JPS6231628B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention distinguishes the size of multiple types of thin plate-shaped members with different shapes, such as pieces of paper, pieces of metal, coins, etc., according to their shapes, and Separate the parts into
The present invention relates to a sorting device that allows selection, and particularly to a sorting device that can efficiently collect selected specific members and transport them to the next process.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Automated parts feeders and the like have been commonly used in the past to select only parts with a specific shape from a mixture of parts of a plurality of different shapes. Among these, for relatively small and thin parts, for example, there is a bowl-shaped parts feeder that has a fixed gate in the upper bowl and removes irregularly shaped parts from the bowl depending on whether or not they can pass, or a bowl-shaped parts feeder that feeds parts on a straight track. Those that are conveyed by a belt, those that swing a horizontal plate with a drop opening to determine the size of the falling part, and those that use a drum with a thin opening for the material to be sorted vertically. A feeder or the like has been devised that is placed facing toward the object and rotated at high speed to discharge a specific member using centrifugal force. However, for parts like used tickets, which are light, flexible, and easily bent, and whose shape has undergone slight deformation, trying to forcefully eject them from the opening can cause damage or breakage. This is something that is easy to cause. Further, rather than the fine local deformation of the shape that is common in tickets after use, the application of excessive force caused large deformations such as bending and twisting. For this reason, it is difficult for conventional component sorting and supply devices to efficiently sort relatively narrow boarding tickets and wider tickets such as coupon tickets based on their shape differences. It was difficult.

For this purpose, a plurality of holes of a specific shape are opened on the outer periphery of the drum body, which has a hollow cylindrical shape, and a plurality of ticket pieces of different shapes are housed inside the drum body. A shape sorting device has been proposed that rotates and allows ticket pieces to be sorted by ejecting only ticket pieces of a specific shape from an opening. (for example,
Patent Application No. 61308 of 1982, etc.). In this new sorting device, ticket pieces with a specific shape are ejected from the opening to the outside of the drum body, and has a sorting function, but the ticket pieces ejected from the drum body are distributed in the circumferential direction of the drum body. It will be thrown and fall. For this reason, it is not possible to guide the sorted ticket pieces in a specific direction to smoothly perform the next processing, and it is not possible to line up the sorted ticket pieces and make them flow in a certain direction or group them together. All that could be expected was the ability to simply sort and separate the ticket pieces. For this reason, after selecting specific ticket pieces, sorting and arranging must be done manually, which is cumbersome and especially when collecting information such as magnetism stored in the ticket pieces in advance. It was not possible to use a combination of a sorting device and an information reading device.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention is capable of sorting lightweight and thin-walled members according to their shapes, and furthermore, transporting specific members after sorting in one direction,
The present invention also provides a sorting device that can be arranged to facilitate subsequent processing.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention has a cylindrical drum body that is hollow inside and rotatably supported with its axis positioned slightly horizontally, and a hole provided in the peripheral wall of the drum body to communicate the inner and outer peripheries of the drum body. By storing multiple types of members with different shapes in the drum body and rotating the drum body in a specific direction, only the members with a specific shape are sorted through the shape sorting mechanism from the inside of the drum body to the outside. In a sorting device that can discharge and sort particles, the particles are arranged in an annular shape so as not to come into contact with the outer periphery of the drum body.
The cross section is formed hollow so that it is U-shaped.
The object of the present invention is to provide a sorting mechanism characterized in that it has a collecting means so as to cover the shape sorting mechanism at its opening, and can collect the members discharged from the shape sorting mechanism by guiding them through the collecting means.

[Effect]

In the present invention, by rotating the drum body, only members having a specific shape among the members stored inside the drum body are released to the outside of the drum body. The member discharged from the drum body is collected by the collection means, falls below the collection means due to its own weight, and is placed on top of the transfer means. Since the transport means moves in one direction, the selected members can be efficiently transported in the required direction by the transport means without manual intervention.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of the sorting device of this embodiment, in which a pair of legs 2 are vertically connected at a distance at the bottom of a rectangular main body 1. A collection box 3, which is hollow inside and open at the top, is housed between the boxes and can be freely moved forward and backward. A rectangular separator 4 is closely fixed to the rear surface of this leg 2, and the collection box 3 is attached to the lower part of this separator 4.
A collection box 5, which is open at the top and whose pullout direction is opposite to that of the box 5, is inserted so as to be movable forward and backward. A slightly trapezoidal control box 6 protrudes from the upper surface of the main body 1, and the slanted front surface of the control box 6 has a control panel 7 equipped with switches, lamps, etc., and a floppy disk for storing read information. A device 8 is provided. Further, an input body 9 is connected to the short side of the upper end of the main body 1 by a hinge 10.
The input body 9 has a trapezoidal opening at the top and a triangular shape toward the bottom, and has a large opening 11 on the side facing the main body 1. A chute 12 that protrudes from the inlet 11 into the main body 1 is provided in an inclined manner at the lower part of the inside of the main body 1 . Further, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the collection boxes 3 and 5 in FIG. 1 are pulled out forward and backward, and the input body 9 is rotated to the upper surface of the main body 1 by the hinge 10. Input body 9 of main body 1
A circular opening 13 is formed on the side surface where the main body 1 is provided, and the inside and outside of the main body 1 communicate with each other through this opening 13. The opening ends of the sections are close together.

Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 explain the sorting drum 14 in detail. The sorting drum 14 is formed by winding a thin metal material into a pipe shape, and is hollow inside, with one end (the left side in the figure) is wide open, but the other end (the right side in the figure) is closed, and the drive shaft 15 is connected to the center of the other end, and the drive shaft 15 is connected to the motor 16. be. The sorting drum 14 is installed so that its axis is horizontal, and rollers 17, 18, 19 are pivotally supported on the upper and lower left and right sides of both ends of the sorting drum 14, respectively. The sorting drum 14 is rotatably held in contact with the outer periphery of the sorting drum 14. On the outer periphery of this sorting drum 14, there are two types of shape sorting mechanisms 2 in the circumferential direction.
0 and 21 are arranged annularly at intervals, and in this embodiment, two rows of shape sorting mechanisms 20 are provided in an annular shape, and the shape sorting mechanisms 21 are arranged in an annular manner at intervals.
Three rows are provided in an annular manner with 0 in between. A collection mechanism 22 having a slightly Q-shape is provided on the outer periphery of the sorting drum 14. It is composed of. This guide portion 23 has a hollow structure with a U-shaped cross section formed by bending a thin plate.
The inner diameter is made closer to the outer periphery of the sorting drum 14 with a slight interval so as to cover the shape sorting mechanism 20 of the sorting drum 14. The transfer section 24 connected to the lower part of the guide section 23 has a hollow interior and a square cross section, and rollers 25 are provided at both ends of the transfer section 24, respectively.
26 is pivotally supported, and a belt 27 is stretched between both rollers 25 and 26 so as to be positioned below the shape selection mechanism 20. A reading mechanism 28 having a rectangular cross section with both ends open is connected to the open end of the transfer section 24.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of the aforementioned shape sorting mechanisms 20 and 21, and each shape sorting mechanism 2
0 and 21 are formed by punching out the outer periphery of the sorting drum 14 and gluing thin, elongated strips to the punched out portion, and the shape sorting mechanisms 20 and 21 are arranged symmetrically. It has been done. The sorting drum 14 has tongues punched out into a slightly trapezoidal shape at one place for each shape sorting mechanism 20, 21, and a Mt. Fuji-shaped sliding portion 29,
30 is a shape sorting mechanism drum 1 for each mountain top.
4 are gently bent in opposite directions toward the circumferential direction. Both sides of the sliding parts 29, 30 are curved in a radial manner so as to approach each other as they get closer to the tip.
0 is cut straight in the axial direction of the sorting drum 14. And each sliding part 29,
Elongated belt-shaped guide plates 31 and 32 are fixed to the radial cut portions on both sides of the slider 30 over the entire length thereof, and the sliding portion 29, the guide plate 31, and the sliding portion 3
0 and the guide plate 32 form a slightly hyperbolic ticket shooter. That is, one end of each of the guide plates 31, 32 is located on both sides of the peaks of the sliding parts 29, 30 shaped like Mt. The guide plates 31 and 32 are connected to the tops of the sliding parts 29 and 30 to form discharge ports 33 and 34, which are rectangular openings. The lower sides of the other ends of the plates 31 and 32 are made to stand up on the inner peripheral wall of the sorting drum 14. The aforementioned outlet 33,3
4 have widths V and W set to predetermined lengths, respectively, and the width V is set to be larger than the width X of the small ticket A and slightly larger than the width Y of the large ticket B. The openings of the discharge ports 33 and 34 are perpendicular to the tangent to the sorting drum 14, and the discharge ports 33 and 34 are arranged alternately with their opening directions facing each other.

Next, FIG. 6 explains in detail the internal structure of the above-mentioned reading device 28, in which four supporting shafts 35 to 38 are supported in parallel at intervals above and below both ends of the reading device 28. Pulleys 39 to 42 are fixed at equal intervals on both sides of each shaft support 35 to 38, and thin belts 43 and 44 are wound between pulleys 339 and 40 and between pulleys 41 and 42, respectively. , and a motor 45 is connected to the support shaft 36. Furthermore, U-shaped mounts 46 and 47 are fixed to the upper and lower sides of the inner wall of the reading device 28, respectively, at different positions, and magnetic heads 48 and 49 are mounted on each mount 46 and 47, spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction. The contact surface of each magnetic head 48, 49 is connected to the belt 4.
It is set at a position that is approximately at the same level as the contact position of No. 3 and 44.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a case will be explained in which tickets A and B of different sizes are sorted, and the widths of the short sides of tickets A and B are set to X and Y, respectively. Moreover, a magnetic stripe 50 is coated on the central length of the ticket A, and information such as the name of the issuing company, the amount of money, and the date of issue is magnetically recorded on this magnetic stripe 50. First, small ticket A
To select the tickets, set the sorting device to the state shown in FIG. Then, the tickets A and B are guided to the chute 12 and sent to the sorting drum 14 inside the main body 1.
is stored inside. Once a predetermined amount of tickets A and B have been stored in the sorting drum 14, the switch on the control panel 7 is turned on, and the motor 16 is started to rotate the drive shaft 15, thereby rotating the sorting drum 14 in the direction of arrow F in the figure. . Therefore, the sorting drum 14 rotates with the end of the guide plate 31, which is an enlarged version of the shape sorting mechanism 20, as the leading end of rotation, and the discharge port 33 as the rear end of the rotation, and the mixed tickets A and B are transferred to the sorting drum 14. It will slide and stir on the inner peripheral surface of the.
Therefore, the tickets A and B slide as the sorting drum 14 rotates, and due to their weight they are always located below the sorting drum 14, and are scraped together in the direction of the discharge port 33 by contacting the guide plate 31. It turns out. That is, the tickets A and B slide on the inner circumferential surface of the sorting drum 14 regardless of their shape, and the flow direction is regulated by the guide plate 31 which has large openings on the left and right, and the flow is narrowed by the guide plate 31. Directed toward the center. In this way, the tickets A and B will flow toward the center of each shape sorting mechanism 20, and the tickets A and B will always flow toward the center of the pair of guide plates 30.
collected between. Tickets A and B collected between this guide plate 31 flow through the sliding part 29 and reach the discharge port 33.
However, this discharge port 33 is previously formed to have a predetermined length V, and only small-sized tickets A pass through the discharge port 33 and are discharged to the outside of the sorting drum 14. However, since ticket B, which is larger in shape than ticket A, is larger than the cross-sectional shape of this discharge port 33, it either gets caught on the guide plates 31 on both sides before the discharge port 33, or it flows and is thrown up above the discharge port 33. , will remain in the sorting drum 14 without passing through the discharge port 33. The tickets A discharged from the discharge port 33 onto the outer periphery of the sorting drum 14 enter the space of the U-shaped cross section of the guide section 23, and enter the guide section 23.
3. It slides on the inner circumferential surface due to its own weight and falls to the transfer section 2.
It is placed on the belt 27 of No. 4. This belt 27
is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4 by rollers 25 and 26, and the ticket A placed on the belt 27 is conveyed toward the reading mechanism 28. Next, the ticket A conveyed to the reading mechanism 28 is held at both sides by belts 43 and 44, and is moved at a constant speed by a motor 45, as shown in FIG. When this ticket A is moving at a constant speed, the magnetic stripe 50 applied to its surface comes into contact with the tip of the magnetic head 48, and the magnetic stripe 50
The information stored in advance is read by the magnetic head 48. When the ticket A is turned upside down, the magnetic stripe 50 contacts the magnetic head 49, and the stored information is read by the magnetic head 49. When the ticket A conveyed by both belts 43 and 44 reaches the end of the belts 43 and 44, that is, to the open end of the reading mechanism 28, the ticket A is ejected by the reading mechanism 28 and placed in the collection box 5.
It falls and is stored.

Next, the sorting drum 14 is rotated in the direction of arrow F for a predetermined period of time, and when all the small tickets A have been ejected, the motor 16 is stopped by a timer or the like, and the control panel 7 is operated to reverse the motor 16. The sorting drum 14 is rotated in the reverse direction in the direction of arrow G, and the ticket B is slid and stirred within the sorting drum 14. Therefore, the tickets B flow toward the center of the shape sorting mechanism 21 in the same way as described above, and the tickets B are collected between the pair of guide plates 32, and the large tickets B
The ticket B passes through the discharge port 34 and is discharged to the outside of the sorting drum 14, and the ticket B falls and is stored in the collection box 3. After driving the motor 16 for a predetermined period of time, the drive of the motor 16 is stopped using a timer or the like, and when the rotation of the sorting drum 14 is stopped, the ticket B is stored in the collection box 3, and the paper waste and paper waste are stored in the sorting drum 14. Items that cannot be sorted, such as banknotes and defective tickets, will remain. In this way, ticket A is returned to collection box 5.
Then, ticket B is stored in the collection box 3, and other parts that have been sorted incorrectly are stored in the sorting drum 14. At the same time as the sorting operation, the information stored in the magnetic stripe 50 of ticket A is read. It will be stored in the floppy disk device 8.

Next, when this series of sorting operations is completed, the equipment must be cleaned in order to perform the next sorting operation. First, pull out the collection box 3 towards you, pull out the collection box 5 towards the back, and collect the stored tickets A,
Tickets B are transferred to individual storage devices, tickets A and B are managed separately, and the tickets are incinerated or shredded at a predetermined time for disposal. Then, the input body 9 is rotated around the hinge 10 as shown in FIG. 2 to expose the opening 13, and the operator inserts his/her hand into the sorting drum 14 through the opening 13 or uses a vacuum suction machine. Unsortable members can be taken out from the sorting drum 14 and stored separately from tickets A and B. And collection boxes 3 and 5
are inserted into the device, and the input body 9 is attached to the hinge 10.
By rotating it around the center to return it to the state shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to prepare for the next sorting operation.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to sort only lightweight and thin members of a specific shape according to their shape characteristics, which could not be sorted by conventional parts sorting and supply mechanisms, and it is possible to sort only parts of a specific shape according to the characteristics of the shape. It is possible to perform rapid sorting in a short time. Furthermore, in this sorting work, after the parts of a specific shape are sorted, they can be aligned in a certain direction and transported, and they can be processed as they are for further processing such as sorting or information reading. It is possible to connect them and perform different processing as is.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a perspective view showing a state in which the same collection box as above is pulled out and the input body is flipped upwards, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the sorting drum, Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the center of this embodiment, and Fig. 5 The figure is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the sorting drum, FIG. 6 is a skeleton diagram showing the inside of the reading device, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing tickets to be sorted. 14... Sorting drum as a drum body, 20,
21...Shape sorting mechanism, 23...Guide part as a collection means, 24...Transfer part as a transfer means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A shape sorting mechanism that has a hollow cylindrical drum body that is rotatably supported with its axis positioned slightly horizontally, and a hole provided in the peripheral wall of the drum body that communicates the inner and outer peripheries of the drum body. By storing a plurality of members with different shapes in a drum body and rotating the drum body in a specific direction, only the members with a specific shape are released from the inside of the drum body to the outside through a shape sorting mechanism. In a sorting device that can be used for sorting, the drum body is arranged in an annular shape so as not to come into contact with the outer periphery of the drum body, and its cross section is hollow so that it is U-shaped, and its opening covers the shape sorting mechanism. What is claimed is: 1. A sorting mechanism characterized by having a collecting means having a shape and being able to guide and collect members discharged from the shape sorting mechanism.