JP6283584B2 - Article distribution device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article sorting apparatus that changes a course of articles on a conveyor by moving a pusher rod accommodated in a cylindrical case forward and backward toward the conveyor.

  Conventionally, what was disclosed by patent document 1 is known as an article distribution apparatus which discharges | emits the container with a capping defect from the conveyance path | route among the containers currently conveyed by the conveyance conveyor, for example. In this article sorting apparatus, during the operation of discharging a container with poor capping, the contents may jump out of the container and adhere to the pusher rod. In particular, when the content is a carbonated beverage, the internal pressure is high, and therefore the content tends to adhere to the pusher rod.

JP 2006-256838 A

  In order to clean the pusher rod to which such contents are attached, it is conceivable to spray a cleaning liquid onto the pusher rod protruding on the conveyor. However, in order to prevent the cleaning liquid spray nozzle from interfering with the container on the transport conveyor, the complicated mechanism is such that the spray nozzle is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the container during normal operation and is moved onto the transport conveyor only during cleaning. Is required.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an article distribution device that can clean a pusher rod with a simple mechanism.

  An article sorting apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveyor that conveys articles, and a plurality of cylindrical cases in which pusher rods are accommodated so as to be able to advance and retreat along an advancing and retreating direction that intersects the article conveying direction. A cylindrical case conveying means that circulates and moves along an endless moving path including a section, and a pusher rod that moves in a straight section is selectively moved in the advancing and retreating direction, so that a desired transported state on the conveyor is achieved. A pusher rod driving means for changing the course of the article by bringing the tip of the pusher rod into contact with the article, and a cleaning that is arranged at a predetermined position along the movement path of the cylindrical case and injects a cleaning liquid toward the cylindrical case And a nozzle, and the cleaning liquid is supplied into the cylindrical case through a cleaning hole formed in the cylindrical case.

  The cylindrical case conveying means includes, for example, an endless body in which a plurality of cylindrical cases are attached at predetermined intervals, and a pair of rotating bodies on which the endless body is wound and opposed across a straight section. In this case, the cylindrical case has a first cleaning hole formed on a surface of the outer peripheral surface facing forward in the moving direction and a second cleaning hole formed on a surface facing backward in the moving direction. A cylindrical case is provided in a circular arc section that moves along the rotating body, and a first cleaning nozzle that injects the cleaning liquid toward the first cleaning hole in the circular arc section and a cleaning liquid in the arc section toward the second cleaning hole. A second cleaning nozzle. The arc segment may be located downstream of the straight segment.

  According to the present invention, the pusher rod can be cleaned by a simple mechanism.

1 is a plan view of an article transport system including an article sorting apparatus to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a side view which shows the state which detects the mounting state of the cap by a cap checker. It is a side view which shows an article distribution apparatus. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line of FIG. The structure of a cylindrical case and a pusher rod is shown, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view showing a state in which the pusher rod is retracted, and (c) is a side view showing a state in which the pusher rod is advanced. It is a figure for demonstrating the state which wash | cleans a pusher rod with a washing nozzle. The structure of the cylindrical case and pusher rod in 2nd Embodiment is shown, (a) is a side view which shows the state which the pusher rod retracted, (b) is a side view which shows the state which the pusher rod advanced. The structure of the cylindrical case and pusher rod in 3rd Embodiment is shown, (a) is a side view which shows the state which the pusher rod retracted, (b) is a side view which shows the state which the pusher rod advanced.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article transport system provided with an article sorting apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The article distribution apparatus 10 includes a first conveyor (conveyance conveyor) 11, a second conveyor 12, a third conveyor 13, and a fourth conveyor 14 that convey containers (articles) B. The container B delivered from the discharge star wheel 21 to the first conveyor 11 is delivered to the second conveyor 12 when it is normally capped, and when it is capped, the container B passes through the third conveyor 13. 14 is delivered. The second conveyor 12 transports the containers B to a mouth washer (not shown), and the fourth conveyor 14 discharges the containers B from the article transport system.

  The second conveyor 12 is provided adjacent to the first conveyor 11 and extends from the vicinity of the downstream end of the main body 15 of the article sorting apparatus 10 to the mouth washer. The third conveyor 13 is provided on the opposite side of the first conveyor 11 from the second conveyor 12, and is adjacent to the first conveyor 11. The third conveyor 13 extends from the upstream side to the downstream side of the upstream end portion of the second conveyor 12. The fourth conveyor 14 is provided on the opposite side of the third conveyor 13 from the first conveyor 11, is adjacent to the third conveyor 13, and has an upstream end of the second conveyor 12 and an upstream end of the third conveyor 13. It extends from between the parts to the downstream side. The first conveyor guide 16 is provided so that the containers B can smoothly transfer from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12. The second conveyor guide 17 is provided so that the container B can smoothly transfer from the first conveyor 11 to the fourth conveyor 14 via the third conveyor 13.

  Each container B is filled with contents (liquid such as drinking water) in a filling machine (not shown), and a cap is attached in the capper 22 and delivered to the discharge star wheel 21. The discharge star wheel 21 is provided with a cap checker 23, and the cap checker 23 detects whether or not each container B is normally capped. The cap checker 23 has two optical sensors that can be shielded from light by a cap attached to the container B. The first optical sensor has a first projector 24 and a first light receiver 25, and the second optical sensor has a second projector 26 and a second light receiver 27.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first optical sensor is provided at a higher position than the second optical sensor. Therefore, in the case of the beret cap (symbol X), the irradiation light of the first projector 24 is shielded and not detected by the first light receiver 25, and the irradiation light of the second projector 26 is also shielded by the second receiver 27. Not detected. When the cap is not present, the irradiation light from the first and second light projectors 24 and 26 is not shielded but is detected by the first and second light receivers 25 and 27. In the case of normal capping, the irradiation light of the first light projector 24 is detected by the first light receiver 25, and the irradiation light of the second light projector 26 is shielded and not detected by the second light receiver 27.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, the main body 15 includes an endless belt 31 that is provided in parallel to the first conveyor 11 and rotates along the first conveyor 11. The belt 31 is wound around a pair of pulleys 32 and 33 (see FIG. 3), and the pulley 32 is rotationally driven by a servo motor 34. A plurality of cylindrical cases 101 are attached to the belt 31 at predetermined intervals, and a pusher rod 102 is accommodated in each cylindrical case 101. The pusher rod 102 can advance and retreat along an advancing / retreating direction (arrow L) that intersects the conveyance direction (arrow K) of the container B. The cylindrical case 101 is circulated by the belt 31 along an endless moving path including a straight section M parallel to the first conveyor 11. That is, the belt (endless body) 31 and the pair of pulleys (rotating bodies) 32 and 33 facing each other across the straight section M constitute a cylindrical case conveying means.

  A roller advance / retreat cylinder device 41 that acts as a trigger for advancing the pusher rod 102 is provided at the upstream end of the belt 31. A cam plate 52 in which a cam groove 51 is formed is provided above the belt 31, and a cam follower 103 (see FIG. 4) provided on the upper surface of the pusher rod 102 can be engaged with the cam groove 51. The roller advance / retreat cylinder device 41 operates to advance the pusher rod 102 when a capping defect is found by the cap checker 23 and the container B approaches the upstream end of the main body 15 as will be described later. As a result, the cam follower 103 engages with the cam groove 51, and the tip of the pusher rod 102 comes into contact with the side surface of the container B conveyed on the first conveyor 11. As a result, the container B is transferred onto the third conveyor 13, guided by the second conveyor guide 17, smoothly transferred to the fourth conveyor 14, and discharged from the article transport system.

  A synchronization checker 61 for detecting the arrival of the container B determined to be capping failure by the cap checker 23 is provided above the main body 15 and at the upstream end. When the container B is transferred from the discharge star wheel 21 to the first conveyor 11, even if a positional deviation occurs due to a fine movement on the first conveyor 11, this positional deviation is detected by the synchronization checker 61. The roller advance / retreat cylinder device 41 is driven according to the detection result, and the pusher rod 102 is driven forward at an appropriate timing. The synchronization checker 61 includes a pair of light emitters and light receivers, and detects that the container B is in a predetermined position by being shielded from light by the container B conveyed on the first conveyor 11.

  Cleaning nozzles 81 and 82 for cleaning the pusher rod 102 are provided at the downstream end in the main body 15. The cleaning nozzles 81 and 82 are connected to a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown), and spray the cleaning liquid toward the cylindrical case 101 in which the pusher rod 102 is accommodated as will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a large number of cylindrical cases 101 are provided at equal intervals on the belt 31 (see FIG. 1). In the straight section M (see FIG. 1) between the shafts of the two pulleys 32 and 33, the lower surface of the belt 31 moving upward is supported by the dead plate 35, whereby the cylindrical case 101 is predetermined in the straight section M. Move the height position of. In the straight section M, the lower surface of the cylindrical case 101 attached to the belt 31 moving downward is supported by a support belt 93 wound around a plurality of pulleys 91 and 92. Of the plurality of pulleys 91, 92, the toothed pulley 92 located on the most downstream side is driven by the servo motor 34. That is, the pulley 36 fixed to the rotation shaft of the servo motor 34 is connected to the drive pulley 38 via the belt 37. A gear 38 a is coaxially provided adjacent to the drive pulley 38, and the support belt 93 is attached to the cylindrical case 101 when the gear 92 a provided on the rotation shaft of the toothed pulley 92 meshes with the gear 38 a. It is rotated at the same speed as the moving speed. The belt 37 is engaged with a tension pulley 39, and a predetermined tension is always applied.

  The roller advance / retreat cylinder device 41 is provided at an upstream end portion above the belt 31, and a main body 42 is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane so that an upper end portion is on the downstream side. That is, the piston 43 extends obliquely downward from the main body 42 toward the upstream side, and the roller 44 provided at the tip of the piston 43 faces the rear end portion of the pusher rod 102 protruding from the cylindrical case 101. Normally, the roller 44 is separated from the pusher rod 102, but when the pusher rod 102 corresponding to the container B with poor capping arrives, the roller 44 descends and comes into contact with the lock 45 (see FIG. 5) corresponding to the pusher rod 102. . As a result, the lock 45 is released and the pusher rod 102 advances as will be described later.

  The synchronization checker 61 is attached to a first horizontal support member 62 that extends along the width direction of the first conveyor 11. The first horizontal support member 62 is screwed into a second horizontal support member 63 that is a ball screw extending along the conveying direction of the first conveyor 11, and an adjustment handle 64 provided at an end of the second horizontal support member 63 is rotated. Thereby, the horizontal direction position along the conveyance direction of the 1st conveyor 11 of the synchronous checker 61 is adjusted. The second horizontal support member 63 is screwed into a vertical support member 65 that is a ball screw fixed to the side surface of the main body 15. The height position of the horizontal support members 62, 63, that is, the height position of the synchronization checker 61 can be adjusted by turning an adjustment handle 66 provided at the upper end of the vertical support member 65.

  A drain pan 83 is provided below the main body 15. The drain pan 83 extends over the entire lower surface of the main body 15, and the bottom surface of the drain pan 83 is inclined so that the upstream side of the first conveyor 11 is lowered. A drain pipe 84 is provided at the lowest part of the bottom surface of the drain pan 83, and the drain pipe 84 is connected to a drain groove (not shown). A maintenance hatch 85 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 15. The maintenance hatch 85 is rotatably supported by a hinge 86, and the maintenance hatch 85 is opened by lifting the handle 87 during maintenance.

  With reference to FIG. 5, the structure of the cylindrical case 101 and the pusher rod 102 is demonstrated. The cylindrical case 101 has an elongated box shape, and a slit 104 is formed on the upper surface as shown in FIG. 5 (a), and the extraction windows 108 are formed on both sides as shown in FIGS. 5 (b) and 5 (c). Is formed. A cam follower 103 fixed to the pusher rod 102 is inserted into the slit 104 and is movable along the slit 104. A front end of the pusher rod 102 protrudes from the cylindrical case 101, and an attachment portion 105 extending upward is formed. A rear end of the pusher rod 102 protrudes from the cylindrical case 101, and a hook portion 106 protruding upward is formed. A rubber contact member 107 for pushing the side surface of the container B on the first conveyor 11 is attached to the attachment portion 105. A receiving hole 110 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed at the rear end of the pusher rod 102. A pin 111 and a compression spring 112 are received in the receiving hole 110. The compression spring 112 is provided between the bottom of the accommodation hole 110 and the pin 111, and the pin 111 always protrudes rearward from the accommodation hole 110.

  A pair of support plates 113 are connected to the rear end of the cylindrical case 101. The interval between the support plates 113 is the same as the width of the cylindrical case 101, and a lock 45 is attached between the support plates 113. The lock 45 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 114 fixed to the support plate 113. The lock 45 includes a claw portion 115 that can be engaged with the hook portion 106, a protrusion 116 that can contact the pin 111, and a contact portion 117 that can contact the roller 44 of the roller advance / retreat cylinder device 41.

  The pusher rod 102 is normally in the retracted position shown in FIG. 5B, and the hook portion 106 is engaged with the claw portion 115 of the lock 45. At this time, the tip of the pin 111 abuts on the protrusion 116 of the lock 45, and the compression spring 112 is compressed. When the roller 44 descends and pushes down the contact portion 117 of the lock 45, the lock 45 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 5C, and the claw portion 115 releases the hook portion 106. As a result, the pusher rod 102 is advanced by the spring force of the compression spring 112, and the cam follower 103 is engaged with the side surface of the cam plate 52. Therefore, when the cylindrical case 101 moves in the downstream direction, the cam follower 103 is engaged with the cam groove 51.

  The cleaning operation of the pusher rod 102 by the cleaning nozzles 81 and 82 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the cylindrical case 101 and the pusher rod 102 are not shown hidden behind the lock 45 and the support plate 113. The cleaning operation by the cleaning nozzles 81 and 82 is executed while operating the servo motor 34. In this case, the moving speed of the belt 31 is lower than the above-described discharging operation of the container B with poor capping.

  The cleaning nozzles 81 and 82 are arranged at positions along the movement path of the cylindrical case 101. In this embodiment, the cleaning nozzles 81 and 82 are arc sections in which the cylindrical case 101 moves along the pulley 32 and are downstream of the straight section M. Is provided. The cleaning liquid sprayed from the first cleaning nozzle 81 positioned above mainly hits the side surface and the upper surface of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 101 facing forward in the moving direction. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid enters the cylindrical case 101 through the front extraction window (first cleaning hole) 108 and the slit 104 on the upper surface of the cylindrical case 101 and cleans the pusher rod 102. The cleaning liquid sprayed from the second cleaning nozzle 82 located below mainly hits the side surface and the upper surface on the rear side in the movement direction in the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 101. Therefore, the cleaning liquid is supplied into the cylindrical case 101 from the rear extraction window (second cleaning hole) 108 and the slit 104 on the upper surface of the cylindrical case 101 to clean the pusher rod 102.

  Thus, since the cleaning liquid enters the cylindrical case 101 through the extraction windows 108 and the slits 104 provided on both side surfaces of the cylindrical case 101, the pusher rod 102 is entirely cleaned and the container B is discharged. Even if the contents of the container B are adhered, they are reliably removed. The waste liquid after washing the pusher rod 102 falls to the drain pan 83 and is discharged from the drain pipe 84.

  Next, the discharging operation of the container B with poor capping by the article sorting apparatus 10 will be described. While the capping container B is not detected, the servo motor 34 is stopped and all the pusher rods 102 are in the retracted position. That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, the hook portion 106 of the pusher rod 102 is engaged with the claw portion 115 of the lock 45. When a capping defect is found by the cap checker 23, the servo motor 34 is immediately driven to rotate the belt 31, and the roller advance / retreat cylinder device 41 and the servo are moved in accordance with the timing at which the container B is detected by the synchronization checker 61. The motor 34 is driven.

  That is, the roller 44 is lowered and the abutting portion 117 of the lock 45 is pushed down, thereby releasing the hook portion 106, so that the pusher rod 102 moves forward by the spring force of the compression spring 112. The roller 44 holds the lowered position until the three pusher rods 102 move forward, and then rises to return to the original position. As the belt 31 rotates, the three cam followers 103 continuously enter the cam groove 51. The belt 31 further rotates, and the three cam followers 103 move along the cam grooves 51, whereby the three pusher rods 102 push the containers B on the first conveyor 11 and transfer them to the third conveyor 13. . In this way, the container B with poor capping is transferred from the third conveyor 13 to the fourth conveyor 14 and discharged from the article transport system. As described above, the roller advance / retreat cylinder device 41 and the cam groove 51 allow the pusher rod 102 that moves in the straight section M to selectively move in the advance / retreat direction, thereby bringing the pusher rod 102 into contact with the container B so that the container B Pusher rod driving means for changing the course of the.

  After the container B is transferred to the third conveyor 13, the three pusher rods 102 are retracted according to the shape of the cam groove 51, the cam follower 103 is detached from the cam groove 51, and the side surface of the cam plate 52 (the lower end portion in FIG. 1). ). Thereby, the protrusion 116 of the lock 45 is pushed by the pin 111, and the lock 45 rotates in the clockwise direction of FIG. Further, the pusher rod 102 moves backward while compressing the compression spring 112 and engages with the hook portion 106 claw portion 115. Then, the servo motor 34 is stopped and the discharging operation of the container B is finished.

  FIG. 7 shows a cylindrical case 201 and a pusher rod 202 in the second embodiment. Parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are denoted by reference numbers obtained by adding 100 to the reference numbers given in the first embodiment. Further, a mechanism for locking the pusher rod 202 in the retracted position is omitted. In the second embodiment, an air blow device 210 is provided on the rear side of the cylindrical case 201, and the pusher rod 202 is configured to move forward by wind pressure from the air blow device 210.

  FIG. 8 shows a cylindrical case 301 and a pusher rod 302 in the third embodiment. Parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are given reference numbers obtained by adding 200 to the reference numbers given in the first embodiment. Further, a mechanism for locking the pusher rod 302 in the retracted position is omitted. In 3rd Embodiment, the air cylinder apparatus 310 is provided in the rear side of the cylindrical case 301, and the piston 311 of the air cylinder apparatus 310 acts as a knocker. That is, the pusher rod 302 is pushed by the piston 311 and moves forward.

  The extraction windows (cleaning holes) 108, 208, 308 are not limited to the rectangular openings as in the above embodiment, and a number of punch holes are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical cases 101, 201, 301, You may shape | mold in mesh shape. In short, the shape may be such that the cleaning liquid is supplied into the cylindrical case when the cleaning liquid is sprayed in a state where the pusher rod is accommodated in the cylindrical case.

In the above embodiment, it has been described that three pusher rods 102 push one container B and transfer to the third conveyor 13. However, the number of pusher rods 102 is not limited to three, and depends on the size of the container B. May be increased or decreased.
Further, the straight section M does not need to be parallel to the first conveyor 11 and may be inclined with respect to the first conveyor 11.
Further, as a structure for supporting the lower surface of the belt 31, a structure in which free rollers (rollers) are provided on the upper surface at regular intervals may be employed instead of the dead plate 35, thereby reducing sliding friction with the belt 31. be able to.

11 First conveyor (conveyor)
31 belt (endless body)
32, 33 Pulley (Rotating body)
81 First cleaning nozzle 82 Second cleaning nozzle 101, 201, 301 Cylindrical case 102, 202, 302 Pusher rod 108, 208, 308 Extraction window (cleaning hole)
M Straight section

Claims (3)

A transport conveyor for transporting articles;
A plurality of cylindrical cases in which pusher rods are accommodated so as to be capable of advancing and retreating along the advancing and retreating direction intersecting the conveying direction of the article are circulated and moved along an endless movement path including a straight section parallel to the conveying conveyor. Cylindrical case conveying means;
By selectively moving the pusher rod that moves in the straight section in the advance / retreat direction, the tip of the pusher rod is brought into contact with a desired article conveyed on the conveyor, and the course of the article is changed. A pusher rod driving means;
A cleaning nozzle that is disposed at a predetermined position along the movement path of the cylindrical case and injects a cleaning liquid toward the cylindrical case;
The article distribution apparatus, wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied into the cylindrical case through a cleaning hole formed in the cylindrical case. The cylindrical case transporting means has an endless body in which the plurality of cylindrical cases are attached at predetermined intervals, and a pair of rotating bodies on which the endless body is wound and opposed across the straight section. And
The cylindrical case has a first cleaning hole formed in a surface facing the front in the movement direction of the outer peripheral surface and a second cleaning hole formed in a surface facing the rear in the movement direction,
The cleaning nozzle is provided in a circular arc section in which the cylindrical case moves along the rotating body, and in the circular arc section, a first cleaning nozzle that injects cleaning liquid toward the first cleaning hole, and in the circular arc section The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second cleaning nozzle that jets a cleaning liquid toward the second cleaning hole.   The article distribution apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the arc section is located downstream of the straight section.

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