JPS58162418A - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in conveyors, and in particular to conveyors for transporting articles by generating waves of a desired shape in the conveyor path.

To date, several well-known types of conveyors are used to convey articles along a predetermined path. Such conveyors usually include rollers mounted on a comb belt or an endless chain.

Such conventional structures have various disadvantages. For example, having conveyor material on both the top and bottom sides of an endless configuration is expensive, and the various parts of the conveyor as it continues to travel in its endless path are subject to continuous wear and damage to the articles being fed along its path.

This last disadvantage is particularly important when the item is perishable, such as comparative fruit, and once spoiled its value is halved.

New Sealant 4I Permit No. 162085, dated February 18, 1972, by Kelly @ John E. Juano, provides a sheet of plastic stretched over rollers and causes the sheet to become corrugated by running the rollers underneath the sheet. A conveyor is provided that forms a. Although such a configuration eliminates the need to move the plastic sheet horizontally along the conveyor path, the rollers run beneath the tensioned sheet, causing wear on the tension rollers and other moving conveyor parts. The tensioned sheet itself is also subject to wear, especially at the connection points with the springs that provide the required tension.

Both the above and other conventional conveyors are free from the unavoidable drawbacks of a configuration in which the articles are conveyed within the conveyor along a path formed by the horizontal movement K of the rollers or belts. Don't do it.

One object of the present invention is to provide a method of creating a path for a conveyor system and a conveyor system implementing this method, which overcomes or at least eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages of current conveyor systems.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for creating a path for a conveyor device for transporting articles, including (c) arranging a plurality of horizontal members whose upper surfaces form the path; (C) controlling the transverse members so as to move them perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the path, rather than moving them longitudinally; (C) sequentially moving adjacent transverse members vertically; further controlling the transverse members so as to create a moving wave by the upper surface of the transverse members and to cause the moving wave to send the article along the path; Provide a method including.

The present invention also provides a conveyor system comprising a conveyor system for transporting articles, comprising: (a) a plurality of juxtaposed cross members each having an upper surface forming the path; (C) the transverse members are controlled to move perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the path, rather than longitudinally, and (C) the mating transverse members are sequentially moved vertically; As a result, moving waves are created within the wrinkled path,
To provide a conveyor device configured so that articles in an axillary passage are conveyed by the moving waves.

1 to 4, one embodiment of a conveyor system comprising a mold according to the invention is schematically illustrated generally by arrow 1. In FIGS.

As shown in the drawing, the conveyor device 1 is a rigid frame! I'
3 Q, and a sheet material 31 is fixed to this framework. The sheet material has been partially broken away in FIG. 1 to show the interior.

A camshaft 4 extends mounted in bearings 32 on each side of the framework 30. Motor 2 drives camshaft 4 via coupling 20 and gearwheel 21.3.

A plurality of sets of cams 5 are mounted on each camshaft 4. In the illustrated embodiment', each set of cams comprises five cams 5 (figure j14), each of which has an eccentric bore 15 into which the octagonal cam shaft 4 fits tightly.

As shown in FIG. 4, one set of cams 5A...
...5H, each adjacent cam is shifted by one side of the octagonal shaft 4 to create the required Zorofil seen from the side. That is, one set of eight leaves 5 creates a profile as shown in FIG. 4, and this profile is then repeated in the same way by the next set, thus creating an overall spiral profile. is formed.

The cam 5 may be made of any suitable material, such as metal or plastic, although nylon moldings are known to be well suited for the purpose.

In one embodiment of the conveyor device 10, each @ of the conveyor device 1 is provided with 290 cams 5, and a camshaft support disk (not shown) running on an arcuate surface is provided with the cam 4.
Eight of them were installed. However, the overall cam row is provided with 49 cams at the beginning and end. The cams on both sides of the camshaft support disk are designed to maintain accurate pitch.
You must delete the amount of material for the five sides 〇4
1 and 6, each cam 5 is associated with a cam follower 7, and one end of a bushing rod 8 is fitted into and fixed to the cam follower by, for example, brazing. be done. Zotsushi: LQ Tsudo 8 is framework 30
It extends through the bushing rod guide 16 which is supported by a guide support framework 24 above.

A tubular bushing rod guide 16 is fitted within the guide framework 24 and is a sliding fit with the bushing rod so that the bushing rod can slide therein.

A drill hole is provided at the upper end of each bushing rod 8,
It also fits into short tubes 40 provided on both sides of the cross member 6 as shown at 1115vA.

A plurality of transverse members 6 are arranged side by side side by side, and the upper surfaces of these transverse members form a conveyor path 9 along which articles are conveyed. A drill hole 42 is also drilled in the tube 40, and a split pin is passed through this hole 42 and the said drill hole of the bushing rod 8 aligned therewith to maintain the cam follower 7 at right angles to the cam 5. do.

Each cross member 6 may be a tube and is provided with a short standpipe 41 approximately in its center as shown in FIG.
The longitudinal division of can be made to create walls.

Needless to say, the number of upright protrusions 41 may be arbitrarily selected depending on the number of sorting walls required for the conveyor path S. However, in many cases such projections 41 are unnecessary and are omitted.

By providing a set of cams 50 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a sinusoidal shape can be imparted to the conveyor path 9 by the upper surface of the cross member 6.

FIG. 2 shows a valley section of a sinusoidal conveyor path 8 formed at a particular moment of continuous synchronous rotation of the camshaft 4. FIG.

As the camshaft 4 rotates, the peaks and valleys of its waveform move along the conveyor path 9, and the articles placed on the path 9 are moved accordingly.

It will be understood, however, that the movement of the article is not effected by being carried along by a moving conveyor ped, but by the kinetic energy of the article itself, created by the action of the crests and troughs of the waves.

If necessary, a suitable material such as rubber or plastic may be overlaid on the cross member 6 to avoid direct physical contact of the articles being conveyed with the cross member 6. This is useful if the items to be sent are small, such as beans or berries, and can fall between adjacent cross members 6, or if the items are held in place by strips of such elastic material. This would be particularly useful if this is desired.

Although in the drawings the cross members 6 are placed very closely together with little or no gap between them, in reality they are spaced apart and this width of separation is generally the same as the width of the article being fed. determined according to the dimensions of

Although a substantially sinusoidal waveform is illustrated in the drawings, it is understood that other waveforms may be formed to accommodate the movement of various types of articles being conveyed along the conveyor path 9.
It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art.

That is, when conveying boxes along the conveyor path 9, the corrugations have a flat part on which the bottom of the box rests, and a steep part that engages the spine of the box and pushes it along the path 9. It is desirable to make it something like a mountain. To create such a steep mountain, for example, a cam with a high lift would be required.

The transverse member 6, whose upper surface defines the conveyor path 9, moves only vertically, thereby eliminating wear and tear on the transverse member that would previously have to be moved horizontally to feed the articles.

FIG. 6 is an end view of a modified embodiment of the invention as viewed from the end of the motor of FIG. Numbers corresponding to reference numbers used in previous figures are reused in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the framework 30 includes frame members 22 rising from both sides, and a spacer member 23 at the upper end thereof.
is supported. A bushing rod guide support framework 24 is provided on these spacer members. The push rod assembly and cross member are not shown in FIG. 6 to avoid complicating the drawing.

As shown, the motor 2 has drive shafts 18 extending outwardly from both sides of the motor 2, and these drive shafts are connected to the shaft 1s via a joint 20.
and the form and worm gear reduction mechanism 21.3 and thus the camshaft 4. Preferably, the thrust of 4 km per force on the camshaft is offset by making the spiral and worm mechanisms on the camshaft right-handed and left-handed, respectively.

The horizontal frame member 17 supports the motor 2, and the members 25 provided at both ends of the framework 300 will be used as bearing support members for the camshaft.

Figures 6 and 7 show a variant embodiment of the further Klk of the present invention, generally indicated by a single arrow. In this embodiment, a cross member 50 comprising a plurality of depressions or grooves 49 is used instead of the cross member 6 having a substantially straight or horizontal top surface shown in the previous figures.

In FIG. 7, the recess 49 of the next adjacent cross member 50', shown in outline, is offset with respect to the recess 49 of the cross member 50. By repeating such shifting of the recesses 49, the recesses form channels along the conveyor path 9, along which articles can be fed. That is, as shown very schematically in FIG. 8, the object rD4B can be sent in a zigzag manner along the nine conveyor flow paths thus formed.

As well as sorting the articles 48 into their longitudinal channels: the zigzag movement also ensures that the articles 48 are in the conveyor path 9A.
Roll the items in any direction while descending so that all sides of the items are exposed.

This is effective, for example, in detecting blemishes and damage on fruits. With proper design, only one design of the cross members 50 can be used, either by rotating the ends of the cross members alternately or by inverting the cross members alternately. A shift of the depressions 49 could be provided.

It will also be appreciated that by aligning, rather than staggering, the recesses 49 in member 50, a longitudinal channel, or more effectively a moving pocket, can be formed along which the article is fed. It will be.

If each machine member 50 includes, for example, five depressions 49,
Selected nine items are formed at the start of the conveyor path.
By stopping the feed, a pattern of articles can be created that is maintained as the articles are fed along the conveyor path with the desired waveform. At the same speed as the goods are being fed along the conveyor path,
If the structure is such that a tray or box for wrapping articles is slid out from under the end of the conveyor path, the articles can be automatically loaded into the tray or box by placing the articles into a predetermined recess. As for the method of filling, a person skilled in the art will easily think of one solution. For example, one solution that can be easily considered is to cover the depression at any given time with a blank.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the cam 5' again controls the vertical movement of the lateral portion #51 via the cam follower 7 and bushing rod 8 as described in FIG.

However, the cross member 51 in this embodiment is substantially hollow and is connected to a cooling line 52 through which a suitable refrigeration medium such as glycol is passed. In this case, the transverse member 51 may be effectively in the form of a vaporizer within the entire refrigeration system.The hollow transverse member 51 may be made of a suitable material such that the fruit, everyday products, etc. Cooling or freezing of articles such as etc. can be carried out.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the cam 5 also controls the lifting of the transverse member 53 by means of the cam follower 7 and bushing rod 8 as described in FIG. However, in this embodiment, the plurality of transverse members 53 are made of a translucent material, such as a bright plastic, and are illuminated by a suitable light source 54. In this way, the articles being conveyed along the plurality of transverse members 53 forming the conveyor path can be illuminated from below. This could be used, for example, to test the quality of eggs.

If necessary, any number of the variations described in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 may be combined in one embodiment of the invention. For example, along the conveyor path. Channeled or patterned feeding of articles can be combined with lighting and cooling.

Although in the foregoing description there has been no mention of components of the conveyor system, such as the bushing rod 80 lubricating arrangement, such systems will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Although the present invention has been described with reference to embodiments, it should be understood that many variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

111I is a schematic 11th view of one embodiment of the conveyor device of the present invention. In this figure, a portion of the side wall of the conveyor system has been cut away to reveal seven cams. These cams control the height of the associated transverse member so that the conveyor path can be moved in the desired shape.
As the 0 cam (shown in outline) rotates, its moving wave sends the articles on the conveyor system along the conveyor system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram taken along arrows 1f--I of FIG. 1, showing the end faces of the cams on each camshaft, as well as an outline of the conveyor device side walls and a portion of the bushing rod. FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged end view of one cam mounted on an octagonal camshaft and engaging a cam follower, and the structure connecting it to one side of the cross member. FIG. 4 shows the side surfaces of a set of cams positioned on the cam shafts so that as the cams rotate, the lateral members (not shown) associated with the cams create the desired conveyor path, 3 is a drawing schematically showing an end surface of a cam. FIG. 5 is an end view of one cross member with a substantially centrally located conveyor lane divider partially shown. FIG. 6 is an end view of a conveyor device similar to that shown in FIG. 1, but more clearly shown in FIG. The bush rod guide framework is shown. However, the bushing rod and cross member have been omitted in this drawing to avoid complexity. FIG. 7 is an end view of a conveyor apparatus according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. The difference of this embodiment from the previous sixth embodiment is simply that the upper surface of the cross member is not straight, but is formed with several depressions. This allows the plurality of cross members to create longitudinal channels within the conveyor path and to feed articles along these channels. FIG. 8 schematically shows the zig-deg path of articles along the conveyor arrangement of FIG. 7 when the cross members have alternating staggered indentations. FIG. 9 is a schematic end view of a cam, cam follower, and bushing four-Y assembly that controls the vertical movement of a hollow cross member coupled to a cooling line. In this embodiment, cooling or freezing of the articles, such as fresh fruit or the like, occurs as they are conveyed along a plurality of such hollow transverse members forming the conveyor path. FIG. 10 is a schematic end view of a cam, cam follower, and butt shred assembly that controls vertical movement of a statement or translucent cross member. In this embodiment, a light source mounted below the conveyor path formed by a plurality of such transverse members can illuminate the articles passing thereover. If the article is, for example, an egg, such illumination allows substandard eggs to be detected. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Conveyor device, 2... Motor, 4... Camshaft, 5... Cam, 6.50, 51.53... Horizontal member, T... Cam follower, 8...・Butschrod, 9・
...Conveyor path, 16...Zosh rod guide, 2
2... Standing side frame member, 24... Bush rod guide support framework, 30... Conveyor device framework, 41...
... Upright protrusion, 48 ... Article, 49 ... Hollow, 52
...Cooling line, 54...Light source. Agent Koichi Asamura 8th Amendment Proceedings (spontaneous) Date of June 1, 1982 Mr. Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office 1. Indication of the case 1988 Patent Application No. 20534 2. Name of the invention Conveyor device 3. Person making the amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant address Name: John Stuart Wilson 4, agent 5, date of amendment order 1939, month, day 6, number of inventions increased by amendment 7, subject of amendment

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A method for creating a path for a conveyor device for transporting articles, comprising: (a) juxtaposing a plurality of horizontal members whose upper surfaces form the path; (C) controlling the transverse members so as to move them perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the track, rather than moving them longitudinally; further controlling the transverse members to create a moving wave by the upper surfaces of the transverse members when moved in a vertical direction, and to cause the moving waves to send the articles in the path along the path; A method comprising the steps of: (2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control of the transverse members couples each of the transverse members to one end of a bushing rod adapted for vertical movement; the other end comprising coupling the other end to a cam follower that disengages the cam, and the further control of the transverse member comprising mounting the skeleton cam in a predetermined relationship to the cam shaft. , method. (3) In a conveyor device equipped with a path for sending articles,
the track comprises: ←) a plurality of juxtaposed transverse members each having an upper surface forming the track; (c) Adjacent horizontal members are sequentially moved in the vertical direction to create a moving wave in the path. A conveyor device is constructed so that the moving waves transport the articles along the transport path. (4) In the conveyor device according to claim 3,
a conveyor apparatus in which each said cross member is coupled to one end of a bushing rod adapted for vertical movement and the other end of the bushing rod is coupled to a cam follower that engages a cam; . (5) In the conveyor device according to claim 4,
The cams are mounted on a camshaft to form a plurality of sets of cams, each cam set controlling the lifting of the transverse member to create a waveform therethrough, which waveform is raised by another cam set. A conveyor device that is repeatedly made along the conveyor path. (6) In the conveyor device according to claim 5,
Each of the cams has an octagonal hole into which the corresponding cam shaft having an octagonal cross section can fit, and the hole of each cam is eccentric;
A conveyor apparatus in which each cam is thereby positioned on the camshaft in a desired positional relationship with respect to the camshaft and another cam of the set. (7) In the conveyor device according to claim 3,
Each said cross member has one or more indentations or promonories on its upper surface, and the recesses of adjacent said cross members are offset relative to each other so that said articles are zigzag along said conveyor row 1&TK. Conveyor device 〇(8) IIN/fn Required range In the conveyor device according to item 3, the horizontal member has one or more depressions on the upper surface thereof, and The depression is mutual K11
a conveyor apparatus, wherein a longitudinal channel is created in the conveyor path in which the 1# article is fed along the path. (9) In the conveyor device of claim 3, each said transverse member is substantially hollow and is connected to a source of refrigeration medium, whereby said upper surface is cooled, whereupon said Conveyor equipment in which goods are cooled or frozen. afh The conveyor device of claim 3, wherein each said transverse member is made of a transparent or translucent material, and light from a light source is passed through said transverse member, thereby transmitting said transverse members along a mosquito path. A conveyor device in which articles are illuminated.