JPH1171023A - Transferring-sorting conveyer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a pin of a slide piece for a sorting conveyer from causing trouble at a sorting point, by scooping up the pin to the transversely pre-moved slide piece by a sorting guide rail and guiding it in the sorting direction. SOLUTION: An activating device 7 provided on the upstream side of a sorting point 6 previously pushes a slide piece 3B for sorting to a sorting side, and moves a pin 301B to a sorting passage 602 outside of a straight passage. Then, the pin is guided in the sorting direction by a tip 501 of a guide rail 5 at a sorting point 6 such that the pin is scooped. The pin 301B of the slide piece 3B which is moved from the straight passage 601 to the sorting passage 602 by the activating device 7 on the upstream side of the sorting point 6 abuts to the guide rail 5 and transversely moves toward the sorting direction to a termination 502. Articles are pressed in the side by the transversely moving slide piece 3B, and due-out-sorted to a branch conveyer Y.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport sorting conveyor for sorting articles conveyed in a single line from a previous process into a plurality of predetermined positions according to purposes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this specification, the term "article" includes an article itself to be sorted and a tray or other container on which the article is placed.

[0003]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, in the field of various logistics activities such as packaging, cargo handling, transportation and storage, in order to manage and distribute a large number of diversified articles, factories, distribution centers, sorting facilities for fruits and vegetables, etc. Therefore, there is a demand for improvement in high-speed automatic transfer sorting technology. Conventionally, a sorting conveyor device that places articles to be sorted on buckets (pans) using a chain conveyor with buckets, tilts the buckets (pans) in a horizontal direction at a predetermined sorting position, and sorts out payouts, a slat-shaped conveyor or A roller conveyor is provided with slide pieces for extruding articles in the lateral direction (sideways), and the articles are moved to a specific position (row) by lateral movement of the slide pieces, or are sorted out to the side of the conveyor. (Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-615).
However, in the chain conveyor device with buckets, although the conveyor speed of the conveyor itself can be increased, it takes human labor to place articles one by one on buckets attached at regular intervals and traveling at high speed, It requires an automatic feeding device with a complicated mechanism for adjusting the timing. Further, there is a drawback that articles that can be automatically supplied are limited to specific ones. Further, since the bucket is dispensed by tilting the bucket in the lateral direction, articles that are easily damaged are unsuitable, and there is a disadvantage that the use is limited.

[0004] Further, a conveyor having a configuration in which a slide piece is attached to a slat-shaped conveyor or a roller conveyor and pushed out sideways can sort out articles to be conveyed without tilting or falling over, so that the articles can be sorted out by the chain conveyor device with buckets. It is a device that causes less damage to the sheet and can be conveyed without the need for a special automatic supply device. Therefore, it is widely used as an automatic sorting device. However, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-615, a conveying surface forming member (shaft) is used. A guide groove that straightly moves a pin (guide pin) protruding below a slide piece (slide shoe) that moves along a rod) and a sorting guide rail (cam rail) branched from this guide groove
A technique is used in which the slide pieces are laterally moved by being guided in sliding contact with each other, and the articles on the conveying surface are pushed out and discharged to the side to sort the articles.

In such a sorting conveyor, a switching guide rail (switch rail) is provided at a switching point (branch position) of the sorting, and the guide pin of the slide piece is selectively moved in the straight direction or by operating the switching guide rail. Guided in the sorting direction. In such a switching mechanism, it is necessary to operate when the pin of the slide piece passes the switching point, and even if a slight timing shift occurs due to elongation of the chain or the like, the switching rail is not completely moved and the slide is not performed. The pin pin collided between the branch grooves between the straight traveling direction and the sorting direction, causing troubles such as breakage of the pin and a stop of climbing. For this reason, improvements have been made such as buffering the colliding portion with a spring or forming a slope to slide in any direction, but the cause of the trouble has not been solved yet.

[0006]

In the conventional conveyor, there is provided a switching guide rail which is rotatable at a switching point, so that the front and rear widths of the conveying surface forming member are relatively narrow, and medium and small articles are conveyed. In the sorting conveyor, if the distance between the pins of the front and rear slide pieces is small and the conveyor speed is high, the switching mechanism cannot follow and the collision occurs as described above.

Further, the conveyor speed is limited by the length of the switching guide rail and the time required for the switching operation, so that there is a problem that the speed cannot be increased. In particular, the length of the guide groove of the switching guide rail is a required value from an allowable distribution angle for smoothly guiding the pin of the slide piece, which has traveled straight from the upstream, to the laterally provided sorting guide groove outside the straight path at the downstream end. There is a disadvantage that the length cannot be shortened.

Further, since the switching mechanism is attached to the lower portion of the transport surface in the frame, if the timing of the slide frame and the sorting signal is shifted with respect to the switching mechanism due to the extension of the chain due to long-term use, this will be corrected. There is a disadvantage that inspection and adjustment cannot be performed easily.

An object of the present invention is to provide a transport sorting conveyor which solves such problems.

[00010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The features of the present invention made to achieve the above object are as described in the respective claims.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of conveying surface forming members are arranged in parallel, and both ends thereof are attached to a conveyor chain which runs endlessly on chain rails provided on both left and right sides, respectively. Provide a slide piece that moves along the slide, guide the pins projecting below this slide piece laterally from the sorting point by the sorting guide rail, and sort the articles on the transport surface by the slide piece in the horizontal direction. A transport sorting conveyor having, provided on the upstream side of the sorting point of the sorting portion that branches in the straight direction and the lateral direction, provided with an actuating device that preliminarily laterally moves the position of the pin of the slide piece to be sorted out of the straight path,
A sorting guide rail is provided that extends in the sorting direction in proximity to the straight path at the sorting point, and the pins of the slide pieces that have been moved in advance laterally by the above-described operating device and changed to the side of the straight path have progressed outside the straight path at the same position. When the sorting point is reached, the slide pieces are scooped by the sorting guide rails to guide the slide pieces in the sorting direction, so that transport sorting can be performed without having a switching device at the sorting point and a movable device such as a rail. That is, on the upstream side before the slide piece to be sorted in the branching direction reaches the sorting point, the slide piece is moved in advance laterally, and the pins of the slide piece are moved out of the straight path to advance on the sorting path side. At the sorting point, a branch is made by simply providing a sorting guide rail.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, each of the slide pieces is provided with a cam-shaped abutting surface, and the operating device is provided with a pusher roller protruding in a straight path of the slide piece. When the pusher roller protrudes from the abutment surface of each slide piece with the pusher roller, the slide piece moves laterally in contact with the abutment surface of the piece and the pin position of the slide piece moves laterally out of the straight path. It is formed in the shape of a mountain-like cam having a concave portion which does not contact the convex portion which is brought into contact with the slide member so that when the push roller retracts, it does not contact the next slide piece.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a cam follower roller is provided on each slide piece, and the operating device is provided with a pusher cam protruding in a straight path of the cam follower roller of the slide piece, and the pusher cam is provided with a cam follower roller of the slide piece. , The slide piece is moved laterally, and the position of the pin of the slide piece is moved laterally out of the straight traveling path.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an engagement mechanism is provided on a part of the slide piece and the conveying surface forming member to urge the slide piece in a sorting direction by an elastic member such as a spring and lock the slide piece at one end. When the lock of the engagement mechanism is released by the device, the pin of the slide piece is moved laterally out of the straight path by the biasing force, and the slide piece is engaged with one end of the conveying surface forming member. By providing a lock, the pin of the slide piece can run straight and stably even without a straight guide rail, and when the actuator is activated and the lock is released, the slide piece is instantaneously accelerated by the bias of the spring etc. , To laterally move to the sorting passage side outside the straight passage and sort at high speed. That is, even if the interval (chain pitch) between the transfer surface forming member and the slide piece in the traveling direction is small, the pins of the slide piece are instantaneously moved laterally from the straight path to the sorting path side.

The invention according to claims 5 and 6 relates to the engagement mechanism according to claim 4. The engagement mechanism urges the slide piece in the sorting direction and locks the slide piece to a part of the conveying surface forming member. The engagement piece to be locked and a locked portion that receives the engagement piece (for example, a hook pin) Or lock receiving part)
May be provided on the conveying surface forming member and the other on the slide piece. That is, the engagement piece may be attached to the slide piece, and the locked portion may be provided on the side of the conveyance surface forming member. Alternatively, the arrangement may be reversed.

The engagement piece has at least a touch portion with which the touch lever of the operating device comes into contact, and a locking portion urged to engage with the locked portion on the other side. At this time, the engagement piece released the engagement with a slight movement.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first to sixth aspects, the operating device is provided outside the frame of the transport sorting conveyor, and is provided with a slide piece that travels on a straight path while approaching one end of the transport surface forming member. A pusher (including a cam and a roller) is brought into and out of contact with a predetermined position, or a touch arm is brought into contact with an engagement piece of an engagement mechanism.

[0018]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, each slide piece of the conveyor sorting conveyor is moved to one end and the pin protruding downward travels in a straight path. When the conveying surface forming member on which the articles to be sorted is placed approaches the sorting section and the slide piece reaches immediately before (upstream) the sorting point, the position of the pin of the slide piece is horizontally moved outside the straight path in the sorting direction by the operating device. Move. That is, the pin deviates from the straight path to the sorting side immediately before the upstream of the sorting point and travels on the sorting path.
There are no obstacles such as a switching rail that regulates the movement of the pin around the pin when the pin moves out of the straight path, and the pin smoothly and reliably exits the straight path immediately before the sorting point. The operating device operates according to the length of the article to be sorted in the traveling direction, and continuously pushes each slide piece (slide piece that translates with the article) corresponding to the side surface from the front end to the rear end of the article by a pusher (cam). , Including rollers) from the straight path to the sorting path side. The pins that fall out of the straight path are guided from a sorting point to a sorting guide rail provided in the sorting direction to move the slide piece laterally in the sorting direction. The loaded articles are pushed sideways by the slide pieces that move laterally and are sorted out toward the branch conveyor Y.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the angled cam-shaped abutting surface provided on a part of the side surface or the upper surface of each slide piece is pushed by the pusher roller provided at the protruding tip of the actuator, and the slide piece is in focus. Move horizontally in the sorting direction.
The length of the cam-shaped contact surface (convex surface) in contact with the pusher roller in the traveling direction is shorter than the length in the traveling direction of the slide piece, and there is a recessed portion that passes through without pushing even if the pusher roller comes out. Since the pusher roller retracts when passing through the recessed portion, it does not come into contact with the next slide piece. For this reason, it is possible to sort each slide piece, which is suitable for sorting small articles.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the slide pieces are laterally moved by a cam follower roller provided on a part of a side surface or an upper surface of each slide piece and a pusher cam provided at a protruding tip of the operating device. If the length of the pusher cam is increased in addition to the above operation by replacing the mounting of the roller and the cam, a plurality of slide pieces can be simultaneously pushed and moved laterally. In this case, it is suitable for sorting relatively large articles.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since each slide piece is locked to one end of each transport surface forming member, the pin stably travels on the straight path without the straight guide rail.
When disengaged by the actuating device, the slide piece for sorting articles is instantaneously moved laterally by the urging of an elastic member such as a spring, and the pin advances in the sorting path outside the straight path. When the pin reaches the sorting point, the pin is guided by a sorting guide rail, the slide piece is moved laterally, and the articles are pushed to the side of the conveyor to be delivered to the branch conveyor Y for sorting. Since the actuator only releases the engagement by touching the engagement piece, it can be released with a small amount of movement (movement). Therefore, it can operate at high speed.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, since the engaging piece has the touch portion and the locking portion, the direction and the position of the touch portion and the locking portion extending in the respective directions from the fulcrum pin can be adjusted. The touch arm can easily be operated easily. That is, the touch portion can be formed upward, obliquely upward, laterally, or the like, and the engagement can be released by a slight movement.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the operating device is provided outside the frame of the transport sorting conveyor, when a slide piece to be sorted comes, a pusher (cam) is applied to the slide piece from outside the traveling conveyor transport surface. , And rollers) are brought out and in contact with each other, or the engagement of the engagement pieces is released by the touch arm, and the slide piece is moved in advance in the horizontal direction. While the conveyor is running, the operating state of the conveyor can be visually observed from outside. For this reason, it is possible to easily adjust the operation timing of the operating device with respect to the traveling slide piece to be optimal. Because it is mounted externally, fine adjustment of positioning can be performed while the conveyor is running.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

Embodiment 1 This example is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the sorting section, and details are shown in FIGS. In the figure, Y is a branch conveyor for discharging the sorted articles, P is the sorted articles, and includes the articles themselves, trays on which the articles are placed, and other containers.

As can be seen from the figure, the sorting conveyor 1
Is a method in which a conveyor chain 103 is stretched on chain rails 102 arranged on both inner sides of a conveyor frame 101, and between the conveyor chains 103, a number of transports having two parallel portions 201 long in the width direction of the conveyor are provided. The surface forming members 2 are arranged in parallel, and both end mounting portions 202 are respectively mounted on the chains 103 on both sides. A slide piece 3 fitted and movably fitted along the length direction (hereinafter, referred to as the width direction of the conveyor) is attached to the transfer surface forming member 2 in combination. This slide piece 3
As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the two parallel portions 201 are formed so as to slide on the upper surface 203, the inner side surface 204, and the lower surface 205. I have. The pin 301 is preferably provided with a rotatable roller 302 to reduce the side pressure of the slide piece 3, but in the case of a light load conveyor, only the pin may be used. In the case of a conveyor having a larger load (hereinafter, referred to as a pin including the rollers), an internal roller 303 is provided to be in contact with the inner side surface 204 of the parallel portion 201 to smoothly move the conveyor in the width direction. And this slide piece 3 is the sorting conveyor 1
In a straight traveling process (not shown) from the start end to the first sorting, a pin 301 (including a roller 302) protruding from a lower portion so as to run toward one end (the left side in FIG. 1) is guided by a straight guide rail. Guided by 4. Straight guide rail 4
Is attached to the cross beam member 104 in the conveyor frame 101.

The straight guide rail guides the slide piece so as not to be displaced even if the slide piece receives an external contact during traveling. Depending on the installation location and the installation form of the sorting conveyor, the safety fence of the traveling path is provided. And safety covers,
If safety is ensured, it can be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the sorting section includes a straight path 60 for sorting the articles P into the branch conveyor Y.
A sorting guide rail 5 for laterally moving the slide pieces 3B traveling in the sorting passage 602 outside (in the sorting direction) 1 in the sorting direction to the branch conveyor Y is provided. The sorting guide rail 5 has a tip portion 501 on a side of a rectilinear passage 601 for directly moving the pin 301A of the slide piece 3A that is not sorted at the sorting point 6. Actuator 7 provided upstream of sorting point 6
Then, when the slide piece 3B to be sorted is pushed in advance to the sorting side and the pin 301B is moved to the sorting passage 602 outside the straight path and advanced, the pin 301B is scooped at the tip 501 of the sorting guide rail 5 at the sorting point 6. To the sorting direction. That is, sorting point 6 of the sorting unit
The pin 30 of the slide piece 3B moved from the straight path 601 to the sorting path 602 by the operating device 7 on the upstream side of
1B abuts on the guide rail 5 and moves laterally to the terminal end 502 in the sorting direction. The article P is pushed sideways by the slide piece 3B that moves laterally, and is sorted out to the branch conveyor Y. On the other hand, the slide piece 3A that is not moved by the actuator 7 moves straight on the straight path 601 as it is.

The operating device 7 has a pusher roller 701 abutting on the side of the slide piece 3 attached to the air cylinder 702, abuts on the slide piece 3 from the standby position outside the transport path, moves the pin sideways, and moves straight. It is provided so as to reciprocate to a position where it goes out of the passage. Air cylinder 7
Reference numeral 02 denotes an attachment table 704 attached to the conveyor frame 101, and the pusher roller 701 moves in a forward direction while maintaining a constant posture by a guide rod 703. This actuator 7
Is activated when the article P to be sorted approaches, and the pusher roller 701 projects to the straight path of the slide piece 3. On this protruding pusher roller 701, the slide piece 3 (slide piece fitted to the transport surface forming member on which the article is placed) that translates to the side of the article P is formed in a mountain-like cam shape on a part of the side surface or the upper surface. The contact surface 304 abuts on the contact surface 304, moves laterally, and moves off the pusher roller 701. Along with this,
The pin 301 also deviates from the straight path 601 and the sorting path 60
2, the slide piece is scooped by the leading end 501 of the sorting guide rail 5 at the sorting point 6, guided by the sorting guide rail 5, and the slide piece pushes the article toward the branch conveyor Y.

When the rear end of the articles P to be sorted passes, the pusher roller 701 is drawn into a standby position outside the conveying path and waits until the next sorted articles come. A pusher roller 701 is preferably provided at the tip of the pusher of the operating device 7 to reduce the side pressure from the slide piece 3.
As shown in FIG. 6, a cam follower roller 305 may be provided on the contact surface of the slide piece 3 and a pusher cam 705 may be provided at the tip of the pusher.

At the end 502 of the sorting guide rail 5, the slide piece 3 which has finished pushing out the article P to the branch conveyor Y,
At the position as it is (right side in FIG. 1), the sorting conveyor 1 is inverted downward from the end thereof, and is returned to the straight path side by a return guide rail (not shown) on the return side (return path) to be aligned.

In the first embodiment, the transfer surface forming member 2
Has been described as an example of a shape having two long parallel portions 201, but the shape of the conveying surface forming member 2 is such that a slide piece is movably fitted in its length direction (width direction of the conveyor). Needless to say, any other known slat material may be used. Also, the slide piece 3 has been described as being slid between the two parallel portions. However, it goes without saying that the slide piece 3 may be slid so as to wrap around the outside of the slat material. Also, slide piece 3
Are fitted so that they do not move unless a certain force is applied between them and the conveying surface forming member 2 so that they do not move laterally due to running vibrations of the conveyor or the like while running on a straight path without sorting. 8 is the first from the start end of the sorting conveyor 1.
This is a side rail that guides the conveyance of the articles P until the sorting, and is provided between the side of the articles P and the sliding pieces in order to secure a space in which the sliding pieces can move in advance laterally upstream of the sorting point.

Embodiment 2 This embodiment shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 is a slide piece 3
2 is urged toward one end of the conveying surface forming member 22 in the sorting movement direction, is locked by the engagement mechanism 9, and travels. Upstream of the sorting point 6, the actuating device 72 is operated to release the engagement of the engaging mechanism 9, and the slide piece 32 is rapidly laterally moved by a predetermined distance from the straight path to the sorting path side by the above-mentioned bias. ,
At the sorting point 6, it is guided to the sorting guide rail 5 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. It is used to sort relatively small articles P at high speed. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the shapes of the engagement piece 900 of the engagement mechanism 9 and the actuator 7 are changed.

The engaging mechanism 9 is provided with an engaging piece 900 at one end of the conveying surface forming member 22 via a fulcrum pin 226. The engaging piece 900 extends substantially horizontally in the horizontal direction and engages with a hook pin 325 provided on a part of the slide piece 32.
01, a touch portion 902 protruding upward and touching the touch arm 721 of the actuator 72, and a rotation stopper 903 for restricting rotation around the fulcrum pin 226.
04 urges the locking portion 901 so as to press it against the locked portion 325 of the slide piece 32.

On the other hand, the transport surface forming member 22 has a length extending from the position corresponding to the left end surface 328 of the locked slide piece 32 in the front-rear direction (the straight traveling direction of the conveyor) at a fixed length in the sorting direction. A hole 227 is provided.
A push bar 228 traversing the conveying surface forming member 22 is laid horizontally, and the push bar 228 is
Against the left end surface 328 of the slide piece 32 to
7 to the right end.

When the pin 321 or the roller 322 protruding downward is pushed back to the left side by a return guide rail provided on the return side (lower return path) of the conveyor (not shown), the push bar 228 is pushed by its left end surface 328. The long hole 227 is moved to the left end against the bias of the spring 10. Then, the locking portion 901 urged by the spring 904 of the engagement piece 900 engages with the locked portion 325 and is urged in the sorting direction (right side) by the push bar 228 to allow one side of the sorting conveyor to move. It is locked at the end (left side) and proceeds toward the start of the conveyor.

Then, after the articles P are loaded at the start end of the sorting conveyor 1, the sorting points 6 to the branch conveyor Y are set.
Approaching the sorting device, a sorting command signal sent in synchronization with the progress of the article P upstream of the sorting point causes
Is actuated, and the touch arm 721 comes into contact with the touch portion 902 of the engagement piece 900 to release the engagement between the locking portion 901 and the locked portion 325 of the slide piece 32. The released slide piece 32 is pushed on the left end face 328 by the push bar 228 urged by the spring 10 to move laterally from the straight path 601 to the sorting path 602 by a certain distance, and at the sorting point 6, the sorting guide rail 5 And is guided in the sorting direction. The sorting slide piece 32 moves in the sorting direction (right side) by contacting the pin 321 or the roller 322 with the sorting guide rail 5, but the push bar 228 is stopped after being pushed at the right end of the elongated hole 227.

The slide piece 32 separated from the push bar 228 pushes out the articles P to the branch conveyor Y and sorts them in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Also, slide piece 3
A slide roller 327 is attached to a portion 2 which is in contact with the lower surface of the conveying surface forming member 22 by a roller shaft 326, so that it can be moved laterally lightly.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which the shape of the engagement piece 900 of the engagement mechanism 9 is changed, and an example in which the touch portion 902 is formed in a keyboard shape on the upper surface of one end of the conveying surface forming member 22. Each symbol in the figure and its description are the same as in FIG.

With the shape shown in FIG.
The touch section 901 is a keyboard of a musical instrument, and the touch arm 721 of the actuator 72 is likened to a fingertip of a person, and the arranged keys can be pressed one after another or pressed one by one, and can be operated according to the score. Similarly to the above, it can be arbitrarily operated according to the sorted articles.

In this way, in the process in which the slide piece 32 moves straight, it runs while being locked by the engagement mechanism 9 on one side (left end) of the sorting conveyor, so that vibrations and other inadvertent external actions occur. The pin 321 or the roller 322 protruding downward does not move laterally even if slightly received, and runs stably on the straight path. Therefore, the conveying surface forming member 22
There is no need to provide a linear guide rail or the like which is liable to cause an obstacle below, and the sorting conveyor of this embodiment has an advantage that it can have a simple and safe structure.

In the sorting section, only the sorting guide rail 5 is provided, and the slide piece 32 is locked to the left of the long hole 227 upstream of the sorting point 6 (straight) or pushed right. Since the sorting is performed at two positions (sorting path), there is an advantage that the sorting can be performed without difficulty.

The operating device 72 has a high operation response speed because the catching portion 901 of the engaging piece 900 can be released from the engagement member 900 with a small operation distance. Can be selectively operated. Therefore, the present invention is suitable for a high-speed sorting conveyor for small articles in which the mounting interval of the conveying surface forming member 22 is small in the direction of movement of the conveyor and the number of slide pieces 32 mounted per unit length is large.

Further, the engagement piece 900 can be disengaged with a slight operating force due to the lever ratio between the locking portion 901 and the touch portion 902 about the fulcrum pin 226. There is an advantage that an electromagnetic solenoid or the like can be used.

In the second embodiment, the case where the conveying surface forming member 22 has a shape having two parallel portions has been described as an example.
As long as the mechanism is configured to urge the slide piece 32 in the sorting direction and lock the slide piece 32 on one side, the combination of the transport surface forming member 22 and the slide piece 32 may of course be a shape other than that illustrated. .

[0046]

According to the present invention, a wide variety of articles, from a light and small article such as a saucer on which one fruit is placed, to a 15 kg cardboard box and a 20 kg capacity plastic container, are sorted by the same mechanism to produce a conveyor. In addition, since there is no movable part such as a switching rail for distributing the path of the slide piece at the sorting point, the conveyor structure is simplified, and trouble such as a collision of the slide piece pin riding on the watershed of the sorting may occur. Since there is no structure, there is an effect that stable transport sorting can be performed, and the following effects are exhibited.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the slide pieces which are not sorted by the operating device installed on the upstream side of the sorting point pass through the straight path without any contact, and when the slide piece to be sorted comes, the pusher is pushed. The cam comes into contact with the angled cam-shaped contact surface on the side of the slide piece from the side, and moves the slide piece in advance to the outside of the straight path. When moving laterally, there is no obstacle around the pin of the slide piece and it moves smoothly. Only the slide pieces that have moved laterally toward the sorting path side advance at that position, are guided by the sorting guide rails, move laterally in the sorting direction and send out the articles to the branch conveyor, so that the slide pieces and the articles are not subjected to impact, This has the effect of transporting and sorting extremely smoothly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the contact surface of each slide piece is provided with a convex portion which comes into contact when the pusher roller of the operating device projects, and a concave portion which does not come into contact with the pusher roller. After performing the operation of protruding and retracting, the slide piece only for sorting purposes is securely moved laterally without touching the adjacent front and rear slide pieces, and the pin positions of the slide pieces are sorted from the straight path to the sorting path. Since the sorting guide rail is reached at the sorting point, it is possible to realize a transport sorting conveyor in which no trouble occurs in the sorting section.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the length of the pusher cam provided at the protruding tip of the actuator can be set so that a plurality of slide pieces can be simultaneously pushed, so that it is possible to sort relatively large articles. Suitable sorting conveyor can be made.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the slide piece is locked to one end of the transfer surface forming member by the engagement mechanism. Even if there is, there is safety that it does not move on its own. For this reason, a structure such as a straight guide rail is not required at all in the straight passage of the slide piece or the pin, and the structure is simplified, thereby providing an economic effect that a safe and inexpensive sorting conveyor can be provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the slide piece locked at one end of the conveying surface forming member is urged in the sorting direction, the slide piece is engaged by the operating device upstream of the sorting point. When it is released, it is instantaneously laterally moved to the sorting side outside the straight path by the urging. Since this response speed is fast, the effect of being able to sort the small articles by increasing the number of pieces per unit length by reducing the mounting pitch of the pieces in the traveling direction of the conveyor.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the engagement piece for locking the slide piece at one end is released by a slight operation by using an actuator such as an electromagnetic solenoid. Therefore, there is an effect of improving efficiency such that the speed of the conveyor is increased to increase the processing capacity for conveying and sorting the articles.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the engagement piece is provided at one end of the conveying surface forming member, and the touch portion can be formed so as to be easily operated like a keyboard. Since it is operated as if it is pushed, there is an effect that a light sorting operation can be performed according to the length of the article.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the operating device is provided outside the frame of the conveyor, the operation signal for operating the operating device may be slightly shifted, or the chain may be elongated due to long-term use. Since the displacement can be visually inspected from the outside, it is possible to adjust the timing and the position very easily, and it is possible to always carry out the transport sorting while maintaining the best condition.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an outline of a configuration of a sorting unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the sorting conveyor as viewed from an upstream arrow D in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part showing lateral movement of the slide piece of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a locus of a slide piece in a sorting unit.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a combination of a conveyance surface forming member and a slide piece in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an essential part plan view showing another embodiment of the same portion as FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a main part of a sorting unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part as viewed from an arrow A side in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of the conveying surface forming member of FIG. 7 viewed from the arrow B side.

10 is a side view of the conveying surface forming member of FIG. 7 as viewed from an arrow C outside the chain.

11 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the shape of the engagement mechanism and the actuator of FIG. 8;

[Description of Signs] 1 ··· Sorting conveyor 101 ··· Conveyor frame 102 ··· Chain rail 103 ··· Conveyor chain 104 ··· horizontal beam 2 ··· transport surface forming member 201 ··· parallel part 202 · ..End mounting portions 203 ... Top surface 204 ... Inner surface 205 ... Bottom surface 22 ... Conveying surface forming member 226 ... Support pin 227 ... Elongated hole 228 ... Push bar 3 ...・ Slide piece 3A ・ ・ ・ Slide piece which goes straight 3B ・ ・ ・ Slide piece to sort 301 ・ ・ ・ Pin 302 ・ ・ ・ Roller 303 ・ ・ ・ Internal roller 304 ・ ・ ・ Contact surface 305 ・ ・ ・ Cam follower roller 32 ・..Slide piece 321 Pin 322 Roller 325 Locked part 326 Roller shaft 327 Slide roller 328 Left end face 4 Straight Leading guide rail 5 ... Sorting guide rail 501 ... Tip 502 ... End 6 ... Sorting point 601 ... Straight path 602 ... Sorting path 7 ... Actuating device 701 ... Pusher roller 702: Air cylinder 703: Guide rod 704: Mounting table 705: Pusher cam 72: Actuator 721: Touch arm 8: Side rail 9: Engagement mechanism 900・ ・ ・ Engaging piece 901 ・ ・ ・ locking part 902 ・ ・ ・ touch part 903 ・ ・ ・ rotation stop 904 ・ ・ ・ spring 10 ・ ・ ・ spring P ・ ・ ・ article Y ・ ・ ・ branch conveyor

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A large number of conveying surface forming members are arranged in parallel,
Attach both ends to a conveyor chain that runs and rotates endlessly on chain rails arranged on both left and right sides, and a slide piece that moves along the conveying surface forming member is provided, and the pins protruding below this slide piece are sorted. This is a conveyor sorting conveyor that has a function of laterally guiding the articles on the conveying surface with the slide pieces by guiding horizontally in the sorting guide rails from the points, and the sorting point of the sorting section that branches in the straight direction and the horizontal direction. On the upstream side, an actuating device is provided which preliminarily moves the position of the pin of the slide piece to be sorted out of the straight path, and a sorting guide rail extending in the sorting direction is provided in the vicinity of the straight path at the sorting point. The pin of the slide piece, which has moved sideways and changed its course to the side of the straight path, advances outside the straight path at the same position. When it reaches the sorting point and,
A transport sorting conveyor which is configured so as to be guided by the sorting guide rails to guide the slide pieces in the sorting direction and has no movable device such as a switching rail at a sorting point. 2. The slide piece according to claim 1, wherein each slide piece is provided with a cam-shaped abutting surface, and the operating device is provided with a pusher roller protruding in a straight path of the slide piece. A transport sorting conveyor characterized in that the slide piece is laterally moved in contact with the pin and the position of the pin of the slide piece is moved laterally outside the straight path. 3. A slide follower according to claim 1, wherein each slide piece is provided with a cam follower roller, and the operating device is provided with a pusher cam protruding in a straight path of the slide piece, and the pusher cam contacts the cam follower roller of the slide piece to laterally move the slide piece. A transport sorting conveyor characterized in that the conveyor is moved so that the position of the pin of the slide piece is moved laterally out of the straight path. 4. An operation mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising an engagement mechanism for urging the slide piece in a sorting direction by an elastic member such as a spring and locking the slide piece to one end thereof, on a part of the slide piece and the conveying surface forming member. A transport sorting conveyor characterized in that the pin of the slide piece is moved laterally out of the straight path by the biasing force when the lock is released by the device. 5. An engaging member according to claim 4, wherein an engaging piece for locking a slide piece biased in a sorting direction is provided at one end of the conveying surface forming member, and a locked portion is provided on a part of the slide piece. A transport sorting conveyor having a mechanism. 6. The transfer surface forming member according to claim 4, wherein an engagement piece is provided on a part of the slide piece urged in the sorting direction, and when the slide piece is at a position where the slide piece travels in a straight path, the corresponding transfer surface forming member. A transport sorting conveyor characterized in that an engaged mechanism is provided by providing a locked portion to the conveyor. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein
A transport sorting conveyor, wherein the operating device is provided outside a frame of the transport sorting conveyor.