JP6712697B2 - Posture change device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a posture changing device that changes a direction of a conveyed object in a conveyed object along a conveyor line.

In the conveyor device, it is required to quickly convey the conveyed object.
On the other hand, there is a demand to align the postures (orientations) of the conveyed items.
Specifically, when each conveyed product is a rectangular parallelepiped, if the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of each conveyed product do not match, it is necessary to change the direction when loading, which complicates the work. ..
In addition, when the part storing the information such as the transfer destination of the transfer object is provided on a specific side surface of the transfer object, it is necessary to align the postures of the transfer objects so that the part can be read by the sensor. There is.
If the conveyor device is stopped in order to align the directions of the conveyed items, the rapid conveyance of the conveyed items is hindered. Therefore, it is necessary to align the orientations (postures) of the transported objects while transporting.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention capable of aligning the orientations of the conveyed objects while conveying the objects.
In the posture changing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, an arm is projected on a transfer path, and an object to be transferred (an object to be transferred) conveyed along a conveyor line is brought into contact with the arm, and the object to be transferred is a conveyor. By changing the direction of the arm as it moves to the downstream side in the transport direction of the line, the posture of the transported object is changed.

JP, 11-334860, A

By the way, the direction changing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is indispensable for a cylinder device having a piston rod, a compressor, a regulator and the like, and has a complicated structure. Further, an object to be conveyed along a conveyor line is an arm. Control after contact is complicated.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a posture changing device capable of surely changing the posture of a conveyed product with a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a straight-direction transporting body that contacts the bottom surface of the transported article and urges the transported article in a straight traveling direction; An inclined conveying body that urges the conveying member, elevating means that elevates and lowers at least one of the rectilinear conveying body and the inclined conveying body, and a resistance member that contacts a part of the conveyed object and resists the movement of the portion of the conveyed object. And a height of a portion of the slanting direction conveying body which is in contact with the conveyed object is equal to or higher than a height of a portion of the rectilinear direction conveying body which is in contact with the conveyed object, and the resistance member is brought into contact with a part of the conveyed object. The posture changing device is characterized in that the inclined direction conveying body is driven in this state, and the conveyed object is rotated around the resistance member as a starting point to change the posture.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the height of the portion of the slanting direction transporting body that comes into contact with the transported article is set to be equal to or higher than the height of the portion of the rectilinear direction transporting body that comes into contact with the transported article by the elevating means. The inclined direction carrier can be brought into contact with.
The inclined conveying body can contact the bottom surface of the conveying object and bias the conveying object in an oblique direction. Further, the posture changing device of the present invention has a resistance member and contacts a part of the conveyed product to resist movement of the part of the conveyed product.
Therefore, when the slant direction conveying body is driven in a state where the resistance member is in contact with a part of the conveyed object, a speed difference occurs between a portion where the resisting member of the conveyed object abuts and a portion where the inclined direction conveying body contacts, and Since the conveyed body biases the conveyed article in an oblique direction, a rotational moment is generated in the conveyed article, and the conveyed article turns around the resistance member as a starting point. At that time, the conveyed article smoothly turns by the biasing force of the inclined conveyance body in the oblique direction.

The invention according to claim 2 is the posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member is rotatable.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the resistance member is rotatable, the resistance when the conveyed article turns is reduced.

The invention according to claim 3 is the posture changing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the resistance member is rotated by power.

In the invention according to claim 3, since the resistance member is rotated by the power, the resistance is unlikely to be a resistance when the conveyed article turns. That is, the conveyed product can swivel more smoothly than when the resistance member is naturally rotated by being pressed by the conveyed product.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the resistance member has a holding portion for holding a corner of the conveyed object, and the holding portion rotates with the turning of the conveyed object. The posture changing device according to claim 1.

In the invention according to claim 4, since the resistance member has the holding portion that holds the corner of the conveyed object, it is possible to apply the resistance force only to the corner of the conveyed object and rotate the conveyed object around the holding portion. it can. Further, since the holding portion rotates as the conveyed product rotates, the conveyed product easily rotates.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there are a plurality of straight-direction transport bodies and tilt-direction transport bodies, and the straight-direction transport bodies are rollers or rollers that are rotated by power and are arranged in parallel. Is a roller which is rotated by power, and the slanting direction transport bodies are arranged between the straight traveling direction transport bodies and are arranged in a posture inclined with respect to the transport direction of the straight traveling direction transport bodies. The posture changing device according to any one of 4 above.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to dispose the inclined transport body between the parallel rollers or between the rollers.
In other words, it is possible to dispose parallel rollers or rollers of the straight-direction transport bodies between the slant-direction transport bodies.
Since the slanting direction transport bodies are between the straight traveling direction biasing members, the straight traveling direction transporting bodies and the slanting direction transporting bodies are alternately arranged, and the straight traveling direction transporting body or the slanting direction transporting body stably supports the transported matter. To do.
The inclined carrier is a roller that is rotated by power and has a short length. Therefore, the rollers can be arranged in a state of being inclined with respect to the straight traveling path. Since the inclined conveying body, which is a roller, is arranged in a posture inclined with respect to the straight traveling path, when the inclined conveying body contacts the bottom surface of the conveyed object, the conveyed object can be biased in an oblique direction. ..

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, a linear traveling body is disposed in a part or all of the straight traveling path for moving the transported article in the straight traveling direction, and one end of the straight traveling path in the width direction is formed. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the resistance member is provided in a portion, and the inclined direction conveyance bodies are distributed at positions apart from the resistance member.

In the invention according to claim 6, the straight-direction transport body is disposed in a part or all of the straight-direction transport path for moving the transport product in the straight-travel direction, and the transport product can be transported in the straight-travel direction. it can.
Further, in the present invention, since the resistance member is provided at one end portion in the width direction of the straight traveling path, the end portion of the conveyed article that is going straight on contacts the resistance member. As a result, a rotational moment about the end portion is generated in the conveyed product, and the conveyed product rotates. In addition, since the inclined conveying bodies are distributed at positions apart from the resistance member, a rotational moment is likely to be generated in the conveyed objects, and the conveyed objects are easily rotated.
Here, "a part or all" means a part or all of the width of the straight traveling path.
The "position separated from the resistance member" means a position separated from the resistance member in the width direction of the straight conveyance path and a position separated from the resistance member on the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a guide member is provided at an end portion on the side where the resistance member is provided, the guide member preventing rotation of the conveyed product and guiding the conveyed product to move in a straight direction. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

According to the invention of claim 7, a guide member is provided at the end portion on the side where the resistance member is provided, which prevents the rotation of the conveyed product and guides the conveyed product so as to move in a straight direction. As for the conveyed goods whose postures have been changed by rotation, further rotation is blocked by the guide member, and the postures (directions) of the conveyed goods are aligned.
In addition, the respective conveyed objects are guided along the guide member, and are conveyed evenly to the end portion side of the straight traveling path on the side where the resistance member is provided.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the slanting direction transport body is a roller that is rotated by power, and the peripheral speed of the slanting direction transport body located at a position distant from the resistance member is slant direction transport at a position close to the resistance member. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the posture changing device is faster than the peripheral speed of the body.

According to the invention described in claim 8, the peripheral speed of the inclined direction carrier at a position distant from the rotation center is higher than the peripheral speed of the inclined direction carrier near the rotation center. Therefore, the transported object easily rotates around the resistance member. Therefore, the posture of the conveyed object can be easily changed.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the slanting direction conveyance body is a roller, has a long rotating body and a plurality of pulleys provided on the rotating body, and is provided between the slanting direction conveyance body and the corresponding pulley. 9. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the belts is stretched over each of the plurality of inclined direction conveying bodies to be rotated by one rotating body.

In the invention according to claim 9, the plurality of inclined direction transport bodies can be rotationally driven by the common rotary body. Therefore, the respective inclined direction transport bodies rotate synchronously and simultaneously. As a result, the conveyed object is simultaneously biased by the respective inclined direction conveyed bodies which are rotationally driven by the common rotating body, and the conveyed object can rotate favorably and change its posture.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the conveyed product can be conveyed in one direction by the rectilinear conveying body, and a widthwise resistance member is provided on the upstream side of the region where the inclined conveying body is distributed. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that width adjusting means for moving toward the end portion on the side where the change is made is arranged.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the conveyed objects are moved toward the end portion on the side where the resistance member is provided by the width adjusting means. Therefore, it is easy for the conveyed object to contact the resistance member and change its posture.

With the posture changing device of the present invention, a rotational moment can be generated in a conveyed product with a simple configuration, and the conveyed product can be swung to appropriately change the posture.

It is a top view of a conveyance line provided with a posture change device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the posture changing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the posture changing device of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the resistance member of FIG. 2. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the resistance member of FIG. 4. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which simplifies and shows the internal structure of the drive part of the resistance member of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a drive roller of the straight-direction conveyance unit of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a driven roller of the straight-direction transport unit of FIG. 2. It is a perspective view of the inclination direction conveyance part of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lifting mechanism section of FIG. 3. It is a disassembled perspective view of the inclination direction conveyance part of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the lower part of the end member of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the raising/lowering mechanism part of FIG. (A), (b) is a front view of a lifting cam. It is a front view of the raising/lowering mechanism part of FIG. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the lifting mechanism section of FIG. 10 with a part of the lifting frame cut away. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a cam follower and a raising/lowering cam, (a) shows the state which the cam follower was mounted on the chord part of a raising/lowering cam, (b) shows the cam follower mounted on the circular arc part of a raising/lowering cam. Shows the state of It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the raising/lowering mechanism part and the inclination direction conveyance part in the height direction, (a) has shown the state in which the inclination direction conveyance part is in a high position, (b) shows the inclination direction conveyance. The part is in a low position. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which showed the state which supported the conveyed material by the inclination direction conveyance part of the attitude|position change apparatus from the front direction. (A)-(c) is a top view which shows the condition where a conveyed product is conveyed along a conveyance line and is guide|induced to a resistance member. (A)-(c) is a top view which shows the condition where a conveyed product is conveyed along a conveyance line and a posture is changed. (A)-(d) is a top view which shows how to move the conveyed product on a conveyance line, when the attitude of a conveyed product is not changed. (A)-(c) is a partially expanded view of FIG. 20(c), FIG. 21(a), and FIG. 21(b). It is a partially expanded view of FIG.22(b)-FIG.22(d). It is a perspective view of the guide member of a downstream side conveyor device. FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a rotating member of the resistance member rotates, where FIG. 7A shows a posture in which the contact side portion protrudes onto the transport path to bring the transported object into contact, and FIG. The state in which the object is moved to the downstream side of the rotating member is shown, (c) shows the state in which the rotating member is further rotated 90 degrees from the state in (b), and is retracted from the transport path. ) Shows a state in which the rotating member further rotates 90 degrees from the state of (c), the rotating member is retracted from the transport path, and a state in which the contact side can be immediately projected onto the transport path.

Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the posture changing device 1 constitutes a part of a linear transport line L. An upstream conveyor device 100 is arranged on the upstream side of the posture changing device 1, and a downstream conveyor device 101 is arranged on the downstream side. That is, the transport line L is configured by arranging the upstream conveyor device 100, the posture changing device 1, and the downstream conveyor device 101 linearly in order from the upstream side.

The upstream side conveyor device 100 is a well-known roller conveyor device, and has a pair of side frame members 90a and 90b and a plurality of conveying rollers 28 (straight-direction conveying bodies). Each conveyance roller 28 is arranged between a pair of side frame members 90a and 90b, and the rotation shaft of each conveyance roller 28 is supported by each side frame member 90a and 90b. The transport roller 28 includes a drive roller 28a and a driven roller 28b, and the drive roller 28a and the driven roller 28b are connected to each other by a belt, a chain or the like so that power can be transmitted. That is, when the drive roller 28a rotates, the driven roller 28b also rotates in synchronization.

A roller with a built-in motor as shown in FIG. 7 can be used as the drive roller 28a.
As the drive roller 28a, as shown in FIG. 7, a roller body 60 in which a motor 61 and a speed reducer 62 are incorporated is adopted. The output shaft 63 of the speed reducer 62 is engaged with the inner surface of the roller body 60, and the rotational force of the motor 61 is reduced by the speed reducer 62 to rotate the roller body 60. Support shafts 71 and 72 project from both ends of the roller body 60.

The roller main body 60 is provided with an annular groove 74 on the surface for engaging the belt 69 (FIG. 1).

The driven roller 28b is a roller body rotation type idle roller having a structure as shown in FIG. That is, the driven roller 28b does not have a drive source such as a motor in the roller body 60. The structure of the roller main body 60 of the driven roller 28b is the same as that of the roller main body 60 of the driving roller 28a described above, and the groove 74 for engaging the belt 69 is provided on the surface in an annular shape.

A plurality of (for example, four) driven rollers 28b are connected to one drive roller 28a by a belt 69 so that power can be transmitted.

The downstream side conveyor device 101 is a roller conveyor device having a pair of side frame members 92a and 92b and a plurality of conveying rollers 93, and has the same configuration as the upstream side conveyor device 100. Descriptions that overlap with the device 100 will be omitted. The downstream side conveyor device 101 is provided with a guide member 94 on one side frame member 92a (upper side in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 25, the guide member 94 has an upper support member 95a, a lower support member 95b, a shaft member 96, and a guide roller 97.
The upper support member 95a and the lower support member 95b are frame members having rigidity extending linearly, and are vertically arranged to fix both ends of the plurality of shaft members 96.

The shaft member 96 is a vertical shaft that faces the vertical direction. A guide roller 97 is attached to the shaft member 96. The height position of the guide roller 97 is fixed by a nut member 98. That is, the shaft member 96 has the screw portion 96a, and the two nut members 98 are screwed into the screw portion 96a. The nut members 98 are arranged above and below the guide roller 97, and the height position of the guide roller 97 is set by the nut member 98.

The guide rollers 97 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the upper support member 95a and the lower support member 95b, and the height positions of the adjacent guide rollers 97 are different. That is, the guide rollers 97 are arranged in a staggered manner so that the high position and the low position are interchanged.
A part of each guide roller 97 projects onto the transport path of the downstream side conveyor device 101.

Next, the configuration of the posture changing device 1, which is a characteristic configuration of the present invention, will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the posture changing device 1 includes a posture changing device 55 and a width-shifting mechanism unit 4 (width-shifting means).
In addition, the posture changing device 55 has a straight-direction transport unit 2, a tilt-direction transport unit 3, a lifting mechanism unit 5, and a resistance member 6, as shown in FIG. The straight-direction transport unit 2, the tilt-direction transport unit 3, the elevating mechanism unit 5, and the resistance member 6 constituting the posture changing device 55 are assembled as one unit as shown in FIG. It is arranged.
On the other hand, the width-shifting mechanism section 4 (width-shifting means) is a device independent of the posture changing device 55, and is arranged in an area on the upstream side of the posture changing device 55, as shown in FIG.

First, the posture changing device 55 will be described. The posture changing device 55 has, as described above, the straight-direction transport unit 2, the tilt-direction transport unit 3, the elevating mechanism unit 5, and the resistance member 6, which are integrally assembled.
The straight-traveling direction transport unit 2 has substantially the same configuration as the downstream side conveyor device 101.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the rectilinear conveying section 2 includes a pair of opposing side frame members 30, 31, conveying rollers 28 (driving roller 28a, driven roller 28b), and guide members 12, 13 (FIG. 2). have.

The configurations of the side frame members 30 and 31, the conveying roller 28, and the guide members 12 and 13 are respectively the side frame members 92a and 92b, the conveying roller 93 (driving roller 93a, the driven roller 93b), and the guide of the downstream side conveyor device 101. The structure of the member 94 is the same as that of the member 94, and the redundant description will be omitted.

The shafts of the conveying rollers 28 are supported in parallel by the opposite side frame members 30 and 31 at both ends in a horizontal posture. As shown in FIG. 1, the interval between the transfer rollers 28 is wider than the interval between the transfer rollers 93 of the downstream conveyor device 101.

The straight-direction conveying unit 2 conveys the conveyed object conveyed from the upstream side conveyor device 100 as it is along the flow direction of the upstream side conveyor device 100, and the conveyance roller 28 has an upstream direction. It is the same as the side conveyor device 100.
In other words, the posture of the transport roller 28 of the straight-direction transport unit 2 is such that its axis is vertical to the side frame members 30 and 31, and the straight line connecting the centers of the transport rollers 28 in the longitudinal direction is the side frame. It is parallel to the members 30, 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, the guide member 12 is installed on one side frame member 30. That is, the guide member 12 is arranged at one end of the conveyance path in the width direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the resistance member 6 is provided in the side frame member 30 on the upstream side of the guide member 12.
As shown in FIG. 5, the resistance member 6 is composed of a fixed portion 27a and a movable portion 27b.

The fixed portion 27 a has a base 33 and a stopper member 34.
The base 33 is a rectangular plate-shaped member in plan view. The base 33 is provided with a hole 33a.

The stopper member 34 includes a support portion 34a and a buffer portion 34b.
The support portion 34a has a base fixing portion 42a and a standing portion 42b. The base fixing portion 42a and the standing portion 42b are orthogonal to each other and have an L shape.
A buffer portion 34b formed of a coil spring is fixed to the upright portion 42b. That is, one end of the buffer portion 34b is fixed to the standing portion 42b, and the other end of the buffer portion 34b is a free end.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a stopper 50 is provided adjacent to the base 33. The stopper 50 is arranged on the side of the side frame member 30 on the side opposite to the stopper member 34 of a movable portion 27b, which will be described later, and is a member having a function of restricting the swing range of the movable portion 27b with respect to the fixed portion 27a. is there.

Next, the movable portion 27b will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the movable portion 27b has a movable base 35, a support member 37, a receiving member 38, a rotating member 39, a drive portion 41 and the like.

The movable base 35 is a rectangular plate-shaped member when seen in a plan view. Holes 35a and 35b are provided near both ends of the movable table 35 in the longitudinal direction.
The center of the hole 35b is aligned with the hole 43a of the upper surface portion 37a of the support member 37 described later.
The center of the hole 35a coincides with the hole 43b of the lower surface portion 37c of the support member 37 described later.

The support member 37 is a member that constitutes the main body of the movable portion 27b, and has a flat plate-shaped upper surface portion 37a, a vertical portion 37b, and a lower surface portion 37c. An upper surface portion 37a is continuous with the upper end of the vertical portion 37b, and the vertical portion 37b and the upper surface portion 37a are orthogonal to each other. In addition, a lower surface portion 37c is continuous with the surface of the lower end of the vertical portion 37b opposite to the side where the upper surface portion 37a is continuous, and the vertical portion 37b and the lower surface portion 37c are orthogonal to each other. That is, the support member 37 has a structure in which one plate member is bent at two positions at right angles to the opposite sides.

The support member 37 is fixed on the movable table 35 by fixing means such as screwing. That is, the support member 37 and the movable base 35 are integrated.
The upper surface portion 37a is provided with a hole 43a, and the lower surface portion 37c is provided with a hole 43b. The hole 43b coincides with the hole 35a (FIG. 5) of the movable table 35. The center line of the hole 43a coincides with the hole 35b (FIG. 5) of the movable table 35.
The upper surface portion 37a is a portion where a drive portion 41 described later is installed.
The lower surface portion 37c is a portion fixed to the movable table 35.
The vertical portion 37b connects the upper surface portion 37a and the lower surface portion 37c, and is a portion for fixing a receiving member 38 described later.

The receiving member 38 is an L-shaped plate-like member, one end of which is fixed to the vertical portion 37b by screwing or the like, and the other end of which is a free end to form the receiving portion 38a. As shown in FIG. 4, the receiving portion 38a of the receiving member 38 covers a part of the front surface side (the side where the stopper member 34 is provided) of the support member 37. That is, the receiving member 38 is attached to the support member 37 so as to close a part of the open portion of the support member 37 where the vertical portion 37b is not provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating member 39 is an L-shaped member and has a contact side portion 39a and a holding side portion 39b.
For example, if the conveyed product W is a quadrangle such as a cardboard box or a pallet, the conveyed product W has a front surface that faces the front in the carrying direction and a rear surface that faces the rear. And there is a lateral side connecting them.
The rotating member 39 is an L-shaped member, and one side (contact side portion 39a) of the rotating member 39 is a side that contacts the front surface of the conveyed article W. The other side (holding side portion 39b) is a surface that holds the side surface of the conveyed article W.
In the present embodiment, the rotating member 39 of the resistance member 6 functions as a holding portion that holds the corner formed by the front surface and the side surface of the conveyed article W.

A through hole 40 is provided at a portion of the rotating member 39 where the contact side portion 39a and the holding side portion 39b intersect with each other in an L shape. The rotating member 39 is attached between the support member 37 and the movable base 35 via an engaging member 46 of a drive unit 41 described later. The rotating member 39 can rotate 360 degrees with respect to the support member 37 and the movable base 35. That is, the size of each part of the rotating member 39 and the supporting member 37 is set so that the rotating member 39 and the supporting member 37 do not collide with each other even if the rotating member 39 rotates.

The drive unit 41 has a housing 44. The housing 44 is fixed on the upper surface portion 37a of the support member 37 by fixing means such as screwing. A motor 45 as shown in FIG. 6 and an engagement member 46 are provided in the housing 44.

The motor 45 is a geared motor.
The engagement member 46 is a shaft-shaped member.
The output shaft 45a of the motor 45 and the engaging member 46 are connected by a belt 51 so that power can be transmitted.

The engaging member 46 penetrates the hole 43 a of the support member 37, the through hole 40 of the rotating member 39, and the hole 35 b of the movable table 35, and is integrated with the rotating member 39. That is, the engaging member 46 can rotate integrally with the rotating member 39. In other words, when the engaging member 46 is rotated, the rotating member 39 rotates about the engaging member 46.
The output shaft 45a of the motor 45 and the engagement member 46 are connected via a belt 51 so that power can be transmitted. Therefore, when the motor 45 is driven, the rotating member 39 rotates integrally with the engaging member 46. That is, the rotating member 39 rotates in one direction so as to return from the state shown in FIG. 26(a) to the state shown in FIG. 26(a) through the states shown in FIG. 26(b) to FIG. 26(d). Then, it can return to the original position by rotating once. The motor 45 can rotate the rotating member 39 in one direction any number of times.

The movable portion 27b has the structure as described above, and is attached to the fixed portion 27a as follows.

That is, the hole 43b of the support member 37 of the movable portion 27b, the hole 35a of the movable base 35, and the hole 33a of the base 33 of the fixed portion 27a are aligned, and the support bolt 36a shown in FIG. It penetrates through the holes 35a and 33a. A nut 36b is screwed into the support bolt 36a, and the movable portion 27b is attached to the fixed portion 27a so as not to be separable and rotatable.

The movable portion 27b is arranged between the stopper 50 and the stopper member 34. The movable portion 27b is pressed against the stopper 50 by the stopper member 34 biasing the movable portion 27b.
Specifically, the free end side of the buffer portion 34b of the stopper member 34 is in contact with the receiving portion 38a of the receiving member 38, and the receiving member 38 (movable portion 27b) is pressed and biased toward the stopper 50 side. Therefore, the stopper 50 and the stopper member 34 restrict the swing of the movable portion 27b with respect to the fixed portion 27a.

Further, the engagement member 46 (FIG. 5) of the movable portion 27b is located closer to the conveyance path than the base 33 of the fixed portion 27a.

The resistance member 6 has the structure as described above, and the base 33 of the fixed portion 27a is fixed to the side frame member 30 of the straight-direction transport portion 2.

A gear (gear train) may be used instead of the belt 51 for power transmission between the output shaft 45a of the motor 45 and the engagement member 46.
Further, the motor 45 may rotate the rotating member 39 not only in one direction but also in the opposite direction.

Next, the tilting direction transport unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11.
The slant direction conveyance unit 3 has a base member 8, a biasing member 9, and a roller driving roller 10 (rotating body), which are integrated.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the base member 8 is composed of two vertical members 8a, a plurality of horizontal members 8b, and two end members 15a and 15b.
The vertical member 8a is an elongated plate-shaped member and has a plurality of holes 14 provided at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction. Further, passive members (cam followers) 32 are provided near both ends of the vertical member 8a. The passive member 32 is a member protruding from the vertical member 8a. The passive member 32 moves up and down together with the base member 8.

The two vertical members 8a having such a configuration are arranged in parallel so as to face each other. As a result of arranging the two vertical members 8a in parallel, the passive member (cam follower) 32 projects outward. Further, the two vertical members 8a are connected and fixed by a plurality of horizontal members 8b. The horizontal members 8b are members having a horizontal mounting surface 16, and are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the vertical member 8a.

On the mounting surface 16 of the lateral member 8b, a plurality of biasing members 9 are installed along the longitudinal direction of the lateral member 8b. The biasing member 9 is composed of a roller 17 (inclination direction carrier) that rotates around a horizontal axis, and a support base 23 that supports the roller 17. The support base 23 is fixed to the mounting surface 16 of the horizontal member 8b by fixing means such as screws. The roller 17 is rotatably supported by a shaft 17 a fixed to the support base 23. The shaft 17a is inclined, for example, by 15 to 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lateral member 8b. That is, each biasing member 9 is fixed in a posture inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the lateral member 8b of the base member 8. Further, the roller 17 deviates from the mounting surface 16 of the lateral member 8b in plan view.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the urging member 9 includes two rollers 17. When seen in a plan view, the two rollers 17 of the biasing member 9 project from both sides of the lateral member 8b.

The number of the biasing members 9 installed on each lateral member 8b may be the same, but may be increased on the upstream side in the transport direction A and decreased on the downstream side. That is, since the urging member 9 on the opposite side to the urging direction is less likely to come into contact with the conveyed product W toward the downstream side, the urging member 9 in that region is omitted, and as the upstream side to the downstream side, The number of installations can be reduced. For example, when the area in which each biasing member 9 is provided is viewed in a plan view, the number may be reduced to four, three, two, and one so as to form a triangle.

Further, the two vertical members 8a are connected and fixed by the two end members 15a and 15b. The end member 15a connects and fixes the ends on one side of the two vertical members 8a, and the end member 15b connects and fixes the ends on the other side of the two vertical members 8a.
The end member 15a is formed of a plate-shaped member, and is configured to be bent so that the cross-sectional shape thereof has a substantially U shape. That is, the end member 15a has an upper surface portion 19a, a vertical portion 19b, and a lower surface portion 19c, the upper end of the vertical portion 19b is continuous with the upper surface portion 19a, and the lower end of the vertical portion 19b is continuous with the lower surface portion 19c. There is.
As shown in FIG. 12, one ends of leaf springs 21a and 21b described later are screwed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15a.
The end member 15b has the same structure as the end member 15a, and one ends of leaf springs 21c and 21d described later are screwed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15b.
The end members 15a and 15b are arranged such that their vertical portions 19b face each other.
The end members 15a and 15b have a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the end members 15a and 15b are arranged so as to connect both ends of the pair of vertical members 8a. high.

Each hole 14 of the vertical member 8a supports the shaft 10a of the roller driving roller 10. That is, the shaft 10 a of the roller driving roller 10 is inserted through each hole 14. As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of grooves 18a to 18d are provided on the peripheral surface of the roller driving roller 10 at predetermined intervals in order from the left end in FIG. The groove depth of each of the grooves 18a to 18d is formed so as to become shallower from the left side (the groove 18a side) to the right side (the groove 18d side) in FIG. Instead of providing the grooves 18a to 18d on the roller driving roller 10, pulleys having different diameters may be mounted. Note that, in FIG. 11, the grooves 18a to 18d are exaggerated for ease of understanding. Actual grooves 18a to 18d are shallower than in FIG.

At least one of the plurality of roller driving rollers 10 is a driving roller (roller with a built-in motor), and the other rollers are driven rollers. Each roller driving roller 10 is connected by belts 76a to 76d, and the power of the driving roller is transmitted to each driven roller. Therefore, when the driving rollers are driven, all the roller driving rollers 10 rotate at the same time.

Each roller driving roller 10 is arranged directly below the roller 17 of the urging member 9 installed on the lateral member 8b. The rollers 17 for driving the rollers and the shafts 17a of the rollers 17 are inclined by 15 to 45 degrees in a plan view, and the directions of the rollers 17 and the rollers 10 for driving are different. Further, belts 11a to 11d (FIG. 9) are suspended in the respective rollers 17 and the grooves 18a to 18d of the roller driving roller 10 directly below the rollers 17. The belts 11a to 11d are twisted at a portion between the roller 17 and the roller driving roller 10, but power can be transmitted. That is, when the roller driving roller 10 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to each roller 17 via the belts 11a to 11d, and each roller 17 rotates.

Regarding the rotation speed of each roller 17, the roller 17 on which the belt 11a is suspended is the slowest, and the roller 17 on which the belt 11d is suspended is the fastest. That is, the belt 11a is suspended in the deepest groove 18a in the roller driving roller 10, and the belt 11d is suspended in the shallowest groove 18d. The outer peripheral length of the shallow groove is longer than the outer peripheral length of the deep groove. Therefore, the running distance of the belt per one rotation of the common roller driving roller 10 becomes longer for the belt suspended in the shallow groove. That is, the amount of rotation of the roller per unit time increases as the roller 17 on which a belt having a long travel distance is suspended, and the rotation speed (peripheral speed) of the roller 17 is high.
In each roller driving roller 10, the groove 18a is arranged on the side closer to the resistance member 6 so that the roller 17 farther from the resistance member 6 has a higher rotational speed (peripheral speed), and the groove 18d is arranged closer to the resistance member 6. It is located far away.

Rollers 20a to 20e (FIG. 1) are sequentially formed from the upstream side in the transport direction by the rollers 17 arranged in the direction orthogonal to the transport line L.

When the conveyed object is placed on the roller 17 having a high rotation speed and the roller 17 having a low rotation speed at the same time, the conveyed object is drawn with a locus having a low rotation speed as the inner edge side and a roller having the high rotation speed as the outer edge side. The posture (direction) of is changed.

When the belts 11a (11b to 11d) are suspended on the two rollers 17 of each urging member 9, the urging member 9 receives a downward force from the two belts 11a (11b to 11d). However, as described above, each roller 17 projects from both sides of the lateral member 8b, and the force received from the two belts 11a (11b to 11d) is applied to both sides of the lateral member 8b and balanced. Therefore, the biasing member 9 is evenly pressed against the lateral member 8b. That is, the support of the biasing member 9 by the lateral member 8b is stable.

The rotation drive of the roller drive roller 10 is controlled by a controller (not shown). That is, the rotation of each roller 17 is controlled by a controller (not shown).
The base member 8, each urging member 9, and each roller driving roller 10 described above are integrated to form the tilting direction transport unit 3.

Next, the lifting mechanism 5 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, the elevating mechanism section 5 has a plurality (two in the present embodiment) of elevating rollers 22 and elevating cams 24 attached to the elevating rollers 22, and a pair of them is used. It is an elevating unit formed by being mounted between the elevating frames 25 and 26 of FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, one of the elevating rollers 22 is a roller with a built-in motor in which one elevating roller 22a has a built-in motor, and the other elevating roller 22b is a driven roller.
Since the motor built-in roller and the driven roller used for the elevating roller 22 have substantially the same structure as that of the straight-direction conveying unit 2, the description thereof will be omitted.

The elevating cam 24 is used for the elevating operation of the slanting direction transport unit 3. A plate cam is used as the lifting cam 24. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14A, the elevating cam 24 has a circular base and a chord portion v on a part of its outer periphery (hereinafter, other arc portions are referred to as arc portions s). Has become. The elevating cam 24a on one side of the elevating roller 22 is provided with a connecting pin 87 protruding from the plate surface of the cam in addition to the above configuration. The lifting cam 24b on the other side of the lifting roller 22 is not provided with the connecting pin 87 as shown in FIG. 14(b).

The pair of elevating frames 25, 26 are made of members having substantially the same external shape and size. That is, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, each of the elevating frames 25 and 26 has such a length that two elevating rollers 22 can be arranged in parallel in a state in which they are spaced at a constant interval. Furthermore, the structure is such that it can hold a predetermined posture independently. Each of the elevating frames 25 and 26 is provided with a side wall 47 and a bottom wall 48 as main components.

The side wall 47 has a rectangular shape that is long in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front, and is provided with a plurality of notches. That is, the sidewall 47 is provided with a plurality of roller holding portions 85a and 85b (in the present embodiment, the same number as the number of the elevating rollers 22) for supporting the elevating rollers 22.

The two roller holding portions 85 a and 85 b are notches formed in the member thickness direction on the upper end side of the side wall 47 in the height direction (shorter direction) and are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the side wall 47. Specifically, the roller holding portions 85a and 85b are provided with the roller holding portion 85a near one end of the side wall 47 in the longitudinal direction, and the roller holding portion 85b near the other end of the side wall 47 in the longitudinal direction. Has been.

The bottom wall 48 is a portion in which the lower end side of the side wall 47 is bent in the horizontal direction and projects in a certain direction.
In addition, the bottom wall 48 is provided with an overhanging connection portion 79 that extends further outward from the longitudinal end of the side wall 47.

The lifting mechanism unit 5 also has two connecting members 84a and 84b. The connecting members 84a and 84b are plate-shaped members having a predetermined length. As shown in FIG. 10, the other end portions of leaf springs 21a and 21b described later are screwed to the central portion of one connecting member 84a. As shown in FIG. 10, the other ends of leaf springs 21c and 21d, which will be described later, are screwed to the central portion of the other connecting member 84b.

Both ends of the elevating frames 25 and 26 are connected by connecting members 84a and 84b. Specifically, the connecting members 84a and 84b are connected to the projecting connecting portion 79 arranged on the longitudinal end side of the elevating frames 25 and 26. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the lifting mechanism 5 has a frame shape by the lifting frames 25 and 26 and the two connecting members 84a and 84b.

The two elevating rollers 22a and 22b are pivotally supported by the pair of elevating frames 25 and 26 connected by the connecting members 84a and 84b. At this time, the elevating cam 24 is located inside the elevating frames 25, 26 (on the side where the roller body 60 is located) while being mounted on both end sides of the elevating rollers 22a, 22b.
That is, the lift cam 24 is located between the lift rollers 22 (22a, 22b) and the lift frame 25, and between the lift rollers 22 (22a, 22b) and the lift frame 26.

The elevating rollers 22a and 22b are connected by a link member 88 via a connecting pin 87. Therefore, the two elevating rollers 22a and 22b can rotate synchronously.
That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the elevating mechanism section 5 is provided with the link member 88 as a power transmission member, and as shown in FIG. 16, the connecting pin 87 is provided via the link member 88. It is possible to connect with. Therefore, the two lifting rollers 22 a and 22 b are connected by connecting the link member 88 to the connection pin 87. As a result, the two elevating rollers 22a and 22b have a structure in which they are driven in an interlocking manner. As a result, in the elevating mechanism unit 5, when one elevating roller 22a (or elevating roller 22b) rotates, the other elevating roller 22b (or elevating roller 22a) also rotates in the same direction at the same time.

Next, the positional relationship of each member constituting the posture changing device 55 of the posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the posture changing device 55 of the present embodiment has a lifting mechanism 5 serving as a base at the lowermost part, and an inclined direction conveyance unit 3 and a rectilinear direction conveyance unit 2 stacked in this order on the upper side thereof. It is distributed. Specifically, the slanting direction transport unit 3 and the straight-traveling direction transport unit 2 are arranged so as to overlap with each other on the upper part of the elevating mechanism unit 5, and the height position of the straight-traveling direction transport unit 2 is fixed. The directional transport unit 3 is arranged so as to be movable relative to the elevating mechanism unit 5 within a certain range in the vertical direction.

The slanting direction transport unit 3 and the lifting mechanism unit 5 are combined and engaged as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3, most of the tilting direction transport unit 3 is arranged inside the pair of lifting frames 25 and 26 of the lifting mechanism unit 5, and is supported by the lifting mechanism unit 5. ing. Specifically, the tilting direction transport unit 3 is supported via the four lifting cams 24 of the lifting mechanism unit 5. More specifically, the slanting direction transport unit 3 is supported by mounting the passive member 32 on the elevating cam 24. That is, the tilting direction conveyance unit 3 is arranged so that the power from the elevating cam 24 can be input via the passive member 32. When the passive member 32 is placed on the chord part v of the elevating cam 24 (FIG. 17A), the top surface side of the slanting direction conveying unit 3 is in a low position, and the arc of the elevating cam 24 is in an arc state. When it is placed on the part s (FIG. 17B), the top surface side of the slant direction transport unit 3 is in a high position.

On the other hand, the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is not stable on the elevating mechanism unit 5 only by placing the passive member 32 on the elevating cam unit 24, and therefore, the inclined direction conveying unit 3 does not move with the elevating mechanism unit 5 via the leaf springs 21a to 21d. A connection relationship has been established. That is, when the power is input from the elevating cam 24, the slanting direction conveying unit 3 is connected to the elevating mechanism unit 5 by the leaf springs 21a to 21d that perform a guide function in the moving direction.

The slanting direction transport unit 3 and the elevating mechanism unit 5 are connected only by the four leaf springs 21a to 21d. Specifically, one end portion of the leaf springs 21a and 21b is fixed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15a of the slanting direction conveying portion 3 by a fixing means such as screwing, and the other end portion of the leaf springs 21a and 21b. Is fixed to the connecting member 84a of the elevating mechanism section 5 by a fixing means such as screwing. Similarly, one end of each of the leaf springs 21c and 21d is fixed to the lower surface portion 19c of the end member 15b of the inclined conveying unit 3 by a fixing means such as a screw, and the other end of each of the leaf springs 21c and 21d. The section is fixed to the connecting member 84b of the elevating mechanism section 5 by fixing means such as screwing. Each of the leaf springs 21a to 21d is fixed near the four corners of the slanting direction transport unit 3 in a plan view.

The leaf springs 21a to 21d are made by punching out thin plate-shaped spring steel, have a plan shape of an oval, have both rigidity and elasticity, and bend in a certain direction. That is, the leaf springs 21a to 21d easily bend in the direction perpendicular to the plane. That is, when a bending force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the plane, it easily bends. However, the leaf springs 21a to 21d exert a strong resistance against the force in the twisting direction and are difficult to twist.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the inclined transport unit 3 is restricted from moving in the horizontal direction by the leaf springs 21a to 21d, and is capable of reciprocating only in the vertical direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the inclined direction transport unit 3 is restricted by the action of the four leaf springs 21 a to 21 d so as to move in a straight vertical direction with respect to the elevating mechanism unit 5.
Further, the leaf springs 21a to 21d are extremely thin, and the overall height of the posture changing device 1 of this embodiment is low.

As a result, when power is input from the elevating cam 24, the inclining direction conveyance unit 3 moves up and down while being restricted by the movement of the leaf springs 21a to 21d. That is, the inclined direction transport unit 3 can be moved in the vertical direction by the leaf springs 21a to 21d.

When lowering the inclined direction transport unit 3, the elevating roller 22 is rotated in the forward rotation direction (clockwise direction) with reference to FIG. Then, the elevating cam 24 also rotates forward in association with the rotation of the elevating roller 22. As a result, the elevating cam 24 positioned on the inner side of the elevating roller 22 in the axial direction is in a state of supporting the passive member 32 of the inclining direction conveying section 3 by the chord portion v, as shown in FIG.
That is, when the passive member 32 of the slant direction transport unit 3 moves from the arcuate portion s of the elevating cam 24 to the chord portion v, the slant direction transport unit 3 descends while being guided in the vertical direction by the leaf springs 21a to 21d.

On the contrary, when raising the slanting direction conveyance section 3, the passive member 32 of the slanting direction conveyance section 3 is moved from above the chord v of the elevating cam 24 to the arcuate section s and supported on the arcuate section s.

The slanting direction transport unit 3 is arranged with respect to the straight traveling direction transport unit 2 as follows.
As shown in FIG. 1, the straight-direction transport unit 2 and the slant-direction transport unit 3 are arranged such that the transport roller 28 and the roller rows 20a to 20e are alternately arranged. In other words, the roller rows 20a to 20e of the slant direction transport unit 3 are arranged between the transport rollers 28 of the straight traveling direction transport unit 2. At the same time, the roller rows 20a to 20e intersect the axis of the shaft 17a of each roller 17 with the axis of the transport roller 28. That is, each roller 17 of the roller rows 20a to 20e is in a posture inclined by a predetermined angle (for example, 30 to 45 degrees) with respect to the transport roller 28 of the straight-direction transport unit 2, and the rotation directions of the outer peripheral surfaces are mutually. Is different.

The posture changing device 55 of the posture changing device 1 has the structure as described above.
Next, the width-shifting mechanism section 4 (width-shifting means) will be described.

The width-shifting mechanism section 4 (width-shifting means) is disposed on the most upstream side of the posture changing device 1 in the transport direction, and is a part that shifts the transported object W to the side frame member 30 side.
The width-shifting mechanism unit 4 has a transport roller 29 (driving roller 29a, driven roller 29b). The transport rollers 29 are connected to each other by a belt 65 so as to be capable of transmitting power. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the transport rollers 29 intersect the transport direction A but are not orthogonal to each other. That is, the shaft of each of the transport rollers 29 is positioned so that the end of each of the transport rollers 29 on the side frame member 30 side is located upstream of the end of each of the side frame members 31 in the transport direction A. It is fixed to the members 30 and 31.
The interval between the transport rollers 29 is the same as the interval between the transport rollers 93 of the upstream conveyor device 100 and the downstream conveyor device 101, and is narrower than the interval between the transport rollers 28 (straight-direction transport members).
As shown in FIG. 1, the guide member 13 is installed in the side frame member 30 in the vicinity of the fixed portion of each of the transport rollers 29. The conveyed object W that has been width-shifted toward the side frame member 30 side by the conveying rollers 29 contacts the guide member 13 and is conveyed to the downstream side along the guide member 13.

The posture changing device 1 has the structure as described above.
Next, the operation of the posture changing device 1 of this embodiment will be described.

The posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment can bring the conveyed product W conveyed from the upstream side to one end. For example, when the conveyed object W having a rectangular shape in plan view is conveyed, the conveyed object W can be brought closer to the side frame member 30 side. Then, the conveyed article W can be moved along the guide member 13 of the side frame member 30 to correct the posture of the conveyed article W.
For example, the distorted posture of the conveyed article W can be straightened with respect to the conveying direction.
Furthermore, in the posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment, the posture of the conveyed article W can be changed by turning it. For example, it is possible to rotate the conveyed object W that has been conveyed with the short side on top and convey it with the long side on top.
The posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the conveyed product W is conveyed straight to the downstream side in a state where the posture of the conveyed product W is corrected and the posture of the conveyed product W is corrected, and then the conveyed product W is swung and conveyed. It is possible to carry out the posture changing conveyance.
For example, in straight line transportation, the posture of the conveyed article W conveyed at the front is corrected with the short side facing diagonally forward, and the short side is directed toward the front. Then, the sheet is conveyed to the downstream side with the short side facing forward.
Further, for example, in the posture changing conveyance, the posture of the conveyed object W conveyed at the front with the short side facing diagonally forward is corrected, and the short side is turned toward the front. Then, after that, the conveyed product W is rotated and conveyed to the downstream side in a posture in which the long side is directed to the front and the long side is directed to the front.

In the posture changing device 1 according to the present embodiment, the lifting cam 24 maintains the initial posture until the presence/absence of the posture changing operation of the conveyed article W is determined, as shown in FIG. 19(b) or FIG. 19(c). As described above, the upper portion of the biasing member 9 (roller 17) of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is made to stand by at the height position above the conveyance surface 7 or at the same height position as the conveyance surface 7.
That is, while the elevating cam 24 is in the initial posture, the passive member 32 of the slanting direction transport unit 3 is supported by the arcuate portion s of the elevating cam 24 as shown in FIG.
When the passive member 32 is supported by the arcuate portion s of the elevating cam 24, the upper portion of the roller 17 projects above the transport surface 7, as shown in FIG.
Further, the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6 is stopped in a posture (rotation position) in which the contact side portion 39a is projected on the conveyance path.

In the present embodiment, the information about the transported object W is detected from the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the posture changing device 1 by the presence sensor (not shown). Then, for example, in the state shown in FIG. 22A, information detected by the presence sensor is input to the control device (not shown), and whether or not the posture changing device 1 changes the posture of the conveyed article W. Decide

As shown in FIG. 1, the posture changing device 1 of the present embodiment is provided between the upstream side conveyor device 100 and the downstream side conveyor device 101 and forms a part of the transport line L (FIG. 1). Is. That is, the posture changing device 1 changes the posture of the conveyed conveyed article W (posture change conveyance), or sends it out to the downstream conveyor device 101 along the conveyance line L as it is without changing the posture (linear conveyance). ) Is possible.
Hereinafter, the operation in straight line conveyance and the operation in posture change conveyance will be individually described.
In addition, in both cases of straight line conveyance and posture change conveyance, the conveyance roller 28 of the straight traveling direction conveyance unit 2 is rotationally driven.

(Straight line transportation)
The conveyed product W conveyed from the upstream side conveyor device 100 (FIG. 1) to the posture changing device 1 is conveyed to the downstream side, and is conveyed to the side frame member 30 side by each conveying roller 29 of the width adjusting mechanism section 4. It That is, the conveyed product W moves to the side frame member 30 side and contacts the guide member 13 as shown in FIGS. 22(a) and 22(b). The conveyed article W is conveyed to the downstream side along the guide member 13 while being supported by the guide member 13. At this time, the conveyed product W advances toward the guide member 13 in an oblique direction with respect to the conveying direction, contacts the guide member 13, and flows along the guide member 13 in the conveying direction. Therefore, even if the orientation of the conveyed article W is distorted, it is corrected by the guide member 13 and the orientation is unified.
When the conveyed article W passes through the width-shifting mechanism section 4, it is no longer biased toward the side frame member 30 and goes straight to the downstream side.

A control device (not shown) retracts the biasing member 9 of the inclined conveying unit 3 below the conveying surface 7.
That is, the elevating cam 24 is rotated in the clockwise direction to support the passive member 32 on the string portion v as shown in FIG. 17(a), and as shown in FIG. 18(b), the roller 17 (biasing member 9 ) Is retracted below the transport surface 7.
Further, the control device (not shown) drives the motor 45 to retract the contact side portion 39a of the rotating member 39 of the resistance member 6 from the transport path as shown in FIGS. 24(a) and 26(d). Let
That is, as shown in FIGS. 26(a) to 26(d), the rotating member 39 is rotatable in one direction, and in the case of linear conveyance, the rotation member 39 of FIG. 26(c) or FIG. 26(d) is used. The contact side portion 39a and the holding side portion 39b of the rotating member 39 are not arranged on the transport path. That is, the engaging member 46 is rotated by the motor 45 so that the rotating member 39 has the posture shown in FIG. 26C or 26D.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 22(b) to 22(d), and FIGS. 24(a) to 24(c), the posture changing device 1 uses the straight-direction conveying unit 2 to convey the conveyed product W to the downstream side conveyor. It is conveyed to the device 101. That is, the resistance member 6 (abutting side portion 39a of the rotating member 39) and the urging member 9 (roller 17) of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 do not come into contact with or come into contact with the conveyed product W, so Has no rotational moment. Therefore, the conveyed article W is conveyed to the downstream side conveyor device 101 without changing its posture.

As described above, in the posture changing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the posture of the conveyed article W is not changed, the contact side portion 39a of the rotating member 39 is retracted from the conveyance path, and the inclination direction conveyance unit 3 is moved. The top surface is lower than the transport surface 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 19A, with the top surface of the straight-direction transport unit 2 as the transport surface 7, the transported article W carried into the posture changing apparatus 1 is sent to the downstream side without changing the posture.

When the conveyed article W passes through the posture changing device 1, the control device (not shown) drives the motor 45 to dispose the rotating member 39 (abutting side portion 39a) of the resistance member 6 on the conveying path, and the elevating roller 22a. (Roller with built-in motor) is driven to move the biasing member 9 (roller 17) of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 above the conveyance surface 7. That is, the posture changing device 1 is returned to the initial state.

(Posture change transport)
Next, the posture changing conveyance will be described.

When changing the posture of the conveyed article W, the rotating member 39 of the resistance member 6 maintains the initial state. That is, the contact side portion 39a is brought into the state shown in FIG. Specifically, the rotating member 39 is in a posture in which the contact side portion 39a projects so as to be orthogonal to the transport path, and the holding side portion 39b is parallel to the transport path (transport direction). ..
In addition, the biasing member 9 of the inclined direction conveyance unit 3 is in an initial state in which the upper portion of the roller 17 is arranged at a position higher than the conveyance surface 7 as shown in FIG.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 20(a) and 20(b), the conveyed object W that has been width-shifted to the side frame member 30 side by the width-shifting mechanism unit 4 is shown in FIGS. 20(c) and 23(a). As shown in FIG. 5, the resistance member 6 is brought into contact with the contact side portion 39a of the rotating member 39. At this time, the holding side portion 39b of the rotating member 39 holds the rear surface of the conveyed article W along the rear surface thereof. That is, one side (contact side portion 39a) of the rotating member 39 abuts on the conveyed product W, and the other side (holding side portion 39b) holds the conveyed product W.

At the moment when the contact side portion 39a contacts the conveyed article W, an impact is applied to the contact side portion 39a (resistive member 6) side.
This impact is caused by rotation of the support member 36b of the movable portion 27b with respect to the fixed portion 27a of the resistance member 6 as shown in FIG. 23(b) around the support bolt 36a, and the buffer portion 34b of the stopper member 34 rotates the movable portion 27b. Generally absorbed by urging in the opposite direction.
After absorbing the shock, the buffer portion 34b restores the original state as shown in FIG. 23(c), and rotates the movable portion 27b in the direction opposite to the above-described rotation direction. The movable portion 27b rotated in the opposite direction contacts the stopper 50 and stops, and the movable portion 27b returns to the initial state with respect to the fixed portion 27a.

In other words, when the conveyed article W collides with the abutting side portion 39a, the impact acts on the entire movable portion 27b of the resistance member 6, and the movable portion 27b is pressed against the conveyed article W, as shown in FIGS. As shown in (b), the support bolt 36a is rotated to the downstream side in the transport direction against the biasing force of the buffer portion 34b.
As a result, the impact on the conveyed article W is mitigated.

Then, a resistance force against the movement of the conveyed product W toward the downstream side, that is, the movement in the straight direction along the conveyed line L is applied to the end portion (corner) of the conveyed product W from the resistance member 6, The object W turns.
The contact side portion 39a (rotating member 39) with which the conveyed object W collides rotates about the engaging member 46 (FIG. 4) as shown in FIGS. 21(a) to 21(c).
That is, the rotating member 39 is rotationally driven by the motor 45 at a rotational speed (angular speed) corresponding to the moving speed of the conveyed article W to the downstream side. As a result, the conveyed article W becomes easy to turn.

Further, the rotating member 39 is rotated freely by the motor 45, and the contact side portion 39a is pressed by the conveyed article W that linearly moves to the downstream side to rotate the rotating member 39. You can also Even in this case, the rotating member 39 can impart resistance to the downstream end of the conveyed article W.

Further, the control device (not shown) drives the motor 45 at the timing when the conveyed article W comes into contact with the abutting side portion 39a, and rotates the rotating member 39 (the abutted side portion 39a at a rotational speed corresponding to the conveyance speed of the conveyed article W). ) Is rotated.

Here, the rotating member 39 rotates about the engaging member 46, but the rotating member 39 only changes its posture and its position itself does not change. More specifically, the rotating member 39 only rotates at the same position as the engaging member 46, and does not move in the traveling direction of the conveyed article W and is stopped.
Then, the corner portion (end portion) of the conveyed article W is held by being engaged with a portion where the contact side portion 39a of the rotating member 39 and the holding side portion 39b intersect. Therefore, the corner portion of the conveyed product W contacts the rotating member 39 and is prevented from moving to the downstream side in the traveling direction.
On the other hand, the bottom of the conveyed article W comes into contact with the rotating biasing member 9 of the inclined direction conveying section 3, and the biasing force is applied. The biasing member 9 biases the conveyed product W in an oblique direction. The urging direction of the urging member 9 is a direction that promotes the turning of the conveyed article W.
When the biasing member 9 (roller 17) of the slant direction transport unit 3 is driven in a state in which the contact side portion 39a of the resistance member 6 is in contact with the corner (end) of the transported article W, the contacting portion 39a of the transported article W is hit. There is a speed difference between the part where the contact side portion 39a abuts and the part where the urging member 9 (roller 17) of the conveyed article W contacts. Therefore, a rotational moment is generated in the conveyed product W, and the conveyed product W is turned by the external force applied simultaneously from the rotating member 39 and the urging member 9.

Since the shaft 17a of each roller 17 (biasing member 9) intersects the shaft of the transport roller 28, the transported article W is biased by the rollers 17 toward the side frame member 30 and the side frame member 30. Try to move to the side. That is, a rotational moment acts on the conveyed article W, and the conveyed article W is swung from the contact side portion 39a of the resistance member 6 as a starting point. Then, as shown in FIG. 21C, the conveyed product W contacts the guide member 12 and moves along the guide member 12 to the downstream side.

That is, due to the synergistic effect that the conveyed article W that is going to move to the downstream side in the conveying direction comes into contact with the resistance member 6 and is biased obliquely by the inclined conveyance section 3, the conveyed article W is easily turned. To do.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 21C, the conveyed product W is rotated (turned) by 90 degrees, and the posture (direction) of the conveyed product W is changed. At that time, the conveyed article W comes into contact with the guide member 12 and stops rotating (turning). After that, the conveyed product W moves to the downstream side conveyor device 101 along the conveyance line L with the posture changed by 90 degrees.

In the posture changing device 1, when changing the posture of the conveyed article W, the inclined direction conveying section 3 is raised and is made to stand by.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 18( a) and 19 (c ), the slanting direction transport unit 3 is projected above the transport surface 7. With reference to FIG. 17A, the elevating roller 22 is rotated in the reverse rotation direction (counterclockwise direction). Then, in conjunction with this, the lifting cam 24 also reversely rotates. As a result, the elevating cam 24 is in a state of supporting the passive member 32 of the slanting direction transport unit 3 by the arcuate portion s. At the same time, the slanting direction conveying unit 3 is guided in the vertical direction by the leaf springs 21a to 21d, rises straight in the vertical direction, and the slanting direction conveying unit 3 moves to a high position as shown in FIG. 17(b).

When the posture changing operation of the conveyed article W by the posture changing apparatus 1 is finished, the control device (not shown) returns the resistance member 6 to the initial state before the conveyed article W has passed. In addition, the biasing member 9 of the slanting direction transport unit 3 remains in the high position (initial state).

As described above, in the attitude changing device 1 of the present embodiment, when changing the attitude of the conveyed object W, the top surface of the inclined direction conveying unit 3 is maintained at a high position. Then, as shown in FIG. 19(c), with the top surface of the slant direction transport unit 3 (biasing member 9) as the transport surface, the transported article W carried into the posture changing device 1 is biased in the slant direction, The posture of the conveyed product W is changed while moving the conveyed product W in a direction inclined with respect to the conveying direction.

Then, the control device (not shown) acquires information on the subsequent conveyed product W conveyed from the upstream conveyor device 100 side next. When it is determined whether or not to change the posture of the subsequent conveyed article W, the control device (not shown) repeats the above-described operation.

Although the rotating member 39 of the resistance member 6 rotates only in one direction in the above-described embodiment, the rotating member 39 rotates in the opposite direction after the conveyed article W has passed therethrough, and thus the original member rotates. You may return to the state.

The resistance member 6 does not have to have a configuration of rotating like the rotating member 39.
In the present embodiment, the resistance member 6 (abutting side portion 39a) is projected on the conveyance path by rotation, but it may be projected by elevation. That is, instead of the contact side portion 39a of the rotation member 39 of the resistance member 6, a configuration may be adopted in which the straight-direction transport portion 2 projects upward from the transport surface 7 or retracts downward from the transport surface 7. ..
In addition, the resistance member 6 may have a configuration in which the resistance member 6 projects straight and horizontally from the side frame member 30 side.

In the present embodiment, the resistance member 6 completely stops the movement of the conveyed product W in the traveling direction, but it may be configured to provide resistance to delay the movement compared to other portions.

Further, when the passive member 32 is supported by the arcuate portion s of the elevating cam 24, the upper portion of the roller 17 may have the same height as the conveying surface 7, as shown in FIG. 19B. ..

1 Posture Change Device 2 Straight Forwarding Conveyor 3 Inclined Conveyor 4 Width Adjusting Mechanism 5 Elevating Mechanism (Elevating Means)
6 Resistance member 10 Roller driving roller (long rotating body)
11a to 11d Belt 12 Guide member 17 Roller (inclination direction carrier)
18a to 18d Grooves 28 for rollers for driving rollers for suspending belts Conveying rollers (conveying members in straight direction)
39 Rotating member (holding part)
W transport

Claims (10)

A straight-direction conveying body that contacts the bottom surface of the conveyed object and urges the conveyed object in a straight traveling direction; an inclined direction conveying body that contacts the bottom surface of the conveyed object and urges the conveyed object in an oblique direction; An elevating means for elevating and lowering at least one of the inclined direction conveyance bodies, and a resistance member which comes into contact with a part of the conveyance object and resists the movement of the portion of the conveyance object,
By the elevating means, the height of the portion of the slanting direction conveying body that comes into contact with the conveyed article is set to be equal to or higher than the height of the portion of the rectilinear direction conveying body that comes into contact with the conveyed article,
An attitude changing device, characterized in that a tilting direction conveyance body is driven in a state where a resistance member is in contact with a part of a conveyed article, and the conveyed article is rotated with the resistance member as a starting point to change the posture. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member is rotatable. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance member is rotated by power. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the resistance member has a holding portion that holds a corner of the conveyed object, and the holding portion rotates as the conveyed object rotates. Having a plurality of straight direction conveying bodies and inclined direction conveying bodies,
The linear transport body is a roller or roller that is rotated by power and is arranged in parallel,
The slanting direction transport body is a roller that is rotated by power, and the slanting direction transport body is disposed between the straight traveling direction transport bodies and is arranged in a posture inclined with respect to the transport direction of the straight traveling direction transport bodies. The posture changing device according to claim 1. A straight traveling carrier is arranged in a part or all of the straight traveling path for moving the transported object in the straight traveling direction, and the resistance member is provided at one end in the width direction of the straight traveling path. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inclined direction carriers are distributed at positions apart from the resistance member. 7. A guide member is provided at an end portion on the side where the resistance member is provided, for preventing rotation of the conveyed product and for guiding the conveyed product so as to move in a straight traveling direction. The posture changing device according to any one of 1. The inclined carrier is a roller that is rotated by power, and the peripheral speed of the inclined carrier located away from the resistance member is faster than the peripheral speed of the inclined carrier located closer to the resistance member. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is characterized. The slanting direction conveying body is a roller, has a long rotating body and a plurality of pulleys provided on the rotating body, and a plurality of belts are provided between the slanting direction conveying body and the corresponding pulleys. 9. The posture changing device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined direction conveying body is rotated by one rotating body. It is possible to convey the conveyed article in one direction by the linear conveying body, and the conveyed article is moved toward the end portion on the side where the resistance member in the width direction is provided, on the upstream side of the region where the inclined conveying body is distributed. The posture changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a width adjusting means.

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