WO2019097648A1

WO2019097648A1 - Transport device

Info

Publication number: WO2019097648A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/041359
Authority: WO
Inventors: 永志別府
Original assignee: アズビル株式会社
Priority date: 2017-11-16
Filing date: 2017-11-16
Publication date: 2019-05-23

Abstract

A transport device comprises: a plate 10; a bar 30 that pushes a plurality of articles 20 staggered on the plate 10; a conveyor 40 that transports a row of articles 20 being pushed from the plate 10; a bridge 50 that is disposed between the plate 10 and the conveyor 40; and an inclined lift 60 that comprises an inclined face 61 inclined with respect to the surface of the bridge 50 and a flat face 62 parallel to the surface of the bridge 50 and that can project from under the bridge 50. When the inclined lift 60 is projecting from under the bridge 50, the inclined face 61 pushes at least one row of the articles 20 from the bridge 50 to the conveyor 40, and the flat face 62 lifts at least one row of the articles 20 adjacent to the article 20 row that was pushed.

Description

Transport device

The present invention relates to a transport apparatus.

For example, when manufacturing pharmaceuticals, foods, etc., the container may be stored in a furnace, and the contents contained in the container may be subjected to temperature treatment such as freeze-drying treatment or pressure treatment. In the furnace, a number of containers are usually arranged in an array. Therefore, if there is unevenness in the temperature distribution and pressure distribution in the furnace, the arrangement in the furnace may cause unevenness in the processing conditions of the inclusions in the container, which may cause unevenness in the quality of the inclusion after the treatment. Therefore, it is preferable to be able to trace where in the furnace the extracted container has been placed when extracting and inspecting the contents of the processed container. Here, if the containers placed in the furnace are taken out row by row, it is possible to trace how many rows from the row of the extracted containers were arranged in the furnace.

Patent document 1 conveys a row of containers by inserting a thin sheet from the conveyor side under a row of containers closest to the conveyor among a plurality of containers arranged on the plate and pulling the sheet. It proposes a method to move it up.

Patent document 2 fixes the row of containers adjacent to the row of containers pushed out to the conveyor on the plate by a suction device when pushing out the containers from the inside of the furnace to the conveyor through the plate and fixes them on the plate by the suction device. It proposes a method of preventing the containers in the adjacent rows from being drawn out and mixed in the rows of the pushed-out containers.

According to Patent Document 3, after pushing a row of containers out of a plurality of containers arranged on a plate to a conveyor, the plate on which the containers are arranged is raised or the conveyor is lowered to It proposes a method of preventing the containers in the adjacent rows from being drawn out and mixed in the rows of the pushed-out containers.

European Patent 1717533 International Publication 2015/082563 US Patent Application Publication No. 2009/208320

In the method described in Patent Document 1, when the sheet is inserted under the container, the container may fall. Also, the movement of the container with the movement of the sheet is unstable because it depends on the frictional force acting between the sheet and the container. Furthermore, for example, when guides that define the direction of movement of the rows of containers are provided at both ends of the rows of containers, the frictional force acting between the containers and the guides is the frictional force acting between the sheet and the containers If it is larger, the container can not move.

Also, in the furnace, the containers may be arranged in a staggering way so as to be able to store more containers, part of the containers in the next row to the depressions between the containers in the row of containers seen from above May enter. Therefore, according to the methods described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, when the row of containers pushed out to the conveyor is flowed by the conveyor, the containers on the conveyor come in contact with the containers in front of the conveyor and fall over or pushed out to the conveyor In one row of containers, containers in the adjacent row may be drawn out and mixed, and the location of each container in the furnace may not be traced.

There is a need for a technology capable of transporting a plurality of staggered articles to a conveyor in rows, as well as manufacturing processes for pharmaceuticals and food. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport apparatus capable of transporting articles row by row to a conveyor.

According to an aspect of the invention, a plate, a bar for pushing a plurality of articles staggered on the plate, a conveyor for transporting rows of articles pushed out of the plate, a bridge arranged between the plate and the conveyor And an inclined liftable from below the bridge, the inclined lift comprising an inclined surface inclined with respect to the bridge surface and a flat surface parallel to the bridge surface, the inclined lift projecting from the lower side of the bridge There is provided a transport apparatus comprising an inclined lift, wherein the inclined surface pushes at least one row of articles out of the bridge onto the conveyor, and the flat surface lifts at least one row of articles adjacent to the row of extruded articles.

In the above conveying device, the bridge may be comb-shaped, and the inclined lift may protrude from the gap of the comb-shaped bridge.

In the above conveying apparatus, each of the plurality of articles includes a cylindrical shape, the centers of the plurality of articles are arranged in the form of a triangular lattice, and the width w _F of the flat surface of the inclined lift is given by the following formula (1) It may be
w _F = (n + 1) d sin θ-d-m _F (1)
Where n is a natural number corresponding to the number of rows of articles lifted in a flat surface, d is the diameter of the article, θ is the interior angle of triangles in a triangular grid pattern, and m _F is any margin Amount.

In the above conveying apparatus, each of the plurality of articles includes a cylindrical shape, the centers of the plurality of articles are arranged in a triangular lattice, and the width w _T of the inclined surface of the inclined lift is given by the following formula (2) It may be
w _T d d-d sin θ + m _T (2)
Where d is the diameter of the article, θ is the interior angle of the triangle forming a triangular grid pattern, and m _T is an arbitrary margin amount.

The transport device described above is a flat lift which can be projected from below the bridge, with a flat surface parallel to the bridge surface, which is arranged next to the inclined lift, when the flat lift projects from below the bridge. The flat lift flat surface may further comprise a flat lift, which lifts together the row of articles lifted by the flat lift flat surface.

In the above conveying apparatus, only the inclined lift may be able to project from the lower side of the bridge.

In the above-described transfer device, both the tilt lift and the flat lift may be able to project from below the bridge.

In the above-described transfer device, the plate may be disposed in the closed space.

In the above-described transfer device, at least one of temperature and pressure may be managed in the closed space.

In the above-described transfer device, at least one of the temperature distribution and the pressure distribution may be managed in the closed space.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport apparatus capable of transporting articles row by row to a conveyor.

It is a typical top view of the conveyance device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a schematic side view of the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic side view of the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a typical top view of the conveyance device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a typical top view of the conveyance device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a typical top view which shows the relation between the size of the article concerning a 1st embodiment, and the width of an inclination lift. It is a typical top view which shows the relation between the size of the article concerning a 1st embodiment, and the width of an inclination lift. It is a typical top view which shows the relation between the size of the article concerning a 1st embodiment, and the width of an inclination lift. It is a schematic side view of the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a flat lift. It is a schematic side view of the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a flat lift. It is a schematic diagram of the mechanism which raises the inclination lift and flat lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the mechanism which raises the inclination lift and flat lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the mechanism which raises the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a flat lift. It is a schematic diagram of the mechanism which raises the inclination lift of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a flat lift.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar symbols. However, the drawings are schematic. Therefore, specific dimensions and the like should be determined in light of the following description. Moreover, it is a matter of course that parts having different dimensional relationships and ratios among the drawings are included.

First Embodiment
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a plate 10, a bar 30 for pushing a plurality of articles 20 staggered on the plate 10, and a row of articles 20 extruded from the plate 10. A conveyor 40 for conveying, a bridge 50 disposed between the plate 10 and the conveyor 40, an inclined surface 61 inclined with respect to the surface of the bridge 50, and a surface of the bridge 50 as shown in FIGS. A parallel flat surface 62, and an inclined lift 60 projectable from below the bridge 50.

As the inclined lift 60 projects from below the bridge 50, the inclined surface 61 pushes at least one row of articles 20 out of the bridge 50 to the conveyor 40 and the flat surface 62 of the articles 20 adjacent to the row of articles 20 being extruded. Lift at least one row.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plate 10 is disposed in a closed space 100. The closed space 100 is provided by, for example, a furnace, a tank and a storage. In the closed space 100, at least one of temperature and pressure may be managed. In the closed space 100, at least one of the temperature distribution and the pressure distribution may be managed. The furnace may be a lyophilization furnace. The closed space 100 can be released by a door or the like.

Each of the plurality of articles 20 is, for example, a container such as a vial storing a drug to be processed such as lyophilization, but is not particularly limited. Each of the plurality of articles 20 includes, for example, a cylindrical shape. The plurality of articles 20 are staggered arrangement such that more articles 20 are disposed on the plate 10. Therefore, the plurality of articles 20 are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the side of the advancing direction of the bar 30. In the case where each of the plurality of articles 20 includes a cylindrical shape, each of the plurality of articles 20 is arranged so that the centers are staggered with respect to each other in a row.

For example, with respect to the centers of the first articles 20 on the conveyor 40 side, the centers of the second articles 20 are offset in the row direction. However, with respect to the center of each of the articles 20 of the first example, the center of each of the articles 20 in the third row is not substantially offset in the row direction. The centers of the plurality of articles 20 can be considered to be disposed at grid points of the triangular grid pattern. However, in the present disclosure, triangles forming a triangular lattice pattern may or may not be equilateral triangles.

When the plurality of articles 20 are taken out of the closed space 100, a door such as a furnace providing the closed space 100 is opened, and the bars 30 are arranged on the plate 10 as shown in FIGS. The articles 20 are pushed towards the conveyor 40 via the bridge 50. The bar 30 has, for example, a shape that can contact the innermost row of the plurality of articles 20 in the closed space 100. In other words, the bar 30 has a shape that can contact the row of the articles 20 on the opposite side of the conveyor 40 among the plurality of articles 20 on the plate 10. The traveling direction of the bar 30 is, for example, perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor 40. The bars 30 progressively push the articles 20 onto the conveyor 40 such that the articles 20 are in close proximity to the conveyor 40, one row at a time. In the vicinity of the plate 10 and the bridge 50, a guide 70 may be provided to prevent the articles 20 pushed by the bar 30 from spreading in the lateral direction with respect to the advancing direction of the bar 30.

The bridge 50 comprises, for example, a flat 51 adjacent to the plate 10 and a comb 52 adjacent to the conveyor 40. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the plurality of inclined lifts 60 can protrude from the plurality of gaps of the comb 52 of the bridge 50. The width of the interstices of the combs 52 in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the bar 30 is smaller than the width of the article 20. The inclined surface 61 of the inclined lift 60 is located on the conveyor 40 side with respect to the flat surface 62, and the flat surface 62 of the inclined lift 60 is located on the plate 10 side with respect to the inclined surface 61. The inclined surface 61 is inclined to be higher from the conveyor 40 side to the plate 10 side.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, as the inclined lift 60 ascends from below the bridge 50, the inclined surface 61 is the bottom or the like of each of the rows of articles 20 arranged on the bridge 50 near the conveyor 40. Contact As the inclined lift 60 ascends, the article 20 is pushed from the plate 10 to the conveyor 40 by the inclined surface 61, and the portion of the inclined surface 61 in contact with the article 20 shifts from the plate 10 to the conveyor 40. This causes the articles 20 to be pushed out of the bridge 50 onto the conveyor 40 and of the line of articles 20 pushed out onto the conveyor 40 and of the line of articles 20 to be conveyed next on the conveyor 40 adjacent to the line. There is an interval between them. Therefore, the row of the articles 20 pushed out to the conveyor 40 and the row of the articles 20 to be conveyed next on the conveyor 40 next to the row do not come in contact with each other.

The flat surface 62 of the tilt lift 60 lifts at least one row of articles 20 adjacent to the row of articles 20 being extruded. Because the flat surface 62 is parallel to the surface of the bridge 50, the article 20 resting on the flat surface 62 experiences little or no lateral force with respect to the direction of elevation of the tilt lift 60. Therefore, the articles on the flat surface 62 move little or no in the lateral direction with respect to the rising direction of the tilt lift 60.

As shown in FIG. 8, the width w _F of the flat surface 62 of the inclined lift 60 in the traveling direction of the bar 30 may be given by, for example, the following formula (3).
w _F = (n + 1) d sin θ-d-m _F (3)
n is a natural number and corresponds to the number of rows of articles 20 lifted by the flat surface 62. If the row of articles 20 lifted by the flat surface 62 is a single row, then n = 1. If two rows of articles 20 are lifted by flat surface 62, as shown in FIG. 9, then n = 2. d is the diameter of the article 20 lifted by the flat surface 62. θ is an inner angle with the center of the article 20 lifted by the flat surface 62 as the vertex among the inner angles of the triangle forming the triangular lattice pattern. When the plurality of articles 20 are densely packed, the inner angle θ is 60 °, but if there is a gap between the articles 20 or if the diameter d of the articles 20 varies, the inner angle θ is 60 ° It may not be. m _F is an arbitrary margin amount. The margin amount m _F is appropriately set in accordance with the variation in the diameter d of the plurality of articles 20 and the variation in the arrangement of the plurality of articles 20.

The (n + 1) d sin θ-d in the above equation (3) is that the adjacent article 20 of the depths of the depressions produced on both sides of the row of the articles 20 to be lifted may enter from the diameter of the articles 20 to be lifted. It corresponds to the length obtained by subtracting the two sides of the possible depth. When the width w _F of the flat surface 62 of the tilt lift 60 exceeds (n + 1) d sin θ-d, the flat surface 62 is also flat on the article 20 adjacent to the row of articles 20 raised by the flat surface 62 when the tilt lift 60 is elevated. The articles 20 adjacent to the row of articles 20 in contact and raised by the flat surface 62 may tip over.

As shown in FIG. 10, the width w _T of the inclined surface 61 of the inclined lift 60 in the traveling direction of the bar 30 may be given by the following equation (4), for example.
w _T d d-d sin θ + m _T (4)
d and θ are the same as in equation (3). m _T is an arbitrary margin amount. The margin amount m _T is appropriately set in accordance with the variation in the diameter d of the plurality of articles 20 and the variation in the arrangement of the plurality of articles 20. The d-d sin θ in the above equation (4) corresponds to the depth to which the adjacent articles 20 can enter, among the depths of the depressions produced on both sides of the row of articles 20 to be lifted. If the width w _T of the inclined surface 61 of the inclined lift 60 is smaller than d-d sin θ, the row of articles 20 pushed by the inclined surface 61 of the inclined lift 60 is from the row of articles 20 lifted by the flat surface 62 of the inclined lift 60 Sometimes it can not be separated.

According to the transport apparatus of the first embodiment, even if the plurality of articles 20 are arranged in a staggered manner on the plate 10, the row of articles 20 carried by the conveyor 40 is the next row of articles 20 carried by the conveyor 40. So that the row of articles 20 carried by the conveyor 40 does not contact the row of articles 20 next carried by the conveyor 40. Therefore, the articles 20 conveyed by the conveyor 40 are not drawn out and mixed in the row of the articles 20 conveyed by the conveyor 40, and the articles 20 do not fall over. Thus, it is possible to trace where on the plate 10 the extracted articles 20 were placed when the articles 20 carried by the conveyor 40 are extracted and inspected.

Second Embodiment
The transport apparatus according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, includes a flat surface 66 parallel to the surface of the bridge 50 disposed adjacent to the plate 10 side of the inclined lift 60, below the bridge 50. It further comprises a flat lift 65 which can protrude from the As shown in FIG. 12, when the width of the article 20 is larger than the width of the flat surface 62 of the tilt lift 60, the flat surface 66 of the flat lift 65 tilts when the flat lift 65 protrudes from below the bridge. Sixty flat surfaces 62 can lift the rows of articles 20 raised together. The other components of the transfer apparatus according to the second embodiment may be similar to those of the first embodiment.

Depending on the size of the article 20, as shown in FIG. 11, only the tilt lift 60 may project from below the bridge 50, and as shown in FIG. 12, both the tilt lift 60 and the flat lift 65 are bridges. It may project from below 50. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, when the article 20 is sized to be lifted by only the flat surface 62 of the inclined lift 60, only the inclined lift 60 may project from below the bridge 50. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, when the size of the article 20 is larger than the size that can be lifted by only the flat surface 62 of the tilt lift 60, both the tilt lift 60 and the flat lift 65 project from below the bridge 50. May be

The transport apparatus according to the second embodiment may include a plurality of flat lifts adjacent to the tilt lift 60. In this case, depending on the size of the article 20, the number of flat lifts to be protruded from below the bridge may be selected.

As shown in FIG. 13, the transfer device according to the second embodiment includes a pusher 91 for moving the inclined lift 60, a pusher 92 for moving the flat lift 65, and a lift for defining the moving directions of the tilt lift 60 and the flat lift 65.

Guides

81 and 82 may be provided. The

pushers

91 and 92 are members that come in contact with the tilt lift 60 and the flat lift 65, and are driven by, for example, an actuator or a motor. Also, the flat lift 65 may include a wrap around contact portion 67 that wraps around the bottom of the tilt lift 60. In this case, when the pusher 92 lifts the flat lift 65, a force is also transmitted to the tilt lift 60 via the wraparound contact portion 67, and the tilt lift 60 is also lifted.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the transport device according to the second embodiment is connected between the rotating device 201, the first link 202 rotated by the rotating device 201, and the first link 202 and the pusher 91. A second link 203, a third link 204 which is also rotated by the rotation device 201, and a fourth link 205 connected between the third link 204 and the pusher 92 may be provided. At this time, one axis of the rotating device is connected to the first link 202, and the other axis is connected to the third link 204, and the rotational torque of the rotating device 201 causes the first link 202 and the third link 204 simultaneously in the same direction. Rotate. As the rotating device 201, a motor or the like can be used.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the rotation device 201 rotates the first link 202 counterclockwise, the pusher 91 is lifted by the extension movement of the first link 202 and the second link 203. At the same time, when the rotation device 201 rotates the third link 204 counterclockwise, the pusher 92 is lowered by the bending movement of the third link 204 and the fourth link 205. In this case, it is possible to raise only the inclined lift 60 in contact with the pusher 91 shown in FIG. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, when the rotating device 201 rotates the first link 202 clockwise, the pusher 91 is lowered by the bending movement of the first link 202 and the second link 2-2. Also, at the same time, when the rotating device 201 rotates the third link 204 clockwise, the pusher 92 is lifted by the extension movement of the third link 204 and the fourth link 205. In this case, along with the flat lift 65 contacting the pusher 92 shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to raise the inclined lift 60 contacting the wraparound contact portion 67 of the flat lift 65. Thus, it is possible to raise either of the

pushers

91, 92 with one rotation device 201 by using the link mechanism. In addition, it is possible to combine arbitrarily the combination of the direction of the rotational force which generate | occur | produces with the rotation apparatus 201, and each moving direction of the

pushers

91 and 92 by setting of a link.

The size of the articles 20 placed on the plate 10 may not be the same each time. On the other hand, according to the transport device of the second embodiment, even if the size of the articles 20 changes, the row of the articles 20 carried by the conveyor 40 is secured from the row of the articles 20 carried next by the conveyor 40 It is possible to separate

(Other embodiments)
Although the present invention has been described by the embodiment as described above, it should not be understood that the description and the drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples and operation techniques should be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. For example, the articles to be transported in and out of the furnace are not limited to containing medicines, but may be foods, beverages, precision parts, etc., and any other articles. The furnace is not limited to the lyophilization furnace, and may be a fermentation furnace, or any furnace for which it is desired to suppress the internal temperature distribution unevenness and the dust generation. As such, it should be understood that the present invention includes various embodiments and the like not described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Plate, 20 ...

article

30, 30 ... bar, 40 ... conveyor, 50 ... bridge, 51 ... flat part, 52 ... comb-like part, 60 ... inclination Lift, 61: inclined surface, 62: flat surface, 65: flat lift, 66: flat surface, 67: wraparound contact portion, 70: guide, 81: lift guide 91, 92: pusher, 100: closed space, 201: rotation device, 202: first link, 203: second link, 204: third link, 205.・ 4th link

Claims

Plate,
A bar for pushing a plurality of articles arranged in a zigzag on the plate;
A conveyor for conveying the row of articles pushed out of the plate;
A bridge disposed between the plate and the conveyor;
An inclined lift that can be projected from the bottom of the bridge, comprising an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the bridge surface and a flat surface parallel to the bridge surface, the inclined lift being from the bottom of the bridge An inclined lift, wherein, when projecting, the inclined surface pushes at least one row of articles from the bridge to the conveyor, and the flat surface lifts at least one row of articles adjacent to the row of extruded articles;
A transport device comprising:
The transport device according to claim 1, wherein the bridge is comb-shaped and the inclined lift projects from the gap of the comb-shaped bridge.
Each of the plurality of articles includes a cylindrical shape,
The centers of the plurality of articles are arranged in a triangular lattice,
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the width w F of the flat surface of the inclined lift is given by the following formula (1).
w F = (n + 1) d sin θ-d-m F (1)
Where n is a natural number corresponding to the number of rows of the articles lifted by the flat surface, d is the diameter of the articles, θ is the interior angle of triangles forming the triangular grid pattern, and m F Is an arbitrary margin amount.
Each of the plurality of articles includes a cylindrical shape,
The centers of the plurality of articles are arranged in a triangular lattice,
The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the width w T of the inclined surface of the inclined lift is given by the following equation (2).
w T d d-d sin θ + m T (2)
Where d is the diameter of the article, θ is the interior angle of the triangle forming the triangular grid pattern, and m T is an arbitrary margin amount.
A flat lift, which can be projected from below the bridge, with a flat surface arranged next to the inclined lift and parallel to the bridge surface, when the flat lift projects from below the bridge 5. A transport apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flat lift flat surface further comprises a flat lift, which lifts together a row of articles lifted by the flat lift flat surface.
The transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein only the inclined lift can project from below the bridge.
The transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein both the tilt lift and the flat lift can project from below the bridge.
6. Transport device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the plate is arranged in a closed space.
The transport apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least one of temperature and pressure is managed in the closed space.
The transport apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least one of a temperature distribution and a pressure distribution is managed in the closed space.