JP5451002B2 - Pitch alignment conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pitch aligning conveyor for transporting objects to be transported with irregular pitches in the transport direction while transporting them in a constant pitch while transporting.

  In processed food production lines, etc., articles are sequentially discharged from the manufacturing equipment and processing machines and transported to the next process by a conveyor. However, depending on the work content of the next process, articles with irregular pitches in the transport direction (conveyed) It is necessary to convey the product at a constant pitch. As a conveyor that conveys objects with irregular pitches in the conveyance direction while aligning them at a constant pitch while conveying, a conveyor that aligns the rotation speed of the rollers that make up the conveyance surface is proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In the conveyor disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of roller units each having a plurality of rollers arranged and supported are installed on a machine base via an attachment member, and the roller unit is disposed on one side of the machine base. The same number of drive shafts as the number of rollers constituting the shaft are arranged so as to intersect the roller unit at a right angle, and a drive magnet is integrally rotated on the drive shaft, and the drive magnet and one end in the axial direction of the roller The rollers of each roller unit are rotationally driven by the magnetic force of the driven magnet disposed so as to be integrally rotatable with each other, and each drive shaft is independently driven by a motor and the rotational speed is periodically changed. Is. And it set so that the phase of the rotational speed of each roller of a roller unit might be shifted in order toward a conveyance direction.

  As a result, the rotational speed of the rollers periodically changes, and the rollers are placed in a random state on the transport surface formed by the group of rollers by sequentially shifting the phase of the rotational speed of each roller toward the transport direction. Articles can be aligned in the axial direction of the roller during transport.

However, since the conveyor disclosed in Patent Document 1 sequentially shifts the phase of the rotational speed of each roller of the roller unit in the transport direction, the drive shafts need to be installed in the same number as the number of rollers constituting the roller unit. In addition, each of the drive shafts is driven by a separate motor, and control for periodically changing the rotation speed is necessary.
Therefore, the construction of the conveyor is complicated, the number of motors of the driving source is large, and it is necessary to prepare a plurality of types of rollers having different follower magnet mounting positions in order to constitute a roller unit, which increases the manufacturing cost. Has a problem.
Further, each motor that rotates the drive shaft needs to be controlled so that the rotation speed of the roller changes periodically, which causes a problem that the control becomes complicated.
In addition, the driven magnet group disposed on the roller unit and the drive magnet group disposed on the drive shaft are arranged obliquely from one side to the other in the width direction intersecting the article conveying direction, so that the effective roller In order to prevent the effective width from becoming narrower due to the problem that the width (width used for conveyance) becomes narrower, it is necessary to secure the area of the magnet group in advance to increase the roller shaft length. There is. However, in that case, there is a problem that the width of the conveyor is wide and the width of the conveyor connected to the conveyor is uneven.

JP 2007-8716 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides a pitch aligning conveyor that can be simplified in configuration and control and that can minimize the reduction in the effective width of the conveying roller. For the purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the pitch aligning conveyor of the present invention is provided with power transmission means at one end in the axial direction of the transport roller, and the transport roller is installed so as to be rotatable at a predetermined interval across the opposing side plates of the gantry. In addition to supporting the conveying rollers, the power transmission means are arranged in a staggered manner on the gantry in an appropriate number of positions. Further, the conveying rollers are connected to the power transmission means of the conveying roller along both side plates of the gantry. The structure which arrange | positions the drive part which transmits this, and gave the speed difference to rotation of the both drive parts is characterized.
A plurality of resin short cylinders are fitted along the axial direction on the outer peripheral side of the rotating support shaft, and the transport roller is allowed to rotate freely with respect to the support shaft or to be integrally rotatable. Either a short cylinder mounting type or a single shaft type that does not have a short cylinder but only a rotating support shaft may be used.

As a method of transmitting power from the drive unit to the conveying roller, a general contact type power transmission method as a power transmission using a round belt, a flat belt, a chain, a gear, a V belt or the like, or a non-contact type power Any of the transmission methods may be used.
Further, the arrangement of the conveying rollers in a staggered manner on the gantry means that when the group consisting of a plurality of conveying rollers with the arrangement side of the power transmission means arranged as one block, the arrangement side of the power transmission means for each block unit is This means that they are arranged alternately with respect to both side plates of the gantry.

According to the above means, when the drive unit arranged along the both side plates of the gantry is driven, the conveying roller linked to the drive unit is driven and rotated, and the drive unit has a speed difference in rotation. Areas (blocks) with a high rotational speed and areas (blocks) with a low rotational speed are alternately arranged in the transport direction. As a result, the object to be transported placed on the transport roller with irregular pitches in the transport direction has a constant irregular pitch while moving from an upstream side to a downstream side in the transport direction in a region with a speed difference. Can be aligned to the pitch.
The conveyor roller constituting the conveyor may be one type of conveyor roller having power transmission means at the end in the axial direction, and the drive unit may be only two systems arranged on both sides in the width direction of the gantry. The configuration and control can be simplified.

  And, when the power transmission system from the drive unit to the transport roller is a non-contact power transmission system that uses magnetic attraction / repulsion (Claim 2), wear compared to the contact-type power transmission system, It generates less dust and noise, can establish a hygienic and comfortable working environment, and is suitable for food processing production lines and the like.

  When the power transmission means is a non-contact power transmission system, the transport roller is completely separated from the drive unit, and therefore the transport roller may be detachable from the gantry in the vertical direction. For example, the bearings are integrally provided on both sides of the support shaft of the transport roller, and the bearings are accommodated on both side plates of the gantry, and the bearings are separated in the vertical direction. It is set as the structure provided with the receiving member to accept | permit (Claim 4).

  According to the above means, since the conveying roller is detachable in the vertical direction with respect to the gantry, the conveying roller which has been removed by lifting the conveying roller in the vertical direction is arranged so that the position of the power transmission means is opposite to that before removal. Flip 180 degrees and reset on the gantry. As a result, the power transmission means of the transport roller that has been reset can be driven and rotated in conjunction with a drive unit disposed along the other side plate of the gantry. Therefore, it is possible to easily increase or decrease the number of transport rollers that constitute the region having the speed difference. Therefore, the speed difference region can be easily changed and adjusted in accordance with the length of the transported object in the transport direction.

Further, as a method of applying a speed difference to the rotation of the two driving unit, for example, continuous operation one of the drive unit, Ru include how the intermittent operation of the other drive unit.

When a continuous operation / intermittent operation method is employed as a method of giving a speed difference to the rotation of both drive units, conveyance stop sections (intermittent operation areas) alternately exist in the conveyance section. As a result, the irregular pitch is converged in the stop section, so that it can be aligned in a short transport section.
Further, when both drive units are set to speed-change rotation (including constant speed rotation / speed-change rotation), the transport distance to the convergence can be shortened by bringing the speed of the speed-change rotation close to the stop. That is, the time (conveyance distance) required to align at a constant pitch can be adjusted as appropriate by adjusting the rotation of the variable speed rotation. Moreover, since there is no sudden stop operation, the impact on the conveyed object can be reduced.

The pitch alignment conveyor according to the present invention can provide a pitch alignment conveyor that can simplify the configuration and control of the conveyor.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the conveyor can generate less dust and noise, can establish a hygienic and comfortable working environment, and is suitable for a food processing production line or the like.
Further, according to the configurations of the third and fourth aspects, the number of transport rollers constituting the region having the speed difference can be easily increased or decreased. Therefore, the speed difference region can be easily changed and adjusted in accordance with the length of the transported object in the transport direction.

  Furthermore, according to the structure of Claim 5, it becomes possible to align in a short conveyance area. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily adjust the conveyance section required for alignment at a constant pitch by adjusting the speed of the speed change rotation. Moreover, since there is no sudden stop operation, the impact on the conveyed object can be reduced.

Hereinafter, an example of the implementation of the pitch alignment conveyor according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show the overall configuration of a pitch aligning conveyor. The pitch aligning conveyor A includes a gantry 1 formed at a predetermined height, and one axial portion of the gantry 1 that forms a conveying surface. And a drive roller 4 provided with a power transmission means 3 and driving units 4 and 4 ′ arranged on both sides in the width direction of the gantry 1 to drive and rotate the transport roller 2.

The gantry 1 integrally connects a pair of side plates 1a and 1a 'facing each other at a predetermined interval, legs 1b and 1b' supporting the side plates 1a and 1a 'at a predetermined height, and the legs 1b and 1b'. And a connecting rod 1c.
The side plates 1a and 1a ′ are made of an extruded product of an aluminum material. The receiving member 6 supports the shaft end of the conveying roller 2 on the opposing inner surface of the side plates 1a and 1a ′, and the conveying roller 2. A support member 7 that supports the drive shafts of the drive units 4 and 4 ′ that drive and rotate is fixed.
The receiving member 6 accommodates bearings 5 and 5 ′ attached to the shaft side portion of the conveying roller 2 on a flat plate made of synthetic resin, and has a substantially C shape with an open upper portion that allows vertical separation. The bearing accommodating portions 6a are formed at a constant interval (the installation interval of the conveyance rollers). Accordingly, the transport roller 2 can be attached to and detached from the gantry 1, and the transport roller 2 can be replaced, the transport roller can be replaced, and the number of installed rollers can be easily increased or decreased.

  Further, a cover 8 is attached to the upper ends of the side plates 1a and 1a 'so as to cover the power transmission means 3 portion of the conveying roller 2 which is installed and supported across the receiving member 6 fixed to the side plates 1a and 1a'. A magnetic shield plate 9 is attached to the cover 8 so that magnetism does not affect the transport surface.

The conveying roller 2 installed and supported across the opposing side plates 1a and 1a ′ of the gantry 1 has a large number of resin short cylindrical rollers 2b fitted around the supporting shaft 2a, and one of the supporting shaft 2a. The driven magnet ring of the power transmission means 3 is fitted and fixed to the side portion so as to be integrally rotatable, and bearings 5 and 5 ′ are attached to both side ends of the support shaft 2a.
And this conveyance roller 2 is constructed and supported so as to be able to rotate at fixed intervals over the receiving member 6 fixed to the inner surface of the side plates 1a, 1a 'of the gantry 1 and in the machine direction, and the conveyance surface is constituted. Driving units 4 and 4 ′ that drive and rotate the respective conveying rollers 2 constituting the conveying surface are arranged along side plates 1 a and 1 a ′ located on both sides in the width direction of the gantry 1.

  The power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 fixed to one side of the conveying roller 2 in the axial direction is a drive unit 4, 4 ′ that constitutes a non-contact type power transmission system using magnetic attraction and repulsion. Is formed in a substantially short cylindrical shape using a permanent magnet, and the N pole band and the S pole band are alternately magnetized spirally along the axial direction on the peripheral surface. .

The drive units 4 and 4 ′ that transmit power to the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 of the transport roller 2 include a drive shaft 10 to which the drive magnet ring 11 is fixed, and a motor 12 that drives and rotates the drive shaft 10. It consists of
The drive shaft 10 is constituted by a long shaft having substantially the same length as the machine length, and a drive magnet ring 11 is provided on the outer periphery of the drive shaft 10 with a power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 of the transport roller 2. It fits and is fixed at the same interval as the installation interval of the conveyance roller 2 so as to correspond.

  The drive magnet ring 11 is formed in a substantially short cylindrical shape using a permanent magnet, like the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3, and an N-pole band and an S-pole band are arranged along the axial direction on the peripheral surface thereof. The magnets are alternately magnetized in a spiral shape.

The drive shaft 10 in which the drive magnet ring 11 is fixed in the axial direction at a fixed interval is installed rotatably on a support member 7 fixed on the inner surface of the side plates 1a and 1a 'of the gantry 1 at a predetermined interval in the machine length direction. The drive shaft 10 is supported and rotated by a motor 12 mounted and fixed on a base plate 13 installed between the lower ends of the side plates 1a and 1a '.
The power transmission from the motor 12 to the drive shaft 10 is configured such that a pulley is fixed to the output shaft and the drive shaft 10 of the motor 12, and a belt is wound around both pulleys to transmit the power. The method of driving the drive shaft 10 by the motor 12 is not limited to the belt transmission shown in the figure, but other contact type power transmission (chain system, gear system, etc.), or a non-contact type utilizing magnetic attraction and repulsion. The power transmission method may be used.

The drive shafts 10 of the drive units 4, 4 ′ are arranged along the side plates 1 a, 1 a ′ on both sides in the width direction of the gantry 1, the drive magnet ring 11 fixed to the drive shaft 10, and the side plates 1 a, 1 a ′. Corresponding to the driven magnet ring 3 of the conveying roller 2 installed therebetween, the conveying roller 2 is driven and rotated by a non-contact type power transmission method.
And the precursor drive parts 4 and 4 'are controlled so that a speed difference is made in both rotation. As a control for giving a speed difference to the rotation of both the drive units 4 and 4 ′, the following method can be cited.
(1) One drive unit 4 ′ is operated continuously and the other drive unit 4 is operated intermittently. The intermittent operation is controlled by a timer.
(2) Both the drive units 4 and 4 ′ are continuously driven, and one drive unit 4 ′ is rotated at a constant speed, and the other drive unit 4 is rotated at a variable speed (shift <constant speed).
It should be noted that any one of the drive units 4 and 4 ′ can be continuously operated, constant speed rotation, intermittent operation, or variable speed rotation.

Therefore, a large number of parallel conveying rollers 2 constituting the conveying surface are installed so that the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 provided on the conveying roller 2 corresponds to the driving unit 4 or the driving unit 4 ′. Thus, there is a speed difference in the rotation of the transport roller 2 that constitutes the transport surface, whereby the transport target W that is randomly placed or supplied on the transport surface moves downstream in the transport direction. The pitch (interval) in the conveyance direction between them is adjusted.
In order to keep the pitch (interval) in the transport direction constant, the transport rollers 2 are grouped together in a certain number to form one group, and the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 for each group includes a drive unit 4 and a drive unit 4 ′. And erected so that they correspond to each other. In that case, the length of the region (block) along the transport direction of one group is formed to be at least approximately the same as or longer than the length along the transport direction of the article to be transported W. Accordingly, the number of the transport rollers 2 constituting the one group is determined by the length of the transported object W, the diameter of the transport rollers, the pitch (mounting interval) of the transport rollers, and the like. In the example shown in the figure, one group is constituted by five transport rollers 2.

  For example, when the pitch aligning conveyor A configured as shown in the example is operated by the method (1), the driving unit 4 ′ (the driving unit on the left side in the conveying direction) and the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 The conveyance roller 2 in the region X corresponding to the continuous rotation rotates, and the conveyance roller 2 in the region Y corresponding to the drive unit 4 (the drive unit on the right side in the conveyance direction) and the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 rotates intermittently. To do. Thereby, all the conveyance rollers 2 in the area X and the area Y rotate for a certain time to convey the article W to be conveyed in the conveyance direction, and only the conveyance roller 2 in the area X rotates for the next certain time. The conveyance roller 2 in the area Y stops rotating. As a result, the object to be conveyed W is stored in the range of the region Y where the rotation is stopped for a certain time, and the storage and the conveyance are alternately performed, so that the object W is moved in the conveying direction as it moves downstream in the conveying direction. The pitch of the conveyed object W along is aligned at a constant pitch.

In addition, when operated by the method (2), since the region X is continuous operation and constant speed rotation, and the region Y is continuous operation and variable speed rotation, it is called stop storage of the conveyed object W in the case of (1). There is no operation, and the pitches (intervals) of the objects to be conveyed are gradually aligned at a constant pitch by shifting movements (shifting <constant speed) alternately existing in continuous movements.
In any of the above-described operation controls (1) and (2), complicated speed control using a sequencer, a substrate, or the like is not required, and the two drive units 4 and 4 ' Speed / shift), and intermittent operation can be controlled using a timer. As a general speed control of the conveyor, (a) a speed control motor is used and the electric resistance value is adjusted with a volume to change the speed, (b) an inverter speed change, and (c) a DC motor speed change.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation of reversing the conveyance roller 2 and replacing it so that the drive unit 4 ′ and the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 of the conveyance roller 2 correspond to each other as shown in FIG. When the erected conveying roller 2 is changed so that the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 corresponds to the driving unit 4 (not shown) on the opposite side, the upper surfaces of the side plates 1a and 1a ′ are attached. The cover 8 is removed, the upper side of the receiving member 6 is opened, the conveying roller 2 is pulled upward, and the bearings 5 and 5 ′ fixed to both sides of the support shaft 2 a of the conveying roller 2 are detached from the receiving member 6. Then, the conveying roller 2 is removed.
Then, the removed transport roller 2 is reversed left and right so that the side end not provided with the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 corresponds to the drive unit 4 ′, and the bearings 5 and 5 ′ at both ends are arranged. It is pushed into the receiving member 6 from above and supported by erection, and finally the cover 8 is attached to complete.
By performing the above operation, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the number of transport rollers 2 constituting the region X and the region Y can be easily changed (in the illustrated example, decreased from 5 to 3).

  The previous embodiment has shown a configuration in which a short cylindrical roller 2b made of resin is fitted to the support shaft 2a as a transport roller constituting the transport surface. FIG. 8 (however, the drive shaft 10 is omitted) and FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the transport roller 2 ′ may be constituted by a single support shaft 2a that does not have a short cylinder. In this case, the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 and the shaft end bearings 5 and 5 'are configured in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. Further, since the configuration of the drive units 4 and 4 'is the same as that of the previous embodiment, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The pitch aligning conveyor of the present invention is provided with driving units 4 and 4 ′ on both sides in the width direction of the gantry 1, and the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 of the conveying roller 2 corresponds by changing the left and right of the conveying roller 2. The drive unit can be changed. Accordingly, the power transmission means (driven magnet ring) 3 of all the transport rollers 2 constituting the transport surface is arranged so as to correspond to one drive unit, for example, the drive unit 4 ′, and only the drive unit 4 ′ is driven. In this case, it can be used as a general roller conveyor.

The present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.
(1) In the illustrated embodiment, the non-contact type driving method is used as the driving method for driving and rotating the transport roller. However, the driving method is not limited to this, but a contact type driving method (for example, round belt driving, chain driving, flat driving) (V belt drive etc.) may be used. However, chain drive and flat / V-belt drive are effective when the transport roller is detachable in the vertical direction.
(2) In the illustrated embodiment, an example is shown in which the side plate is made of a mold material, but the embodiment is not limited to this, and the side plate may be made of a flat plate.
(3) In the non-contact type driving method, as long as drive transmission is possible, the magnetization form of the S pole band and the N pole band of the drive magnet ring and the driven magnet ring is not limited to a spiral shape.

The top view which shows an example of implementation of the pitch alignment conveyor which concerns on this invention. The front view. The same side view. The enlarged perspective view of the principal part. The partially cutaway top view which shows the support structure of the conveyance roller edge part. It is a vertical side view which shows replacement of a conveyance roller, (a) shows the state which removes a conveyance roller, (b) shows the state which reversely attaches the removed conveyance roller. The top view which changed the number which comprises an area | region by changing a conveyance roller. The top view which shows the modification of a conveyance roller. The same side view.

Explanation of symbols

A ... Pitch alignment conveyor 1 ... Stand 1a, 1a '... Side plate 2 ... Conveying roller
3 ... Power transmission means 4, 4 '... Drive unit 5, 5' ... Bearing 6 ... Receiving member
W ... Conveyed object

Claims (4)

A power transmission means is provided at one end in the axial direction of the transport roller, and the transport roller is rotatably supported at a predetermined interval across the opposing side plates of the gantry, and the transport roller positions the power transmission means. Arranged in a staggered manner on the pedestal for each appropriate number, and further, a drive unit that transmits power in connection with the power transmission means of the transport roller is arranged along the both side plates of the gantry, and both of the drive units A pitch alignment conveyor characterized in that a speed difference is given to rotation, and the speed difference is such that one drive unit is in continuous operation and the other drive unit is in intermittent operation .   2. The pitch aligning conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the power transmission means is a non-contact type driving system utilizing magnetic attraction / repulsion action.   3. The pitch aligning conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the conveying roller is detachable in a vertical direction with respect to the gantry.   The transport roller is integrally provided with bearings on both sides of the support shaft, and on the other hand, both side plates of the pedestal are provided with receiving members that receive the bearings and allow the bearings to be detached in the vertical direction. 4. The pitch alignment conveyor according to claim 3, wherein

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