JP4233370B2 - Article transfer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article transfer device used in the manufacturing process of articles, particularly absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins and disposable diapers.
[0002]
[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention]
Individual articles conveyed from the upstream conveying means are individually accommodated in a plurality of accommodating units, sequentially conveyed to a conveyance position, and the articles are aligned at a predetermined number of times at the conveyance position and then transferred. As a conventional technique related to the apparatus, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 below is known.
[0003]
In this technology, a receiving plate is attached to a link of an endless chain, the endless chain is driven to rotate, and individual articles conveyed from upstream are individually accommodated between the receiving plates and transferred to a stacking unit. A predetermined number of the articles are aligned in the section and then transferred.
[0004]
In this technique, since articles are accommodated one by one between the receiving plates, it is necessary to further accumulate (compress) the thickness of the receiving plate when transporting downstream in the accumulating section. For this reason, there is a possibility that the aligned articles may be disturbed or clogged during the accumulation during the second accumulation. Further, when the article is thin, there is a possibility that the article may be bent or broken during the re-stacking.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-310208 [0006]
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article transfer apparatus that can stably align and transfer articles without disturbance.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, a predetermined number of individual articles conveyed from upstream at predetermined intervals are accommodated in a plurality of accommodating portions and conveyed to a conveying position, and the predetermined number of articles are accommodated at the conveying position. A device for transferring articles to be transferred downstream from a section,
A partition body that forms the housing part, a moving unit that moves the partition body, and a stacking unit that operates in synchronization with the moving unit and stacks a predetermined number of the articles in the single housing part. The object is achieved by providing an apparatus for transferring an article.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.
[0009]
1 and 2 schematically illustrate a first embodiment in which an article transfer device of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as a transfer device) is applied to a sanitary napkin (hereinafter also simply referred to as a napkin). It is shown as an example. In these drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a transfer device, and 10 denotes a napkin.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device 1 accommodates a predetermined number of individual napkins 10 conveyed from upstream in a large number of accommodating portions 2 arranged at predetermined intervals, and accumulates areas (conveying positions) A. The napkin 10 is transferred from the container 2 to the downstream after the predetermined number of napkins 10 are aligned in the accumulation area A.
[0011]
The transfer device 1 operates in synchronization with the partition body 3 that forms the housing part 2, the moving means 4 that moves the partition body 3, and the moving means 4, and accumulates a predetermined number of napkins 10 in one housing part 2. And accumulating means 5 to be provided.
[0012]
The transfer device 1 has a bottom plate portion 20 (see FIG. 2) that prevents the napkin 10 from falling between the partition bodies 3 described later.
[0013]
The partition wall body 3 forming one housing portion 2 is composed of a fixed partition wall body 3a and an adjustment partition wall body 3b whose distance between the fixed partition wall body 3a can be adjusted (in FIG. 1, the adjustment partition wall body 3b is shown for convenience). (Indicated by a dashed line). When changing the accommodation space of the accommodation part 2 according to the thickness of the napkin 10 or the number of accommodations in one accommodation part 2, only the adjustment partition wall 3b is attached.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 2, the partition wall body 3 (the fixed partition wall body 3 a and the adjustment partition wall body 3 b) includes an attachment base 30 and a plate-like portion 31 protruding from the attachment base 30. An insertion hole 32 is provided in the mounting base 30, and a protruding portion of a link pin 41 a of an endless chain 41 (described later) is inserted into the insertion hole 32 and is fixed by a jig so that the partition body 3 is connected to the endless chain. 41 is attached. As a result, the partition wall 3 moves around as the endless chain 41 moves.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1, the partition wall 3 is aligned substantially in parallel in the linear portion of the circular orbit of the endless chain 41, and moves in the curved portion so that the opening of the accommodating portion 2 expands according to the curvature.
[0016]
The moving means 4 has an endless chain 41 to which the partition wall body 3 is attached, a stretched portion 42 that stretches the endless chain 41 on a predetermined circumferential track, and a drive portion 43 that drives the endless chain 41. .
[0017]
In the present embodiment, the extending portion 42 includes a disk-shaped guide 42a, a disk-shaped guide 42b having a smaller diameter than the disk-shaped guide 42a, and a support member 42c that supports these disk-shaped guides 42a and 42b at a predetermined interval. ing. The endless chain 41 is wound around the disk-shaped guides 42a and 42b and is stretched so as to be able to circulate on a substantially elliptical circular orbit.
[0018]
The transfer device 1 includes a guide (not shown) extending in the left-right direction in FIG. 1, and is provided so that the disk-shaped guides 42a and 42b can move to the left and right with a predetermined distance along the guide. It has been.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 2, the drive unit 43 includes a sprocket 43a that drives the endless chain 41, and a servo motor 43b that drives the sprocket 43a. The sprocket 43a is attached to the output shaft of the servo motor 43b.
[0020]
The transfer device 1 includes two servo motors 43b to which the sprocket 43a is fixed as described above. As shown in FIG. 1, these servo motors 43 b are arranged such that the sprocket 43 a drives the endless chain 41 from the inside of the endless chain 41.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 2, the stacking means 5 includes a rotating body 51 that rotates in synchronization with the endless chain 41, and a drive unit 52 that rotates the rotating body 51. The drive unit 52 includes a servo motor 52a. Rotator 51, the napkin 10 that is accommodated in the accommodation section 2 held in upper and lower positions, are two fixed at a predetermined interval to the output shaft of the servo motor over 52a to align.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the transfer device 1 of the present embodiment, the rotating body 51 has three blade portions 51 a, and while a predetermined number of napkins 10 are accommodated in one accommodating portion 2, The outer edge portion of the blade portion 51a is brought into contact with the last napkin 10 that has been accommodated, and all the napkins 10 that have been accommodated are held together with the partition wall 3 (fixed partition wall 30), and are newly conveyed to the storage 2 The napkin 10 is accumulated at the end of the stored napkin 10. The number, size, and curvature of the outer edge of the rotating body 51 are appropriately set according to the number of articles accommodated, the thickness, the transfer speed, and the like.
[0023]
The transfer apparatus 1 includes a control unit (not shown). The control unit is composed of a programmable controller, and a servo amplifier (not shown) that controls the servo motors 43b and 52a is supplied with a detection signal of the napkin 10 conveyed from the upstream, a position signal of each servo motor, and a downstream side. Based on the processing signal, a speed command is output to control the driving of the servo motors 43b and 52a, that is, the driving of the sprocket 43a and the rotating body 51.
[0024]
In the transfer device 1, the endless chain 41 is driven via the sprocket 43 a by the servo motor 43 b controlled by the control unit, and the accommodating unit 2 moves around. The opening of the housing portion 2 is widened by a sprocket 43a on the housing side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the napkin 10. And the napkin 10 conveyed from the upstream is sequentially accommodated in the accommodating part 2 with the widened opening.
[0025]
While the predetermined number of napkins 10 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 2, the rotating body 51 that rotates in synchronization with the endless chain 41 includes the rearmost napkin 10 that has accommodated the outer edge portion of the blade portion 51 a (first The napkin accommodated in the container 2 is brought into contact with the first napkin accommodated), and the napkin 10 newly conveyed to the accommodating portion 2 is held while holding all the accommodated napkins 10 together with the fixed partition body 30. It accumulates sequentially at the tail end of the stored napkin 10.
[0026]
A predetermined number of napkins 10 accommodated in the accommodating portion 2 are conveyed to the accumulation area A along the orbit and aligned. When a predetermined number of napkins 10 are conveyed to the accumulation area A and aligned / accumulated, the control unit stops the sprocket 43a on the alignment side (lower side in FIG. 1) so as to lock the endless chain 41. .
[0027]
The napkins 10 aligned and accumulated in the accumulation area A are transported downstream from the storage unit 2 by the unloading means 6. At this time, the endless chain 41 continues to be driven by the sprocket 43a on the accommodation side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the napkin 10, but the entire extending portion 43 is moved to the left side in FIG. 1 along the guide (not shown). Since it moves, accommodation of the succeeding napkin 10 in the accommodating portion 2 is performed without any trouble.
[0028]
The control unit 6 drives the endless chain 41 so that the napkin 10 is not guided to a portion where the napkin 10 is not accommodated between the accommodating portions 2 so that the portion moves at a high speed at the accommodation position of the napkin 10.
[0029]
When the transfer of the napkin 10 is completed, the stop of the alignment-side sprocket 43a is released again. Then, the endless chain 41 recirculates again, and the entire extending portion 42 is moved to the original position.
[0030]
In the transfer device 1, the above operation is repeatedly performed, and the predetermined number of napkins 10 are sequentially and automatically transferred to the downstream pictures.
[0031]
As described above, the transfer device 1 according to the present embodiment transfers a predetermined number of articles after collecting them in the storage portion in advance, so that it is not necessary to perform re-stacking when transferring articles downstream as in the prior art. is there. Therefore, the disturbance of the articles can be suppressed, and the articles can be stably aligned and transported.
[0032]
Further, since the transfer device 1 is composed of the fixed partition wall body 30 and the adjustment partition wall body 31 in which the partition wall body is fixed at a predetermined interval, the transfer device 1 changes the attachment position of the adjustment partition wall body 31 and the moving means. By synchronizing 4 and the stacking means 5, it is possible to cope with changes in the thickness of articles to be transferred and the amount accommodated in the accommodating portion.
[0033]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0034]
In the transfer device of the present invention, as in the above-described embodiment, it is preferable that the partition body forming each housing portion 2 is composed of a fixed partition body and a variable partition body, but the thickness of the article to be transferred can be changed. If not, it can also be composed of a fixed partition wall.
[0035]
The transfer device of the present invention preferably uses an endless chain as the endless member as in the above embodiment, but the endless member is not limited thereto. As the endless member, for example, an endless belt can be employed.
[0036]
The present invention is particularly preferably used for an aligning device that aligns and accumulates a predetermined number of individually conveyed products, such as absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins and disposable diapers, but is not limited thereto. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a transfer device for other products.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
According to the article transfer device of the present invention, articles can be stably aligned and transferred without any disturbance.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an embodiment in which an article transfer device of the present invention is applied to a sanitary napkin transfer device.
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a main part in the transfer device of the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Article transfer apparatus 2 Storage part 3 Partition body 3a Fixed partition body 3b Adjustment partition body 30 Mounting base 31 Plate-shaped part 4 Moving means 41 Endless chain (endless member)
42 tensioning part 43 driving part 5 stacking means 51 rotating body 51a blade part 52 driving part 10 sanitary napkin (article)
A Stacking area (transport position)

Claims (2)

Individual articles conveyed from upstream at predetermined intervals are accommodated in a predetermined number of each in a plurality of accommodating units and conveyed to a conveying position, and a predetermined number of the articles are conveyed downstream from the accommodating unit at the conveying position. An apparatus for transferring articles to be transferred,
A partition body that forms the housing part, a moving unit that moves the partition body, and a stacking unit that operates in synchronization with the moving unit and stacks a predetermined number of the articles in the single housing part. And
The moving means includes an endless chain in which the partition walls are arranged at predetermined intervals, a tension portion that stretches the endless chain on a predetermined circular path, and a drive portion that drives the endless chain. And
The drive unit is provided on each of the storage unit side and the transfer position side, and each drive unit includes a sprocket that drives the endless chain, and the extension unit is provided with a sprocket on the transfer position side. Even under the condition where the driving is temporarily stopped, the driving of the housing-side sprocket can be continued,
The accumulating means includes a rotating body and a driving unit that rotates the rotating body, and the rotating body rotates in synchronization with the endless chain driven by the sprocket on the housing unit side. While the predetermined number of articles are accommodated in one of the accommodating parts, the rotating body abuts the last article that has been accommodated and holds the accommodated article together with the partition body, and the accommodating part The article transfer device is provided so as to accumulate the article newly conveyed to the rear end of the accommodated article. The partition wall member to form one of the receiving portion, the fixed partition wall member which is fixed to the endless chain, according to claim 1 which is composed of an adjustment bulkhead member for adjusting the distance between the fixed partition wall member Article transfer device.

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