JPH11208845A - Collecting and feeding device for article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably feed collected articles by providing guide means for both ends of a holder, and by supporting and guiding the both ends of the holder by the guide means when the holder is transferred to a discharge position along with the articles in the holder supported by a cord body. SOLUTION: When the whole basket group is moved from a feed position side to a discharge position, rollers 120 in the both ends of each basket 90 rollingly touch guide rail faces 118 of a presser guide in their moving process so as to be guided to the guide rail faces 118. That is to say, when the basket group is moved to the discharge position, the each basket 90 is supported by three points, a roller chain and both ends of the guide rail face 118. If the each basket 90 is vertically inclined by the weight of the received articles, this inclination can be prevented by pressing the rollers 120 in the both ends from the top by the guide rail faces 118.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an integrated supply of articles for cutting out a predetermined number of articles from a stream of articles continuously supplied, and supplying the cut-out article rows collectively to a packaging machine. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Related Art An integrated feeder for articles of this type is disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,768,642. This known integrated feeder has a pair of belt conveyors, each of which is provided with a holder group. Each holder group includes a plurality of holders, and can be independently transferred on a common transfer path by driving a corresponding belt conveyor. More specifically, the holder group on one belt conveyor side is sequentially positioned at the supply position on the transfer path with the intermittent running of the belt conveyor, and at this supply position, the individual holders receive the articles. Can be. When the articles are received by all the holders of the holder group, the entire group is then transferred to the discharge position on the transfer path together with the articles, and the articles accumulated at the discharge position are collectively discharged.

On the other hand, during the above-described process from the transfer of the entire holder group to the discharge of the accumulated articles, the other holder group is configured such that the individual holders are similarly positioned in sequence at the supply position, and then receive the articles. it can. That is, in this type of stacking / supplying device, the article supply operation and the stacking article discharging operation can be performed in parallel, and the speed of feeding the stacking article to the packaging machine can be increased.

In the above-described integrated feeding apparatus, since the individual holders are only supported by the corresponding belt conveyors in a cantilever manner, after receiving the article at the feeding position, the holder is moved by the weight of the article. Tilts down,
It may not be possible to stably transfer the stacked articles to the discharge position and discharge the stacked articles from the discharge position. In order to prevent such inconveniences, for example, the integrated supply device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 26515554 supports both ends of each holder group by bridging the individual holders in each holder group between a pair of endless chains. Ensures stable transfer of accumulated goods.

[0005]

However, the accumulating and feeding apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned patent publication requires two endless chains, that is, cords, for transferring each holder group. The load is doubled, and accordingly, a large output torque is required for the drive motor for running the cable.

In addition, when the cord is an endless chain,
Since the elongation of each endless chain is not uniform, there is a difference in elongation between a pair of endless chains. Such a difference in elongation shifts both ends of each holder back and forth as viewed in the transport direction, and as a result, causes each holder to tilt in the front-back direction. Such inclination of the holder causes unstable reception of articles at the receiving position, that is, cutting out of the stacked articles and discharging of the stacked articles from the discharge position. Moreover, when a difference occurs in the extension of the endless chain, it is not easy to uniformly adjust the length of the pair of endless chains.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article capable of stably supplying integrated articles with a simple configuration without increasing the load on a driving motor. To provide an integrated supply device.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for accumulating and supplying articles according to the present invention, which comprises a holder supported by a single cord, and further comprising guide means for both ends of the holder.
The guide means supports and guides both ends of the holder when the holder is transferred to the discharge position together with the article (claim 1).

According to the above-described integrated supply device, the holder receiving the article is transported to the discharge position with both ends thereof supported by the guide means as the cord runs, and the holder is moved to the discharge position. And is kept stable. The guide means is realized by rollers rotatably provided at both ends of the holder, and a guide rail surface for guiding these rollers.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, the stacking and packaging system is roughly divided into an stacking supply device 2 and a stacking and packaging machine 4. The stacking and feeding device 2 cuts out a predetermined number of the articles A as the stacking articles B from the flow of the articles A continuously supplied, by cutting the so-called articles A into small pieces, and thereafter,
The stacked articles B are discharged toward the stacking and packaging machine 4. here,
The stacking and packaging machine 4 pushes the stacking articles B supplied from the stacking and feeding device 2 together with the film sheet F into a packing line, and in the process of being conveyed on the packing line, the stacking articles B
Is wrapped in a film sheet F in a known manner. More specifically, on the packaging line, folding steps of the film sheet F such as body fold, side fold, upper flap fold, and lower flap fold are sequentially performed, and thereafter, the accumulated packaged product after packaging is discharged from the packaging line. Is done. The film sheet F is formed by cutting the film web W into predetermined lengths, and the film web W is fed from a film roller along a predetermined feeding line.
In the feeding process, a tear tape T is attached to the film web W.

Referring to FIG. 2, the collecting and feeding device 2 has an inlet section 6 which is arranged between a conveyor 8 composed of a belt conveyor and a small edge section 10 described later. The transport conveyor 8 is arranged horizontally, and transports the individual articles A to the entrance section 6 in a continuous state. The transport of the article A by the transport conveyor 8 is indicated by an area I in FIG.

The inlet section 6 has a horizontal transfer conveyor 12 consisting of a belt conveyor. The transfer conveyor 12 is arranged so as to be continuous with the end of the conveyor 8, and extends from the vicinity of the end of the conveyor 8 to the small edge section 10 in the same horizontal plane and on the same line as the conveyor 8. Therefore, the articles A conveyed on the transport conveyor 8 are sequentially transferred from the end of the transport conveyor 8 onto the transport conveyor 12.
Transported on top.

Here, the transfer speed of the article A on the transfer conveyor 12 is faster than the transfer speed of the article A on the transfer conveyor 8, and the article A transferred from the transfer conveyor 8 onto the transfer conveyor 12 is transferred to the transfer conveyor 8. It is separated from the succeeding article A above. Therefore, on the transfer conveyor 12, the individual articles A are transferred toward the small edge section 10 at a predetermined interval. The separation of the article A is indicated by the area indicated by the reference numeral II in FIG.

In order to ensure the transfer of the articles A from the transport conveyor 8 onto the transport conveyor 12, the transfer conveyor 1
A plurality of press rollers 14 are provided above the start end of the transfer roller 2, and these press rollers 14 are arranged at intervals in the transverse direction of the transfer conveyor 12, as is apparent from FIG. Each holding roller 14 is rotatably supported at the lower end of an arm 16.
Is rotatably attached to the arm shaft 8. The arm shaft 8 extends in the transverse direction of the transfer conveyor 12, and both ends thereof are respectively attached to brackets 20. These brackets 20 are used for the transfer conveyor 12.
Attached to the side plate 22 of the transfer conveyor 1
2 and are arranged to face each other in the transverse direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, a stopper shaft 21 extends in parallel below the arm shaft 18, and both ends of the stopper shaft 21 are also connected to the left and right brackets 20.
It is supported by. A stopper 23 corresponding to each arm 16 projects upward from the stopper shaft 21, and an upper end thereof contacts the arm 16,
Can be restricted from rotating downward. Here, each stopper 23 is formed of a bolt that is screwed through the stopper shaft 21 so that the stopper position of the arm 16 can be adjusted. Further, tension coil springs 24 are stretched between the respective arms 16 and the stopper shafts 23. These tension coil springs 24 pull the corresponding arms 16 toward the stoppers 23, and press the respective holding rollers 14. It is urged downward. In addition,
In FIG. 3, the tension coil spring 24 is not shown.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of transmission optical sensors is provided downstream of the pressing roller 14.
That is, the passage sensors 26 and 27 are sequentially provided. These passage sensors 26 and 27 are arranged on both sides of the transfer conveyor 12 so as to face each other, and when passage of the article A is detected, output of the passage signal to the controller 28, respectively.

Further, an air blow head 30 is disposed immediately downstream of one of the passage sensors 27. The air blow head 30 is connected to a compressed air source (not shown), and controls compressed air in the transverse direction of the transfer conveyor 12. It can be spouted below. More specifically, the air blow head 30
Is electrically connected to a controller 28. The controller 28 monitors a passage interval of the article A based on a passage signal from the passage sensor 26. When the passage interval is shorter than a predetermined interval, the controller 28 When a passing signal of the article A is detected, compressed air is ejected from the air blow head 30. That is, when the succeeding article A passes the preceding article A on the transfer conveyor 12 at a predetermined time interval or less, the subsequent article A receives compressed air from the air blow head 30 and Be excluded from. A collection box (not shown) is arranged on the side of the transfer conveyor 12, and the articles A removed from the transfer conveyor 12 are collected in the collection box.

FIG. 2 also schematically shows a part of the small-edged section 10 described above.
Are shown in more detail in FIG. The small end section 10 includes a pair of left and right side plates 32 that are opposed to each other in the transverse direction of the transfer conveyor 12. These side plates 32 extend parallel to each other in the direction of transfer of the transfer conveyor 12, and both ends are semicircular. Note that the pair of side plates 32 are supported by a frame (not shown).

One end of each side plate 32 on the transfer conveyor 12 side is mutually connected via a common support shaft 34. As shown in FIG. 5, the support shaft 34 is provided with a pair of left and right driven sprockets 36.
These driven sprockets 36 are supported on a support shaft 34 via bearings 38, and are independently rotatable. The space between the driven sprockets 36 is ensured by a sleeve attached to the support shaft 34, that is, a spacer 40.

On the other hand, a sprocket shaft 42 is provided at the other end of each of the left and right side plates 32 so as to penetrate therethrough, and these sprocket shafts 42 are arranged coaxially with each other. That is, each sprocket shaft 42 has an outer end protruding outside the corresponding side plate 32 and an inner end protruding between the left and right side plates 32. Each sprocket shaft 42 is rotatably supported by the side plate 32 via a bearing 44, and the inner end thereof is rotatably supported by a center bracket 46 via a bearing 48. The center bracket 46 is attached to cross members 50, and these cross members 50 connect the left and right side plates 32 to each other.

A gear pulley 52 and a driving sprocket 54 are attached to the outer end of each sprocket shaft 42 and between the side plate 32 and the center bracket 46, respectively. Endless first and second roller chains 56 and 58 as ropes are hung between each driving sprocket 54 and the corresponding driven sprocket 36, and the first and second roller chains 56 , 58 are arranged in parallel.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, a pair of servomotors 60 are provided below the pair of side plates 32 and at the other end, and these servomotors 60 are electrically connected to the controller 28 described above. Have been. As is apparent from FIG. 5, the pair of servomotors 60 are disposed in opposite directions as viewed in the transverse direction of the transfer conveyor 12, and the output gear pulley 62 of the output shaft thereof corresponds to the gear pulley 5 corresponding to the output gear pulley 62.
2, a timing belt 64 is wound around each. Therefore, the left and right first and second roller chains 5
6 and 58 can travel independently by driving the corresponding servomotors 60, and their traveling is controlled by the controller 28. In FIG. 5, the pair of servomotors 60 are shown on the side of the side plate 32, but this is merely for the convenience of drawing.

Still referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, one end of the side plate 32 is shown in detail. One end of each side plate 32 is the plate body 32b side,
One end edge of the plate body 32b is separated from an arc-shaped piece 32p so as to mesh with each other, and the arc-shaped pieces 32p are mutually connected via a pair of upper and lower connection plates 66. One end of each connecting plate 66 is fixed to the end piece 32p via a pair of fixing bolts 68, and the other end is formed with a slot 70 extending in the longitudinal direction of the side plate 32. The other end of each connecting plate 66 is fixed by screwing an adjusting bolt 72 into a pair of screw holes of the plate main body 32b through the slot 70, and the arc-shaped piece 32p is the length of the slot 70 of the connecting plate 66, It can be displaced in the longitudinal direction with respect to the plate body 32b.

On the other hand, as is apparent from FIG. 6, both ends of the support shaft 34 are reduced in a stepped shape.
It penetrates the slot 74 of the corresponding plate body 32b and projects outside the plate body 32b. Support shaft 34
A ring member 76 is fitted from the outside to each protruding end portion, and a nut 78 is fitted to a washer 8 at a thread portion at the protruding end portion.
0 is screwed. Accordingly, by tightening the nut 78, the plate body 32b is sandwiched between the stepped surface of the support shaft 34 and the ring member 74.
4 are connected to the left and right side plates 32 at both ends.

A feed screw 82 with a head extends through the projecting ends of the ring member 76 and the support shaft 34, and the feed screw 82 is screwed into the projecting end of the support shaft 34. On the other hand, the head-side portion of the feed screw 82 penetrates a bracket 84 protruding from the plate body 32b, and is supported by the bracket 84 in a state where its axial movement is prevented by a pin 86 (see FIG. 6). . Therefore, by rotating each feed screw 82 with the nuts 78 at both ends of the support shaft 32 loosened, the support shaft 32, that is, the left and right driven sprockets 36 can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the side plate 32. As a result, the extension of the first and second roller chains 56, 58 can be eliminated.
When the driven sprocket 36 is moved, the above-mentioned arcuate piece 32p is also displaced, so that the left and right driven sprockets 36, that is, the first and second roller chains 56 and 58 project from the left and right side plates 32. Can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first roller chain 56 has two first holder groups, namely, first holder chains.
Bucket groups 86 are provided, and the first bucket groups 86 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the first roller chain 56. The second roller chain 58 is also provided with two second bucket groups 88 in the same manner. Each bucket group consists of ten buckets 90, which are arranged adjacent to one another along the corresponding roller chain. When in the state shown in FIG. 4, one of the first bucket groups 86 is on the driven sprocket 34 side,
The first bucket 90 is positioned at the end of the transfer conveyor 12 described above, that is, at the supply position of the article A, and the other first bucket group 86 is on the drive sprocket 54 side. More specifically, the bucket 90 at the supply position is located at the same level position as the transfer conveyor 12.

On the other hand, one of the second bucket groups 88 is entirely positioned at the discharge position of the stacked articles B, and the first bucket 90 is the last bucket 90 in the other first bucket group 86. It is connected to. Then, the other second bucket group 88
The first bucket group 86 is located in relation to one of the first bucket groups 86 so as to be continuous with the last bucket 90. Here, the discharge position is defined between the driven sprocket 36 and the driving sprocket 54 when viewed in the running direction of the roller chain.

First and second bucket groups 86, 88
Have the same structure, and details thereof are shown in FIG.
Is shown in The bucket 90 has a bottom plate 92, which extends in a direction transverse to the roller chain, that is, between the left and right side plates 32. As viewed in the running direction of the roller chain, a front plate 94 and a rear plate 96 are provided with a plurality of bolts 98 on the front and rear end surfaces of the bottom plate 92.
Attached through. The front plate 94 and the rear plate 96 extend toward the outside of the orbit of the roller chain, and the space between the front plate 94 and the rear plate 96 that allows the article A to be received, that is, the bucket space of the article A Is secured.

In order to prevent the bolt 98 of the bucket 90 from interfering with the adjacent bucket 90, the bolt 98 of the front plate 94 and the bolt 98 of the rear plate 96 are connected in the longitudinal direction of the bottom plate 92 as shown in FIG. The bucket 90 has a front surface and a rear surface formed with recesses at the lower portion thereof to avoid the heads of the bolts 98, respectively.

The front end of the front plate 94 and the rear end of the rear plate 96 are bent in opposite directions, so that the front end of the bucket space is expanded. In order to avoid interference between the rear plate 94 of the bucket 90 and the front plate 96 of the adjacent bucket 90, the front plate 96 and the rear plate 98 are shaped such that their tips mesh with each other (see FIG. 10).

As shown in FIG. 8, the bucket 90 has a holder block 100 for connecting the bottom plate 92 to the roller chain, and the bottom plate 92 is connected to the roller block by a pair of holder blocks 100. It is connected to the inside / outside link 102. More specifically, the holder block 100 is fixed to the inner and outer links 102 via connecting bolts, and its bottom plate 92 is
It is separably connected to 0 through a plurality of connecting bolts / nuts 104 and connecting pins 106. Therefore, various sizes of bottom plates 92,
A front plate 96 and a rear plate 98 can be attached.
That is, the size of the bucket 90 can be easily changed.

Referring to FIG. 10, the layout of the first and second roller chains 56 and 58, the bucket 90, and the left and right side plates 32 is more clearly shown. Since the first and second roller chains 56 and 58 extend parallel to each other, the bucket 90 is connected to the corresponding roller chain at one end. More specifically, when viewed in FIG. 10, the bucket 90 of the second bucket group 88 is connected and supported by the second roller chain 58 at the right end thereof, whereas the bucket 90 of the first bucket group 86 is not shown. Bucket 9
0 is connected and supported by the first roller chain 56 at its left end. That is, the first and second bucket groups 8
The 6, 90 buckets 90 are cantilevered by the corresponding roller chains, and are transported along a common transport path as the first and second roller 2 chains 56, 58 travel.

Chain holders 108 are provided above and below the inner surfaces of the left and right side plates 32, respectively. Each chain holder 108 is provided with a chain guide 110 for guiding and supporting a corresponding roller chain. Pressing guides 112 are provided on the outer surfaces of the left and right side plates 32 at the top and bottom thereof, and these pressing guides 112 are attached to the side plate 32 by a plurality of connecting screws 116 via spacers 114. Each holding guide 112 is formed of a plate member having an L-shaped cross section extending along the side plate 32, and has a guide rail surface 118 facing the corresponding linear upper or lower edge of the side plate 32.

On the other hand, the first and second bucket groups 8
Rollers 120 composed of bearings are rotatably attached to both ends of each of the 6, 88 buckets 90, that is, the holder block 100, and these rollers 120 can be rolled on the corresponding guide rail surface 118. ing. Next, the operation of the small edge section 10 will be described.

Now, when the paired first and second bucket groups 86 and 88 are at the positions shown in FIG. 4, the articles A transported on the transport conveyor 12 will be It is received in the leading bucket 90 at the supply position. The reception of the article A is detected by a pair of transmission-type optical sensors, that is, a pair of reception sensors, and a detection signal is output to the controller 28. Here, the pair of receiving sensors are connected to the transfer conveyor 12.
And the side plate 32 of the small edge section 10
And is designated by reference numeral 122 in FIGS. Each receiving sensor 122
Is attached to a bracket 124 extending from the side plate 22 of the transfer conveyor 12.

When the controller 28 receives the detection signal from the receiving sensor 122, it drives the drive motor 60 on the first roller chain 56 side so that the first roller chain 56 runs intermittently. Is positioned at the supply position. As a result, the next article A conveyed on the transfer conveyor 12 is received by the next bucket 90 of the first bucket group 86. That is, the intermittent running of the first roller chain 56 allows the individual buckets 90 of the first bucket group 86 to sequentially receive the articles A. This state is shown in FIG. 1 by a region indicated by reference numeral III.

Here, while the first bucket group 86 is receiving the articles A in the individual buckets 90, the second bucket group 88 at the discharging position is subjected to the discharging process of the stacked articles B by the discharging device described later. Thereafter, the controller 28 continuously drives the second roller chain 58 to move each second bucket group 88 to immediately after the first bucket group 86 in front of the second roller chain 58. Intermittent running is performed in the same manner as the chain 56.

When the article A is received in all the buckets 90 of the first bucket group 86, the controller 28
Moves the first roller chain 56 continuously (see the area indicated by the reference numeral IV in FIG. 1), and positions the entire first bucket group 86 at the discharge position, whereby the articles A in the first bucket group 86 It is supplied collectively to the discharge position as an integrated article B. At this time, one second bucket group 88 has already escaped from the discharge position, and the first bucket group 86 does not interfere with the second bucket group 88. At this time, the other first bucket group 86 moves to immediately after the other second bucket group 88.

Even when the first bucket group 86 is being moved to the discharge position, the buckets 90 of the second bucket group 88 on the rear side are sequentially positioned at the supply position, and thereafter, are transferred on the transfer conveyor 12. The goods A to be received are similarly received in the individual buckets 90 of the second bucket group 88, and the goods A are received from the first bucket group 86 to the second bucket group 88.
Will be inherited. In this state, the positional relationship between the first bucket group 86 and the second bucket group 88 is opposite to that in the case of FIG.

When the first bucket group 86 is positioned at the discharge position, the stacked articles B in the first bucket group 86 are collectively discharged from the discharge device, and thereafter, the controller 28 controls the first and second roller chains. 56,5
8 is performed in a manner reverse to that described above. That is, in the small edge section 10, the receiving of the articles A and the discharging of the stacked articles B are performed alternately with respect to the first and second bucket groups 86 and 88.

Next, the above-described discharging device will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the discharge device includes a discharge pusher 130. The discharge pusher 130 reciprocates in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first and second bucket groups 86 and 88, and collectively discharges the articles B in the bucket group at the discharge position.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the discharge pusher 130 is made of a plate material disposed immediately above the stacked articles B at the discharge position, and both side edges along the moving direction of the bucket group are downward. To form pressing portions 132 and 134, respectively. One pressing portion 132 has a comb-like shape in order to avoid interference with each bucket 90 of the bucket group (see FIG. 11). In addition, if the pressing part 132 presses the part of the collective article B protruding from the bucket group, the pressing part 132 may be a simple linear plate.

The discharge pusher 130 has a reciprocating mechanism 136.
The head 138 is connected to the head 138.
Can reciprocate and raise and lower the discharge pusher 130 within a predetermined range. That is, the head 138 corresponds to FIG.
2, a predetermined block motion can be given to the discharge pusher 130 as indicated by an arrow. The reciprocating motion of the head 138 is, for example, an endless timing belt 14.
Zero reciprocation, and the lifting and lowering of the discharge pusher 130 can be realized by an air cylinder built in the head 138.

Now, from the state shown in FIG.
When 30 is moved to the right in the drawing, the stacked articles B are pushed out onto the discharge stage 142 by the pressing portion 132 of the discharge pusher 130, and the stacked articles B are positioned at an intermediate position on the discharge stage 142 (FIG. 1). , V region to VI region). At this time, the stacked articles B are the left and right side guides 1
Guided by 44, 146 (see FIG. 13). Thereafter, the discharge pusher 130 is raised and returns to above the solid line position in FIG. In addition, the accumulation article B
Is positioned, the integrated article B is detected by the pair of transmission-type optical sensors 147 (see FIG. 13), and the detection signal is supplied to the controller 28.

As is clear from FIG. 13, a compression pusher 148 is provided at one of the side guides 144 at the intermediate position.
The compression pusher 148 comes into contact with the lower part of the stack B by the extension operation of the air cylinder 150, and pushes the stack B toward the other side guide 146. As a result, the stacked articles B are
6 and the compression pusher 148, and the individual articles A are compressed so as to be in close contact with each other. Thereafter, the air cylinder 150 is contracted at the same time when the discharge pusher 130 descends to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. Here, the rod 135 from the other pressing portion 134 of the discharge pusher 130
Are projected, and this rod 135 is
6 to prevent the stacked articles B in close contact with each other from being pinched.

Next, when a new stacked article B is discharged from the discharge position to the intermediate position by the discharge pusher 130,
The other pressing portion 134 of the discharge pusher 130 pushes the stacked article B at the intermediate position to the exit position on the discharge stage 142. At this time, the stacked articles B at the intermediate position are guided by the side guides 152 and 146. In addition,
When the stacking article B is positioned at the exit position, the stacking article B is detected by a pair of transmission-type optical sensors 153, and the detection signal is also supplied to the controller 28.

Thereafter, the stacked articles B discharged to the intermediate position
Is compressed in the same way, and the collecting article B at the exit position
Is pushed out to the packaging line by the plunging pusher (not shown) of the above-mentioned integrated packaging machine. Therefore,
According to the discharge device described above, the stacked articles B supplied to the discharge position of the small edge section 10 are firstly pushed out to the intermediate position, compressed at this intermediate position, then discharged sequentially to the outlet position, and then stacked. Supplied to the packaging machine's packaging line.

In the above-described small edge section 10,
When the entire bucket group is moved from the supply position side to the discharge position, during the movement process, the rollers 120 at both ends of each bucket 90 are pressed by the pressing guide 112.
And is guided by these guide rail surfaces 118. That is, when the bucket group moves to the discharge position, the individual buckets 90 are supported at three points by the guide rail surfaces 118 on both sides in addition to the roller chain. Even if you try to tilt up and down,
This inclination is caused by the rollers 120 at both ends of the guide rail surface 1
It is prevented by being pressed down from above by 18. As a result, when the bucket group is positioned at the discharge position, the individual buckets 90, that is, the individual articles A, maintain the normal posture. As a result, it is possible to reliably discharge the stacked articles B by the above-described discharging device, and to stably supply the stacked articles B to the stacking and packaging machine.

Further, since each bucket group travels using one roller chain, the load on the drive motor 60 is reduced, so that not only a small drive motor can be used, but also Travel control can be performed with high accuracy. Further, even if the roller chain is stretched, the individual buckets 90 do not tilt back and forth in the running direction, and the stacked articles B at the discharge position are not tilted.
, And stable discharge of the accumulated articles B from the discharge position.

The above-described pressing guide 112 extends corresponding to the upper and lower linear portions of the first and second roller chains 56 and 58, but extends over the entire area of the orbital path of these roller chains. Is also good. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the roller 120 of the bucket 90 is sandwiched between the guide rail surface 118 of the pressing guide 112 and the linear upper and lower edges of the side plate 32. You may.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The bucket 90 can also be supported at three points by rolling the rollers 120 at both ends at 0 at the upper edge of the side plate 32. In this case, the upper edge of the side plate 32 becomes the guide rail surface. Furthermore, three or more roller chains can be provided, and each roller chain can be provided with three or more bucket groups, and the number of buckets in each bucket group is also reduced to ten. It is not limited.

[0052]

As described above, according to the article supply apparatus according to the first and second aspects, when the holder group is moved from the supply position side to the discharge position by a single cord, The individual holders of the holder group are supported and guided at both ends by guide means. Accordingly, each holder does not tilt in the vertical direction or the front-back direction due to the weight of the article, and the articles in each holder in the holder group are moved to the discharge position while maintaining the normal posture. As a result, the individual articles can be reliably discharged from the discharge position as stacked articles, and the stacked articles can be stably supplied to the next step, that is, the stacking and packaging machine.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an article and a flow of an accumulated article in an accumulation packaging system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an inlet section of an integrated feeding device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inlet section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a small edge section in an integrated feeding device.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a drive system of the small standing section in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the beginning of the small standing section.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a bucket.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the bucket of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the small edged section.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a discharge pusher of the discharge device.

FIG. 12 is a rear view of the discharging device.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the discharging device.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a modification of the bucket support mechanism.

FIG. 15 is a view showing another modification of the bucket support mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 32 Side plate 56 First roller chain 58 Second roller chain 60 Drive motor 86 First bucket group 88 Second bucket group 90 Bucket 112 Pressing guide 118 Guide rail surface 120 Roller

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A common transfer path having a supply position and a discharge position of an article, extending in parallel along the transfer path, passing through the supply position and the discharge position, and running independently of each other. Endless first and second cords, each of the first and second cords being alternately provided along the transfer path, and a plurality of first and second cords each having a predetermined number of holders. A first and a second holder group, wherein the individual holders of each of the holder groups are attached to the corresponding cords, and the individual cords are individually provided at the supply position with the intermittent traveling of the corresponding cords. In an apparatus for collecting and feeding articles, in which an entire group of holders is transferred to the discharge position together with the articles, the individual holders of the holder group are moved to the discharge position together with the articles. When it is sent, the integrated supply device of an article, characterized in that it further comprises a guide means for supporting and guiding the ends of the holder. 2. The article stack according to claim 1, wherein said guide means includes rollers rotatably provided at both ends of each holder, and a guide rail surface for guiding said rollers. Feeding device.