JP7428896B2 - Article alignment and conveyance device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article alignment and conveyance device that aligns and conveys long articles provided with engaging portions.

As a device for aligning and conveying long articles provided with engaging portions, for example, a device for conveying preforms P for blow molding bottles in an aligned state by suspending them from between a pair of parallel alignment rollers 4a. is known (Patent Document 1). In this device, the preform P is guided to the gap between the alignment rollers 4a by a pair of roller upper guide plates 4aa that are inclined from both sides toward the alignment roller 4a, and a pair of roller upper guide plates 4aa provided on the upper downstream side of the alignment guide section 4 are used. The sorting blades 5b of the agitator 5, which rotates around the horizontal axis 5a perpendicular to the transport direction of the alignment roller section 4, select only the unaligned preforms from among the preforms P being transferred downstream. An agitator 5 that returns the water to the upstream side of the section 5 is known.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-34388

However, in the same configuration, when the two preforms are returned to the upstream side at the same time by the sorting blade 5b, the two preforms are returned to the same position on the upstream side at approximately the same time, and thus interfere with each other. As a result, none of the preforms will be able to slip between the alignment rollers 4a, and will be pushed back upstream by the sorting blades 5b again, potentially repeating this situation endlessly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an article alignment and conveyance device that allows for more efficient alignment.

The article aligning and conveying device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a pair of rotating rollers arranged in parallel with an inclination such that the upstream side in the conveying direction is located higher than the downstream side in the conveying direction; and the pair of rotating rollers. a pair of plate-like members disposed along the rotating rollers, facing each other above the rotating rollers, and arranged such that the gap between the upper portions is wider than the gap between the lower portions, and engages with the pair of rotating rollers. a conveying means for suspending the elongated article provided with an engaging portion from between the pair of rotating rollers and conveying the elongated article in an aligned posture; and a pushing-back means for pushing back upstream the elongated articles that are not properly aligned between the pair of rotating rollers in the conveying means, and the pushing-back means includes a first push-back means for pushing back the elongated article on one of the members to the upstream side; a second push-back means for pushing back the elongate article on the other of the pair of plate-like members to the upstream side; and a third push-back means provided on the downstream side of the second push-back means and push back the elongated article located above the pair of rotating rollers to the upstream side.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article alignment and conveyance device that allows more efficient alignment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an article aligning and conveying device that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the article alignment and conveyance device of FIG. 1 as viewed from direction A. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of each impeller constituting the first to third push-back devices. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of the alignment conveyor in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of the alignment conveyor in FIG. 2; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the same position as FIG. 5 and showing the elongated article in another inappropriate position on the rotating roller; FIG. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 illustrating a modified article alignment and conveyance device;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an article aligning and conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the article aligning and conveying apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from direction A.

The article aligning and conveying device 10 of this embodiment aligns a long article M, such as a preform for blow molding a bottle or a cap with a pump head, in a predetermined direction, and is provided with an engaging portion Me that extends outward in the radial direction. This is a device that aligns and conveys the materials. The long articles M are stocked in the tank 12 and are scooped up from inside the tank 12 by a scooping conveyor (article supply means) 14 . The long articles M scraped up by the scraping conveyor 14 are thrown into the sorting conveyor 16 from above on the upstream side of the sorting conveyor (conveying means) 16 . Note that the scraping conveyor 14 is, for example, a conveyor in which a large number of crosspieces are spanned across an endless body in the width direction.

The alignment conveyor 16 includes a pair of rotating rollers 18 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. The rotating shaft of the rotating roller 18 is arranged to be inclined at a predetermined angle from the horizontal plane, and the upstream side is arranged at a higher position than the downstream side. The interval between the rotating rollers 18 is slightly wider than the shaft thickness of the long article M, and the engaging portion Me is also narrower than the outer diameter. That is, the engaging portion Me is caught between the pair of rotating rollers 18, and the shaft portion of the long article M is suspended from the gap between the rotating rollers 18. As a result, the long articles M are aligned on the rotating roller 18 with the same orientation.

A roller rotation motor 18A is connected to the upstream end of the rotary roller 18, and the rotary roller 18 is rotated in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed. The long article M suspended from the rotating roller 18 due to the rotation of the rotating roller 18 slides down on the inclined rotating roller 18 and is conveyed. A chute 20 is arranged at the downstream end of the rotating roller 18 on an extension thereof, and the elongated articles M conveyed in an aligned posture to the downstream end of the rotating roller 18 are delivered to the chute 20. Note that the interval between the chutes 20 is also set to be slightly wider than the shaft thickness of the long article M, and the length of the engaging portion Me is also set to be narrower than the outer diameter.

On both sides of the pair of rotating rollers 18, guide plates (plate-shaped members) 22A and 22B are arranged facing each other and tilted upward. The interval between the guide plates 22A and 22B becomes narrower from the top to the bottom, and the elongated article M introduced from the scraping conveyor 14 is guided to the gap between the pair of rotating rollers 18. In this embodiment, the guide plates 22A and 22B are arranged in a substantially V-shape, and the rotating roller 18 is arranged at the bottom of the V-shape (see FIG. 4).

In the downstream section R of the alignment conveyor 16, the lower parts of the guide plates 22A and 22B are removed, and reject cutouts 24 communicating with the lower side are provided on both sides of the pair of rotating rollers 18. . That is, in the same section R, the long articles M on the guide plates 22A and 22B fall downward through the reject notch 24.

A return conveyor 26 is arranged below the reject notch 24 . The long article M that has fallen through the reject notch 24 falls onto the return conveyor 26 , is conveyed by the return conveyor 26 to the inlet 12</b>A of the tank 12 , and is returned into the tank 12 .

Inside the alignment conveyor 16, first to third push-back devices (first to third push-back means) 28, 30, and 32 are arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side. The first to third push-back devices 28, 30, 32 are each configured as an impeller 34, as depicted in the side view of FIG. The impeller 34 is provided with a large number (for example, six) of rotating plates (engaging members) 34B radially around a rotating shaft 34A.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line BB of the alignment conveyor 16 in FIG. 2, showing the arrangement of the first and second push-back devices 28, 30. The first push-back device 28 is a device that uses an impeller 34 to scrape up the elongated article M on the guide plate 22A and push it back to the upstream side. The impeller 34 of the first push-back device 28 is arranged such that the rotating shaft 34A is perpendicular to the guide plate 22A, and one side of each rotating plate 34B of the impeller 34 is in close contact with the guide plate 22A. Ru. The impeller 34 is rotated by the drive motor 28A so that the lower rotating plate 34B moves upstream.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide plates 22A and 22B are each arranged to be inclined outward at an angle of 45 degrees. Further, in this embodiment, the rotating rollers 18 are rotated in opposite directions at the same speed. In FIG. 4, for example, the rotating rollers 18 are rotated so as to move mutually downward on the inner side, but they may be rotated in opposite directions, or may be configured to rotate in the same direction.

On the other hand, the second push-back device 30 is a device that scrapes up the long article M on the guide plate 22B with an impeller 34 and pushes it back upstream. In this embodiment, the second push-back device 30 is arranged downstream of the first push-back device 30. be done. The impeller 34 of the second push-back device 30 is arranged such that the rotating shaft 34A is perpendicular to the guide plate 22B, and one side of each rotating plate 34B of the impeller 34 is in close contact with the guide plate 22B. Ru. The impeller 34 is rotated by the drive motor 30A so that the lower rotating plate 34B moves upstream.

FIG. 4 depicts one long article M leaning against each of the guide plates 22A and 22B. Further, FIG. 4 also depicts a long article M suspended in a proper alignment in the gap between the pair of rotating rollers 18.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of the alignment conveyor 16 in FIG. 2, and shows the arrangement of a third push-back device 32 in addition to the first and second push-back devices 28, 30. The third push-back device 32 is a device for pushing back the long article M in an inappropriate posture on the rotating roller 18 to the upstream side, and is arranged downstream of the first and second push-back devices 28 and 30. . As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating shaft 34A of the third push-back device 32 is arranged horizontally, and the impeller 34 is arranged directly above the gap between the rotating rollers 18. Note that the impeller of the third push-back device 32 is also rotated in the same direction as the impeller 34 of the first and second push-back devices 28 and 30 by the drive motor 32A.

In FIG. 5, the long articles M are suspended from the rotating roller 18 in an appropriate posture and are arranged in an aligned posture on the rotating roller 18, and a part of the shaft portion is drawn in the gap between the rotating rollers 18. A long article M that has been inserted but is not in a proper posture (aligned posture) is drawn with a solid line. When the long article M is in a proper aligned posture, the engaging portion Me of the long article M is supported by the rotating rollers 18 on both sides, and the shaft portion hangs substantially vertically downward from the gap between the rotating rollers 18.

When the long articles M are in the aligned position, the head of the long articles M supported by the rotating rollers 18 is at the lowest position. The impeller 34 of the third push-back device 32 is arranged at a height such that the rotary plate 34B does not interfere with the head of the long article M in the aligned position. On the other hand, even if a part of the shaft portion is inserted between the rotating rollers 18, the head of the long article M, which is tilted toward one of the guide plates 22A and 22B, will not be properly aligned as shown in FIG. It is located at a higher position than the head of the elongated article M at. Therefore, the impeller 34 of the third push-back device 32 is arranged at a height such that the rotary plate 34B engages with the head of the elongated article M in such an inappropriate posture. That is, the rotation of the impeller 34 pushes the long article M back toward the upstream side.

Further, FIG. 6 shows a state of the elongated article M in an inappropriate posture on the rotating roller 18, in a different form from FIG. Similarly to FIG. 5, in FIG. 6, the long articles M suspended from the rotating rollers 18 in proper postures and arranged in an aligned posture are drawn with solid lines, and a part of the shaft portion is inserted into the gap between the rotating rollers 18. A long article M that is not in a proper posture (aligned posture) is drawn with a broken line.

In FIG. 6, although the shaft portion of the long article M is suspended straight downward, the engaging portion Me engages with the heads of the front and rear long articles M that are aligned on the rotating roller 18, Its head is located at a higher position than the heads of the long articles M in the aligned position. Therefore, the head of the elongated article M in an incorrect posture as shown in FIG. 6 engages with the rotating rotating plate 34B of the third push-back device 32, and is pushed back to the upstream side.

As described above, according to the article alignment and conveyance device of the present embodiment, the long articles are sequentially and individually pushed back upstream by different push-back devices at different positions in the conveyance direction depending on the posture of the long articles. A plurality of elongated articles are prevented from being returned to substantially the same position at substantially the same time. This allows long articles to be aligned more efficiently.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a modification of the article alignment and conveyance device will be described. In the modified article alignment and conveyance device, the configurations of the first and second push-back devices are different from those in the embodiment, but other configurations are the same as in the embodiment, so the same reference numerals will be used for the same configurations and the description thereof will be repeated. Omitted. Note that FIG. 7 corresponds to a BB cross-sectional view of the alignment conveyor in FIG. 2 in the embodiment.

The first push-back device 36 and the second push-back device 38 of the modified example each include a plurality of, for example, pentagonal rotating plates 36A, 38A at the tips of horizontally arranged rotating shafts 36B, 38B, respectively. For example, three rotating plates 36A are arranged around the rotation axis 36B, shifted by 60 degrees to form the first push-back device 36, and three rotating plates 38A are arranged around the rotation axis 38B, shifted by 60 degrees to form the second push-back device 36. This is referred to as a push-back device 38. The rotating shafts 36B, 38B are rotated by drive motors 36C, 38C. The rotating plates 36A, 38A are flat plates that are symmetrical about the rotating shafts 36B, 38B, and are attached at one vertex to the tips of the rotating shafts 36B, 38B. Further, when the rotating plates 36A, 38A are arranged vertically, the lower sides of the pentagons connected to the tips of the rotating shafts 36B, 38B are adjacent to each other along the inclined guide plates 22A, 22B.

As described above, the same effects as in the embodiment can be obtained even in a configuration that employs the first and second push-back devices of the modified example.

Note that the order in the conveyance direction in which the first and second push-back devices are arranged is arbitrary.

10 Article alignment and conveyance device 12 Tank 14 Raking conveyor (article supply means)
16 Alignment conveyor (conveying means)
18 Rotating roller 20 Chute 22A, 22B Guide plate (plate-like member)
24 Reject notch 26 Return conveyor 28 First push-back device (first push-back means)
30 Second push-back device (second push-back means)
32 Third push-back device (third push-back means)
34 Impeller 34B, 36A, 36B Rotating plate (engaging member)
M Long article Me Engagement part

Claims (1)

a pair of rotating rollers that are inclined and arranged in parallel so that the upstream side in the conveyance direction is located above the downstream side in the conveyance direction; , a pair of plate-like members arranged such that the interval at the upper part is wider than the interval at the lower part, and the elongated article provided with an engaging part that engages with the pair of rotating rollers is rotated by the pair of rotating rollers. a conveying means for suspending between the rollers and conveying in an aligned posture;
an article supply means for inserting the elongated article between the plate-like members on the upstream side of the conveyance means;
The conveying means includes a push-back means for pushing back the elongated articles that are not properly aligned between the pair of rotating rollers to the upstream side,
The push-back means includes a first push-back means that pushes back the elongated article on one of the pair of plate-like members to the upstream side, and a first push-back means that pushes back the elongate article on the other of the pair of plate-like members to the upstream side. It is characterized by comprising a second push-back means for pushing back, and a third push-back means provided downstream of the first and second push-back means and pushing back the elongated article located above the pair of rotating rollers to the upstream side. Article alignment and conveyance device.

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