JP3752373B2 - Automatic storage device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic storage device, and particularly suitable for storing a pack-shaped package (multi-pack) in which a plurality of container-shaped packages filled with pudding, yogurt, ice cream, etc. are shrink-wrapped in a storage case. The present invention relates to an automatic storage device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, as a pack-like package (multi-pack) in which about 2 to 6 container-like packages filled with liquid, gel-like, or powder-like foods such as pudding, yogurt, and ice cream are packed together. Often handled. Further, at the time of shipment to the market, a plurality of multipacks are stored in one storage case. This storage case should be standardized in terms of shape, dimensions, etc. for reasons of handling and management, such as making it easy to store and transport in a stacked state and unifying the unit sales price for each storage case. It is common.
[0003]
The multi-pack includes a group of two container-shaped packages, a group of three container-shaped packages, and a group of six container-shaped packages in a row of three. There are things in two rows. In addition, the multipack before being stored in the storage case stands by on a conveying means such as a conveyor in an aligned state in which the directions or postures are unified.
[0004]
However, when trying to store the maximum number of different types of multipacks in one type of storage case, all types of multipacks cannot be stored without changing the orientation of the multipack. When storing multipacks, it is necessary to rearrange other multipacks in order to make the direction of at least one multipack out of the stored multipacks different from that before storage.
[0005]
For example, in the case of a storage case 2 capable of storing a total of 20 container-like packages 1 with 4 pieces in the short side direction and 5 pieces in the long side direction as shown in FIG. In the case of the multipack 3A in which the individual container-like packages 1 are collected, a total of ten can be stored in two rows in the vertical direction (up and down direction in the drawing) and five rows in the horizontal direction (left and right direction in the drawing). In this case, since all the multipacks 3A are arranged in the same direction, it is not necessary to rearrange them.
[0006]
However, as shown in FIG. 10, in the case of the multipack 3B in which the three container-like packages 1 are combined in one row, the multipack 3B in which the longitudinal direction is directed in the vertical direction is arranged in five rows in the horizontal direction. And it is necessary to arrange | position the one multipack 3B so that a longitudinal direction may face a horizontal direction. Therefore, in this case, for example, the top multipack 3B among the multipacks 3B arranged so that the longitudinal direction faces the vertical direction before being stored in the storage case 2 is indicated by the arrow A. It is necessary to rearrange the multipack 3B. In this case, a space corresponding to two container-shaped packages 1 remains in the upper right corner in the drawing of the storage case 2.
[0007]
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, in the case of the multipack 3C in which two rows of six container-like packages are arranged in one row, the multipack 3C is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is directed in the vertical direction. 2 in the horizontal direction, and one multipack 3C needs to be arranged so that the longitudinal direction is in the horizontal direction. Also in this case, as indicated by the arrow A, it is necessary to rearrange one multipack 3C.
[0008]
If the multipacks are rearranged manually or by changing the direction on the conveyor, it is difficult to achieve full automation of the storing operation. On the other hand, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-141303 discloses an automatic storage device having a turning mechanism for turning a suction head for sucking a multipack by 90 degrees and a forward / backward moving mechanism for moving the turning mechanism forward and backward. It is disclosed.
[0009]
In this storage device, in order to prevent interference between the multipack that performs rearrangement and the other multipack that does not perform rearrangement, first, the multipack that performs rearrangement by moving the swivel mechanism forward by the forward / backward movement mechanism After separating from the multipack, the turning mechanism is activated. Then, after the turning mechanism has turned to a predetermined position, the multipack that has been rearranged by moving the turning mechanism back and forth by the front-rear movement mechanism is brought closer to another multipack. Also, when returning the turning mechanism to the initial position after the rearrangement is completed, the turning mechanism is first moved forward by the forward / backward moving mechanism and separated from the multipack, then the turning mechanism is turned, and finally the turning mechanism is turned by the front / rear moving mechanism. Retract mechanism.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the automatic storage device described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-141303 requires two mechanisms, a turning mechanism and a back-and-forth movement mechanism, the mechanism is complicated and large, and requires a large installation area. . Further, in this automatic storage device, in order to rearrange the multipacks, it is necessary to perform a two-stage operation of back-and-forth movement and turning movement. Therefore, the time required for one rearrangement work is long, and the efficiency of the storage work is increased. Is not good.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems in the conventional automatic storage device, and provides an automatic storage device that is simple and small in size, and can quickly rearrange objects to be stored such as multipacks. The challenge is to do.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an automatic storage device for storing a plurality of objects to be stored waiting in an aligned state in a storage case one by one, and the storage case is kept in the direction at the time of standby. A fixed-side gripping portion having a first support plate for gripping one or more objects to be stored in the lower surface side, and the objects to be stored gripped by the fixed-side gripping part 1 are rearranged. Alternatively, a second support plate that grips two or more objects to be stored on the lower surface side, a pendulum arm having the second support plate attached to the lower end, and a swivel arm that rotatably supports the upper end of the pendulum arm. A rotary actuator that includes a movable gripping portion and an output shaft that is connected to the swing arm opposite to the pendulum arm, and that moves the movable gripping portion relative to the fixed gripping portion; and the fixed side Fixed to the first support plate of the grip , And a curved guide rail for guiding away the movable gripping part from the stationary gripping part in the middle of moving the movable gripping part with respect to the stationary gripping part by said rotary actuator, said by the rotary actuator The swivel arm is swung to move the second support plate of the movable gripping portion relative to the first support plate of the fixed gripping portion, and is guided by the curved guide while the swivel arm is rotating. An automatic storage device is provided in which the pendulum arm is rotated and the second support plate is separated from the first support plate.
[0013]
In the automatic storage device of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the movable side guided portion is moved by the curved guide rail as the guide mechanism while the movable side grip portion is being moved with respect to the fixed side grip portion by the rotary actuator as the drive mechanism. Since the side gripping part is separated from the fixed side gripping part, the objects to be conveyed can be rearranged by moving the movable side gripping part without interfering with the fixed side gripping part in one operation. Therefore, the time required for one rearrangement can be shortened, and the conveyed object can be efficiently stored in the storage case.
[0014]
Further, since the automatic storage device of the present invention can be rearranged by a simple mechanism comprising a rotary actuator as a drive mechanism and a curved guide rail as a guide mechanism, the device can be simplified and miniaturized. In particular, the area required for installation can be reduced.
[0016]
The transported object is, for example, a multipack formed by shrink packaging a plurality of container-shaped packages.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An automatic storage device 9 according to the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a device that automatically stores a multipack 10 in a storage case 11.
The multi-pack 10 in the present embodiment is a shrink wrap by combining six rows of six frustoconical plastic containers 12 filled with yogurt (the container-shaped package of the present invention) into one row of three. It is a packed package. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage case 11 can store a total of 20 plastic containers 12, four in the short side direction and five in the long side direction.
[0018]
The multipacks 10 before being stored in the storage case 11 are arranged in a line on a multipack transport means 15 (shown in FIG. 1) including a conveyor or the like for transporting the multipack 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow X1. . Each multipack 10 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof is in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the storage case 11 before the multipack 10 is stored is disposed on the storage case transporting means 16 so that the transport direction of the multipack 10 indicated by the arrow X1 coincides with the short side. Has been.
[0019]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a pickup device that performs forward and backward movement indicated by arrows X1 and X2 and vertical movement indicated by arrows Y1 and Y2.
At the lower end of the pickup device 20, there are a fixed-side grip portion 21 that grips the multipack 10 that is not rearranged, and a multipack 10 that rearranges the multipack 10 gripped by the fixed-side grip portion 21. A movable gripping portion 22 for gripping is provided.
[0020]
The fixed-side grip portion 21 includes a first support plate 27 that is suspended and fixed to the pickup device 20 via a pedestal 24 and a support member 25. On the lower surface of the first support plate 27, there are four suction pads 29 at a constant pitch, four in the traveling direction of the pickup device 20 indicated by the arrows X1 and X2 and three in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction. Is provided. The twelve suction pads 29 of the first support plate 27 are connected to suction means (not shown), and the lids 12a of a total of twelve plastic containers 12 of the two multipacks 10 that do not need to be rearranged can be Adsorption through the shrink film 31 of the pack 10.
[0021]
A rotary actuator 33 including an electric motor (not shown) and constituting the drive mechanism of the present invention is attached to the lower surface of the pedestal 24. The movable gripping portion 22 is connected to the output shaft 33 a of the rotary actuator 33.
[0022]
The movable gripping portion 22 includes a turning arm 35 extending in the horizontal direction, and the proximal end side of the turning arm 35 is fixed to the output shaft 33 a of the rotary actuator 33. On the other hand, the upper end of a pendulum arm 36 that extends downward is connected to the distal end side of the swing arm 35 via a hinge 37. The pendulum arm 36 has a hinge 37 as a fulcrum as shown by arrows B1 and B2 in FIG. Can be freely rotated.
[0023]
A second support plate 38 is fixed to the lower end of the pendulum arm 36. On the lower surface of the second support plate 38, two suction pads 29 in the traveling direction of the pickup device 20 indicated by the arrows X 1 and X 2 and three in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, for a total of six suction pads 29, are arranged at an equal pitch. Is provided. These twelve suction pads 29 are connected to suction means (not shown) similarly to the suction pads 29 of the fixed-side gripping part 21 and are arranged in the six plastic containers 12 of one multipack 10 to be rearranged. The lid 12 a is adsorbed through the shrink film 31 of the multipack 10.
[0024]
Further, a hook member 40 is fixed near the hinge 37 of the pendulum arm 36.
[0025]
The base end side of the L-shaped first fixing member 41 is fixed to the upper surface on the left side of the first support plate 27 in FIGS. The front end of the first fixing member 41 protrudes to the left outside of the first support plate 27 in FIG. Further, the base end side of the L-shaped second fixing member 42 is fixed to the back side (the upper side in FIG. 2) of the first support plate 27 in FIG. 1. The distal end of the second fixing member 42 protrudes upward in FIG. 2 of the first support plate 27.
[0026]
On the outside of the first support plate 27, the curved guide rail 45 which is curved round bar toward upward from the left side of the second support plate 27 in FIG. 2 are provided. Both ends of the curved guide rail 45 are fixed to the tips of the first and second fixing members 41 and 42 that protrude outward from the first support plate 27, respectively.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 4A, the curved guide rail 45 includes linear portions 45b and 45c at both ends of the curved portion 45a. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the straight portions 45b and 45c of the curved guide rail 45 are horizontal, but the curved portion 45a is directed downward from the connecting portion with the straight portions 45b and 45c toward the central portion. It is inclined to.
[0028]
In the automatic conveyance device of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the movable portion of the portion suspended from the pickup device 20 is only the swing arm 35 and the pendulum arm 36, and only includes one rotary actuator 33 as a drive mechanism. It is. In this respect, the automatic conveyance device of the present embodiment can be downsized because the mechanism is simple, and the installation area can be reduced.
[0029]
Next, the operation of the automatic storage device will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the movable gripping portion 22 is in the initial position, the second support plate 38 is located on the left side in the drawing of the first support plate 27.
In this state, first, the pickup device 20 moves horizontally in the direction indicated by the arrow X2 and moves above the multipack 10 that is waiting in an aligned state on the multipack transport means 15. Next, the pickup device 20 is lowered as indicated by an arrow Y2, and the 12 suction pads 29 of the first support plate 27 and the 6 suction pads 29 of the second support plate 38 are the plastics of the three multipacks. It contacts the lid 12 of the container 12. Further, the suction means (not shown) is operated to suck and hold the plastic containers 12 of the multipacks 10 by the suction pads 29.
[0030]
Next, the pickup device 20 moves up as indicated by the arrow Y1, and then moves horizontally toward the storage case 11 waiting on the storage case transport means 16, as indicated by the arrow X1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pickup device 20 performs the rearrangement operation of the multipacks 10 at a position in the middle of movement from the multipack transport unit 15 to the storage case transport unit 16.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 1, the second support member 38 is located on the left side of the first support member 27 in the initial position. In this state, the rotary actuator 33 operates and the output shaft 33a rotates clockwise as indicated by an arrow C1 in FIG. Along with this, the turning arm 35 turns clockwise with the output shaft 33a as a fulcrum as shown by an arrow C1.
[0032]
The hook member 40 is in contact with the curved guide rail 45, and simultaneously with the start of turning of the turning arm 35, the pendulum arm 36 turns outward as indicated by an arrow B1. As a result, the multipack 10 held by the second support plate 38 is separated from the multipack held by the first support plate 27 and is inclined to the first support plate 27 side.
[0033]
FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show a state in which the pendulum arm 36 has reached the bending portion 45a due to the start of turning. Thus, the multipack 10 gripped by the movable gripping portion 22 turns without contacting the multipack 10 gripped by the fixed gripping portion 21.
[0034]
The swivel arm 35 further rotates and moves to the rearrangement position rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the initial position as shown in FIG. At this time, the pendulum arm 36 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B2 and returns to the posture in the vertical direction. That is, in the automatic storage device of the present embodiment, the multipack 10 held by the movable side holding portion 22 can be moved with respect to the multipack 10 held by the fixed side holding portion 21 only by turning the turning arm 35 once by the rotary actuator 33. Can be rearranged.
[0035]
After the rearrangement of the multipacks 10 is completed, the pickup device 20 moves again in the direction of the arrow X1. The pick-up device 20 that has reached the upper side of the storage case transport means 16 descends toward the storage case 11 as indicated by an arrow Y2. When the three multipacks 10 held by the first and second support plates 27 and 28 reach the bottom 11a of the storage case 11, the suction means (not shown) is stopped, and the suction pads 29 are placed in the plastic containers of the multipacks 10. 12 and the storage of the multipack 10 is completed.
[0036]
After the multipack 10 is stored in the storage case 11, the pickup device 20 moves upward in the direction indicated by the arrow Y1, and further moves horizontally in the direction indicated by the arrow X2 to return to the multipack conveying means 15 side. The rotary actuator 33 operates before the pickup device 20 reaches the upper side of the multipack conveying means 15, and the output shaft 33a rotates in the direction of the arrow C2 to return the movable gripping portion 22 to the initial position. At this time, similarly to the rearrangement of the multipack 10, the hook member 40 fixed to the pendulum arm 36 is in contact with the curved guide rail 45 at the curved portion 45a of the curved guide rail 45, and the pendulum arm 36 is moved by the arrow B1. As shown, it pivots outward and the second support plate 38 moves away from the first support plate 27.
Thereafter, the same operation is repeated, and six multipacks 10 on the multipack transport means are stored in the storage case 11 one by one.
[0037]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible.
First, the items to be stored in the storage case by the automatic storage device of the present invention are not limited to a pack-shaped package such as a multipack, but are filled with beverages or the like to make two narrow mouth bottles (one package). It may be one or more bundles in an aligned state.
Further, in the above embodiment, two multipacks are gripped by the fixed side gripping portion, and one multipack is gripped by the movable side gripping portion, but the fixed side gripping portion and the movable side gripping portion are gripped. The number of objects to be stored is not limited to this, and may be a structure that holds one or two or more objects to be conveyed.
Furthermore, the shape of the container is not limited to a circle, and may be a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, a cylinder, or the like. Further, what is filled in the filling container may be a liquid food such as pudding, yogurt, ice cream, etc., a gel food, a powder food, or the like.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a case where 4 × 5 pieces can be stored in the storage case has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and 5 × 5 pieces, 4 × 6 pieces, and 6 × 6 pieces. It is possible to cope with various modifications of the storage case such as 3 × 6.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, in the automatic storage device of the present invention, the movable side gripping part for gripping the transported object to be rearranged with respect to the fixed side gripping part for gripping the transported object not to be rearranged. Since the guide mechanism that guides the movable gripping part away from the fixed gripping part is provided during the movement of the drive mechanism by the drive mechanism, the movable gripping part interferes with the fixed gripping part in one operation. The objects to be conveyed can be rearranged without being moved. Therefore, the time required for one rearrangement can be reduced and the rearrangement can be performed quickly, and the objects to be conveyed can be efficiently stored in the storage case.
[0039]
In addition, since the automatic storage device of the present invention can be rearranged by a simple mechanism including a drive mechanism and a guide mechanism, the device can be simplified and miniaturized, and particularly required for installation. The area can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an automatic storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an automatic storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a storage case.
4A is a plan view showing a bending guide, and FIG. 4B is a view taken in the direction of arrow IV in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of an automatic storage device for explaining a rearrangement operation.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the automatic storage device for explaining the rearrangement operation.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the automatic storage device for explaining the rearrangement operation.
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an example of a storage case.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation of storing a multipack in which two container-shaped packages are collected in a storage case.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation of storing a multipack in which three container-shaped packages are collected in a storage case.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation of storing a multipack in which six container-shaped packages are collected in a storage case.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Multipack (conveyed object)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Storage case 12 Plastic container 21 Fixed side holding part 22 Movable side holding part 27 1st support plate 29 Suction pad 33 Rotation actuator (drive mechanism)
35 Pivoting arm 36 Pendulum arm 38 Second support plate 45 Curved guide rail (guide mechanism)

Claims (3)

An automatic storage device for storing a plurality of items to be stored waiting in an aligned state in a storage case,
A fixed-side gripping portion comprising a first support plate for gripping one or more objects to be stored in the storage case in the above-mentioned standby state on the lower surface side ;
A second support plate for holding one or more objects to be rearranged with respect to the objects held by the fixed-side holding portion on the lower surface side, and the second support plate attached to the lower end A movable side gripping unit comprising a pendulum arm and a pivot arm that rotatably supports the upper end of the pendulum arm ;
A rotary actuator having an output shaft connected to the opposite side of the swing arm to the pendulum arm, and moving the movable gripping portion relative to the fixed gripping portion ;
The fixed side holding part is fixed to the first support plate, and the movable side holding part is guided away from the fixed side holding part while the movable side holding part is moved with respect to the fixed side holding part by the rotary actuator. And a curved guide rail that
The swivel arm is swung by the rotary actuator to move the second support plate of the movable gripping portion relative to the first support plate of the fixed gripping portion, and while the swivel arm is rotating The automatic storage device according to claim 1, wherein the pendulum arm guided by the curved guide rotates to separate the second support plate from the first support plate. The stationary gripping part is provided with a suction pad for adsorbing the accommodated article attached to the lower surface of the upper Symbol first support plate,
Said movable gripper, automatic storage apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a suction pad for adsorbing the accommodated article attached to the lower surface of the upper Symbol second support plate.   The automatic storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the object to be transported is a multipack formed by shrink packaging a plurality of container-shaped packages.

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