility that it will not be carried out smoothly, or that the aluminum can will be damaged when it is adsorbed, such as a dent. On the contrary, if the suction force of the vacuum device is weakened, in a heavy steel can, the suction holding of the feed piece on the restraining surface tends to be incomplete.

Therefore, it is difficult to practically use the device of the above-mentioned publication in common with various cylindrical cans such as steel cans and aluminum cans, and it is necessary to change the suction force of the vacuum device depending on the type of the can. Will be needed.

Further, in the above-mentioned publication, in order to surely suck and hold the cylindrical can on the constraining surface having the suction port of the feed piece, the constraining surface and the cylindrical can must be brought into close contact with each other with high accuracy. However, it requires high precision in producing feed pieces, cylindrical cans, etc., and tends to be expensive.

Further, since dust and the like are easily sucked into the suction port of the feed piece, the suction port is likely to be clogged, so that the feed piece and a passage for transmitting suction force to the feed piece are provided. Frequent maintenance of piping is required. Also,
Since it is necessary to provide passages and pipes for transmitting the suction force to a large number of feed pieces, the device configuration tends to be complicated.

Further, according to the above-mentioned publication, when an attempt is made to increase the convey speed of the conveyor in order to improve the productivity, it is necessary to increase the suction force of the vacuum device in order to surely hold the cylindrical can by suction. However, if the suction force of the vacuum device is increased in this way, the cylindrical can is not smoothly separated from the constraining surface of the feed piece as described above, or the cylindrical can is damaged such as a dent during suction. It will be easier. Therefore, it has been difficult to increase the transport speed when aligning the cylindrical cans.

In this type of device, there is a device in which a cylindrical can is attracted and held as described above by using a magnet (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-39673), but such a magnet is used. However, the conventional one cannot be used for an aluminum can, and in particular, when the transport speed is increased, the same inconvenience as that of the above-mentioned publication using the vacuum device occurs.

[0015]

In view of the above background, the present invention makes it possible to arrange the cylindrical bodies in a zigzag manner with a common configuration regardless of the type of the cylindrical body such as a steel can and an aluminum can. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cylindrical body aligning device that has a simple structure, does not require much maintenance, and is capable of easily increasing the speed without damaging the cylindrical body.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a plurality of standing cylindrical bodies in a plurality of rows of guide passages arranged side by side in the width direction on a conveying passage. Are arranged side by side in the conveying direction, and when a plurality of cylindrical bodies of the guide path are sequentially discharged from the downstream end of the guide path in each row to the downstream side of the conveyance path, the guide paths in each row are synchronized with each other. A predetermined amount of positional displacement is generated in the width direction of the conveying path between the cylindrical body for delivering the odd-numbered cylindrical bodies of the guide passages in each row and the cylindrical body for delivering the even-numbered consecutive cylinders. As described above, the positional displacement of the cylinders causes the cylinders discharged from the guide passages in each row to be conveyed to the downstream end portion of the conveying passage, and to align in a staggered manner at the downstream end portion of the conveying passage. In the above, the conveying path for conveying the cylindrical body at a constant speed from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the guide for each row. A plurality of rotators that are rotatably provided at the downstream end of the rotatably in synchronization with each other, and provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotator so as to be engageable with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body at a predetermined rotational position of each rotor. When the groove and the rotary body in which the cylindrical body is engaged with the groove are rotated in a predetermined rotation direction, the cylindrical body is placed between the groove and the groove facing the groove and downstream of the conveying path. It is provided in a positional relationship with the rotating body such that the cylindrical body is held between the rotating body and the rotating body until the rotating body rotates to a predetermined amount or more from the predetermined rotating position. When the guide wall and the cylindrical body are guided to the downstream side of the conveying path between the concave groove of the rotating body and the guide wall, the upstream side is slidably contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body on the upstream side of the cylindrical body. Of the rotating body and the locking portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body so as to prevent the downstream side cylinder body from moving to the downstream side. Each time the concave groove engages with the cylindrical body at the downstream end of the guide path of each row, the rotational speed of each rotary body is switched between high and low stages to rotate each rotary body. The rotational speed on the high speed side of the rotation driving means is a speed at which the peripheral speed of the rotating body is substantially equal to the conveyance speed of the conveying path, and the rotation speed on the low speed side of the rotation driving means is the rotation speed of the rotating body. The peripheral speed is set to be lower than the conveying speed of the conveying path.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first cylindrical can conveyed to the downstream end of the guide passage of each row is rotated to the predetermined rotation position by the rotation driving means. Further, it is engaged with the concave groove of the rotating body, and is guided to the downstream side of the conveying path while being held between the concave groove and the guide wall by the rotation of the rotating body. At this time, in the second cylinder on the upstream side of the first cylinder, the locking portion of the rotating body is slidably contacted and locked on the conveying path at the downstream end of the guide path. . At this time, the rotating body is rotated by the rotation driving means at either a high or low rotational speed, for example, a low rotational speed. When the rotating body rotates by the predetermined amount or more, the first cylindrical body is discharged from the space between the rotating body and the guide wall to the downstream side of the transport path along with the rotation. At this time, since the rotational speed of the rotating body is set such that the peripheral speed of the rotating body is lower than the conveying speed of the conveying path, the first cylindrical body is provided with the conveying path at the time of the above-mentioned payout. The force in the direction that hinders the movement of the rotating body in the transport direction acts from the portion of the rotating body that is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical body.
The first cylindrical body is discharged with a relatively large positional displacement in the width direction of the transport path, and thereafter is transported toward the downstream end of the transport path at the displaced position. Next, the second
The second cylindrical body engages with the concave groove of the rotating body, and further, like the first cylindrical body, the conveyance path while being held between the concave groove and the guide wall by the rotation of the rotating body. Will be guided downstream. At this time, the rotating body is rotated by the rotation driving means at a rotation speed on the high speed side, for example. Then, when the rotating body rotates by a predetermined amount or more, the second cylindrical body is rotated in the same manner as the first cylindrical body.
The second cylindrical body is discharged to the downstream side of the conveying path from between the rotating body and the guide wall. At this time, the rotational speed of the rotating body is the peripheral speed of the rotating body and the conveying speed of the conveying path. Since the speed is substantially the same as that of the second cylindrical body, the second cylindrical body is provided with a direction in which the movement of the conveying path in the conveying direction is obstructed during the above-mentioned payout, as compared with the case where the rotating body rotates at a low speed. The force does not act much from the rotating body. Therefore, the second cylindrical body is not so much displaced in the width direction of the conveying path at the time of the above-mentioned payout, whereby the width direction of the conveying path between the second cylindrical body and the first cylindrical body is small. Position displacement occurs. Such an operation is repeated in synchronization with each other for the guideways of each row, and the cylindrical body discharged from the guideways of each row at an odd number and the cylindrical body discharged from the guideways of each row at an even number A plurality of cylindrical bodies are sequentially discharged from the guide passages in each row to the downstream side of the conveying passage while causing positional displacement in the width direction of the conveying passage. Then, the cylindrical bodies that have been displaced in this way and discharged are conveyed to the downstream end portion of the conveying path, so that the cylindrical bodies are arranged in a staggered manner.

In the above description, the rotational speed of the rotary body when the odd-numbered cylinders are paid out from the guide path is set to be low, and the rotational speed of the rotary body when the even-numbered cylinders are paid out from the guide path. Although the case where the speed is set to a high speed has been described, the same applies to the other case.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotational speed of the rotating body is alternately switched between high and low stages so that the cylindrical bodies of the guide passages in each row are sequentially arranged between the rotating body and the guide wall. By paying out to the downstream side of the transport path via the, the cylindrical bodies can be arranged in a zigzag manner with a common configuration regardless of the type of the cylindrical bodies. Further, since the operation as described above is performed only by switching the rotation speed of the rotating body without requiring a means for holding the cylindrical body by suction, it is possible to simplify the device configuration and It is possible to provide a device that does not require maintenance. Further, even if the transport speed of the transport path is increased, the positional displacement of the cylindrical body as described above can be caused without any trouble, so that the productivity can be improved.

In the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the concave groove is a circular arc groove having substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cylindrical body. According to this, since the engagement between the cylindrical body and the concave groove of the rotating body is smoothly performed, it is possible to prevent the cylindrical body from being damaged during the engagement or the like.

Further, the number of the concave grooves provided in the rotating body may be one, but it is preferable to provide a plurality of the concave grooves on the outer peripheral surface portion of each of the rotating bodies at intervals in the circumferential direction. , The rotation driving means each time the plurality of concave grooves of each of the rotating bodies are sequentially engaged with the plurality of cylindrical bodies sequentially conveyed to the downstream end portion of the guide path of each row by the rotation of the rotating body. Switch the rotation speed of the rotor. By doing so, each time the rotating body is rotated once, a plurality of cylindrical bodies can be discharged from the guide passages of each row while causing the positional displacement as described above, and a higher speed can be achieved. it can. In particular, as described above, if the concave groove is an arc groove having substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cylindrical body, a large amount of the cylindrical body can be conveyed and processed at high speed without damaging the cylindrical body, and the quality is improved. Productivity can be improved while securing.

Further, in the first aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of concave grooves of the rotary body are provided, the concave grooves may have the same shape, but more preferably, the plurality of concave grooves of each rotary body are provided. The groove is an even number of circular arc grooves having substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cylindrical body, and the circular arc length of the circular arc groove that engages with the cylindrical body when the rotating body rotates at a high speed among the even number of circular arc grooves. The arc length is shorter than the arc length of the arc groove that engages with the cylindrical body when the rotary body rotates at a low speed.

That is, when the cylindrical body separates from the rotating body and the guide wall and is discharged from between them, the portion of the concave groove of the rotating body that comes into contact with the cylindrical body (the upper edge of the side wall of the concave groove). The inclination angle of the conveyance path with respect to the conveyance direction is relatively large when the concave groove is an arc groove having a long arc length, and relatively small when the concave groove is an arc groove having a short arc length. Then, when the cylindrical body separates from the rotating body and the guide wall and is discharged from between them, the cylindrical body receives a force in the inclination direction of the contact portion of the rotating body. Therefore, the arc length of the circular arc groove (concave groove) that engages with the cylindrical body when the rotary body rotates at high speed is equal to the arc length of the circular arc groove (concave groove) that engages with the cylindrical body when the rotary body rotates at low speed. If it is shorter than the above, the positional displacement of the cylindrical body delivered when the rotating body rotates at a high speed becomes larger than the positional displacement of the cylindrical body delivered when rotating at a low speed. It becomes easy to cause a positional displacement in the width direction of the conveyance path between the odd-numbered cylinder bodies and the even-numbered cylinder bodies. Accordingly, when the rotation speed of the rotating body is set to a low speed, it is possible to set the low rotation speed to a relatively high speed, and it is possible to further increase the speed.

Further, in the first aspect of the present invention, portions of the outer peripheral surface of each of the rotating bodies other than the recessed groove are formed in an arcuate surface centered on the rotation axis of the rotating body, and each of the rotating bodies is rotated. It is preferable that the locking portion of the body is configured by the arc surface.

According to this, when the cylindrical body is locked by the locking portion of the rotating body at the downstream end portion of the guide passage of each row, the cylindrical body can be moved without applying an excessive force to the cylindrical body. It is smoothly locked, and damage to the cylindrical body can be prevented.

In order to achieve the above object, a second aspect of the present invention conveys a plurality of upright cylindrical bodies by a plurality of rows of guide passages arranged side by side in the width direction on the conveying passage. When the plurality of cylindrical bodies of the guide passages are sequentially delivered from the downstream end of the guide passages of each row to the downstream side of the conveying passage, the guide passages of each row are synchronized with each other. Discharge so that a predetermined amount of positional displacement is generated in the width direction of the conveyance path between the cylindrical body for discharging the plurality of cylindrical bodies of the guide path and the cylindrical body for discharging the odd-numbered cylinders subsequently to the even-numbered cylinders. In the cylindrical body aligning device, the positional displacement of the cylindrical bodies is carried out from the guide passages of each row to the downstream end portion of the conveying passage, and the staggered arrangement is performed at the downstream end portion of the conveying passage. The transport path for transporting the cylindrical body at a constant speed from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the downstream end portion of the guide path of each row. A plurality of rotating bodies that are rotatably provided in synchronization with each other, and at a predetermined rotational position of each rotating body, there is an interval on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body so that the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body can be engaged with each other. And rotating the rotating body in which the cylindrical body is engaged with any one of the even-numbered circular arc grooves having substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cylindrical body and the even-numbered circular arc groove in a predetermined rotation direction. At this time, the cylindrical body is guided to the downstream side of the conveying path between the circular arc groove and the circular arc groove, and the rotary body rotates from the predetermined rotational position by a predetermined amount or more,
A guide wall provided in a positional relationship with the rotating body so as to hold the cylindrical body with the rotating body, and the cylindrical body forms a transport path between the arc groove of the rotating body and the guide wall. Provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body so as to prevent the upstream cylinder from moving to the downstream side by sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upstream cylinder when being guided to the downstream side. A locking portion, and a rotation driving means for rotating each of the rotating bodies at a rotation speed at which the peripheral speed thereof is substantially equal to the transfer speed of the transfer path,
Arc grooves adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the rotating body are long and short 2
It is characterized in that they are formed to have different types of arc lengths.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the odd numbered cylindrical bodies are dispensed from the guide passages of each row, and the even number of the rotating bodies rotated to the predetermined rotation position by the rotation driving means. Of the circular arc grooves, for example, it is engaged with a circular arc groove having a long circular arc length, and is guided to the downstream side of the transport path while being held between the circular arc groove and the guide wall by the rotation of the rotating body. It At this time, in the even-numbered cylinders on the upstream side of the odd-numbered cylinders, the locking portion of the rotating body makes sliding contact and is locked on the conveyance path at the downstream end of the guide path. Further, the rotating body is rotated by the rotation driving means at a speed such that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially equal to the conveying speed of the conveying path. Then, when the rotating body rotates by a predetermined amount or more, the odd-numbered cylindrical bodies are discharged from the space between the rotating body and the guide wall to the downstream side of the transport path along with the rotation. In this case, as described in the first aspect of the present invention, when the odd-numbered cylindrical bodies are disengaged from the rotating body and the guide wall and discharged from between them, the circular arc groove of the rotating body is formed. The inclination angle of the portion in contact with the cylindrical body (the upper edge of the side wall of the arc groove) with respect to the transport direction of the transport path is relatively large because the arc length of the arc groove is relatively long, and the angle of the odd number The cylindrical body receives a force in the inclination direction of the contact portion. For this reason, the odd-numbered cylindrical bodies are discharged with a relatively large positional displacement in the width direction of the transport path, and thereafter transported at the displaced position toward the downstream end of the transport path. On the other hand, the cylindrical body that is evenly dispensed from the guide passages in each row is, for example, of the even-numbered circular arc grooves of the rotating body at the downstream end portion of the guide passage, engages with a circular arc groove having a short arc length, Further, by the rotation of the rotating body, it is held between the circular arc groove and the guide wall and guided to the downstream side of the transport path. At this time, the rotation speed of the rotating body by the rotation driving means is the same as that when the odd-numbered cylindrical bodies are dispensed. When the rotating body rotates by a predetermined amount or more, the even-numbered cylindrical bodies are discharged from the space between the rotating body and the guide wall to the downstream side of the transport path along with the rotation. In this case, when the even-numbered cylinders are separated from the rotating body and the guide wall and discharged from between them, the portion that comes into contact with the cylindrical body of the arc groove of the rotating body (the upper edge of the side wall of the arc groove). ) Is relatively small because the arc length of the arc groove is relatively short, and the even-numbered cylinders exert a force in the tilt direction of the contact portion. receive. Therefore, the even-numbered cylinders are dispensed with a relatively small positional displacement in the width direction of the conveyance path as compared with the odd-numbered cylinders, and thereafter, toward the downstream end of the conveyance path at the displacement position. Be transported. As a result, a plurality of cylindrical bodies are sequentially discharged from the guide passages in each row to the downstream side of the conveying passage while causing positional displacement in the width direction of the conveying passage between the odd-numbered cylindrical bodies and the even-numbered cylindrical bodies. . Then, the cylindrical bodies that have been displaced in this way and discharged are conveyed to the downstream end portion of the conveying path, so that the cylindrical bodies are arranged in a staggered manner.

In the above description, the case where the odd-numbered cylinders are engaged with the arc grooves having a long arc length and the even-numbered cylinders are engaged with the arc grooves having a long arc length are explained. The same is true for.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotating speed of the rotating body is set to a constant rotating speed such that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially equal to the conveying speed of the conveying path, and the even number is provided on the rotating body. The circular arc length of each circular arc groove is alternately set in the circumferential direction to have two kinds of circular arc lengths, long and short, and the cylindrical bodies of the guide passages in each row are sequentially dispensed to the downstream side of the conveying passage through the space between the rotating body and the guide wall. By doing so, the cylinders can be arranged in a zigzag manner with a common configuration regardless of the type of the cylinders. Further, since there is no need for a means for sucking and holding the cylindrical body, the above-described operation is performed only by setting the size of the even-numbered circular arc grooves of the rotating body to two types, so that the apparatus configuration is improved. It is possible to provide a device that can be simple and does not require much maintenance. Further, even if the transport speed of the transport path is increased, the positional displacement of the cylindrical body as described above can be caused without any trouble, so that the productivity can be improved. Further, since each arcuate groove of the rotating body that engages with the cylindrical body has substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cylindrical body, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the cylindrical body is damaged during the engagement. it can.

In the second aspect of the present invention, as in the first aspect, the outer peripheral surface portion of each of the rotating bodies is provided with a portion other than the even-numbered circular arc grooves of the rotating body. It is preferable that it is formed in an arcuate surface centered on the center, and the locking portion of each of the rotating bodies is formed by the arcuate surface. According to this,
When the cylindrical body is locked by the locking portion of the rotating body at the downstream end of the guide path of each row, the cylindrical body is smoothly locked without applying an excessive force to the cylindrical body, It can prevent body damage.

Further, the first or second aspect of the present invention described above
In the aspect, preferably, all the cylinders first dispensed from the guide passages of the respective rows via the respective rotating bodies are respectively provided with the width of the convey passage at the downstream end of the convey passage. A receiving member having a plurality of recesses for restricting movement in the direction and receiving a plurality of odd-numbered cylindrical bodies from the guide passages of each row through the rotating bodies at the downstream end of the conveying passage. In parallel with each other in the width direction of the conveying path at a position opposed to each of the recesses in the portion, between the guide path of each row from the guide path of each row and the odd-numbered cylinder body of the conveying path of the conveyance path. Between the odd-numbered cylinders by contacting the odd-numbered cylinders arranged in parallel at the downstream end of the transport path, the even-numbered cylinders that are discharged by causing the predetermined amount of positional displacement in the width direction A plurality of cylindrical bodies at the downstream end of the transport section by displacing it to a location between Align in a staggered manner.

As described above, when the receiving member is provided at the downstream end of the conveying path, the positional displacement between the odd-numbered cylinder bodies and the even-numbered cylinder bodies discharged from the guide passages in each row is compared. Even if they are relatively small, when the cylinders are conveyed to the downstream end of the conveying path after they are discharged, the odd-numbered cylinders discharged from the guide paths of each row are The even-numbered cylinders are arranged parallel to each other in the width direction of the conveying path at a position facing the concave portion of the receiving member, and the even-numbered cylindrical bodies are applied by the conveying force of the conveying path to the odd-numbered cylindrical bodies that are previously arranged at the downstream end of the conveying path. Move to a place between the odd numbered cylinders while touching,
As a result, the cylinders are staggered at the downstream end of the transport path.

Therefore, the positional displacement between the odd-numbered cylinders and the even-numbered cylinders discharged from the guide passages in each row can be made relatively small. In the aspect, the difference between the rotation speed on the high speed side and the rotation speed on the low speed side of the rotating body is set to be large, and the positional displacement between the odd-numbered cylinder body and the even-numbered cylinder body is relatively large. This means that the cylinders can be staggered without any hindrance, and therefore,
The rotation speed on the low speed side of the rotating body can be brought close to the rotation speed on the high speed side to further speed up the transporting process of the cylindrical body. Also in the second aspect, the positional displacement between the odd-numbered cylindrical body and the even-numbered cylindrical body is compared by making the difference between the two types of arc length of the arc groove of the rotating body large. The cylindrical bodies can be arranged in a zigzag pattern without any trouble without making them relatively large, and their arc grooves can be easily formed. Even if the conveyance speed of the conveyance path is high, for example, the arcs of both By setting the arc lengths of the grooves to be relatively long, the arc groove and the cylindrical body can be engaged reliably and smoothly.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.
3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2, and FIGS.
[Fig. 3] is an operation explanatory view of the device of Fig. 1.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the apparatus of the present embodiment is an apparatus for aligning, for example, cylindrical can bodies W in a staggered manner, and 1 is a transport path 2 for the can bodies W. Conveyor 3 is a guide path for a plurality of rows of cans W provided in parallel on the conveyor 1 in the width direction thereof, and 4 is a rotating body provided at the downstream end of each row of guide paths 3 (see FIG. 2), 5 is a rotation driving mechanism (rotation driving means) for rotating the rotating body 4, 6 is a frame for supporting the rotation driving mechanism 5, etc., and 7 is provided at the downstream end of the conveyor 1. Canned body W
It is a receiving member of.

The conveyor 1 supports the can body W in an upright posture on its upper surface (see FIG. 2) and conveys the can body W in the direction indicated by the arrow X in FIG. In this case, the conveying speed of the conveyor 1 is constant.

The guide path 3 is formed by a plurality of long guide members 8 extending on the conveyor 2 in the conveying direction and arranged side by side in the width direction of the conveyor 2, so that the long guide members 8 are adjacent to each other. It is formed between things that fit together. Each guideway 3
Has a width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the can body W. The guide path 3 at the left end of FIG.
And a guide frame 9 provided on the left side of the conveyor 1 along the carrying direction. In addition, each guide member 8 is configured by connecting a plurality of members 8a in the carrying direction of the conveyor 1.

The can bodies W standing upright on the upstream side of the conveyor 1 are carried into the guide paths 3 one after another while being supported on the conveyor 1, and a plurality of cans W carried into the guide paths 3 are carried in sequence. The cans W are conveyed along the guide path 3 in the conveying direction of the conveyer 1 to the downstream side. The frame 6 is provided so as to extend in the width direction of the conveyor 1 at a position at the downstream end of the guide path 3 at a height higher than that of the can body W conveyed on the conveyor 1, and both ends thereof are It is supported by columns 10 that are erected on a machine base (not shown). The upper end of each guide member 8 is fixed to the lower end of a support member 11 vertically extending from the rear surface of the frame 6 as shown in FIG. It is supported by the frame 6 via the support member 11 in a floating state. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotation driving mechanism 5 includes a motor 12 (see FIG. 1) fixedly provided on the right side portion of the frame 6, and extends in the width direction of the conveyor 1 on the front side of the frame 6. Then, a rotary shaft 14 rotatably supported by the frame 6 via a plurality of bearings 13, and a plurality of drive side worm gears 15 rotatably attached integrally to the rotary shaft 14.
And a plurality of driven-side worm gears 16 that mesh with the drive-side worm gears 15, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor 1 of the rotary shaft 14
A driven side sprocket 17 is inserted into the end portion on the second side, and the driven side sprocket 17 is connected to a driving side sprocket 18 attached to the drive shaft 12a of the motor 12 via an endless chain (not shown). ing. As a result, the rotational driving force of the motor 12 is applied to both sprockets 18, 1.
It is configured to be transmitted to the rotary shaft 14 via 7 to rotate the rotary shaft 14 together with the drive-side worm gears 15.

The drive-side worm gears 15 and the driven-side worm gears 16 meshing with the drive-side worm gears 15 are provided directly above the downstream end portions of the guide paths 3. In this case, each driven worm gear 16 has a vertical rotation axis. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a support plate 19 that horizontally extends forward below the rotary shaft 14 is fixedly provided on the front surface of the frame 6, and the support plate 19 includes: The tubular bearing 20 has its axial center in the vertical direction (vertical direction) at a position facing each driven-side worm gear 16.
It is installed toward. A sub-rotating shaft 21 penetrates the bearing 20 and the support plate 19 at the axial center of the tubular bearing 20. The sub-rotating shaft 21 has bearings 20a, It is rotatably supported via 20a. The driven side home gear 16 is attached to the upper end portion of the sub-rotating shaft 21 protruding above the bearing 20.
Drive side worm gear 15
Has been meshed with.

Therefore, the rotation of the rotary shaft 14 which is rotationally driven by the motor 12 is transmitted to the sub rotary shaft 21 through each drive worm gear 15 and the driven worm gear 16 meshing with the worm gear 15, and each sub rotary shaft 21. Rotates around its vertical axis.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, each rotating body 4 is
The basic shape is such that a part of the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body having an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the can body W is cut out. It is arranged concentrically with the sub-rotating shaft 21. A disc body 22 having a diameter larger than that of the sub-rotation shaft 21 is integrally rotatably attached to a lower end portion of the sub-rotation shaft 21 projecting downward from the support plate 19. The upper end surface portion of each rotating body 4 is fixed to the lower end portions of the pair of connecting rods 23, 23 hung vertically from. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotating body 4 is supported by the connecting rods 23, 23 on the disc body 22 in a posture slightly floating from the upper surface of the conveyor 1. With such a configuration, when the rotating shaft 14 is rotated by the motor 12, the rotating bodies 4 rotate from the sub-rotating shafts 21 linked with the rotating body 14 to the disc body 22 and the connecting rod 2.
It rotates around the axis of the sub-rotating shaft 21 via 3, 23. Further, in this case, the rotating bodies 4 respectively corresponding to the guide paths 3 rotate in synchronization with each other.

The rotary drive mechanism 5 includes the rotary members 4 as shown in FIG.
Rotate in the clockwise direction.

On the outer peripheral surface of each rotor 4, as shown in FIG. 3, two recessed grooves 24a and 24b of the same shape are extended in the axial direction of the rotor 4 with a 180 ° phase shift in the circumferential direction. It exists and is formed. These concave grooves 24a and 24b are
Arc grooves 24a, 24 having a diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the can body W
b, and when the rotating body 4 is rotated to a position where the concave grooves 24a, 24b face the upstream side of the guide path 3 as shown by phantom lines in FIG. 3, the concave grooves 24a, 24b are guided to the concave grooves 24a, 24b. It is adapted to engage with the outer peripheral surface of the can body W conveyed to the downstream end of the passage 3.

Concave grooves 24a, 24 on the outer peripheral surface of each rotor 4
The part 25 except b is formed in an arc shape having a constant diameter centered on the rotation axis of the rotating body 4, and the part 25 is located on the upstream side of the guide path 3 as shown by the solid line in the figure. When the rotator 4 is rotated to a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the can body W, it is slidably contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the can body W at the downstream end portion of the guide path 3 to prevent the can body W from moving to the downstream side. Has become.

At the location of the downstream end of the guide passage 3 provided with such a rotating body 4, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide groove 8 is engaged with the groove 24a or 24b of the rotating body 4 at the tip of each guide member 8. A guide wall 26 for guiding the combined can body W to the downstream side of the conveyor 1 is formed between the can body W and the rotating body 4.

The guide wall 26 is provided with concave grooves 24a, 24b.
When the rotating body 4 is rotated clockwise from a position facing the upstream side of the guide path 3, the side surface of the tip end of the guide member 8 facing the concave grooves 24a, 24b is inclined toward the downstream side of the conveyor 1. It is formed so as to be inclined. The guide wall 26, which will be described in detail later, has a groove 24.
After the can body W is engaged with a or 24b, the concave groove 24a or 24b is turned until the rotating body 4 rotates clockwise by a predetermined angle.
While holding the can body W between and while guiding it to the downstream side, when the rotating body 4 is rotated by the predetermined angle or more, the concave groove 24 of the rotating body 4
The distance between the portion of the a or 24b that contacts the can body W and the tip of the guide wall 26 is equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the can body W, and the can body W is between the rotating body 4 and the guide wall 26. There is conveyor 1
It is provided so as to be separated on the downstream side.

On the other hand, in the rotary drive mechanism 5, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in order to detect the rotational position of the rotating body 4 at the position of the driven worm gear 16 located on both sides of the conveyor 1. The rotational position detecting devices 27a and 27b are provided. These rotational position detectors 27a, 2
As shown in FIG. 2, 7b is a rotation detecting plate 28 concentrically and rotatably attached to the upper surface of the driven-side worm gear 16 located on both sides of the conveyor 1, and a peripheral portion of the rotation detecting plate 28. Photoelectric switch 2 provided opposite to
9, the photoelectric switch 29 includes a bracket 3 at the tip of a support arm 30 extending from the upper surface of the frame 6.
It is fixed through 1.

In this case, the photoelectric switch 29 of the rotational position detecting device 27a operates when the rotational body 4 is rotated to a rotational position slightly before the concave groove 24a of the rotational body 4 faces the upstream side of the guide path 3, for example. And outputs a signal, and the photoelectric switch 29 of the rotational position detecting device 27b rotates the rotating body 4 to a rotational position slightly before the concave groove 24b of the rotating body 4 faces the upstream side of the guide path 3. Sometimes, it detects it and outputs a signal. Then, the rotation drive mechanism 5, based on the detection signal of the photoelectric switch 29 of the rotation position detection device 27a, 27b,
A motor controller (not shown) controls the rotation speed of the motor 12, in other words, the rotation speed of each of the rotating bodies 4 in two stages, high and low. For example, a detection signal is output from the photoelectric switch 29 of the rotation position detection device 27a. When the rotating body 4 is rotated, that is, when the concave groove 24a of the rotating body 4 is rotated to a rotation position in which the groove 24a of the rotating body 4 is directed substantially upstream of the guide path 3, the rotating body 4 is rotated at a predetermined low rotation speed. The motor 12 is controlled. Further, when a detection signal is output from the photoelectric switch 29 of the rotational position detecting device 27b, that is, when the rotating body 4 is rotated to a rotating position in which the concave groove 24b of the rotating body 4 is directed substantially upstream of the guide path 3, The motor 12 is switched and controlled to rotate the rotating body 4 at a predetermined high rotation speed. In this case, the rotational speed of the rotary body 4 on the high speed side by the rotary drive mechanism 5 is such that the peripheral speed of the rotary body 4 is the conveyor 2
The rotation speed of the rotating body 4 on the low speed side is set to be substantially the same as the conveying speed of the conveyor 4. The peripheral speed of the rotating body 4 is lower than the conveying speed of the conveyor 2 (for example, the conveying speed of 7).
The speed is set to 0 to 80%).

Referring to FIG. 1, the receiving member 7 is provided at the downstream end of the conveyor 1 so as to extend in the width direction thereof, and the surface portion facing the upstream side thereof extends in the width direction of the conveyor 1. The corrugated plate members 32 alternately have irregularities in the shape of a triangular wave. In this case, the pitch of the plurality of concave portions 33 and the pitch of the plurality of convex portions 34 of the corrugated plate member 32 are the same as the pitch of the guide passages 3, and the respective concave portions 33 are formed in the guide passages 3 and 3 adjacent to each other. The projections 34 are provided so as to face the substantially central portion between them (the substantially central portion of the guide member 8), and the respective convex portions 34 are provided so as to face the substantially central portion of the respective guide paths 3.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the concave groove 24a of each rotating body 4 is directed toward the upstream side of the guide path 3, and the concave groove 24a is provided at the downstream end of the guide path 3. With the can body W conveyed on the conveyor 2 engaged, the rotary drive of the rotary bodies 4 is started by the rotary drive mechanism 5. In this case, the rotating bodies 4 are rotationally driven in the clockwise direction at the speed on the low speed side in synchronization with each other.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the first can body W engaged with the groove 24a of each rotating body 4 in each guide path 3 is rotated by the rotating body 4 as shown in FIG. While being in contact with the side wall on the downstream side of 24a and the guide wall 26 of the guide member 8, it is obliquely guided between the groove 24a and the guide wall 26 along the guide wall 26 toward the downstream side of the conveyor 1. It At such a stage, it is formed toward the downstream side of the conveyor 1 between the guide wall 26 and the upper edge portion of the side wall on the downstream side of the concave groove 24a of the rotating body 4 (the portion denoted by the reference symbol P in FIG. 5). The guide wall 26 is formed so that the opening 35 formed therein is smaller than the outer diameter of the can body W, and the first can body W is provided between the groove 24 a of the rotating body 4 and the guide wall 26. Retained.

Then, each rotating body 4 is further rotated, and as shown in FIG.
When the rotating position is reached, the opening 35 formed between the upper edge P of the side wall on the downstream side of the concave groove 24a of the rotating body 4 with which the first can body W comes into contact and the tip of the guide wall 26 is formed. The width is equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the body W, and the first can body W has the opening 35
It is disengaged from between the rotating body 4 and the guide wall 26 via and is discharged to the downstream side of the conveyor 1. At this time, the first can body W tries to move from the opening 35 toward the downstream side of the conveyor 1 due to the conveying force of the conveyor 1, but the peripheral speed of each rotating body 4 is equal to that of the conveyor 1. Since the can body W is rotated at a lower rotation speed that is lower than the conveyance speed of the above, the can body W is generally above the side wall so as to prevent the movement from the side wall upper edge P on the downstream side of the concave groove 24a. Edge P
The force is applied in the direction of inclination of the concave groove (arc groove) 24a. Therefore, the first can body W is moved from the opening 35 in the width direction of the conveyor 1 (see FIG. 6) as shown in phantom in FIG.
(To the right of), a relatively large displacement is generated and the product is discharged. The delivered can body W is conveyed to the downstream side on the conveyor 1 while maintaining the displacement position at the time of delivery. In this case, in the present embodiment, the displacement position of the first can body W is arranged so as to face the substantially central portion between the guide passages 3 which are adjacent to each other, that is, the concave portion 33 of the receiving member 7. The rotational speed of the rotating body 4 on the low speed side and the shape of the groove 24a are set so as to be positioned.

Further, at the time of the above-mentioned payout, the locking portion 25 of the outer peripheral surface portion of each rotating body 4 is conveyed to the downstream end portion of each guide path 3 subsequent to the first can body W and is conveyed to the second end. Can body W
The second can body W is slidably brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface portion of the to lock the second can body W at that position. In this case, since the locking portion 25 is formed in an arc shape as described above, it smoothly slides on the outer peripheral surface portion of the second can body W without applying an excessive force to the can body W. Does not cause damage.

The can body W, which is also indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 6, and the concave groove 24a, which is indicated by the imaginary line, are for explaining another embodiment to be described later and will not be explained here.

After the first can body W is dispensed as described above, the rotating body 4 is further rotated while the locking portion 25 of the rotating body 4 is in sliding contact with the second can body W, and the rotating body 4 of each rotating body 4 is rotated. A detection signal is output from the photoelectric switch 29 of the rotational position detection device 27b at a rotational position slightly before the rotational position (see FIG. 7) in which the groove 24b faces the upstream side of each guide path 3, and the motor 12 is accordingly responsive. The switching speed is controlled so that the rotation speed of each rotating body 4 is switched to the rotation speed on the high speed side. Then, in the state in which the rotation speed of each rotating body 4 is switched to the rotation speed on the high speed side in this manner, the concave groove 24b is formed at the rotation position of each rotating body 4 shown in FIG.
Then, the second can body W locked by the locking portion 25 of each guide path 3 is engaged.

The second can body W thus engaged with the groove 24b is, as shown in FIG. 8, the first can body W.
Similarly, as the rotating body 4 rotates, the side wall on the downstream side of the concave groove 24b and the guide wall 26 of the guide member 8 are brought into contact with each other and held between them, and the concave groove 24b and the guide wall 26 are held.
Is obliquely guided along the guide wall 26 toward the downstream side of the conveyor 1.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when each rotating body 4 rotates to the same rotational position as in the case of the groove 24a, the upper edge Q of the side wall on the downstream side of the groove 24b and the tip of the guide wall 26 are formed. The opening 35 formed between them has a width equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the can body W, and the second can body W is separated from between the rotating body 4 and the guide wall 26 through the opening 35 and is conveyed by the conveyor 1 Is discharged to the downstream side of.

At the time of this payout, the second can body W has a concave groove (arc groove) 2 substantially in the upper edge portion Q of the side wall.
Although a force is applied in the inclination direction of 4b, the rotation speed of the rotating body 4 at this time is set to the rotation speed on the high speed side, the peripheral speed of which is substantially equal to the conveying speed of the conveyor 1, and therefore The force is smaller than that when the first can body W is dispensed. Therefore, the second can body W is discharged to the downstream side of the conveyor 1 without causing a large displacement in the width direction of the conveyor 1 from the opening 35 as shown by a virtual line in FIG. Then, the delivered can body W is conveyed to the downstream side on the conveyor 1 while maintaining the displacement position at the time of delivery. As a result, a positional displacement of a predetermined amount ΔD occurs between the first can body W and the second can body W in the width direction of the conveyor 1, as shown in FIG. 9. In this case, in the present embodiment, the predetermined amount ΔD is the outer diameter of the can body W, for example, about 53.
When it is set to mmφ, it becomes about 10 mm, for example.

When the second can body W is dispensed, the third can body W conveyed to the downstream end of the guide path 3 is brought into sliding contact with the locking portion 25 of the rotating body 4. Be locked.

Next, after the second can body W is dispensed as described above, the rotary body 4 is again provided with the concave groove 24a as shown in FIG.
Is rotated to a position facing the upstream side of the guide path 3, and at this time,
At the rotational position slightly before the rotational position where the concave groove 24a of each rotating body 4 faces the upstream side of each guide path 3, the rotational position detecting device 2
A detection signal is output from the photoelectric switch 29 of 7a. Then, the speed of the motor 12 is switch-controlled in accordance with the output of the detection signal, and the rotation speed of each rotating body 4 is switched again to the low-speed rotation speed.

After that, the above operation is repeated, and the odd-numbered can bodies W, such as the third and fifth can bodies W of each guide path 3, are rotated at the low speed side rotation speed. The even-numbered can bodies W, such as the fourth and sixth can bodies W, are engaged with the concave groove 24a of the rotating body 4 and discharged at the same displacement position as the first can body W. It engages with the concave groove 24b of the rotating body 4 rotated at the rotation speed of, and is discharged at the same displacement position as the second can body W. (See FIG. 1) As a result, the predetermined amount ΔD in the width direction of the conveyor 1 between the can bodies W that are dispensed in odd numbers from the respective guide paths 3 and the can bodies W that are subsequently dispensed in even numbers. Position displacement occurs.

As described above, the canister W dispensed from the downstream end of each guide path 3 is conveyed to the downstream side thereof on the conveyor 1 while maintaining the above-mentioned displacement position. Further, in the first can body W discharged from each guide path 3, the displacement position thereof is the position facing the concave portion 33 of the receiving member 7 as described above, and therefore, the downstream of the conveyor 1. The ends are received by the recesses 33 of the receiving member 7 and locked at the recesses 33, and the recesses 33 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the conveyor 1 (see FIG. 1).

In the second can body W, the first
Since the positional displacement of the predetermined amount ΔD has occurred between the second can body W, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, the downstream end of the conveyor 1 is already locked in the recess 33 of the receiving member 7. First
The first can that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second can body W and is then left by the conveying force of the conveyor 1 along the outer peripheral surface of the first can body W as shown by the phantom line in the figure. It moves to a position between the body W, that is, a position facing each convex portion 34 of the receiving member 7, and abuts on the outer peripheral surfaces of both the first cans W, W adjacent to each other at that position. Be locked. And
In that state, the second cans W are juxtaposed in the width direction of the conveyor 1 (see FIG. 1). In the present embodiment, the second can body W at the left end of FIG. 1 is brought into contact with and locked by the first can body W at the left end and the inner side surface of the guide frame 9 on the side of the conveyor 1. To be done.

Next, the third canister W discharged from each guide path 3 at the same displacement position as the first canister W is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the place between the adjacent second can bodies W already arranged in parallel at the downstream end of the conveyor 1, that is, in the recess 33 of the first can body W and the receiving member 7. At the location where they face each other, they are brought into contact with and locked by the second can bodies W, W, and are arranged side by side in the width direction of the conveyor 1.

After that, the above operation is repeated, and the odd-numbered can bodies W discharged from the respective guide paths 3 are arranged in parallel in the width direction of the conveyor 1 at positions facing the concave portions 33 of the receiving member 7, and are even. The second cans W are juxtaposed in the width direction of the conveyor 1 at positions facing the convex portion 34 between the odd-numbered cans W, so that the cans W are conveyed to the conveyor 1 as shown in FIG. Are staggered on the conveyor 1 at the downstream end thereof.

As described above, according to the apparatus of this embodiment, when the can body W is engaged with the concave groove 24a of each rotor 4 and the can body W is discharged from the guide path 3, the rotor 4 is rotated. The rotation speed of the rotating body 4 is set to the lower rotation speed, and when the can body W is engaged with the groove 24b of the rotating body 4 and the can body W is discharged from the guide path 3, the rotating speed of the rotating body 4 is Is set as the rotation speed on the high speed side, and the rotation speed of the rotating body 4 is switched to two levels, high and low, each time the can body W engages with the concave grooves 24a and 24b. A position displacement of a predetermined amount ΔD can be generated in the width direction of the conveyor 1 between W and the even-numbered can bodies W, and those can bodies W of the conveyor 1 are generated in the state where the positional displacement occurs. By conveying to the downstream end, those can bodies W can be arranged in a staggered manner.

The positional displacement of the can bodies W by the predetermined amount ΔD for performing the zigzag alignment of the can bodies W as described above is simply performed in two steps of the height of the rotary body 4 having the concave grooves 24a and 24b. Since it is performed by switching to the rotation speed of
If the outer diameters of the cans W are the same, the cans W can be aligned with the same device regardless of the type of the cans W such as aluminum cans and steel cans. Since a vacuum device or the like for holding the device is not required, the device structure is simple and, at the same time, frequent maintenance is not required.

Further, in this embodiment, since the concave grooves 24a and 24b of the rotating body 4 and the engaging portions 25 which come into contact with the can body W are formed in an arc shape, the can body W becomes the concave grooves 24a and 24b. When engaged or locked by sliding contact with the locking portion 25,
The recessed grooves 24a, 24b and the locking portion 25 are in smooth contact with the outer peripheral surface of the can body W, and it is possible to prevent the can body W from being damaged by an excessive force from the rotating body 4. Therefore, the cans W can be aligned while ensuring the required quality.

Further, in the present embodiment, the receiving member 7 having the concave portion 33 and the convex portion 34 is provided at the downstream end portion of the conveyor 1, and the can bodies W to be dispensed from the guide passages 3 are evenly dispensed first. The odd-numbered can bodies W are brought into contact with each other and moved to a position between the odd-numbered can bodies W, so that the can bodies W are aligned in a staggered manner. The displacement of the can body W by the predetermined amount ΔD can be relatively small. This has the following significance. That is, in the device of the present embodiment, if the rotation speed on the low speed side of the rotating body 4 is lower than the rotation speed on the high speed side, the positional displacement of the predetermined amount D becomes even greater. However, this is the same as in the present embodiment.
When the positional displacement of the predetermined amount D is set to be relatively small, it means that the rotational speed on the low speed side of the rotating body 4 can be set to a relatively high rotational speed relatively close to the rotational speed on the high speed side. . This makes it possible to carry out a carrying process for aligning the cans W in a staggered manner while increasing the carrying speed of the cans W, and thus the carrying process can be speeded up.

Therefore, according to the apparatus of this embodiment, it is possible to carry out the carrying process for aligning the cans W in a zigzag manner at a high speed while ensuring the quality of the cans W with a simple structure. .

In this embodiment, the number of the concave grooves 24a and 24b provided in each rotating body 4 is two, but it is needless to say that more concave grooves may be provided. The number may be one.

Further, in this embodiment, when the odd-numbered can bodies W are dispensed from the respective guide paths 3, the rotational speed of the rotating body 4 is set to the lower rotation speed, and when the even-number can bodies W are dispensed. Although the rotation speed of the rotating body 4 is set to the rotation speed on the high speed side, conversely, the rotation speed of the rotating body 4 at the time of dispensing the odd-numbered can body W is set to the rotation speed on the high speed side, and The rotation speed of the rotating body 4 when the can body W is dispensed may be the rotation speed on the low speed side.

Next, one embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a plan view which also serves as an operation explanatory view of the main part of the apparatus of this embodiment, and FIG.
13 to 13 are operation explanatory views of the apparatus. Since the basic configuration of the device of this embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment of the first aspect, hereinafter, the same components will be described in detail using the reference numerals of FIGS. 1 and 2. Omit it.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the rotating body 4 provided at the downstream end of each of the guide paths 3 is rotated.
Has substantially the same shape as that of the embodiment of the first aspect, and two arcuate grooves 24c, 24d are formed on the outer peripheral surface portion thereof with a phase shift of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction. Further, in the present embodiment, the diameter of each arc groove 24c, 24d is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the can body W, while the arc length of the arc groove 24c is longer than the arc length of the arc groove 24d. ing. Since the arc length of the arc groove 24c is longer than that of the arc groove 24d, the depth thereof is deeper than that of the arc groove 24d.

Further, the apparatus of the present embodiment is provided with the rotary drive mechanism 5 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) having the same structure as that of the embodiment of the first aspect, but in the present embodiment, rotation is performed. The motor 12 of the drive mechanism 5 operates at a constant speed, and rotates each rotating body 4 at a constant rotation speed such that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially equal to the conveyor speed of the conveyor 1.

The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 11, the arcuate groove 24c of each rotating body 4 is directed toward the upstream side of the guide path 3, and the arcuate groove 24c is provided at the downstream end of the guide path 3. In a state in which the can bodies W conveyed on the conveyor 2 are engaged, the rotational drive of the respective rotary bodies 4 by the rotary drive mechanism 5 is started at a constant speed.

At this time, the first can body W engaged with the arcuate groove 24c of each rotating body 4 in each guide path 3 is different from the case of the first embodiment as shown in FIG. Similarly, as the rotating body 4 rotates, the side wall on the downstream side of the circular arc groove 24c and the guide wall 26 of the guide member 8 are brought into contact with each other and held between them. The space is guided obliquely toward the downstream side of the conveyor 1 along the guide wall 26.

Then, each rotating body 4 further rotates, and
At the rotational position of 3, the opening 35 formed between the upper edge P of the side wall on the downstream side of the arc groove 24c of the rotating body 4 with which the first can body W comes into contact and the tip of the guide wall 26 is formed. Can body W
The width is equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the first can body W, and the first can body W is separated from between the rotating body 4 and the guide wall 26 through the opening 35 and is discharged to the downstream side of the conveyor 1. At this time, the rotation speed of the rotating body 4 is such that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially equal to the conveying speed of the conveyor 1, so that the first can body W is rotated.
Receives a force from the side wall upper edge portion P on the downstream side of the arc groove 24c that is in contact with the side wall approximately in the inclination direction of the arc groove 24c at the side wall upper edge portion P. In this case, since the circular arc groove 24c has a long circular arc length, the side wall upper edge portion P of the circular arc groove 24c is relatively inclined with respect to the carrying direction of the conveyor 1 (in FIG. 13, The upper edge portion P of the side wall is substantially oriented in the width direction of the conveyor 1. Therefore, the first can body W has the opening 3 as shown by a phantom line in FIG.
5, a relatively large displacement is generated in the width direction of the conveyer 1 (rightward in FIG. 13) and is discharged. The delivered can body W is
The displacement position at the time of the payout is maintained, and it is conveyed on the downstream side of the conveyor 1. In this case, in the present embodiment, the first
The arcuate groove of the rotating body 4 is arranged so that the displacement position of the second can body W is such that it is opposed to the concave portion 33 of the receiving member 7 at a substantially central portion between the guide paths 3 and 3 which are adjacent to each other. 24
The shape of c is set.

At the time of the above-mentioned payout, the locking portion 25 on the outer peripheral surface of each rotating body 4 is conveyed to the downstream end of each guide path 3 following the first can body W and is conveyed to the second end. The second can body W is slidably contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the can body W to be locked at that position.

After the first can body W is dispensed as described above, the rotating body 4 is further rotated while the locking portion 25 of the rotary body 4 is in sliding contact with the second can body W, as shown in FIG. At the rotational position where the arcuate groove 24d of each rotating body 4 faces the upstream side of each guide path 3, the second engaging part 25 of each guideway 3 is engaged with the arcuate groove 24d as described above. The second can body W is engaged.

As shown in FIG. 15, the second can body W engaged with the arcuate groove 24d as described above, as with the first can body W, has a circular arc as the rotor 4 rotates. Downstream of the conveyor 1 along the guide wall 26 between the circular arc groove 24d and the guide wall 26 while contacting and being held between the downstream side wall of the groove 24d and the guide wall 26 of the guide member 8. You will be guided diagonally toward your side.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, when each rotary body 4 is rotated to a rotational position having a rotation angle slightly larger than that of the circular arc groove 24c, the side wall upper edge portion Q on the downstream side of the circular arc groove 24d and the guide wall. Aperture 3 formed between the tip of 26
5 is the width of the outer diameter of the can body W or more, and the second can body W
Is separated from between the rotating body 4 and the guide wall 26 through the opening 35 and is discharged to the downstream side of the conveyor 1.

At the time of this dispensing, the second can body W receives a force generally in the inclination direction of the arc groove 24d at the side wall upper edge portion Q, and the arc length of the arc groove 24d is the arc groove. Since it is sufficiently shorter than 24c, the inclination angle of the arc groove 24d in the upper edge portion Q of the side wall with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor 1 is the first can body W.
Is sufficiently smaller than the inclination angle at the side wall upper edge portion P of the circular arc groove 24c at the time of dispensing. Therefore, the second can body W is discharged to the downstream side of the conveyor 1 without causing a large displacement in the width direction of the conveyor 1 from the opening 35 as shown by the phantom line in FIG. Then, the delivered can body W is conveyed to the downstream side on the conveyor 1 while maintaining the displacement position at the time of delivery. As a result, a positional displacement of a predetermined amount ΔD occurs between the first can body W and the second can body W in the width direction of the conveyor 1, as shown in FIG. 9. In this case, the positional displacement of the predetermined amount ΔD is
The shapes of the arcuate grooves 24c and 24d of each rotating body 4 are set so as to be substantially the same as in the case of the embodiment of the first aspect.

When the second can body W is dispensed, the third can body W conveyed to the downstream end of the guide path 3 slides on the locking portion 25 of the rotating body 4. Be locked.

Next, after the second can body W is dispensed as described above, the rotary body 4 is again moved to the arc groove 2 as shown in FIG.
4c is rotated to a position facing the upstream side of the guide path 3, and the third can body W is engaged with the arc groove 24c. After that, the above operation is repeated, and the third of the guideways 3
The odd-numbered can bodies W, such as the fifth can body W, are engaged with the arcuate groove 24c having a long arc length of the rotating body 4 to be engaged with the first can body W.
The even-numbered can bodies W, such as the fourth and sixth can bodies W, are discharged at the same displacement position as the second can by engaging the arc groove 24d having a short arc length of the rotating body 4. It is paid out at the same displacement position as the body W.

As a result, as in the case of the first embodiment, the odd numbered can bodies W are dispensed from each guide path 3 and the even numbered can bodies W are subsequently dispensed. The positional displacement of the predetermined amount ΔD occurs in the width direction of the conveyor 1 between them.

The can bodies W dispensed from the respective guide paths 3 in this way are arranged in a zigzag manner on the downstream end of the conveyor 1 via the receiving member 7, just as in the first embodiment. To be done. That is, referring to FIG. 1, the odd-numbered can bodies W discharged from each of the guide paths 3 move on the conveyor 1 toward the recesses 33 of the receiving member 7 and face the recesses 33. , Sequentially in parallel in the width direction of the conveyor 1, and even-numbered cans W first come into contact with odd-numbered cans W arranged in parallel at the downstream end of the conveyor 1 and then the odd-numbered cans W Move to the place between the second cans W,
At the location facing the convex portion 34 of the receiving member 7, the conveyors 1 are arranged side by side in the width direction.

As described above, according to the apparatus of the present embodiment, the arcuate grooves 24c of the rotary bodies W which engage with the odd-numbered can bodies W and the even-numbered can bodies W discharged from the respective guide paths 3, respectively. Two
By making the arc length of 4d into two types of long and short which are different from each other, the can body W to be dispensed from each guide path 3 in an odd number
A predetermined amount ΔD of positional displacement can be generated in the width direction of the conveyor 1 between the cans W and the even-numbered cans W, and the cans W are downstream of the conveyor 1 in the state where the positional displacement occurs. By transporting the cans W to the ends, they can be arranged in a staggered manner.

The positional displacement of the can bodies W by the predetermined amount ΔD for performing the zigzag alignment of the can bodies W as described above is simply performed by the arc groove 24 of each rotor 4 rotating at a constant rotation speed.
Since the arc lengths of c and 24d are different from each other in two types, long and short, if the outer diameter of the can body W is the same, regardless of the type of the can body W such as an aluminum can or a steel can. Since the cans W can be aligned with the same device, and a structure such as a vacuum device for adsorbing and holding the cans W on the rotating body 4 is not required, the structure of the device becomes simple and at the same time, It does not require frequent maintenance.

Further, also in this embodiment, the arcuate grooves 24c and 24d of the rotating body 4 and the engaging portion 25 which come into contact with the can body W are also provided.
Are formed in an arc shape, the arc grooves 24 of these are formed.
The c and 24d and the locking portion 25 are in smooth contact with the outer peripheral surface of the can body W, and can prevent the can body W from being damaged by the excessive force from the rotating body 4. The body W can be aligned while ensuring the required quality.

Therefore, also in the apparatus of this embodiment, the carrying process for aligning the cans W in a zigzag manner can be performed with a simple structure as in the first embodiment. It can be performed at high speed while ensuring the quality of W.

In this embodiment, the arc groove 24c engaged with the odd-numbered can bodies W to be dispensed from each guide path 3 has a long arc length, and is engaged with the even-number can bodies W to be dispensed. Although the circular arc groove 24d has a short circular arc length, conversely, the circular arc groove engaging with the odd-numbered can bodies W to be dispensed has a short circular arc length and is associated with the even-numbered can bodies W to be dispensed. The matching arc groove may have a long arc length.

Further, in the present embodiment, the number of the circular arc grooves 24c and 24d of each rotary body 4 is two, but the rotary body 4 is provided with a larger number (however, an even number) of circular arc grooves. The arc length of the arc groove may be alternated in the circumferential direction into two types, long and short.

In each of the embodiments described above, the can bodies W to be dispensed in odd numbers from the respective guide paths 3 are directly opposed to the concave portions 33 of the receiving member 7 and are conveyed toward the concave portions 33. However, the receiving member 7 may be displaced at a distance less than half the pitch of the recesses, for example, to the right in FIG. In this case, each guideway 3
The first can body W to be dispensed from comes into contact with the left side wall of each recess 33 of the receiving member 7, then moves to the center of the recess 33 and is locked in the recess 33. Then, the other odd-numbered can bodies W contact the even-numbered can bodies W arranged in the width direction at the downstream end of the conveyor 1 prior to that and move to a position between the can bodies W. , Locked in that place.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the cylindrical can bodies W are arranged in a staggered manner has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to various cylinders such as resin cylinders. Of course, can be applied.

In the embodiment of the first aspect, the concave grooves (arc grooves) 24a and 24b provided in the rotating body 4 have the same arc length, but the arc lengths thereof are the same as those in the second embodiment. 6A and 6B, the arc length of the concave groove 24a engaging with the odd-numbered can bodies W at the rotation speed on the low speed side of the rotating body 4 is set to be different from each other as in the embodiment of FIG. The length may be longer than the arc length of the concave groove 24b that engages with the even-numbered can bodies W at the rotation speed on the high speed side as shown by the phantom line.

In this case, as is apparent from the description of the embodiment of the second aspect, the can body W engaged with the long groove groove 24a (phantom line in FIG. 6) has the rotating body 4 And the guide wall 26, the inclination angle of the upper edge portion P ′ of the side wall of the concave groove 24a that comes into contact with the can W with respect to the conveying direction of the conveyor becomes large. As shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, the displacement of the conveyor 1 in the width direction becomes larger than that in the case of the embodiment of the first aspect (see the can body W shown by the phantom line in the figure). .
Therefore, as described above, a predetermined amount is generated between the can bodies W that are discharged from the respective guide paths 3 at odd rotational speeds of the rotating body 4 at low speeds and the even-numbered can bodies W at high rotational speeds. The positional displacement of ΔD becomes much larger than in the case of the embodiment of the first aspect. Conversely, in other words, the arc length of the concave groove 24a is set to be long as described above, and the positional displacement of the predetermined amount ΔD is set to the same level as in the case of the embodiment of the first aspect. At this time, it is possible to set the rotational speed on the low speed side of the rotating body 4 at the time of paying out the can body W engaging with the concave groove 24a to be higher than that in the case of the embodiment of the first aspect. means. Therefore, the first
In the above embodiment, the arc length of the recessed groove 24a is longer than that of the recessed groove 24b as described above, thereby further speeding up the transfer process for aligning the cans W in a staggered manner. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

5 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

9 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a plan view which also serves as an operation explanatory view of an essential part of the device according to the embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG. 11.

16 is an operation explanatory view of the apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... conveyor, 2 ... conveying path, 3 ... guide path, 4 ... rotating body,
5 ... Rotational drive mechanism (rotational drive means), 7 ... Receiving member, 2
4a to 24d ... concave groove (arc groove), 25 ... locking portion, 33 ...
Recess, W ... Can body (cylindrical body).

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of upright cylindrical bodies are arranged side by side in the conveying direction on a conveying path by a plurality of rows of guiding paths arranged side by side in the width direction, and the cylindrical bodies are conveyed from the downstream end of the guiding paths of each row. When the plurality of cylinders of the guide path are sequentially dispensed to the downstream side of the conveying path, the plurality of cylinders of the guide path of each row are dispensed to the odd-numbered cylinders in synchronization with each of the guide paths of each row, and A cylindrical body discharged from the guide passages of each row by causing a predetermined amount of positional displacement in the width direction of the conveyance path between the cylindrical body and an even-numbered cylindrical body. In a cylindrical body aligning device for transporting to the downstream end of the transport path and staggering the downstream end of the transport path, the transport path for transporting the cylindrical body from upstream to downstream at a constant speed, and A plurality of rotating bodies that are rotatably provided in synchronization with each other at the downstream ends of the guide paths in each row; A concave groove provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body so as to be engageable with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body at a predetermined rotation position of the rotating body, and a rotating body in which the cylindrical body engages with the concave groove in a predetermined rotation direction. Until the cylindrical body is guided to the downstream side of the conveyance path between the concave groove and the concave groove, and the rotary body rotates from the predetermined rotational position by a predetermined amount or more. Is a guide wall provided in a positional relationship with the rotating body so as to hold the cylindrical body with the rotating body, and the cylindrical body conveys between the concave groove of the rotating body and the guide wall. Provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary body so as to prevent the upstream cylinder from moving downstream by slidingly contacting the outer peripheral surface of the upstream cylinder when being guided to the downstream side of the passage. And the engaging portion, and each time the concave groove engages with the cylindrical body at the downstream end of the guide path of each row by the rotation of each of the rotating bodies. A rotary drive means for rotating each of the rotary bodies by switching the rotary speed of the rotary body into two stages, high and low, and the rotational speed on the high speed side of the rotary drive means is such that the peripheral speed of the rotary body is the transport speed of the transport path. The speed is set to be substantially equal to the speed, and the rotation speed on the low speed side of the rotation drive means is a speed at which the peripheral speed of the rotating body is lower than the transfer speed of the transfer path. apparatus. 2. The cylindrical body aligning device according to claim 1, wherein the concave groove is a circular arc groove having a diameter substantially equal to an outer diameter of the cylindrical body. 3. A plurality of the recessed grooves are provided on an outer peripheral surface portion of each of the rotating bodies at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the rotation driving means is configured such that the plurality of recessed grooves of each of the rotating bodies are of the rotating body. 3. The cylindrical body according to claim 1, wherein the rotation speed of each rotating body is switched every time the plurality of cylindrical bodies sequentially conveyed to the downstream end portion of the guide passage of each row by rotation are sequentially engaged. Alignment device. 4. The plurality of concave grooves of each of the rotating bodies are even-numbered arc grooves having substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cylindrical body, and among the even-numbered arc grooves, the rotating body rotates at high speed. 4. The arc length of the arc groove that engages with the cylindrical body at times is formed shorter than the arc length of the arc groove that engages with the cylindrical body when the rotating body rotates at a low speed. Alignment device for cylinders. 5. A portion of the outer peripheral surface portion of each of the rotating bodies other than the concave groove is formed in an arc surface centered on the rotation axis of the rotating body, and the locking portion of each of the rotating bodies is formed in the arc shape. The cylindrical body aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the aligning device comprises a surface. 6. A plurality of upright cylindrical bodies are arranged side by side in the conveying direction by a plurality of rows of guide passages arranged in parallel in the width direction on the conveying passage, and are conveyed from the downstream end of the guide passages of each row. When the plurality of cylinders of the guide path are sequentially dispensed to the downstream side of the conveying path, the plurality of cylinders of the guide path of each row are dispensed to the odd-numbered cylinders in synchronization with each of the guide paths of each row, and A cylindrical body discharged from the guide passages in each row by causing a predetermined amount of positional displacement in the width direction of the conveying path between the cylindrical body and an even-numbered cylindrical body. In a cylindrical body aligning device that conveys to the downstream end of the transport path and staggers the downstream end of the transport path, wherein the transport path transports the cylindrical body from upstream to downstream at a constant speed, and A plurality of rotating bodies that are rotatably provided in synchronization with each other at the downstream ends of the guide paths in each row; An even number having substantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cylindrical body, which is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body at a predetermined rotation position of the rotating body so as to be engageable with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body at intervals in the circumferential direction. When the rotating body in which the cylindrical body is engaged with any one of the circular arc grooves and the even number of circular arc grooves is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction, the circular arc groove faces the circular arc groove and is between the circular arc groove. Guide the cylindrical body to the downstream side of the transport path,
And a guide wall provided in a positional relationship with the rotating body such that the cylindrical body is held between the rotating body and the rotating body until the rotating body rotates from the predetermined rotating position by a predetermined amount or more, When the cylindrical body is guided to the downstream side of the conveying path between the circular groove of the rotating body and the guide wall, the cylindrical body on the upstream side slides on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body on the upstream side of the cylindrical body. Rotation for rotating the respective rotating bodies at a rotation speed such that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially equal to the transport speed of the transport path, and the locking portion provided on the outer peripheral surface portion of the rotary body so as to prevent the movement to the downstream side. A cylindrical body aligning device, comprising: a driving means, wherein arcuate grooves adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the rotating body are formed to have two different arc lengths, a long length and a short length. 7. The outer peripheral surface of each of the rotating bodies is formed in an arcuate surface centering on the rotation axis of the rotating body, except for the even-numbered arcuate grooves, and the engaging portion of each of the rotating bodies is 7. The cylindrical body aligning device according to claim 6, wherein the aligning device is constituted by the arc surface. 8. All the cylindrical bodies first dispensed from the guide passages of each row via the respective rotating bodies are moved in the width direction of the convey passage at the downstream end of the convey passage. A receiving member having a plurality of recesses for regulating and receiving is provided, and the plurality of cylindrical bodies discharged in odd-numbered numbers from the guide passages of each row via the respective rotating bodies are provided at the downstream end portions of the transport passages. And in parallel in the width direction of the conveying path at positions facing each other, and between the guide cylinders of each row and the odd cylinders in succession in the width direction of the conveying path after the odd-numbered cylinders. Displacement to a position between the odd-numbered cylinders by contacting the odd-numbered cylinders arranged in parallel at the downstream end of the transport path with a fixed amount of positional displacement Thereby staggering a plurality of cylinders at the downstream end of the conveyor. Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that
The alignment device for a cylindrical body according to any one of 1.