JPS6360811A - Method and device for distributing and feeding - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To feed articles while being uniformly distributed and arranged by receiving a number of articles at a wide receiving part, gradually dividing said articles into a certain number of lines while spreading the intervals of said lines of articles and making them curvedly travel and, then, linearly feeding said articles into a device on the lower course side. CONSTITUTION:A distributing and feeding device 3 has plural number of curved conveyors 31 corresponding to the number of connected conveyors 6 for distributing articles on the following process. At the receiving part 313, the starting parts 314 of the curved conveyors 31 are provided mutually adjacently in parallel and run in parallel for a defined length, being formed into a wide conveying face. On the other hand, the end parts 316 of the curved conveyors 31 are arranged in parallel and linearly connected to an arranging device 4. The conveying passages of the curved conveyors 31 are, e.g., radially divided in plural lines from the starting parts 314 to the end parts 316, gradually spreading the intervals among the passages. Thereby, a number of articles fed from a fed conveyor 1 can be distributed to the defined number of passages and fed to the arranging conveyor 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for distributing and conveying articles supplied in large quantities from various conveyors into a plurality of lines.

[Conventional technology and problems]

A feeding device for branching the products supplied from the previous process into a large number of strips is used, for example, in a fruit/seed sorting facility. As a means for uniformly distributing and supplying (goods) to each strip, a feeding device using a medium-wide spreading roller conveyor (for example, Utility Model Publication No. 56-47147 No. 2) is used.

However, the conventional method described in 1-1 uses the transfer of the article itself during conveyance from the upstream side (pre-process) to the downstream device (hereinafter referred to as the connecting conveyor) to roll in the desired direction. Because the products themselves do not roll properly in the expected direction due to differences in shape and external shape, and the flow changes on a whim, connecting conveyors are installed in multiple rows of three or more rows. However, it is not possible to branch and supply articles evenly to each strip, and there is a drawback that a large amount of articles flows (transported) to the connecting conveyor in the center, and not so much to the connecting conveyors on the left and right outer sides.

In addition, depending on the direction of the supply, such as the supply from the previous process being misaligned or being supplied from the side, a large amount of culm may flow (conveyed) overflowing to the connecting conveyor at the left or right end.
On the other side, there were drawbacks such as sparse flow, gaps between multiple connected conveyors, and conveyors with concentrated and dense flow and conveyors with little flow.

That is, if the fruit flows too densely, sorting and sorting cannot be performed on the fruit sorting conveyor, whereas if it flows sparsely, even if sorting and sorting can be performed, the throughput (sorting amount) decreases, resulting in insufficient capacity.

On the other hand, there is a well-known technique for forcibly separating goods using scrapers, guide rails, etc. on a conveyance device such as a top plate chain, but agricultural products such as fruits and side dishes have soft skins and are easily damaged. This has been problematic because means such as guides or the like to forcibly branch the branches have not been used because they may be scratched or crushed.

In view of this, there is a need for a method and device that can receive and convey the articles conveyed and supplied from the previous process as they are, while the conveyance path gradually branches into multiple lines and distributes and supplies them to predetermined positions on the downstream side. There is.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention solves various drawbacks of conventional feeding devices, and no matter what condition the article is fed from the previous process (uneven supply, different feeding method, etc.), the article can be transferred to the next downstream process. To provide a feeding method and device capable of evenly distributing and supplying each strip in a line to a plurality of connected conveyors installed in parallel at predetermined intervals in a process. is the main purpose.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an apparatus capable of conveying soft, spherical, easily rolling articles in a curved manner without rolling them.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides means for distributing and supplying perishable items randomly supplied in large quantities from the previous process to a device (connection conveyor) installed downstream in parallel at predetermined intervals. Configure as follows.

The most preferable first stage is one in which a large amount of randomly supplied articles are conveyed and branched into a predetermined number of strips. It may be configured such that it is divided into a predetermined number of strips, travels in a curve in a predetermined direction while increasing the distance between each strip as it progresses, and connects straight toward a device on the downstream side to supply the article.

In other words, a predetermined number of curved conveyors with specially shaped conveying elements that have a conveying surface for carrying spherical articles in at least one line in the traveling direction and that travel horizontally in curves from left to right are used to convey each conveyor. The starting ends are made adjacent to each other, and a large number of conveyance elements of each strip are arranged in parallel by a predetermined distance (length) to form a wide conveyance surface, which is used as a receiving section.

In the pre-process of supplying the material to the receiving section, preferably, a conveying device whose width is approximately the same as the width of the receiving section is used, and these are combined so as to feed the material approximately evenly onto the wide conveying surface formed by each strip of the receiving section.

Each strip of the curved conveyor branches as it advances from the receiving section, and the spacing between each strip gradually increases as it approaches the store, forming a single row of conveyance paths spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

The tips of each strip separated by a predetermined interval are aligned parallel to each other in the direction of travel, and are placed in a device for the next process (e.g. sorting conveyor).
Connect so that the supply is straight to the

Although each strip of curved conveyor may be independently driven by providing a drive motor for each strip, it is preferable that a plurality of strips be driven in conjunction with one drive motor via an intermediate shaft.

Further, any other driving method may be used.

The above curve conveyor is constructed as follows.

The basic dimensions of Cheno are the same as JIS standard roller chains, and a special clearance is given between the parts to create a side bend (bow shape).
A well-known flexible side-pow roller chain (trade name of Yamakyu Chain) or curved chain (trade name of Tsubakimoto Chain) is used, and the chain is equipped with a conveying element, which is the main part of the present invention, to create a curve. Configure the conveyor.

The conveying element has a concave conveying surface so that the conveying path is concave from left to right, and a lower end that extends vertically downward so as to sandwich the bin links of the chain from both outside sides. By bending, U-shaped guide support parts are formed on both outer sides sandwiching the chain, and the guide support parts are configured to be combined with a guide rail forming a curved conveyor.

It is also possible to use various known attachment methods, such as using a combination mechanism of a chain and a conveyance element, a beam head.

By configuring the guide support section below the conveyance element as described above, the conveyor of the present invention is vertically symmetrical, so that even on the return side (lower return path), the conveyance element is suspended upside down by the guide rail, and the conveyance surface is Do not touch guide rails, etc.

Therefore, the conveying surface of the conveying element may be provided with a cushioning material to stably convey soft and easily rolled articles, or may be provided with a flexible material (9) in the form of fins made of an elastic material, or with raised piles (such as artificial grass).
A flocked material is provided to form a soft conveying surface.

The conveyor frame is constructed by bending two upper and lower guide rails that are combined with the guide support portion of the conveying element into predetermined curves and connecting them at several points.

Since the guide rail uses a simple round or square bar, it can be configured into a predetermined curve very easily.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

1 and 2, an overview including devices before and after implementing the present invention will first be explained.

1 is a supply conveyor as a pre-process, 2 is a supply feeder, 3 is a distribution supply device of the present invention, and 4 is an alignment device, which conveys distributed articles while adjusting their posture. 5 is a conveyor, 6 is a connection conveyor, and 7 is an overflow conveyor for discharging the overflowing articles from the alignment device 4.

It is preferable that the conveyance width of the supply conveyor 1 as a pre-process is set equal to that during reception on the entrance side, which is determined by the number of strips to be distributed by the distribution supply device 3. When the size is large, a supply feeder 2 is installed between the supply conveyor 1 and the distribution supply device 3 to adjust the connection.

Further, the supply feeder 2 may be used to appropriately spread and supply articles to the entrance side of the distribution supply device 3 when the articles are conveyed in an overlapping manner on the supply conveyor 1.

Furthermore, when the conveyance of the supply conveyor 1 and the reception of the distribution supply device 3 are the same, and the articles are distributed and supplied on the supply conveyor 1, the supply feeder 2 can be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the distribution and supply device 3 of the present invention connects a curved conveyor 31 in which a chain 311 traveling in a curve and a number of specially shaped conveying elements 312 are attached to a downstream process for distributing. They are provided according to the number of strips of the conveyor 6 (four strips in the embodiment).

The receiving part 313 is the starting end 31 of the curve conveyor 31 of each strip.
4 are placed adjacent to each other in parallel and run in parallel for a predetermined length to form a wide conveyance surface.

The length of the receiving section 313 is preferably set so that the posture of the article is stabilized after the easily rolling article is transferred to the receiving section 313 from the previous process.

The terminal end 316 is connected to the alignment device 4 so that each strip of the curved conveyor 31 is parallel to the traveling direction and is fed straight to the next process.

Further, to explain the curve conveyor 31 in detail, the chain 311 is a known chain having side bending and flexibility, and a conveying element 312 is attached thereto, and a pin link 311 of the chain 311 is attached to the lower part of the conveying element 312.
A U-shaped guide support portion 312b is formed by sandwiching the guide support portion 312a from both outer sides, extending vertically downward, and bending the lower end portions to both outer sides.

Reference numeral 315 denotes a guide rail, which is provided in combination with the guide support portion 312b so that the chain 311 and the conveyance element 312 of the curve conveyor 31 travel in a curve.

That is, the guide rail 315 extends from the starting end 314 to the ending end 3.
It curves toward a predetermined position of 16, drawing a gentle trajectory, and forms a conveyance path for the curved conveyor 31.

Furthermore, since guide rails 315 are provided at vertically symmetrical positions on the upper conveyance path side and the lower return side, the conveyance element 312 on the return side travels suspended by the guide support portion 312b.

The conveyance path of the curved conveyor 31 starts at the starting end 3 as shown in FIG.
Drawing No. 8 shows another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, in which the conveyance is branched radially into a plurality of rows from 14 to the terminal end 316.
As shown in the figure, it is also possible to form a conveyance path by changing the course from the starting end 314 to the left or right (right in the figure).

Furthermore, the conveyance path can also be provided by combining FIGS. 1 and 8.

Reference numeral 317 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is a determining member 11, which is attached so as to maintain the interval between the two upper and lower guide rails 315 at a predetermined dimension.

A connecting member 318 fixes the guide rails 315 on the transport side and the return side. The frame of the curved conveyor 31 is formed by attaching the above-mentioned 11 determining members 317 and connecting members 318 to several locations of a guide rail 315 bent into a predetermined curve, and fixed to a frame 320 with fixing metal fittings 319.

There are various ways to drive each curved conveyor 31, but each can be driven individually using a motor (not shown), or a single motor can be interlocked via an intermediate shaft (not shown). etc. are used.

The upper conveying surface of the conveying element 312 is shown in FIG. 6(a).

As shown in (b), (c), and Figure 7 (a), (b), and () A group of soft protrusions 312a, such as fin-like, needle-like, or rod-like, made of a synthetic resin such as a soft PVC material or an elastic material of the flexible material 2 are formed in the shape of a raised fluff.

As described above, the plurality of curved conveyors 31 are brought together on the supply side to receive the soft and easily rolling articles supplied from the previous process, and as they are conveyed, they are branched into individual strips, gently curved, and conveyed to a predetermined position on the downstream side. .

The above description and the attached drawings both show an example of implementation and do not limit the invention, and the invention may be applied to other shapes of arrangement as long as they are within the scope of the claims.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention receives soft and easily rolled articles that are supplied in pieces from the previous process in the same posture as they were supplied without being kneaded together, and branches them into multiple strips while gently curving and conveying them to the downstream side. It can be distributed and transported smoothly without being subjected to external pressure due to forced transfer, contact, friction, etc.

In particular, a U-shaped guide support part is formed in the lower part of the conveying element that holds the chain from both outside sides, extends downward, and bends the lower end to both outside sides. Since the fruit does not come into contact with a guide or the like, soft elastic protrusions can be formed in the shape of raised fluff on the conveying surface, and the soft fruits can be stably conveyed without damaging them.

Furthermore, it is possible not only to gradually widen the distance between the conveyance paths of articles in the straight direction and distribute and supply them, but also to change the course to the left or right to widen the intervals between the conveyance paths and distribute and supply them. This has the effect that the layout can be set up arbitrarily and the installation space can be used effectively without wasting it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the main parts of the device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same,
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the curve conveyor, Figure 4 is Figure 3A-
A sectional view taken along line A, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the frame structure of the curve conveyor, and FIGS. 6 (a), (b), and (c) are
An explanatory diagram of a transport element formed by a group of fin-like protrusions, Fig. 7 (
b), (b). (c) is an explanatory view of a conveying element formed by a group of needle-like protrusions, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. 1... Supply conveyor 2... Supply feeder 3... Distribution supply device 31... Curve conveyor 311
... Chain 311a ... Pin link 3
12...Transportation element 312a...Protrusion group 3
12b...Guide support part 313...Receiving part 3
14... Starting end 315... Guide rail 316... Terminating end 317... Width determining member 318... Connecting member 319... Fixing metal fittings 320... Frame 4... Aligning device 5. ...Conveyor conveyor 6...Connection conveyor 7...Overflow conveyor No. 4j (2) (Iji 7z (Nori)

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A wide receiving section is formed by accommodating a predetermined number of spherical articles in at least one row in each row in the traveling direction, and making the starting ends of each of the plurality of conveyors that curve in a predetermined direction and travel in a curved line adjacent to each other. As the conveyor progresses, the conveyor for each row is gradually branched to widen the distance between the rows, and the conveyors are connected to each downstream device to distribute and supply the goods that were widely supplied in pieces from the previous process into a predetermined number of rows. Characteristic distribution supply method. (2) A wide receiving section is formed by forming a plurality of conveyors that run in a curve in a predetermined direction while conveying spherical articles in at least one line in the traveling direction, with each conveyor being adjacent and parallel to each other at the starting end; As the conveyor progresses from the section, the conveyor for each strip is gradually branched to widen the distance between each strip, and each strip is made parallel with the terminal end facing the downstream device, so that the articles are fed to the downstream device. A distribution supply device characterized by: (3) The dispensing and supplying device according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of conveyors is constituted by a conveyor chain with a conveying element whose conveying surface is curved in a concave shape. (4) Each of the plurality of conveyors is provided with a group of protrusions made of a soft flexible material such as synthetic wood on the conveyor surface that bends with the weight of the article, and the articles are stabilized on the conveyor surface by the flexure of the group of protrusions. A dispensing and supplying device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it is configured to do so.