JPH11263438A - Low temperature classification system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an environment of a working space without causing quality degradation of an article in a classification system to classify the low temperature article by using a conveyor. SOLUTION: A low temperature classification system is to classify low temperature articles on a cart by using a conveyor, set with a specified working space existing between itself and the conveyor, has an opening part 12 on the side of this conveyor and is furnished with a refrigerator 7 in which the cart is stored from this opening part 12 free to be stored and delivered, a refrigerating device to refrigerate the inside of this refrigerator 7 by supplying freezing air in the inside of the refrigerator 7, an inside air blowing device 17 and an outside air blowing device 18 to respectively form air curtains respectively provided on an inside and an outside of an upper edge of the opening part 12 of this refrigerator 7 and blowing air toward the opening part 12, an inside honeycomb 30 and an outside honeycomb 31 to rectify blowing from each of these air blowing devices and a honeycomb holder 33 consisting of a round rod molded in a ring and to hold both of these honeycombs 30, 31 from the lower side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sorting system for sorting low-temperature articles flowing on a conveyor into carts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a supermarket process center or a low-temperature courier service, a conveyor is set up in a sorting plant, and low-temperature articles such as foods to be transported and delivered are flown using the conveyor, and workers are transferred from the conveyor. 2. Description of the Related Art An operation of picking up low-temperature articles (picking) and sorting them into carts (referred to as roll pallets or container carts) according to destinations is performed.

[0003]

In this case, the sorted low-temperature articles are kept in the cart for a relatively long time until the sorting is completed, so that the quality is deteriorated due to a rise in temperature. Conventionally, the entire sorting room of a factory was cooled to 0 ° C. to + 15 ° C. by an air conditioner. However, since the temperature around the workers is low, it is necessary to wear winter clothes even in the summer. Environment.

On the other hand, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-40781 (F25D13 / 00) discloses a freezing apparatus for directly cooling articles flowing on a conveyor, but the time during which low-temperature articles are present on the conveyor is long. Even if it is several tens of seconds, even if such a device is adopted in the sorting plant as described above and only the conveyor is cooled and the room is kept at room temperature, it has little meaning in preventing quality deterioration after sorting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problems. In a sorting system for sorting low-temperature articles using a conveyor, the quality of the work space is not reduced without causing the quality deterioration of the articles. The aim is to improve.

[0006]

The low-temperature sorting system of the present invention sorts low-temperature articles into carts using a conveyor, and is installed with a predetermined working space between the low-temperature articles and the conveyor. A cooling box having an opening on the conveyor side, and a cart stored therein so as to be able to be taken out of the opening, a cooling device for supplying cool air into the cooling box to cool the cooling box; And provided on the outside, respectively, by blowing air toward the opening, an inner air blower and an outer air blower that respectively form an air curtain, and an inner honeycomb and an outer honeycomb that rectify the air flow from each of these air blowers, It comprises a circular rod formed in an annular shape, and is provided with a honeycomb holder for holding both of these honeycombs from below.

According to the present invention, a predetermined working space exists between the conveyor and the conveyor, an opening is provided on the side of the conveyor, and a cooling box is provided through which the cart can be stored so as to be able to be delivered. In addition, since a cooling device for supplying and cooling the cool air is provided in the cooling box, the low-temperature articles picked up from the conveyor and sorted into the cart can be kept cool by the cooling unit in the cooling box together with the cart. . This allows articles to be kept cold during sorting without cooling the entire sorting room, so that it is possible to improve the environment of the work space while preventing quality deterioration of low-temperature articles. Become.

Further, since the cooling box is provided with an opening on the conveyor side, there is no problem in delivering the cart and storing low-temperature articles picked up from the conveyor in the cart. Furthermore, on the inside and outside of the upper edge of the opening of the refrigerator,
Since the inside air blower and the outside air blower that form the air curtain are provided by blowing air toward the opening, the work space and the inside of the cooling box can be partitioned by the double air curtain. . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the worker's feet from being cooled by the cool air leaking from the cooling box, and to maintain the working space and the inside of the cooling box at an appropriate temperature.

In particular, since the inner honeycomb and the outer honeycomb for rectifying the air flow from each of these air blowers are provided, a stable double air curtain can be formed at the opening, and a circular rod formed in an annular shape can be formed. Since both of these honeycombs are held from below by the honeycomb holding tool, the two honeycombs are held by a single honeycomb holding tool,
Thus, the number of parts can be reduced and safety can be improved.

[0010] The low-temperature sorting system according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises:
In claim 1, the honeycomb holder is supported by a support attached to the cooling box so as to be movable in and out of the chamber.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the honeycomb holder of the first aspect is supported by the support attached to the cooling chamber so as to be movable in and out of the chamber.
The inner honeycomb can be removed by moving the honeycomb holder outside the warehouse, and the outer honeycomb can be removed by moving the honeycomb holder inside the warehouse.

Thereby, the workability of assembling and maintaining each honeycomb is improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a low-temperature sorting system,
According to the second aspect, the support includes a fastening means for preventing movement of the honeycomb holder.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, since the supporting member has a fastening means for preventing the movement of the honeycomb holder, the honeycomb holder can be moved only at the time of maintenance of both honeycombs. And usually it will be possible to fix the honeycomb holder and put it,
This makes it possible to prevent the falling off of the honeycomb due to the inadvertent movement of the honeycomb holder.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a sorting room 1 in a process center of a supermarket to which the low-temperature sorting system of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a side view of the sorting room 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG.

In the sorting room 1, a low-temperature article such as food is sorted for each destination, and a main conveyor 3 for transporting a container 2 into which labels and the like of destinations are put is installed. Means multiple sub-conveyors 4.
・ ・ It is installed in the form of a branch.

The container 2 initially flowing on the main conveyor 3
Is flowed out to the side of the sub-conveyor 4 by a sorting device (not shown) when it flows to a predetermined sub-conveyor 4, and thereafter is conveyed toward the end by the sub-conveyor 4.

Each of the sub-conveyors 4 is provided with a cooling cabinet 7 in parallel with a predetermined working space 6 therebetween. The cooling cabinet 7 includes a heat insulating panel 8 on the back, a heat insulating panel 9 on the top, and a heat insulating panel 11 on the front.
An opening 12 is formed between the heat insulation panel 11 on the sub-conveyor 4 side and the floor surface.

The cooling device 1 is located inside the heat insulating panel 9 on the top surface.
4 is attached, and cool air blown out from the cooling device 14 circulates through the cooling cabinet 7 to cool. Further, inside and outside of the heat insulating panel 11 located at the upper edge of the opening 12 of the cooling cabinet 7, blowers 17 and 18 are installed across the left and right, respectively.

The inner blower 17 sucks cool air in the cooling cabinet 7 from above and blows it out toward the lower opening 12, thereby forming a cool air curtain inside the opening 12. . Further, the outer blower 18 sucks the air in the sorting chamber 1 from above and removes the air from the lower opening 12.
, Whereby an air curtain is also formed outside the opening 12.

With such a configuration, the opening 12 of the cooling cabinet 7
A double air curtain is formed, and the cool air blown downward by the inner air blower 17 forms an air curtain in the opening 12 and then circulates in the cooling cabinet 7 to form the outer air blower. The air blown downward by 18 forms an air curtain in the opening 12 and is sent to the feet of an operator 19 arranged in the work space 6.

Here, FIG. 4 shows each of the blowers 17 and 18 described above.
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of the lower part, FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of the lower part of the blowers 17 and 18 when the inner honeycomb 30 is removed, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the blowers 17 and 18, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

A blower (not shown) is attached to the upper portion of each of the blowers 17 and 18, and the lower or lower portion is used for opening or closing the cool air or warm air blown by the blower.
Outlets 17A and 18A for discharging inward and outward of 2
Are formed respectively.

Inside the discharge ports 17A and 18A, an inner honeycomb 30 and an outer honeycomb 31 for rectifying the blown cool air or warm air are arranged, respectively, over the entire width thereof. Each of the honeycombs 30 and 31 has a plurality of vertical narrow passages (honeycomb) formed therein, and these are formed by honeycomb holders 32 (two holders in this embodiment) attached from below. It is held in each of the discharge ports 17A, 18A.

The honeycomb holder 32 is formed in a ring shape as shown in FIG. 7 and is formed of a round bar having a relatively small diameter. This round bar is formed in a long elliptical shape as a whole, and has a dimension in the longitudinal direction that can hold the honeycombs 30 and 31 at the same time when attached to the heat insulating panel 11.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a support for fixing the honeycomb holder 32 to the refrigerator 7 and has a substantially inverted gate shape in cross section as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and has a rectangular recess at the center. The insertion portion 34A is formed, and mounting flanges 34B, 34B projecting outward are formed on the left and right sides.

When the honeycombs 30, 31 are attached to the blowers 17, 18 with the above configuration, first, the honeycombs 30, 31 are inserted into the discharge ports 17A, 18A from below, and then the honeycomb holders are attached. In the state in which the heat insulating panel 32 is directed from the lower side across the discharge ports 17A and 18A of the blowers 17 and 18 in a state where the heat insulating panel 11 is directed in the front-rear direction, the heat insulating panel 11 is addressed to the supporter 34 from the lower side of the honeycomb holder 32. (The lower surface facing the opening 12).

At this time, the honeycomb holder 32 is
4 in the insertion portion 34A so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (inside and outside the refrigerator). Then, with the screws 35, 35, the support 3
4 is fixed to the end face of the heat insulating panel 11.

Next, a screw 36 is inserted into the center of the insertion portion 34A from below, and screwed into the heat insulating panel 11 inside the ring of the honeycomb holder 32 and tightened. As a result, the honeycomb holder 32 is pressed against the heat insulating panel 11 by the support member 34 and cannot be moved back and forth. It is assumed that the insertion holes for these screws 35, 35, 36 are formed in the support 34 in advance.

Thus, the honeycombs 30 and 31 can be stably mounted in the discharge ports 17A and 18A of the blowers 17 and 18, respectively.

On the other hand, 21 is a cart called a roll pallet, a cool pallet or a container cart, etc.
Wheels 22... For movement are attached to the bottom surface so as to be movable. The containers 2 are sorted and stacked on the cart 21.

Here, the cooling cabinet 7 has a size capable of accommodating the cart 21 with a sufficient margin therein, and the opening 12 thereof is also dimensioned such that the cart 21 can pass therethrough. Thus, the cart 21 is stored in the cooling cabinet 7 so as to be able to be delivered.

On the other hand, an air conditioner 23 capable of cooling and heating by a heat pump air conditioner or the like is installed on the ceiling 1A of the sorting room 1. The air conditioner 23 exerts a heating action by the heat pump or the electric heater.
By such a heating action, the inside of the sorting room 1 is heated to a predetermined temperature.

An actual sorting operation with the above configuration will be described. As described above, for example, a plurality of carts 21 for each destination are stored in the cooling box 7 as shown in FIG.
The inside is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the cooling device 14 as described above. Then, the worker 19 is arranged in the work space 6 between the sub-conveyor 4 and the cooling box 7.

When the container 2 is conveyed on the sub-conveyor 4 as described above, the worker 19 picks up the container 2 (picking) and confirms the destination by looking at the inserted label. Then, the container 2 is stored in the cart 21 at the destination from the opening 12 of the cooling cabinet 7,
I will pile up.

When a plurality of containers 2 are stacked and the sorting operation is completed, the cart 21 is moved to the cooling cabinet 7.
They are pulled out from the inside and loaded on a delivery vehicle or stored in a separate refrigerator.

As described above, in the present invention, the predetermined work space 6 exists between the sub-conveyor 4 and the opening 12 on the sub-conveyor 4 side. And a cooling device 14 for supplying cool air to the inside of the cooling cabinet 7 for cooling, so that the inside of the container 2 taken up from the sub-conveyor 4 and sorted into the cart 21 is provided. Can be kept cool by the cooling device 14 in the cooling cabinet 7 together with the cart 21.

Thus, the low-temperature articles can be kept cold during sorting without cooling the entire sorting room 1, so that the quality of the low-temperature articles can be prevented from deteriorating and the environment of the work space 6 can be improved. Will be able to do it.

In particular, since the cooling cabinet 7 is provided with the opening 12 on the side of the sub-conveyor 4, the delivery of the cart 21 and the work of storing the container 2 picked up from the sub-conveyor 4 into the cart 21 also occur. Absent.

Further, a blower 17 for forming an air curtain by blowing air toward the opening 12 inside and outside the upper edge of the opening 12 of the cooling cabinet 7.
Since the air conditioner 18 is provided, the inside of the work space 6 and the inside of the cooling cabinet 7 can be partitioned by the double air curtain. in this case,
The cool air and the warm air are rectified by the respective honeycombs 30 and 31, and the occurrence of turbulence is reduced, so that a stable double air curtain is formed in the opening 12.

Thus, it is possible to prevent the worker's feet from being cooled by the cool air leaking from the cooling box 7, and to maintain the working space 6 and the inside of the cooling box 7 at an appropriate temperature.

Next, when replacing the inner honeycomb 30, for example, the screws 36 are loosened. As a result, the honeycomb holder 32 can move in the front-rear direction. Then, the honeycomb holder 32 is moved outward of the cooling cabinet 7 (FIG. 5). In this state, since the honeycomb holder 32 is removed from the lower side of the honeycomb 30, the honeycomb 30 can be taken out from the discharge port 17A.

Then, the new honeycomb 30 is inserted into the discharge port 17A from the lower side, the honeycomb holder 32 is moved to the inside of the cooling cabinet 7 again, and the screw 36 is tightened as described above to hold the inner honeycomb 30 from the lower side. I do. In addition, the outer honeycomb 3
When replacing 1, the honeycomb holder 32 may be moved to the inside of the cooling cabinet 7 in the opposite manner.

With the above configuration, the inner honeycomb 30 and the outer honeycomb 31 can be held from below by the single holder 32, and the number of parts can be reduced. Furthermore, since the honeycomb holder 32 for holding the honeycombs 30, 31 is formed of an annular round bar,
Since the size of the protrusion to the opening 12 is small and the sharp portion is also reduced, the risk of the worker 19 colliding during work and being injured is also reduced.

When one of the honeycombs 30 and 31 is removed and maintenance or the like is performed, the support member 34 is used.
Loosen the screw 36 attached to the insertion portion 34A,
This can be easily performed after the honeycomb holder 32 is in a movable state.

Since the movement of the honeycomb holder 32 can be prevented by the support member 34 by tightening the screw 36, the honeycombs 30, 31 can be prevented from falling off due to the careless movement of the honeycomb holder 32. .

[0047]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a predetermined work space exists between the conveyor and the conveyor, and an opening is provided on the conveyor side. In addition to installing a cooler to be stored, a cooling device that cools by supplying cool air to the cooler was installed, so the low-temperature articles taken up from the conveyor and sorted into carts were cooled together with the carts in the cooler. It can be kept cool by the device. As a result, without cooling the entire sorting room,
Since the articles can be kept cool during sorting, it is possible to improve the environment of the work space while preventing quality deterioration of the low-temperature articles.

Further, since the cooling box is provided with an opening on the conveyor side, there is no hindrance to the delivery of the cart and the storage of the low-temperature articles picked up from the conveyor in the cart. Furthermore, on the inside and outside of the upper edge of the opening of the refrigerator,
Since the inside air blower and the outside air blower that form the air curtain are provided by blowing air toward the opening, the work space and the inside of the cooling box can be partitioned by the double air curtain. . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the worker's feet from being cooled by the cool air leaking from the cooling box, and to maintain the working space and the inside of the cooling box at an appropriate temperature.

In particular, since the inner honeycomb and the outer honeycomb for rectifying the air flow from each of these air blowers are provided, a stable double air curtain can be formed at the opening, and a circular rod formed in an annular shape can be formed. Since both of these honeycombs are held from below by the honeycomb holding tool, the two honeycombs are held by a single honeycomb holding tool,
Thus, the number of parts can be reduced and safety can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the honeycomb holder is supported by the support attached to the cooling box so as to be movable in and out of the chamber, so that the honeycomb holder is moved to the outside of the chamber. This makes it possible to remove the outer honeycomb by moving the inner honeycomb to the inside of the storage.

This improves the workability of assembling and maintaining each honeycomb.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the supporting member has the fastening means for preventing the movement of the honeycomb holder, the honeycomb holder can be moved only at the time of maintenance of both honeycombs. Normally, the honeycomb holder can be fixed and placed, so that the honeycomb can be prevented from falling off due to careless movement of the honeycomb holder.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sorting room in a process center of a supermarket to which a low-temperature sorting system according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the sorting chamber.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view of a lower portion of each blower.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of a lower portion of each blower when an inner honeycomb is removed.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of each blower.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the honeycomb holder and the support.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sorting room 2 Container 3 Main conveyor 4 Subconveyor 6 Work space 7 Cooling cabinet 12 Opening 14 Cooling device 17, 18 Blower 17A, 18A Discharge port 30 Inner honeycomb 31 Outer honeycomb 32 Holder 34 Supporting tool 34A Inserting part 34B Flange 35, 36 Screw

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A system for sorting low-temperature articles into carts using a conveyor, which is installed with a predetermined working space between the conveyor and the cart, has an opening on the side of the conveyor, and has an opening on the side of the conveyor. A cooling box in which the cart is stored so as to be able to be delivered, a cooling device for supplying and cooling cold air into the cooling box;
By blowing air toward the opening, an inner air blower and an outer air blower that respectively form an air curtain, an inner honeycomb and an outer honeycomb that rectify the air flow from each of the air blowers, and a round bar formed in an annular shape And a honeycomb holder for holding both of these honeycombs from below. 2. The low-temperature sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the honeycomb holder is movably supported in the inside and outside of the refrigerator by a support attached to the cooling refrigerator. 3. The low-temperature sorting system according to claim 2, wherein the support has a fastening means for preventing movement of the honeycomb holder.