JPS61166420A - Distributor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the accurrancy of an article delivery position, by a method wherein a device, distributing articles in one row into plural rows, is constituted such that cam members for releasing the held articles are movable and controllable of releasing timing in linkage with a driving means. CONSTITUTION:Cam members 35a-35e, serving to release articles, held to a holding mechanism, in 5 spots on a second conveyor for conveyance, are coupled to an air cylinder 37. The air cylinder 37 is actuated by means of a signal from a control device, not shown, when conveyance is shifted from low speed operation to high speed operation to displace the cam members 35a-35e between a reversing end and a forward end, and the release timing of the holding mechanism is regulated to an optimum value. This constitution improves the accuracy of a devlivery position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dispensing device for distributing articles conveyed in rows into a plurality of rows.

"Prior art" As an example of a conventional dispensing device, for example,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 831, articles conveyed in rows are sequentially held by a plurality of holding mechanisms, and the articles held by each holding mechanism are diagonally moved across a wide conveyor. It is known that the articles are moved to different positions in the width direction on the transport conveyor, and the release positions of the articles held by each holding mechanism are varied in the width direction on the conveyor, thereby distributing one row of articles into a plurality of rows.

``Problems to be Solved by the Invention'' However, in this type of distribution device, there is naturally a difference in operating speed between low-speed operation immediately after the start of operation and normal high-speed operation after the required time has elapsed. When the operating speed is set to high speed, the speed difference becomes large. Generally, the time from when each holding mechanism starts releasing the article until it actually releases the article is constant, so if the difference in speed increases, the transfer position of the article from the holding mechanism to the transport conveyor increases. The holding mechanism began to deviate significantly in the conveying direction, and it was necessary to increase the width of the conveyor in order to absorb this deviation.

"Means for Solving the Problems" In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a movable cam member for releasing the article held by the holding mechanism, and a driving means for the cam member. By interlocking and displacing this cam member, the article release timing of the holding mechanism can be adjusted.

"Operation" According to this configuration, during low-speed operation, the cam member is positioned at a position suitable for the operating speed to obtain the optimal article release timing, and at the same time, during high-speed operation, the cam member is positioned at a position suitable for the operating speed. By displacing the cam member, it is possible to obtain optimal article release timing even during high-speed operation. Therefore, the delivery position of the article from the holding mechanism to the transport conveyor can be maintained at a substantially constant position both during low-speed operation and during high-speed operation, thereby making it possible to make the width of the transport conveyor smaller than before.

``Embodiment'' The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. In FIG. A timing screw provided on one side makes it possible to form a required gap between the articles 2 continuously conveyed by the L first conveyor 1.

On the other side in front of the first conveyor 1, a second conveyor 4 for conveying the articles 2 in a plurality of rows, five rows in the illustrated embodiment, is installed in parallel. 2
A delivery conveyor 5 is provided between the transfer conveyor 4 and the transfer conveyor 4. A conveying means 6 for conveying the article 2 obliquely from the first conveyor 1 via the transfer conveyor 5 onto the second conveyor 4 is connected to the connecting portion of the conveyors 1, 4, 5.
has been established.

This conveying means 6 consists of a pair of sprockets 7.8, an endless chain 9 that is stretched around each sprocket 7.8, and as shown in FIGS. It includes a guide member 10 that guides the machine along a trajectory, and a plurality of rollers 13 that are attached to the check 79 and placed on rails 12 provided on the machine frame 11 so as to be transferable. The above chain 79 is the sprocket 7.8 and the guide member 1.
0, as shown in FIG. 3, it travels from the straight line opposite the tip of the timing screw 3 to the straight line that diagonally crosses the top of the second conveyor 4, and then circulates back to the original position. It looks like this.

However, the above-mentioned chest 79 is provided with a holding mechanism 20 for holding the above-mentioned article 2 at a required interval, and this holding mechanism 20 is provided between the upper and lower chains 9 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. A main body 22 rotatably provided on a pin 2I, an L-shaped holding member 23 provided integrally with this main body 22, and a holding claw 24 pivotally supported on one end of this L-shaped holding member 23. This holding claw 24 is linked to an air cylinder 25 attached to the main body 22, and the operation of the air cylinder 25 causes the other end of the above-mentioned cross-shaped holding member 23 and the holding claw 24 to be connected to each other.
The article 2 can be held between the two.

A cam follower 27 is provided on the bracket 26 fixed to the main body 22, a cam member 28 is fixed to the machine frame 11, and the cam follower 27 is engaged with the cam member 28 by the tensile force of a spring (not shown). The main body 22 can be swung around the bottle 21 according to the cam curve, that is, the angular position of the holding mechanism 20 relative to the check 79 can be regulated.

Furthermore, each of the air cylinders 25 is connected to a switching valve 30 connected to the check 79 for each holding mechanism 20, and each switching valve 30 is connected to the compressed air via a conventionally known rotary joint (not shown). connected to the source. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the switching valves 30 has an operating member 31 that can be freely lowered to switch the flow path, and an operating member 31 that is provided so that the operating member 31 can swing up and down.
A pair of actuation levers 32a and 32b that are interlocked with each other, and a roller 33 that is pivotally supported at the tip of each actuation lever 32.

When the actuating member 31 is located at the ascending end position or the descending end position, it can continuously maintain that state, and when it is located at the ascending end position, the air cylinder 25 and the fluid pressure source are connected to each other. The article 2 is held in communication with the holding mechanism 20.
When the article 2 is held at the lower end position, communication between the air cylinder 25 and the fluid pressure source is cut off to release the article 2 from being held.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower tip of the timing screw 3 engages with the roller 33 of the lower operating lever 32b to rotate the operating lever 32b, thereby causing the operating member 31 to rotate. A first cam member 34 that forcibly pushes up to hold the article 2 is disposed, and the roller 33 of the operating lever 32a located above is positioned above the straight line portion that diagonally crosses the top of the second conveyor 4. a second cam member 3 that engages with and forcibly pushes down the actuating member 31 to release the article 2 held by the holding mechanism 20;
5 is placed.

The first cam member 34 only has to hold the article 2 at the tip of the timing screw 3 for all the holding mechanisms 20, so all the holding mechanisms 20 can be operated to hold the article 2 at the same position. However, since it is necessary for the second cam member 35 to release the articles held by the holding mechanism 20 at five different positions on the second conveyor 4, As shown in Figure 2, five cam portions 35a are provided corresponding to the respective release positions.
~35e are provided.

The five cam parts 35a to 35e are arranged along the conveying direction of the holding mechanism 20, and are sequentially shifted in position in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and correspondingly, five cam parts are arranged as one group. Actuation lever 32 below the holding mechanism 20
b is also sequentially shifted so as to correspond to each of the cam portions 35a to 35e. As a result, the five actuation levers 32b of one group are actuated substantially simultaneously by the respective cam portions 35a to 35e, and the holding mechanism 20
This makes it possible to release the articles 2 held by the user at the same time.

Further, the second cam member 35 is mounted on the support base 3B.
The second cam member 35 is provided so as to be movable back and forth along a straight line that diagonally crosses the top of the conveyor 4, and an air cylinder 37 for moving the second cam member 35 back and forth is connected to the second cam member 35. This air cylinder 37 receives a signal from a control device (not shown) and displaces the second cam member 35 between a backward end and a forward end, and at the forward end which is the forward end in the transport direction of the holding mechanism 20, the transport means 6 is moved. Settings are made such that the optimum timing for releasing the article 2 is obtained when the operating speed is low, and the optimum timing for releasing the article 2 is obtained when the operating speed of the transport means 6 is high at the opposite backward end. .

Note that by using a stepping motor or the like instead of the air cylinder 37 as a driving means for moving and displacing the second cam member 35, the second cam member 35 can be continuously displaced in response to fluctuations in operating speed. is also possible.

In the above configuration, during low speed operation at the beginning of operation,
The air cylinder 37 has the second cam member 35 located at the forward end position, and the articles 2 conveyed by the first conveyor l are spaced apart by the timing screw 3 and synchronized with the operation of the conveying means 6. be done. On the other hand, the air cylinder 25 of the holding mechanism 20 conveyed from the sprocket 8 to the sprocket 7 is deenergized, the holding claw 24 is located at the released position, and the swinging angle position of the holding mechanism 20 with respect to the check 79 is , the air cylinder 2
5 is located at a position where the axis line of the chain 79 is parallel to the chain 79.

In this state, when the holding mechanism 20 is rotated around the sprocket 7 and moved diagonally toward the timing screw 3 by the guide member 10, the article 2 conveyed by the timing screw 3 is released in synchronization with the operation. It is inserted between the holding claw 24 and the holding member 23 that have been removed.

Then, the article 2 is inserted between the holding claw 24 and the holding member 23, and the foot holding mechanism 20 is inserted between the holding claw 24 and the holding member 23.
When the roller 33 of the operating lever 32b engages with the first cam member 34,
The holding mechanism 20 holds the article 2 as described above.

Next, when the holding mechanism 20 holding the L article 2 is conveyed to a straight line section that diagonally crosses the top of the second conveyor 4, as shown in FIG. The conveyance is oblique to the conveyance direction of the second conveyor 4, but at this time, the holding mechanism 20 is moved against the checker 79 via the cam follower 27 and the bracket 26 according to the cam curve of the cam member 28. Because it is swayed,
The held articles 2 can be directed in the transport direction of the second transport conveyor 4.

In this state, when the first holding mechanism 20 among the five holding mechanisms 20 in one continuous group is conveyed to the right end of the second conveyor 4, each operation of the five holding mechanisms 20 is activated. Since the lever 32a is actuated simultaneously by each of the cam parts 35a to 35e of the second cam member 35, each air cylinder 25 is simultaneously deenergized and released from holding the article 2, thereby causing five consecutive The articles 2 released from the holding mechanism 20 are conveyed in five rows by the second conveyor 4.

Thereafter, each holding mechanism 20 is returned to its original swing angle position parallel to the check 79 by the cam curve of the cam member 28,
Thereafter, similar operations are repeated.

Then, the operating speed of the entire device gradually increases from the low-speed operation at the start of two consecutive operations, and when the operating speed exceeds a predetermined value, the air cylinder 37 is moved to the second cam member by a signal from a control device (not shown). 35 to the rear side in the conveyance direction of the holding mechanism 20, and the timing of releasing the article 2 from the holding mechanism 20 is brought forward. Therefore, even during this high-speed operation, the article 2 can be delivered to the second conveyor 4 at substantially the same position as during low-speed operation.

In the above embodiment, each holding mechanism 20 is provided with a switching valve 30, but one group of holding mechanisms 20
Of these, only one holding mechanism may be provided with the switching valve 30, and that one switching valve 30 may be communicated with all the air cylinders 25 of one group. In this case, it is clear that the second cam member 35 only needs to have one cam portion.

Further, in the above embodiment, the holding mechanism 20 is composed of the holding member 23, the holding claw 24, the air cylinder 25, etc., but in addition, the air cylinder 25 may be changed to a solenoid, or the holding claw 24 may be formed using a cam member and a spring. Of course, an appropriate configuration can be adopted, such as opening and closing.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to keep the delivery position of the article from the holding mechanism to the conveyor at a substantially constant position even if the operating speed fluctuates. The effect is that the width can be made smaller than that of the conventional method.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of essential parts showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the whole, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the holding mechanism 20. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow (■) in FIG. 1...First conveyor 2...Article 4...Second
Conveyor 6... Conveying means 9... Che 7
20... Holding mechanism 22... Main body
23... Holding member 24... Holding claw 25
...Air cylinder 30...Switching valve 34
...First cam member 35...Second cam member 37
...Air cylinder patent applicant: Pulldog Sauce Co., Ltd. Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] a first conveyor that conveys the articles in one line; a second conveyor that conveys the articles in multiple lines; a plurality of holding mechanisms capable of holding the articles; and a first conveyor that conveys the articles in a row; A cam member that operates a holding mechanism conveyed by the conveyor to release the held article on the second conveyor; A distribution method in which the holding mechanism sequentially holds the articles conveyed by the first conveyor, and the held articles are released at different positions on the second conveyor by the cam member to distribute the articles in one row into a plurality of rows. The apparatus is characterized in that the cam member is movably provided, and a driving means for moving and displacing the cam member is interlocked with the cam member, so that the article release timing of the holding mechanism can be adjusted by displacing the cam member. distribution device.