JPH10109742A - Commodity sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve responsiveness by opening a solenoid valve arranged on a conveying path side of conveying means when a commodity is conveyed to the sorting device setting position and blowing air to the commodity from an injection nozzle directly arranged in the solenoid valve so as to discharge the commodity to the outside of the conveying path. SOLUTION: A wrapped commodity A is conveyed to a commodity sorting part 5 via guiding members 33, 33 in a guide conveying part 3 after its weight is checked by means of a weight checker 42 in a weight inspection part 4. When a wrapped commodity A, which is found to be defective in the weight inspection, is conveyed to the injection nozzle setting position by means of a conveyor 51, one solenoid valve 55, which is arranged in the vicinity of the side position of the conveying path for the conveyor 51, is opened, and then, air is blown to the wrapped commodity A from an injection nozzle directly arranged in the solenoid valve 55 so as to discharge the commodity A to the outside of the conveying path. In this arrangement, a time delay from opening of the solenoid valve 55 to air injection by the injection nozzle is eliminated, so that responsiveness can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a merchandise sorting apparatus that discharges merchandise to the outside of a conveying path by blowing air onto the merchandise conveyed by conveying means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-180725, for example, in the packaging of foods such as snacks, quality inspections such as weight inspection of packaged goods and metal contamination check are usually performed after packaging. The inspection is performed, and a normal product and a defective product are sorted based on the inspection result. In this case, during the transportation process of transporting the packaged products packed by the packaging machine to a boxing work section such as a cardboard box by a conveyor, an inspection device for weight and the like and a product sorting device for the packaged products are provided, and an inspection of the weight and the like is provided. Based on the inspection result by the device, the merchandise sorting device discharges the packaged merchandise to the outside of the transport path for the defective merchandise, and sorts the normal merchandise so as to convey it as it is.

[0003] By the way, as the product sorting device,
In some cases, air is blown onto packaged goods conveyed at high speed by a conveyor so that the goods are discharged out of the conveying path, thereby increasing the processing speed. In that case, the product sorting device includes a compressor for supplying compressed air to the air, an injection nozzle disposed on the side of the conveyor conveyance path, and an electromagnetic valve provided near the compressor. The compressor is connected to the solenoid valve via a first hose, so that compressed air from the compressor is supplied to the solenoid valve, and the injection nozzle is connected to the outlet of the solenoid valve by the second nozzle. The compressed air supplied to the injection nozzle via the second hose by the opening operation of this solenoid valve is injected from the nozzle toward the packaged goods on the conveyance path from the side position of the conveyance path. It is configured to:

With this arrangement, when the packaged product judged to be defective by the weight or the like inspection device is conveyed by the conveyor to the position where the jet nozzle of the sorting device is provided, the electromagnetic valve is opened, Compressed air is supplied to the injection nozzle via the second hose, and air is blown from the injection nozzle to the packaged product to discharge the product out of the transport path. It is transported by a conveyor as it is.

[0005]

However, in the product sorting apparatus having the above-described structure, the solenoid valve is disposed near the compressor far from the injection nozzle, and the solenoid valve and the injection nozzle have a long second hose. , The time delay between the opening of the solenoid valve and the injection of air from the injection nozzle will cause a delay, and there is a problem of poor responsiveness. Since the discharged compressed air is supplied to the injection nozzle through the second long hose, the compressed air receives a large flow resistance when passing through the second hose and reaches the injection nozzle from the solenoid valve. In the meantime, the air pressure is reduced, so that a large-sized solenoid valve having a large capacity is required, and the cost is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to address the above-described problems, and eliminates the time delay between the opening of the solenoid valve and the injection of air from the injection nozzle. An object of the present invention is to provide a product sorting device that can reduce the size of an electromagnetic valve by eliminating the loss of air pressure before reaching an injection nozzle and that can be inexpensive.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized in that it is configured as follows.

[0008] That is, the invention according to the present application is directed to a merchandise sorting apparatus that discharges commodities to the outside of a conveyance path by blowing air onto the commodities conveyed by the conveyance means. In addition to the above, an ejection nozzle that blows air to a product on a conveying path when the solenoid valve is opened is provided at an outlet of the solenoid valve.

According to such a configuration, for example, a product determined to be defective by the inspection means for weight or the like provided on the upstream side of the sorting device is transported by the transporting device to the position where the sorting device is provided. When it comes
By opening an electromagnetic valve provided on the side of the conveying path of the conveying means, air is immediately blown onto the product from an injection nozzle directly provided without piping through the electromagnetic valve, and the product is discharged out of the conveying path. Will be. This eliminates the time delay between when the solenoid valve is opened and when the air is injected from the injection nozzle, thereby improving the responsiveness and reducing the air pressure between the solenoid valve and the injection nozzle. Loss can be eliminated, and the size of the solenoid valve can be reduced. In addition, when a product determined to be normal by the above-described weight or the like inspection means is conveyed, it is conveyed as it is by a conveyor.

[0010]

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

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a product sorting apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a product guide / conveyance unit 3 at one end of the upper surface of a gantry 2, a weight inspection unit 4 at a center, and other components. In the configuration in which the product sorting units 5 are arranged at the end sides, for example, a packaged product A such as a snack candy supplied from a packaging machine (not shown) is guided and moved to the center in the width direction of the transport path by the guide transport unit 3. The weight of the packaged product A transported from the guide transport unit 3 is checked by the weight inspection unit 4, and the weight of the packaged product A transported from the weight inspection unit 4 is checked by the product sorting unit 5. On the basis of the inspection result, the paper is discharged from the transport path to the outside or is continuously transported.

The guide transport section 3 includes a first conveyor 31 for sequentially transporting the packaged goods A to the weight inspection section 4, and support members 32 erected on the upper surface of the gantry 2 on both sides of the conveyor 31. 32, a pair of guide plates 33, 33 for guiding the packaged product A to the center in the width direction of the first conveyor 31 is provided.

The weight inspection section 4 is provided with a second conveyor 41 for conveying the packaged goods A conveyed by the merchandise guide / conveyance section 3 to the merchandise sorting section 5, and the conveyor 41 is provided with a load cell. The weight checker 42 has a structure supported by a weight checker 42, and the weight of the packaged product A is measured by the weight checker 42.
It is designed to check whether the weight of the packaged product A is within a normal range of the content. In this case, an indicator 43 for displaying the weight or the like measured by the weight checker 42 is provided upright on the rear upper surface of the gantry 2.

A third conveyor 51 for transporting the packaged products A transported by the weight inspection unit 4 to the downstream side and compressed air supplied near the gantry 2 are supplied to the product sorting unit 5. Compressor 52 for
And a regulator 54 connected to the compressor 52 via a first pipe 53 and provided on the wall of the gantry 2 near the compressor 52, and a regulator 54 provided on both sides of the upstream side of the conveyance path of the third conveyor 51. Solenoid valves 55, 55
And these solenoid valves 55, 55 and the regulator 54
And a bifurcated branch pipe 56a for connecting
A pipe 56 and outlets 55a, 5a of the solenoid valves 55, 55;
5a and each of the solenoid valves 55,
At the time of the opening operation of 55, there are provided injection nozzles 57, 57 for blowing air from the side of the conveying path to the packaged product A on the conveying path.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the solenoid valves 55 are fixed to mounting brackets 59 provided at the tips of brackets 58 projecting outward from the wall surface of the gantry 2, respectively. ing. And as shown in FIG.
A cylindrical front protrusion 55b having an outlet 55a and a cylindrical lower protrusion 55d having an inlet 55c on the bottom are provided on the front surface of each solenoid valve 55, respectively. The projecting portions 55b and 55d are provided with self-locking type connection bushes 61a and 61b, respectively, and the connection ends of the branch pipe 56a of the second pipe 56 and the injection nozzle 57 are inserted into the bushes 61a and 61b. Thereby, connection by each fitting can be performed by one-touch operation.
a, 61b are pushed into the solenoid valve so that the fitting is released, and the branch pipe 56a and the injection nozzle 5
It has a detachable one-touch connection structure that can be removed.

Further, the solenoid valve 55 is mounted on the mounting bracket 59 so that the angle can be adjusted. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, an L-shaped horizontal portion 62a and an upright portion 62b facing the bottom surface and the front surface of the solenoid valve 55 are provided, and an opening extending over the horizontal portion 62a and the upright portion 62b. Portion 62c is formed, and the horizontal portion 62a is
5 is extended outward from the bottom of
A base member 62 having 2d formed thereon is used. The base member 62 is opposed to the bottom surface and the front surface of the solenoid valve 55, and the upper and lower projecting portions 55b and 55d and the wiring cord 63 pass through the opening 62c. The plurality of screws 64, 64
Thus, the base member 62 is fixed to the solenoid valve 55.

On the other hand, the mounting bracket 59 has a U-shaped cross section in plan view, and an upper wall portion 59a is continuously provided on an upper portion thereof, and the upper wall portion 59a has a through hole 59b of the lower protruding portion 55d.
, A wiring code through hole 59c, a plurality of screw holes 59d,
59d, 59d are formed.

As a result, the lower projection 55d is fitted into the through hole 59b, and the wiring cord 63 is inserted into the through hole 59b.
c, and the angle of the solenoid valve 55 is adjusted in an arbitrary direction about the lower protruding portion 55d. Then, the fixing screw 65 is screwed into the screw hole 59 through the long hole 62d of the base member 62.
The electromagnetic valve 55 can be fixed to the mounting bracket 59 at an arbitrary angle by tightening to any one of the positions d. In this case, since the screw holes 59d are provided at three places in the upper wall portion 59a, the elongated holes 62d on the base member side are provided.
In combination with d, the mounting angle can be adjusted in a wider range.

The upright portion 62b of the base member 62
A pressing portion 62e extending forward from an upper portion thereof and bent downward is integrally provided in a row, and a lower end portion of the pressing nozzle 62e has a small-diameter portion 57a
An engaging groove 62f is formed to engage with the holding portion 62e.
Thus, the wobble and escape of the injection nozzle 57 can be prevented.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numerals 66, 6
Reference numeral 6 denotes receiving trays for discharged products provided on both sides of the transport path of the third conveyor 51 on the upper surface of the gantry 2, and reference numeral 67 in FIG. 3 denotes a branching device provided at an intermediate portion of the second pipe 65. It is attached to a suitable wall surface of the gantry 2 by a connection tool.

Next, an operation of allocating a product by the above-described product allocating apparatus 1 will be specifically described.

For example, a packaged product A supplied from a packaging machine
Is supplied to the guide and transport section 3, and is sequentially transported to the weight inspection section 4 while being guided to the center in the width direction of the transport path by the guide members 33 and 33 in the guide and transport section 3. The packaged product A transported from the guide transporting unit 3 is subjected to a weight check by the weight checker 42 of the weight inspection unit 4, and then transported to the product sorting unit 5.

In the product sorting unit 5, when the packaged product A determined to be defective by the weight inspection unit 4 is conveyed by the third conveyor 51 to a position where the injection nozzle 57 is provided, FIG. As shown in FIG.
Solenoid valve 5 provided near the side position of the transfer path
By opening 5, air is immediately blown from the injection nozzle 57 provided directly on the solenoid valve 55 to the packaged product A, and the product A is discharged out of the transport path.

In this case, the solenoid valve 55 is connected to the third conveyor 51.
Is provided on the side of the transfer path, and the injection nozzle 57 is directly provided on the solenoid valve 55. Therefore, the time from when the solenoid valve 55 is opened to when the air is injected from the injection nozzle 57 is reduced. There is no delay, the responsiveness can be improved, and the loss of air pressure from the electromagnetic valve 55 to the injection nozzle 57 can be eliminated, so that the electromagnetic valve 57 can be downsized. When the packaged product A determined to be normal by the weight inspection unit 4 is conveyed, it is conveyed by the third conveyor 51 as it is.

Further, in the embodiment shown in the figure, since the solenoid valves 55, 55 are provided on both sides of the above-mentioned conveying path, one of the solenoid valves 55 is used when the weight is insufficient.
When the weight is excessive, the other solenoid valve 55 is controlled to open so that the discharge direction can be changed. This allows the product to be sorted into three directions.

The number of the solenoid valves 55 may be plural as described above, or may be one. Also, the installation position of the solenoid valve 55 is not limited to the upstream side of the third conveyor 51 as long as the installation position of the solenoid valve 55 is on the side of the transport path.
By adjusting the mounting position with respect to the injection nozzle 5,
The angle at which air is blown by 7 can also be adjusted arbitrarily. Further, the products to be sorted are not limited to the above-mentioned packaged products at all, and may be other products as long as they can be discharged out of the transport path by blowing air. In addition, each of the conveyors 31, 41,
51 is preferably tact transfer, but may be continuous transfer.

[0027]

As described above, according to the commodity sorting apparatus of the present invention, the solenoid valve is provided on the side of the transfer path of the transfer means remote from the compressed air supply means, and the outlet of the solenoid valve is Since the injection nozzle for blowing air from the side of the conveyance path to the product on the conveyance path at the time of opening the solenoid valve is directly provided, for example, a product determined to be defective by the inspection means such as a weight provided on the upstream side of the sorting device may be used. When the product is conveyed by the conveying means to the position where the sorting device is provided, by opening the solenoid valve, air is immediately blown to the product from an injection nozzle directly provided without piping through the solenoid valve. Thus, the product can be discharged out of the transport path. This eliminates the time delay between when the solenoid valve is opened and when the air is jetted from the injection nozzle, thereby improving the responsiveness and the air between the solenoid valve and the injection nozzle. Pressure loss can be eliminated, and the size of the solenoid valve can be reduced. In addition, since the solenoid valve can be reduced in size, it is easy to install the solenoid valve near the lateral position of the conveying means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of a product sorting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view as viewed in the direction of the air line in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of a solenoid valve.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Commodity sorting device 51 Third conveyor 55 Solenoid valve 57 Injection nozzle

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A merchandise sorting device for discharging goods out of a conveying path by blowing air onto the goods conveyed by a conveying means, wherein an electromagnetic valve is provided on a side of the conveying path of the conveying means. In addition, an outlet of the solenoid valve is provided with an injection nozzle for blowing air to the goods on the conveying path when the solenoid valve is opened.