JPH11240623A - Container arranging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container arranging device capable of discharging containers in an aligned state and thereby stably performing a container arranging operation. SOLUTION: When an alignment conveyor 7 comprizing a container arranging device is oscillated to be in a discharging position to discharge nursery boxes A placed on the alignment conveyor 7 diagonally downward, the end parts of the nursery boxed A are positively engagingly locked to projections 53a of wrapping members 53 wrapped around a supporting roller 53 on the discharge side to surely prevent the nursery boxes A from being discharged at a single stroke. In this case, since the nursery boxes A engagingly locked to the projections 53a by means of torque of the supporting roller 53 are slowly discharged diagonally downward, impact on the nursery boxes when the nursery boxes are brought into contact with the previously arranged nursery boxes A or contacts the laying ground surface C, is reduced to positively prevent the objects stored in the nursery boxes A from flowing out or being one-sided. Further, since the nursery boxes A are discharged in an aligned state, the nursery box A arranging operation can be stably performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a container for growing seedlings of fruit and vegetables (rice, wheat, vegetables, etc.) or a seedling box for cultivating seedlings of other plants. The present invention relates to a container arranging device used for arranging containers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for arranging seedling boxes as described above, for example, a large number of seedling boxes loaded on the front side of the apparatus main body are separated one by one from the upper side, and the seedling boxes are separated. A predetermined number of seedling raising boxes are arranged and placed on a swinging conveyor provided on the rear side. The swinging conveyor is swung to the release position, and the seedling raising box is discharged obliquely downward, and the seedling raising box is moved onto a belt stretched to the release side, and the seedling raising is performed while the apparatus body is running and moving. There is an arrangement device for arranging boxes on a laying surface (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-316879).

[0003]

However, in the above-described apparatus, when the seedling box placed on the swinging conveyor is discharged obliquely downward, the seedling box is stretched by the contact resistance of the belt stretched on the discharge side. Is released at a constant rate, but if the weight of the seedling box is heavy, the contact resistance of the belt hardly acts, and the seedling box may be released at once or some seedling boxes may be released first. . In addition, when the contact resistance of the belt is reduced due to aging and wear, it is difficult to keep the release speed of the nursery box constant, and the arrangement of the nursery boxes is not uniform.

[0004] Furthermore, the impact given when colliding with the previously arranged seedling box or colliding with the laying surface is large, and the stored items (eg, soil cover, seeds, etc.) stored in the seedling box leak out. In addition, there is a problem that the growth of the seedlings is impaired because the seedlings may be shifted or deviated.

In view of the above problems, according to the present invention, when discharging a container placed on the container aligning portion, the end of the container is locked to the projection of the support roller which is mounted on the discharge side, so that the container is It can be reliably prevented from being released all at once.
Moreover, since the containers are discharged in an aligned state, an object of the present invention is to provide a container arranging device capable of stably arranging the containers.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
After a large number of containers loaded on the apparatus main body are vertically separated by the separating means and placed on the container alignment portion, the container alignment portion is swung to a discharge position in which the containers are discharged obliquely downward, A container arranging device for arranging containers placed on a container arranging portion on a laying surface while moving an apparatus main body, wherein a plurality of support rollers are arranged at predetermined intervals in a discharging direction on a discharge side of the container arranging portion. A container array having a plurality of projections that are supported by a shaft and are rotatable in the discharge direction and that are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support roller with a plurality of protrusions that are locked to the discharge-side front end of the container. The device is characterized in that:

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the plurality of support rollers are eccentrically shifted to a height position where the plurality of support rollers are in contact with a discharge-side front end of the container. It is characterized by being a container arrangement device that is bridged.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the protrusions are formed at predetermined intervals in an axial direction of an outer peripheral surface of the support roller which is mounted on the front and rear sides. The container arrangement device is characterized in that the projections formed on the front and rear support rollers are alternately opposed in the axial direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, there is provided a container arrangement device in which the protrusion is formed on an outer surface side of a covering member covered with the support roller. I do.

[0010]

According to the container arrangement device of the present invention, the container placed on the container aligning portion is discharged obliquely downward, and the end of the container is brought into contact with the projection of the support roller mounted on the discharge side. Since the locking is performed, it is possible to reliably prevent the containers from being released all at once or some containers from being released first. The support roller is rotated in the release direction, and the container locked by the protrusion is slowly released obliquely downward, so that the container is provided when the container comes in contact with the previously arranged container or comes into contact with the laying surface. Shock is reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, even if the container is not locked by the protrusion formed on the upper support roller on the discharge side, the lower support on the discharge side is supported. The container is securely brought into contact with and locked to the projections formed on the rollers, and is transported in the discharge direction while sequentially locking the containers against the projections formed on the plurality of support rollers, so that the containers are aligned. It is possible to reliably perform the work of releasing as it is.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the containers arranged on the front and rear support rollers are alternately opposed to each other, and the containers are sequentially arranged on the projections formed on each support roller. Locking and discharging allows the containers to be discharged at a predetermined rate, and the containers to be aligned.

In the container arranging device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a projection is formed in advance on the outer surface side of the covering member in addition to the operation of the first aspect. Winding, sintering, gluing, sticking or other winding methods), it is possible to form a projection on the outer peripheral surface of the support roller, the size of which is locked to the end of the container,
It can be applied to the operation of arranging containers having various sizes.

[0014]

According to the present invention, when discharging a container placed on the container alignment portion, the end of the container is securely locked to the projection of the support roller which is mounted on the discharge side. Even if the weight of the container is heavy, it does not slip off, and it is possible to reliably prevent the entire container from being released at once or the partial discharge of the container first as in the conventional example. Since the containers can be discharged in an aligned state, the container can be stably arranged. And, by the rotational force of the support roller,
Since the container locked by the protrusion is slowly discharged obliquely downward, the impact given when the container is arranged in contact with the previously arranged container and touches the ground on the laying surface is reduced, and the storage items stored in the container are reduced. Can be reliably prevented from flowing out or being offset.

Further, since the plurality of support rollers are eccentrically mounted on the height position where they are brought into contact with the ends of the container, the container is supported by the protrusions of the support rollers which are mounted on the upper side. Even if the container is not locked, the container is reliably brought into contact with and locked to the projection of the support roller mounted on the lower side thereof, so that the container can be reliably prevented from being discharged at once. In addition, since the container is transported in the release direction while sequentially locking the container with respect to the projection of each support roller, it is possible to reliably prevent the container from being released at once.

Further, since the projection is formed on the outer surface side of the covering member in advance, the projection having a size to be locked to the end of the container is formed on the supporting roller only by coating the supporting member with the covering member. Can be formed immediately. Since the size of the projection is changed by selecting or replacing the covering member in accordance with the size of the container, the present invention can be applied to the operation of arranging containers having various sizes.

Further, since the projections formed on the front and rear support rollers are alternately opposed to each other, the containers are sequentially locked on the projections of the respective support rollers and are slowly discharged obliquely downward. As described above, the arrangement state of the containers can be reliably prevented from being irregular, and the containers are discharged at a predetermined speed, so that the containers can be arranged in an aligned state.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The drawings show, as an example of a container, a container arrangement device used for arranging rectangular nursery boxes on a laying surface at an arrangement place. In FIG. 1 and FIG.
Is a transport trolley B on the front side of the device body 2 corresponding to the traveling direction.
Is provided, and after the loading mechanism 4 provided on the entrance side of the carriage storage unit 3 is retracted to both sides, the carriage B on which a large number of seedling raising boxes A are loaded is placed in the carriage storage unit 3. To store. After returning the loading mechanism 4 to the original position, the transfer mechanism 4 is driven to load the seedling raising box A loaded on the transport trolley B onto the loading section 5 provided at the center of the apparatus. By driving the unloading mechanism 6 provided on the rear side of the loading section 5, the seedling raising boxes A loaded on the loading section 5 are unloaded one by one from the lower side to the array conveyor 7 provided on the rear side of the apparatus main body 2. The nursery box A is arranged and placed.

A traveling mechanism 8 arranged below the apparatus main body 2
Rotates the crawlers 9 installed on both sides by the driving force of the electric motor 10, and raises the seedling boxes A placed on the alignment conveyor 7.
The apparatus main body 2 travels (at a constant speed or intermittently) in response to the above arrangement operation. Generator 11 mounted on device body 2
Supplies electric power required to rotate the crawler 9 to the electric motor 10.
To supply.

The electric motor 10 may be driven by electric power supplied from an external power supply. When the ventilation in the facility is good or the work is performed outdoors, for example, the driving of an internal combustion engine using gasoline, light oil or the like as a fuel. The vehicle may travel by force. Alternatively, the apparatus main body 2 may travel along a rail (not shown) laid on the laying surface C. Further, instead of the crawler 9, for example, the vehicle may travel by a wheel (not shown) such as a tire or a wheel.

A carriage B formed in a predetermined size (horizontal shape) is housed (in a state in which the longitudinal side faces the front) in a carriage storage section 3 provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 2, and a front side of the carriage storage section 3. Are open to a size that allows the carriage B to be carried in and out.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a lifting mechanism 12 disposed on both lower sides of the carriage storage unit 3 mounts a lifting plate 14 on a rail 13 provided on both sides so as to be movable up and down. An L-shaped hook 14 a that is locked to the short-side bottom portion of the carriage B is attached to the lower end side facing surface of the plate 14.

The lifting cylinders 15 mounted on both sides are
The hook 14 a is connected to the upper end of the lifting plate 14, moves up the hook 14 a in a direction in which the hook 14 a is locked to the short-side bottom of the carriage B, and the lowermost shelf 5 a formed on the loading unit 5.
In contrast, the lowest shelf Ba formed in the shelf storage portion Bb of the transport trolley B rises and stops at a height position that is substantially horizontal. On the other hand, the hook 14a is moved downward in the direction in which the lock is released, and is lowered and stopped at the standby position where the carriage B is allowed to enter and exit.

In the embodiment, the transporting trolley B is moved by the operator's hand. For example, the transporting trolley B is moved along a transporter such as a trolley with a lift, a forklift, or a rail (not shown) laid on the laying surface C. The carrier B may be moved by artificial means (for example, a hand of an operator) or mechanical means (for example, a cylinder mechanism, a motor mechanism, or the like).

Also, the transporter B is not lifted by the elevating mechanism 12, and the seedling box A loaded on the transporter B is transferred to the transfer mechanism 4.
, And may be transferred to the stacking unit 5.

FIG. 5, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, a loading mechanism 4 is provided so as to face the shelving portion Bb of the transport trolley B stored in the trolley storage portion 3.

The loading mechanism 4 has a movable frame 17 mounted on a rail 16 laid on the upper side of the entrance side so as to be movable left and right.
Transfer plate 2 formed in a size to be brought into contact with the longitudinal end of all seedling boxes A placed on shelf Bb of transport trolley B
0 is attached. The upper ends of the links 18 and 19 are pivotally connected to the movable frame 17 and the transfer plate 20, and the lower ends of the links 18 and 19 move up and down with respect to the movable frame 17 and the transfer plate 20. Engage as possible. And link 1
The intermediate portions of the link members 8 and 19 are pivotally connected to each other, and the lower end portion of the link 18 is connected to a movable body 22 described later.

A drive motor 21 with a speed reducer disposed at the center of the upper end side of the movable frame 17 rotates the screw shaft 21c forward and reverse through gears 21a and 21b, and the movable body 22 engaged with the screw shaft 21c. Move up and down. The links 18 and 19 are linked in accordance with the up and down movement of the movable body 22, and the retracted position where the abutment is avoided on the carriage B stored in the carriage storage unit 3, and the carriage 18 is loaded on the carriage B. The transfer plate 20 is moved back and forth to the forward position where the seedling raising box A is transferred to the loading unit 5.

The moving cylinder 23 arranged at the upper part of the entrance side
Is connected to the upper end of the movable frame 17 described above, and is in a standby position facing the shelving portion Bb of the transport trolley B stored in the trolley storage portion 3; The entire mechanism is moved left and right to a retreat position where loading and unloading are allowed.

The loading section 5 provided at the center of the apparatus main body 2
Is the shelving unit B of the transport trolley B stored in the trolley storage unit 3
b, the seedling boxes A, A having a width and a length substantially equal to those of the shelves Ba installed on the shelving portions Bb of the transport trolley B, and The shelves 5a are erected horizontally at right and left intervals, and the shelves 5a
Are installed (for example, 10 steps) at vertical intervals corresponding to the shelves Ba of the shelves Bb.

The unloading mechanism 6 disposed on the rear side of the loading section 5
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, an elevating frame 25 is movably attached to rails 24 provided on both sides of the apparatus main body 2, and an elevating chain 26 is connected to both ends of the elevating frame 25. The elevating chain 26 is stretched between a sprocket 27 pivotally supported on both upper sides and a sprocket 27 pivotally supported on both lower sides.

An elevating motor 28 with a speed reducer disposed at the upper part of the apparatus rotates the elevating chain 26 forward and reverse via sprockets 28a, 28b and a drive chain 28c, and rotates the carry-out belt 29 stretched on the elevating frame 25. The seedling raising box A placed on the shelves 5a, 5a of the loading section 5 gradually moves upward with respect to the height position at which the seedling raising box A is lifted. The descent stops at the descent position to be transferred.

The carry-out belt 29 is stretched between a pulley 30 pivotally supported at the front end of the lifting frame 25 and a pulley 31 pivotally supported at the rear end, and supports the shelves 5 a, 5 a spanned on the loading section 5. It is narrower than the interval, and the nursery boxes A, A placed on the shelves 5a, 5a are stretched (two in the embodiment) with a length and an interval that are supported in a horizontal posture. .

The unloading motor 32 with a reduction gear fixed to the side of the lifting frame 25 rotates the unloading belt 29 in the unloading direction via the sprockets 32a and 32b and the drive chain 32c, and unloads the seedling raising box A from the stacking unit 5. When the seedling raising box A is transferred to the central conveyor 7a of the alignment conveyor 7, it is rotated. Note that, instead of the belt, for example, the sheet may be conveyed by a chain or another endless belt.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the sorting mechanism 33 disposed on the lower rear side of the apparatus main body 2 has a central conveyor 7a.
On the lower side of the support frame 34 erected at the top,
A distribution plate 35 is movably mounted to the left and right sides of the seedling box A mounted on the support frame 34 so as to be movable left and right.
And the end of the traction chain 37 is connected to the distribution plate 35.

A moving motor 38 with a speed reducer disposed on the upper side of one side rotates the traction chain 37 forward and reverse via sprockets 38a, 38b and a drive chain 38c, and moves the seedling box A to the central conveyor 7a. The sorting plate 3 is divided into a standby position (center portion) where loading is allowed and a movable position (left and right position) where the seedling box A is sorted to the side conveyor 7b.
5 reciprocate. The seedling raising box A may be distributed to the left and right by one distribution plate 35.

The alignment conveyor 7 disposed at the lower rear end of the apparatus main body 2 comprises a central conveyor 7a, a side conveyor 7b and an auxiliary conveyor 7c.
The seedling raising boxes A are placed in parallel on the b and 7c in the length direction (two rows in the embodiment). Further, the seedling raising boxes A may be placed in parallel in the width direction.

The central conveyor 7a is connected to the rear lower end of the apparatus main body 2 so as to be able to swing up and down, and has a feed surface on which feed rollers 40 are suspended at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction. ing. The swinging cylinders 41 mounted on both sides of the rear lower portion are connected to both ends of the swinging frame 39, and the horizontal position in which the seedling raising box A is placed, and the seedling raising box A is directed obliquely downward. The alignment conveyor 7 is swung up and down to the discharge position to be discharged.

The side conveyor 7b is connected to both ends of the swing frame 39 so as to be vertically rotatable, and a feed roller 43 is supported on its conveying surface at equal intervals in the length direction. ing.

The auxiliary conveyor 7c is connected to the free end of the revolving frame 42 so as to be vertically rotatable, and feed rollers 45 are supported on the conveying surface thereof at equal intervals in the length direction. A stopper (not shown) for preventing the seedling raising box A from dropping is provided upright on the remaining peripheral edge of the conveyors 7a, 7b, 7c except for the release side edge.

As shown in FIG. 8, the running wheel 7d attached to the lower edge of the discharge side of the central conveyor 7a is grounded to the laying surface C when the alignment conveyor 7 is swung to the discharging position, and
The traveling guide is guided to a height position at which the free end side of the support frame 51 is moved while being close to or in contact with the ground.

The unfolding mechanism 46 disposed on the upper rear side of the apparatus main body 2 fixes one end of a wire 48 to the winding surface of a winding drum 47 which is pivotally supported on both upper sides. The pulley 49 is connected to the free end of the side conveyor 7b via a pulley 49.

A rotating motor 50 with a speed reducer disposed on the side of the winding drum 47 rotates the winding drum 47 forward and reverse via sprockets 50a, 50b and a drive chain 50c. By winding and rewinding 48, a horizontal position (shown by a solid line in the drawing) that is substantially horizontal with respect to the central conveyor 7a and a standing position (shown by an imaginary line in the drawing) that stands vertically are shown. Section conveyor 7
b is turned up and down.

The auxiliary conveyor 7c is folded inward to a development position (shown by a solid line in the drawing) in which the auxiliary conveyor 7c is deployed substantially horizontally with respect to the side conveyor 7b in response to the up / down operation of the side conveyor 7b. It is rotated to a folding position (indicated by a virtual line in the figure). Note that, instead of the conveyor 7, for example, a belt conveyor, a thrust conveyor, or another conveyor may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, a plurality of support rollers 52 are provided at predetermined intervals in the discharge direction on a support frame 51 provided on the discharge side edges of the conveyors 7a, 7b and 7c. It is mounted on a shaft. At the base end of the support frame 51,
A large-diameter support roller 52 is mounted around a shaft, and a small-diameter support roller 52 is formed between the base end and the free end.
... are sequentially mounted on the shaft.

The support rollers 52 are arranged such that a small-diameter support roller 52 arranged at an intermediate portion is supported on a lower side, and large and small support rollers 52 disposed at a base end and a free end are supported on a higher side. The shaft is suspended (for example, in an arc shape, a concave shape, or another similar arrangement state) so that the height decreases from the base end portion toward the middle portion and increases from the middle portion toward the free end portion. Further, the support rollers 52... May be shaft-mounted so as to be sequentially higher in the discharge direction.

As shown in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13, a winding member 53 formed in, for example, a belt shape, a sheet shape, or another similar shape is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the support rollers 52. Are wound and fixed so as to be staggered in the axial direction. Further, a winding member 53 having substantially the same width may be wound around and fixed to the entire peripheral surface of the support roller 52.

The winding member 53 is formed of a member having excellent wear resistance (a member having a large contact resistance may be used) such as synthetic resin, synthetic rubber, and metal. Protrusions 53a that are locked to the release-side end of the seedling raising box A are appropriately formed at equal intervals in the front-rear direction.
The protrusion 53a in the embodiment is formed continuously in the width direction with respect to the winding member 53, but may be formed partially.

The projection 53a of the winding member 53 is locked to the release side end of the seedling raising box A in a state where the winding member 53 is wound and fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the support roller 52. It is formed in a shape (for example, a trapezoid, a saw blade, a comb tooth, or another shape to be locked), and one slope 53a of the projection 53a is locked to the seedling raising box A, and The projection 53a is inclined at an angle θ at which the locking of the side projection 53a is avoided.

When the winding member 53 is wound and fixed, the winding member 53 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the support roller 52, and holes 53b formed at both ends of the winding member 53 are formed.
..., for example, a pin, rivet, screw, bolt or other similar connecting member 5 is inserted into the hole 53b.
By inserting (for example, press-fitting, screwing in) 4 and connecting and fixing, the opposing peripheral surfaces of the support roller 52 and the winding member 53 are pressed and fixed to each other, and the winding member 53 is non-rotatably wound and fixed. .

As another fixing method, for example, a non-slip surface such as a knurl or a projection may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support roller 53, and the winding member 53 may be non-rotatably wound and fixed. The winding member 52 and the winding member 53 may be integrally fixed by fixing means such as sintering, adhesion, adhesion, and fitting.

The support roller 52 supported on the support frame 51 is
As shown in FIG. 9, by a driving force of a motor with a speed reducer (not shown) built in the large-diameter support roller 52, or
With the driving force of a motor directly connected to the shaft end of the support roller 52 or fixed to the side of the support frame 51, all the support rollers 52 are synchronously or independently rotated synchronously with the discharge direction via the sprocket 55 and the chain 56. Is done.

The supporting rollers 52 may be rotated at different speeds, or all the supporting rollers 52 may be synchronously rotated in the discharge direction via large or small gears or via pulleys and belts. .

The illustrated embodiment is configured as described above. Hereinafter, when a large number of seedling boxes A are arranged on the laying surface C of an arrangement place (for example, a germination facility, a greening facility, a hardening facility) by the container arrangement device 1. Will be described. First, FIGS. 1 and 2
As shown in FIG.
Before storing the transport trolley B in the trolley, the loading mechanism 4 arranged in the trolley storage section 3 is retracted to both sides, and then the transport trolley B on which a large number of seedling raising boxes A are loaded (a state in which the longitudinal side faces the front). ) Is traveled and moved by the operator's hand, and is stored in the bogie storage unit 3 of the apparatus main body 2.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the lifting mechanism 12 is driven to lift the carriage B, and the lowermost shelf 5a formed on the loading section 5 and the carriage B are formed. The ascent is stopped at a height position at which the lowermost shelf Ba is substantially horizontal.

After returning the loading mechanism 4 to a position facing the shelving section Bb of the transport trolley B, the loading mechanism 4 is driven to move the seedling raising box A loaded on the shelving section Bb by the transfer plate 20. It is moved in the shelving direction, and is collectively transferred to the loading section 5 provided in the apparatus main body 2.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the transfer plate 2
After returning 0 to the initial position, the unloading mechanism 6 is driven,
The seedling raising boxes A placed on the shelves 5a of the loading section 5 are lifted by the carry-out belt 29, carried out one by one from the lower side, and sequentially transferred to the central conveyor 7a of the alignment conveyor 7.

At the same time, the sorting mechanism 33 is driven to set a predetermined number (for example, two or four) placed on the central conveyor 7a.
Of the seedling raising box A is distributed to the left and right side conveyors 7b and the auxiliary conveyor 7c. Note that a predetermined number (for example, eight or ten) of the seedling raising boxes A may be first distributed and supplied to one of the conveyors 7b and 7c.

Next, after a predetermined number (for example, 16 or 20) of seedling raising boxes A are aligned and placed on the alignment conveyor 7, the alignment conveyor 7 is swung to the release position as shown in FIG. The nursery box A is released diagonally downward, and the nursery box A is released.
Is wound around the supporting roller 52 by the winding member 5
3 and the projections 53 of the support rollers 52.
a of the seedling raising box A is transported in the release direction while sequentially locking the ends of the seedling raising box A with respect to the projections 53a of the winding member 53 wound around the support roller 52 which is mounted on the front side. Even if the seedling raising box A is not locked, the seedling raising box A is surely brought into contact with the projection 53a of the winding member 53 wound around any one of the support rollers 52 mounted on the rear side. Locked.

By the rotation force of the support roller 52, the seedling raising box A locked on the projection 53a of the wrapping member 53 is slowly released obliquely downward, and the seedling raising box A is placed on the laying surface C in an aligned state. Since the arrangement is made, when the seedling boxes A are arranged in advance, the impact given when the seedling boxes A are in contact with the laying surface C is reduced, and the storage items (for example, soil cover, seeds, etc.) stored in the seedling boxes A are reduced. It can be reliably prevented from leaking or offsetting.

Simultaneously, while the apparatus main body 2 is traveling or intermittently traveling at a constant speed, the seedling raising boxes A placed on the alignment conveyor 7 are arranged on an arrangement place (a hardening facility in the embodiment) laying surface C. .

Subsequently, the nursery box A carried out from the loading section 5
Are sequentially placed on the alignment conveyor 7, and the seedling boxes A placed on the alignment conveyor 7 are arranged on the laying surface C while the apparatus main body 2 is moved while traveling, so that a predetermined number of rows (for example, 10
The work of arranging the seedling raising boxes A can be performed in a short time.

On the other hand, after the shelving operation of the seedling boxes A with respect to the loading unit 5 is completed, the loading mechanism 4 is retracted to both sides of the carriage storage unit 3 using the operation time required for the arrangement of the seedling boxes A. Then, the hook 14a of the elevating mechanism 12 is lowered, and the transported trolley B with the shelves is grounded to the laying surface C. The transporting trolley B is unloaded from the trolley storing section 3, the next transporting trolley B on which the seedling boxes A are loaded is loaded into the trolley storing section 3, and the arrangement of the seedling boxes A by the container arrangement device 1 is continued. Do.

As described above, when the seedling raising box A placed on the alignment conveyor 7 is discharged obliquely downward, the seedling raising box A is moved toward the projection 53a of the winding member 53 wound on the support roller 52. Seedling box A
Even if the weight is heavy, it does not fall down, and it is possible to reliably prevent the nursery box A from being released at once as in the conventional example, or to prevent some of the nursery boxes A from being released first, Since the nursery box A can be released in an aligned state,
The arrangement of the seedling raising boxes A can be performed stably.

Further, the nursery box A locked on the projection 53a of the covering member 53 is slowly released obliquely downward by the rotational force of the support roller 52, and thus comes into contact with the seedling box A arranged earlier. At this time, the impact given when the ground is placed on the laying surface C is reduced, and the stored items (for example, soil cover, seeds, germinated or green seedlings) stored in the seedling raising box A are prevented from flowing out or leaning. The seedling and seedling growth are not impaired, and the seedling box A
Can be controlled to a release rate suitable for arranging.

Further, since the plurality of support rollers 52 are eccentrically mounted on the height position where they are brought into contact with the end of the seedling raising box A, they are wound around the support rollers 52 on the front side. Even if the seedling raising box A is not locked to the projection 53a of the wound member 53, the seedling raising box A is securely fixed to the projection 53a of the winding member 53 wound on the support roller 52 on the rear side. The seedling raising box A can be reliably prevented from being released at once by being abutted and locked. And the support rollers 52 ...
Since the seedling raising box A is transported in the release direction while being sequentially locked to the projection 53a of the winding member 53 wound around, the seedling raising box A is reliably prevented from being released at once. it can.

Further, a protrusion 5 is provided on the surface side of the winding member 53.
3a is formed in advance, so that only by winding the winding member 53 around the support roller 52, a projection 53a of a size locked to the end of the seedling raising box A is immediately formed on the peripheral surface of the support roller 52. Can be formed. Since the size of the projection 53a is changed by selecting or replacing the winding member 53 in accordance with the size of the seedling box A, it can be applied to an arrangement operation of the seedling boxes A having various sizes.

Further, since the winding members 53 are wound and fixed alternately on the outer peripheral surface of the support rollers 52, the seedling raising boxes A are sequentially engaged with the projections 53a of the support rollers 52. Since it is stopped and slowly discharged obliquely downward, it is possible to reliably prevent the arrangement state of the seedling raising boxes A from being irregular as in the conventional example.
Are released at a predetermined rate, and can be arranged in an aligned state.

In the correspondence between the structure of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the container of the present invention corresponds to the seedling raising box A of the embodiment, and similarly, the separating means corresponds to the carrying-out mechanism 6 and The arranging section corresponds to the arranging conveyor 7, and the covering member corresponds to the wrapping member 53. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

In the embodiment, the winding member 53 is wound around and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support roller 52. For example, the ring-shaped winding member 53 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the support roller 52, and May be fixed by fixing means such as sintering, adhesion, and adhesion.
A projection that is locked to the end of the seedling raising box A may be integrally formed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an arrangement operation by a container arrangement device.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the operation of arranging the seedling raising boxes and the operation of storing the transport cart.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a stored state of the transport vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a rear view showing a deployed state of the alignment conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the loading operation of the loading mechanism and the unloading operation of the unloading mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an elevating operation of the elevating mechanism and a loading operation of the loading mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the unloading operation of the unloading mechanism and the arrangement operation of the alignment conveyor.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an operation of releasing a nursery box by an alignment conveyor.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a mounting state of a support roller and a covering member.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a wound state of the covering member.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a deployed state of the covering member.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a side surface shape of a projection formed on a covering member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Nursery box B: Carriage truck Bb: Shelf storage part Ba: Shelf C: Laying surface 1: Container arrangement device 2: Device body 3: Truck storage unit 4: Loading mechanism 5: Loading unit 5a: Shelf unit 6: Unloading Mechanism 7: Alignment conveyor 8: Traveling mechanism 12: Elevating mechanism 14: Elevating plate 14a: Hook 20: Transfer plate 29: Discharge belt 33: Distributing mechanism 35: Distributing plate 46 ... Deployment mechanism 52: Supporting roller 53: Winding member 53a ... projection

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] September 10, 1998

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Brief description of drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an arrangement operation by a container arrangement device.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the operation of arranging the seedling raising boxes and the operation of storing the transport cart.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a stored state of the transport vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a rear view showing a deployed state of the alignment conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the loading operation of the loading mechanism and the unloading operation of the unloading mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an elevating operation of the elevating mechanism and a loading operation of the loading mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the unloading operation of the unloading mechanism and the arrangement operation of the alignment conveyor.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an operation of releasing a nursery box by an alignment conveyor.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a mounting state of a support roller and a covering member.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing an arrangement state of support rollers.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a wound state of the covering member.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a deployed state of the covering member.

FIG. 13 shows a side surface shape of a projection formed on a covering member .
Side view.

[Description of Signs] A: Nursery box B: Carriage truck Bb: Shelf storage unit Ba: Shelf C: Laying surface 1: Container arrangement device 2: Device body 3: Truck storage unit 4: Loading mechanism 5: Loading unit 5a Shelf 6 ... Unloading mechanism 7 ... Alignment conveyor 8 ... Traveling mechanism 12 ... Elevating mechanism 14 ... Elevating plate 14a ... Hook 20 ... Transfer plate 29 ... Unloading belt 33 ... Distributing mechanism 35 ... Distributing plate 46 ... Unfolding mechanism 52 ... Supporting roller 53: winding member 53a: protrusion

Claims (4)

[Claims] After a large number of containers loaded on an apparatus main body are vertically separated by a separating means and placed on a container aligning portion, the container aligning portion is swung to a discharging position in which the containers are discharged obliquely downward. A container arrangement device for arranging the containers placed on the container alignment portion on the laying surface while moving the device main body, wherein a plurality of support rollers are arranged in the release direction on the discharge side of the container alignment portion. On the other hand, the supporting roller is rotatably mounted in the discharge direction at a predetermined interval, and the outer peripheral surface of the support roller is provided with a projection which is locked to the discharge side front end of the container. A plurality of container arrangement devices. 2. The container arrangement device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of support rollers are eccentrically mounted on a height position in contact with a front end portion on the discharge side of said container. 3. The projections are formed at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface of the support roller that is suspended in the front and rear directions, and the projections formed in the front and rear support rollers are alternately arranged in the axial direction. The container arrangement device according to claim 1, which is opposed. 4. The container arrangement device according to claim 1, wherein said projection is formed on an outer surface side of a covering member covered with said support roller.