JP7057597B2 - Transport device and transport method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport device and a transport method that can be used for forming a space between articles or arranging laterally scattered articles in the traveling direction.

Depending on the convenience of the destination, it may be desirable to arrange the articles in a straight line.
In Patent Documents 1 and 2, when transporting an article, the article is aligned to one side of the transport path by a guide or an urging means, and the article is aligned along one frame of the conveyor device to linearly arrange the article. Is disclosed.
In addition, there may be a case where it is desired to provide a space before and after the randomly loaded article.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-145109 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-344454

In the conventional transport device, a guide or an urging means is used to pull the width toward one side of the transport path so that the article is placed along the other frame. Therefore, there is a guide or the like on the transport path, and the user may feel a danger.
Further, it is difficult to provide a space in the front-rear direction with the conventional transfer device.
It is an object of the present invention to pay attention to the problems of the prior art and to develop a transport device and a transport method suitable for aligning articles in the traveling direction and providing a space between articles.

In the mode for solving the above-mentioned problems, in the transport device for transporting the article in a predetermined direction, the transport device has a plurality of urging means for urging the bottom surface of the article to move the article, and the urging means is for urging the article. The urging direction can be changed, and the urging direction of the urging means includes a vector component in a direction along the transport direction and always or temporarily includes a vector component in a direction intersecting the transport direction.
At least one of the urging means is a transport device characterized in that the article is moved in the predetermined direction while swinging the article by changing the urging direction.

Another aspect for solving the same problem is to have a plurality of urging means for urging the bottom surface of the article to move the article in the transport device for arranging the articles on the assumed alignment line. The urging means can change the urging direction of the article, the urging means is laid across the alignment line, and the urging direction of the urging means includes a vector component in the direction along the alignment line. And it contains a vector component in the direction toward the alignment line constantly or temporarily, and at least one of the urging means is changed in the urging direction to swing the article and move it in the direction along the alignment line. It is a transport device characterized by going.

According to the transfer device of this embodiment, the article swings and advances in the direction along the alignment line, and finally aligns on the alignment line.

In the above embodiment, the urging means arranged in the vicinity of a specific line or a transport line changes the urging direction, and the urging means arranged at a position far from the line has a constant urging direction. desirable.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the urging means is a transport cell, and a plurality of the transport cells are arranged in a plane to form an article mounting surface, and the transport cell has a moving function for moving the article. It is desirable that a device having an urging direction changing function for changing the urging direction is included.

According to this aspect, the article can be swung and advanced in a certain direction.

In each of the above embodiments, it is desirable that the urging means has a different inclination angle with respect to the direction along the line with a specific line or a transport line or its vicinity as a boundary.

According to this aspect, the articles are finally lined up on the alignment line.

In each of the above-described embodiments, it is desirable to have a cargo handling means for inserting overlapping articles and eliminating the overlap of the articles, and to be able to carry in the articles that have passed through the cargo handling means.

According to the transport device of this embodiment, the articles can be arranged on the alignment line after the overlap of the articles is eliminated.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the article separation area is provided, and in the article separation area, the articles are transported in one direction, and at that time, the articles are transported with a change in the transport speed, and the articles are moved back and forth in the traveling direction. It is desirable to be able to pull them apart.

According to this aspect, a gap can be created between the articles.

In each of the above embodiments, the article separation area is provided, and the article is transported in one direction in the article separation area, and at that time, the article is temporarily stopped or the transport speed is temporarily stopped to move the articles in the traveling direction. It is desirable that it can be pulled back and forth.

According to this aspect, a gap can be created between the articles.

In the transport method for transporting the article in a predetermined direction, the transport method for solving the same problem is to urge the bottom surface of the article by the urging means to move the article, and the urging direction of the urging means is the transport. The direction includes the vector component in the direction along the direction and always or temporarily intersects the transport direction, and the urging direction of the urging means is set while the article is being transported. It is characterized in that the article is changed and the article is moved in a specific direction of travel while swinging.

According to the transport device and the transport method of the present invention, the articles can be aligned in the traveling direction and a space can be provided between the articles.

(A) is a plan view of the transport device (load handling device article alignment device) according to the embodiment of the present invention, (b) shows a state in which the posture of the transport cell is a forward posture, and (c) is a transport cell. Indicates a state in which the posture of is tilted to the right, and (d) indicates a state in which the posture of the transport cell is tilted to the left. It is a perspective view of the transport device of FIG. It is a perspective view of the transport cell unit. It is a perspective view of the state which removed the surface plate of the transport cell unit from the transport device of FIG. It is a perspective view of a transport cell. It is a skeleton diagram which shows the power system of a transport cell. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the cargo handling area of the transport device of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which divided into blocks for each area where the transport rolls having the same direction gathered. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the cargo handling area of the transporting apparatus of FIG. The movement of the article is shown, and (c) shows the movement of the article in the cargo handling area after the cargo handling operation is completed. (A) to (d) are explanatory views showing the behavior of the article and the overlapping condition of the article in the cargo handling area. (A) to (c) are explanatory views showing the operation of the article arrangement area. (A) and (b) are explanatory views explaining the operation of the transport cell in the article arrangement area. (A) is a plan view showing the position of the article in the article arrangement area, and (b) is an explanatory view showing the urging direction in which the article receives from the transport cell corresponding to the figure. (A) to (d) are explanatory views showing the behavior of the article in the article arrangement area. (A) to (c) are explanatory views explaining the behavior when articles collide with each other in the vicinity of the alignment line of the article arrangement area. It is explanatory drawing which shows the movement locus of an article in an article arrangement area. (A) and (b) are explanatory views showing the operation of the separation area. (A) to (c) are explanatory views showing the behavior of an article in a separation area. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the carry-out area. (A), (b) and (c) are explanatory views showing the behavior of the article in the carry-out area. (A) to (c) are explanatory views showing other operation examples of the cargo handling area. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the cargo handling area of the transport device of another embodiment, (a) shows the direction of the transport roll of each transport cell and the urging direction of an article in the said area, (b) in the said area. It is explanatory drawing which divided into blocks for each area where the transport rolls having the same urging direction gathered. It is a top view of the transport device (load handling device article alignment device) of another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be further described. FIG. 1 is a transport device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transport device 2 of the present embodiment is a direct combination of the load handling device 30 and the article aligning device 31. The transport device 2 transports the article M from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the front stage portion functions as a load handling device and the latter half portion functions as an article alignment device.
The transport device 2 of the present embodiment is realized by the device having the structure shown in FIG. For convenience of drawing, FIG. 2 shows a part of the transport device 2, and the actual transport device 2 has a larger number of transport cells 1 than that of FIG.
The transport device 2 has an article placing surface 32 on which the article M is placed. As shown in FIG. 3, the article placing surface 32 is formed by arranging a large number of transport cells 1 in a plane shape. That is, a large number of transport cells 1 are laid out in a plane shape to form a transport device 2 having an article mounting surface 32.

As will be described later, the transport cell 1 has a transport roller 3 and a swivel base 6 for swiveling the transport roller 3. The transport cell 1 functions as an urging means for urging the article M. The transport cell 1 as an urging means has a transport roller 3 that comes into contact with the bottom of the article M to move the article M, and further changes the direction of the transport roller 3 by the swivel table 6 to urge the article M in the urging direction. Can be changed.
The transport cell 1 exerts a moving function in which the transport roller 3 urges and moves the article M, and the swivel table 6 exerts a urging direction changing function.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, four transport cells 1 are combined by one surface plate 33 to form a unit. The transport cell unit 28 is laid out in a plane to form a transport device 2.
In the transport cell unit 28, the tip of the swivel base 6 of each transport cell 1 and a part of the transport roller 3 are exposed from the surface plate 33. The bottom of the article M comes into contact with the transport roller 3, and the rotation of the transport roller 3 causes the article M to receive an urging force from the transport roller 3. Further, the transport cell 1 can change the urging direction of the article M by rotating the swivel base 6 by the swivel motor 8.

The appearance of the transport cell 1 is as shown in FIG.
The transport cell 1 has a moving function of urging and moving the article M by the transport roller 3. The transport cell 1 is provided with an urging direction changing means for changing the urging direction of the article M. Specifically, the transport cell 1 has a transport roller 3, and the article M is placed on the transport roller 3. The transfer roller 3 is rotated by a traveling motor 9, and the rotation of the transfer roller 3 urges the bottom of the article M on the transfer roller 3 to move the article M.
Further, the transport cell 1 has a swivel base 6, and the direction of the transport roller 3 can be changed, and the urging direction of the article M can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transport cell 1 has a traveling unit 5, a swivel base 6, a housing 7, a swivel motor 8, a traveling motor 9, and the like in order from the top.
The housing 7 is fixed to a fixing structure (not shown) of the transport device 2.
A turning motor 8 is fixed to the housing 7. Further, the traveling motor 9 is fixed under the turning motor 8.
The traveling unit 5 is mounted on the swivel table 6. The swivel base 6 is mounted on the swivel motor 8 so as to be rotatable and driveable.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the traveling unit 5 has two transport rollers 3 (rotating bodies). The two transport rollers 3 are rotatably supported by the swivel table 6. Further, the transport roller 3 is engaged with the drive roller 4.
The drive roller 4 is powered and rotated from the drive shaft 14 of the traveling motor 9 via the bevel gear portion 15 and the bevel gear portion 23, and the conveyor roller 3 is rotated by the rotation of the drive roller 4.
That is, the transport roller 3 of the traveling unit 5 receives power conduction from the traveling motor 9 and rotates.

The swivel base 6 is a cylindrical member, and an internal gear 18 is provided inside. In the swivel base 6, rotational force is transmitted from the swivel motor 8 via the gear 12, the gear 13, and the internal gear 18. Therefore, the swivel base 6 is rotated by the swivel motor 8.
As described above, the traveling unit 5 is mounted on the swivel table 6. Therefore, when the swivel table 6 rotates, the direction of the traveling portion 5 changes, and the urging direction for urging the article M changes.
In this way, in the transport cell 1, the rotational force of the traveling motor 9 is conducted to the transport roller 3, and the rotation of the transport roller 3 urges the article M on the transport roller 3 to move the article M. Can be done.

Further, by driving the swivel motor 8, the swivel table 6 is rotated, the direction of the transport roller 3 is changed, and the urging direction of the article M can be arbitrarily changed.
As described above, the transport cell 1 has a moving function for moving the article M and a urging direction changing function for changing the urging direction.
Further, the transport device 2 has an article mounting surface 32 composed of a surface plate 33 of the transport cell unit and the tip of the swivel base 6 of the transport cell 1, and the transport roller 3 of the transport cell 1 is mounted on the article mounting surface 32. Is exposed. Therefore, the article M on the article mounting surface 32 can be moved by rotating the transport roller 3, and the urging direction thereof can be arbitrarily changed by rotating the swivel table 6.

Further, the transport cell 1 is provided with a load sensor 16. The load sensor 16 has a function of detecting the presence or passage of the article M. Further, the transport cell 1 has an intercommunication means (not shown), and the signal of the load sensor 16 and the drive status of the traveling motor are transmitted to the adjacent transport cell 1.

In the present embodiment, the transport cell 1 constituting the transport device 2 can be operated in the intermittent operation mode. In the intermittent operation mode, the transfer roller 3 of the own transfer cell 1 is started and stopped according to the placement state of the article M and the drive state of the surrounding transfer cell 1.
In the intermittent operation mode, when the article M is on the own transport cell 1 and the article M is not in the transport cell 1 in front of the traveling direction, the traveling motor 9 of the own transport cell 1 is driven to drive the own transport cell. 1 Move the article M on. Further, when the transport cell 1 in front of the traveling direction is in a situation of transporting the article M and the transport cell 1 in front of the traveling direction does not move, its own transport cell 1 is stopped and the transport cell in front of the traveling direction is stopped. When 1 moves, its own transport cell 1 drives to move the article M on its own transport cell 1.
Further, in the present embodiment, the transport cell 1 constituting the transport device 2 can be operated in the continuous operation mode. In the continuous operation mode, the transport roller 3 is driven regardless of the placement state of the article M or the like.

The transport device 2 of the present embodiment is configured by laying out a large number of the above-mentioned transport cells 1. In the present embodiment, eight transport cells 1 are installed in the width direction, and a larger number of transport cells 1 are arranged in the longitudinal direction.
The transport device 2 of the present embodiment has a load handling area 35 that functions as a load handling device 30 in the longitudinal direction, and an article alignment area 36 that functions as an article alignment device 31, and has a carry-out area 37 ahead of the load handling area 36.
The article alignment area 36 is also a swing area.
A part of the article alignment area also functions as an article separation area 38.

Hereinafter, the operation and function of each area will be described.
In the transport device 2, the article M generally advances from the cargo handling area 35 toward the carry-out area 37 side as shown by the large arrow in FIG. 1 (a). For convenience of explanation, the direction (direction of the large arrow in FIG. 1A) that travels straight from the cargo handling area 35 toward the unloading area 37 on the center line of the transport device 2 is referred to as a main traveling direction or a Y direction. The direction orthogonal to this is referred to as the X direction.
In each figure, the small arrow in the transport cell 1 indicates the direction in which the article M is urged. The direction in which the article M is urged is the direction perpendicular to the transport roller 3.

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the rotation axis of the transport roller 3 is oriented in the direction perpendicular to the main traveling direction, and the urging direction of the article M due to the rotation of the transport roller 3 is the forward direction with respect to the main traveling direction. The posture is called a forward posture.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 (c) and 1 (d), the rotation axis of the transport roller 3 is tilted with respect to the main traveling direction, and the urging direction of the article M due to the rotation of the transport roller 3 is in the main traveling direction. On the other hand, the posture in the diagonal direction is called the tilted posture. Further, a posture in which the urging direction (small arrow) of the transport roller 3 is tilted to the right with respect to the main traveling direction as shown in FIG. 1 (c) is referred to as a right tilted posture, and is referred to as a right tilted posture, as shown in FIG. 1 (d). A posture in which the urging direction (small arrow) tilts to the left with respect to the main traveling direction is called a left tilting posture.

[Handling area]
A cargo handling device 30 is arranged in the cargo handling area 35. The cargo handling device 30 in the cargo handling area 35 is an area that handles the articles M stacked in a mountain shape, eliminates the overlap of the articles M, and exerts a function of individually separating the articles M. That is, in the cargo handling area 35, the cargo handling operation is performed by the cargo handling device 30.
The posture and urging direction of the transport roller 3 of each transport cell 1 when the load handling operation is performed are as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the transport roller 3 of each transport cell 1 is in a posture of urging the article M so that the article turns around the center of the cargo handling area 35. Further, the transport roller 3 of the transport cell 1 on the outermost circumference is in a posture of urging the article M toward the center of the cargo handling area 35.

The load handling area 35 is divided into blocks according to the posture (urgency direction) of each transport cell 1, as shown in FIG. 7 (b).
As shown in FIG. 7B, the central portion of the cargo handling area 35 is divided into 4 blocks 40, 41, 42, 43 in terms of operation. The central four blocks 40, 41, 42, and 43 have different urging directions by 90 degrees as shown by the arrows in FIG. 7 (b).
That is, the urging direction of the transport cell 1 of the block 40 faces the positive direction in the Y direction, the block 41 faces the X direction (downward in the drawing), the block 42 faces the negative direction in the Y direction, and the block 41 faces the X direction (downward in the drawing). (Drawing upward).
Therefore, the article M placed in the central portion moves and turns in the four blocks 40, 41, 42, 43 in order. In the present embodiment, the swivel region is composed of four blocks 40, 41, 42, 43 in the central portion.

There is a centering area 45 around the turning area. In the centering area 45, the transport roller 3 of the transport cell 1 is in a posture of urging the article M toward the center of the cargo handling area 35, so that the article M jumps out of the cargo handling area 35. I'm preventing it.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the direction (small arrow) in which each transport cell 1 moves the article M draws a multiple circle as a whole. In the present embodiment, the posture of the transport roller 3 of each transport cell 1 is determined so that the article M turns around a point in the cargo handling area 35.
In the present embodiment, the cell group of the cargo handling area 35 is a combination of those that urge the article M in the X direction and the Y direction, but the article M is swiveled with the transport roller 3 of the transport cell 1 in an inclined posture. May be good.

During the load handling operation, the transport cell 1 is operated in the continuous operation mode, and the transport roller 3 is constantly driven regardless of the mounting state of the article M or the like.
The article M thrown into the loading area 35 turns around one point as shown in FIG. 8 (b). Further, the article M placed in the center will rotate on the spot.
Article M is randomly thrown into the cargo handling area 35. In the initial stage of loading, most of the articles M overlap in the height direction. However, the articles M thrown into the cargo handling area 35 are swiveled or rotated, the overlap collapses, and the articles M are lined up in a plane.

There are several possible reasons for this phenomenon to occur.
One is that the centrifugal forces applied to the vertically stacked articles M are different.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, at the initial stage of rotation, for example, two articles Mh and Ml are vertically overlapped. However, the centers of gravity of both are slightly off.
When rotated in this state, either the upper or lower article M is outside the turning center. Here, the centrifugal force applied to the articles Mh and Ml is proportional to the distance from the center of rotation. Therefore, the article Mh outside the turning center receives a stronger centrifugal force than the other article Ml. Therefore, the outer article Mh moves relative to the inner article Ml, and the overlap is broken.

Another reason is the difference in frictional force. That is, the articles Mh and Ml receive centrifugal force due to turning or rotation and tend to shift outward. Here, the lower article Ml is in contact with the article placing surface 32. On the other hand, the upper article Mh is in contact with the lower article Ml.
Therefore, even if the centrifugal forces applied to the articles Mh and Ml are the same, the frictional forces that try to prevent their movements are different. Therefore, the outer article Mh moves relative to the inner article Ml, and the overlap is broken.
For any reason, as a practical matter, the outer article Mh moves relative to the inner article Ml, the overlap is broken, and the cargo is handled.

In the loading area 35, the article M is swiveled or rotated for a certain period of time, and the stacking of the articles Mh and Ml is eliminated. After a certain period of time elapses, the swivel table 6 rotates, and the transport roller 3 is changed to the forward posture as shown in FIG. 8 (c). As a result, each article M is carried out to the article alignment area 36 on the downstream side.

In the present embodiment, during the load handling operation, the angle of the swivel table 6 is determined so that the article M turns around a point in the load handling area 35, and the posture of the transport roller 3 is set to a predetermined posture. , May be swiveled around a plurality of points as shown in FIG. 20 (a). Further, as shown in FIG. 20B, the article M may be rotated on the spot.
Further, as shown in FIG. 20 (c), the center of rotation may be moved to rotate the article M in a spiral shape. According to this measure, the article M is operated in a cargo handling operation while traveling in one direction.

Further, it is desirable to change the speed, rotation speed, turning speed, turning radius, etc. of the article M when performing the cargo handling operation according to the nature and amount of the article M. The appropriate speed, rotation speed, turning speed, turning radius, etc. of the article M are determined in advance by a preliminary experiment, and are selected according to the type and amount of the article M put into the cargo handling area 35.
In addition, the speed of the article M may be changed during the cargo handling operation. For example, when the number of articles M to be loaded is large, the transfer roller 3 is initially rotated at high speed to roughly break the pile of articles M, and then the rotation speed of the transfer rollers 3 is reduced to reduce the rotation speed of the articles Mh and Ml. Eliminate the overlap.
Alternatively, when the article M is first introduced, it rotates with a small turning radius, breaks the pile of the article M raised in the cargo handling area 35, expands the article group to the surroundings, and then expands the turning radius to the surroundings. Eliminate the overlap of scattered articles M.
It is also conceivable to periodically change the speed, rotation speed, turning speed, turning radius, etc. of the article M during the loading operation to shake the article group.

The rotation speed of the transport roller 3 of the transport cell 1 does not have to be constant and may vary depending on the location. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the cargo handling operation is performed by dividing a certain period of time, but it is detected by image analysis or the like whether or not the overlap of the articles M is eliminated, and the cargo handling operation is performed when the overlap is eliminated. May be stopped.

As another measure, the number of articles that have jumped out of the cargo handling area by centrifugal force may be detected, and the cargo handling operation may be stopped when the number reaches a certain number.
FIG. 21 shows a transport device 50 that employs this configuration.
In the transport device 50 shown in FIG. 21, the region 51 adjacent to the article alignment area 36 is slightly inclined but faces the article alignment area 36 side.
That is, the transport device 50 shown in FIG. 21 also has a swivel area in the center and a centering area 45 around the swirling area, but the centering area 45 functions as the centering area 45 on the three sides surrounding the swirling area. In the region 51 adjacent to the alignment area 36, the urging direction of the transport roller 3 faces the article alignment area 36 side.

Further, the rotation speed of the transport roller 3 in the swivel region is not uniform, and the rotation speed of the transport roller 3 is high in the region close to the article alignment area 36 and toward the article alignment area 36.
For example, if the central portion is divided into 4 blocks 40, 41, 42, 43, the speed of the block 41 is faster than that of the opposite block 43.

Further, in the present embodiment, the discharge number detecting means 52 is provided near the boundary between the cargo handling area 35 and the article alignment area 36. The emission number detecting means 52 is a transmitted light type photoelectric sensor, and has a pair of light emitting units 52a and a light receiving unit 52b. When the article M passes between the light projecting unit 52a and the light receiving unit 52b, the light of the light projecting unit 52a is momentarily blocked, and it is detected that the article M has moved from the loading area 35 to the article alignment area 36. ..
In the present embodiment, the number of articles M discharged from the cargo handling area 35 is detected by the discharge number detecting means 52.

In the present embodiment, for example, N articles M are carried into the cargo handling area 35. In the cargo handling area 35, the article M swivels and the overlap is eliminated. Further, in the present embodiment, since the rotation speed of the transport roller 3 is high in the region toward the article alignment area 36, the article M receives a stronger centrifugal force on the discharge side of the cargo handling area 35, and the article is swung by the centrifugal force. Jump out of the cargo handling area 35.
Here, if it is confirmed by the discharge number detecting means 52 that N articles M, which are the same as the number of inserted articles, have jumped out of the cargo handling area 35, it is not necessary to continue the cargo handling operation any more.
Further, when the number of articles M, which is one less than the number of the inserted articles, is discharged, it is clear that the remaining ones do not overlap, so that it is not necessary to continue the cargo handling operation any more.
In practice, if the article M is discharged at a ratio of some percentage of the number of articles put in, it may be judged that the overlap of all the articles M has been eliminated, and the cargo handling operation is stopped at that stage. Is desirable.
Further, the plurality of articles M in the overlapped state are recognized as one article, the apparent number on the cargo handling area 35 is detected from the image of the camera or the like, and when the number reaches a predetermined number, the cargo handling operation is performed. You may stop. Further, the cargo handling operation may be stopped in consideration of the apparent number on the cargo handling area 35 and the number detected by the discharge number detecting means 52.

The emission number detecting means 52 is not limited to the transmitted light type photoelectric sensor, and may be one using image analysis or one using the load sensor 16 of the transport cell 1.

In the embodiment described above, after the cargo handling operation is stopped, the transport roller 3 in the cargo handling area 35 is changed to the forward posture as shown in FIG. 8 (c) and carried out to the article alignment area 36 on the downstream side. However, as in the article alignment area 36 described later, the article M may be sent to the downstream side while changing the urging direction.
That is, the function of the article alignment area 36 described later including the first half portion of the transport device 2 may be provided, and a part of the transport device 2 may be swiveled to eliminate the overlap of the articles M.

[Article alignment area]
An article alignment device 31 is arranged in the article alignment area 36. The article alignment area 36 is an area that exerts a function of linearly arranging articles M in the main traveling direction (Y direction). Further, it can be said that the article alignment area 36 is a swing area having a function of moving the article M in small steps and transporting the article M in a predetermined direction (Y direction) while swinging the article M.
An alignment operation is performed in the article alignment area 36. In this embodiment, the articles M are arranged in two rows along the main traveling direction.

In the present embodiment, since eight transport cells 1 are installed in the width direction, the transport cells 1 have eight columns. The columns in the traveling direction of the article M are referred to as columns a to h as shown in FIG. 11 (a). In the present embodiment, the first alignment line L1 is defined between the b row and the c row, and the second alignment line L2 is defined between the f row and the g row. In each figure, the first alignment line L1 and the second alignment line L2 are indicated by alternate long and short dash lines. Further, in each figure, the article M generally progresses from the left side to the right side. The traveling direction (main traveling direction) of the article M is the Y direction, and an arrow is attached to each figure.
Both the first alignment line L1 and the second alignment line L2 extend in the direction along the main traveling direction (Y direction).
Both the first alignment line L1 and the second alignment line L2 are in the middle of the transfer device 2, and the transfer cell 1 (the urging means) 1 is distributed across the first alignment line L1 and the second alignment line L2. There is.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11A, the article alignment area 36 is substantially divided into a first area and a second area between the d row and the e row.
The first area includes a group of transport cells in four rows a, b, c, and d, and articles M are arranged on the first alignment line L1 between rows b and c. The second area includes a group of transport cells in four rows of e, f, g, and h, and the article M is arranged on the second alignment line L2 between the f and g rows.

Since the transport cell 1 group included in the first area and the second area perform the same operation, the operation of the transport cell 1 group in the first area will be mainly described.
As described above, in the first area, the article M is arranged on the first alignment line L1 between the b row and the c row. As shown in FIG. 11A, the rows (rows b and c) on both sides of the first alignment line L1 are referred to as inner rows IL, and the two outer rows are referred to as outer rows OL (rows a and d). It is called. Further, in the first area, the area on the left side of the first alignment line L1 (columns a and b) is referred to as the left area LA, and the area on the right side of the first alignment line L1 (columns c and d) is referred to as the right area RA. It is called.

In rows a and d belonging to the outer row OL, the swivel base 6 is in an inclined posture as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), and the urging direction (small arrow) of the transport roller 3 is the main traveling direction. It is directional and is inclined toward the first alignment line L1. That is, the urging direction (small arrow) of the transport roller 3 includes a vector component (Y direction vector) in the direction along the first alignment line L1 and a vector component (X direction vector) in the direction toward the first alignment line L1. Also includes. That is, the urging direction of the transport roller 3 includes a vector component (Y direction vector) in the direction along the transport direction and also includes a vector component (X direction vector) in the direction intersecting the transport direction.

As is clear from a comparison between FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), the rows a and d belonging to the outer row OL do not, in principle, swivel the swivel base 6 during the alignment operation, and are driven by the transfer roller 3. The direction of urging the article M is constant.
Specifically, in column a on the left side of the first alignment line L1, the urging direction (small arrow) is the rightward tilting direction so that the article M approaches the first alignment line L1 from the diagonal direction. There is. The urging direction (small arrow) of the d row on the right side of the first alignment line L1 is inclined to the left so that the article M approaches the first alignment line L1 from an oblique direction.

The inclination angle of the urging direction of the transport rollers 3 in rows a and d belonging to the outer row OL is the direction in which the urging direction (small arrow) of the transport rollers 3 is from the loading area 35 toward the article alignment area 36. It is fixed at about 20 to 40 degrees. In this embodiment, the tilt angle in the urging direction is fixed at 30 degrees.
The vector in the urging direction of the transport rollers 3 in rows a and d belonging to the outer row OL has an inclination angle of 30 degrees with respect to the main traveling direction, and the vector component in the main traveling direction along the first alignment line L1. It is decomposed into (Y direction vector) and a vector component (X direction vector) in the direction toward the first alignment line L1.

On the other hand, the rows b and c belonging to the inner row IL rotate the swivel base 6 and the tilt angle of the swivel base 6 as is clear by comparing FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b). Changes frequently. Therefore, in rows b and c belonging to the inner row IL, the posture of the transport roller 3 changes, and the urging direction of the article M changes.
The urging direction of the transport roller 3 belonging to the inner row IL also includes a vector component in the direction along the first alignment line L1 and also includes a vector component in the direction toward the first alignment line L1. In other words, the urging direction (small arrow) of the transport roller 3 includes a vector component (Y direction vector) in the direction along the first alignment line L1 and a vector component (X direction vector) in the direction toward the first alignment line L1. ) Is also included.

In the inner row IL, the b row on the left side (left area LA) with respect to the first alignment line L1 takes a right tilting posture so that the article M approaches the first alignment line L1 from an oblique direction. The angle of right tilt changes. That is, column b in the left area LA does not tilt to the left, but the angle changes within the range of tilting to the right.
Row c, which is the inner row IL and is on the right side (right area RA) with respect to the first alignment line L1, takes a left tilting posture so that the article M approaches the first alignment line L1 from an oblique direction. The angle of left tilt changes. That is, the c column in the right area RA does not have a right inclination, but the angle changes within the range of the left inclination.

In the present embodiment, the transport cells 1 in rows b and c belonging to the inner row IL urge the article M at an inclination angle of 20 degrees at a certain timing (FIG. 11 (a)), and the article M at the next timing. Is urged at an inclination angle of 45 degrees (FIG. 11 (b)).
In the present embodiment, since the urging direction of the transport roller 3 in row c is an inclination angle of 20 degrees or 45 degrees with respect to the main traveling direction, the vector component and the first in the direction along the first alignment line L1 are always present. It also includes a vector component in the direction toward the alignment line L1. That is, the vector in the urging direction with respect to the main traveling direction always has an inclination angle, and the vector component (Y direction vector) in the main traveling direction along the first alignment line L1 and the vector in the direction toward the first alignment line L1. It is decomposed into components (X-direction vector).
However, the amount of change in the urging direction is arbitrary. For example, if the urging direction is an inclination angle of 0 degrees and 40 degrees with respect to the main traveling direction, the urging direction of the urging means is the first alignment line. The configuration always includes a vector component in the direction along L1 and temporarily includes a vector in the direction toward the first alignment line L1.

As is clear by comparing FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), in the present embodiment, the transport roller 3 in the inner row IL is stronger than the inclination angles of the rows a and d belonging to the outer row OL. The article M is urged at an angle and a weak angle.
That is, the transport roller 3 of the inner row IL passes through a state of a gentle inclination as shown in FIG. 11 (a) to a state of the same inclination angle as the rows a and d belonging to the outer row OL, as shown in FIG. 11 (b). Above all, it changes to a stronger tilt angle. It also returns from a strong tilt angle to a gentle tilt angle.
The transport cell 1 in the inner row IL moves as if it were shaking its head. The urging direction from the transport cell 1 to the article M is a "C" shape with respect to the first alignment line L1, and the opening angle thereof changes.
In the present embodiment, the transport cell 1 (the urging means) arranged in the inner row IL near the first alignment line L1 changes the urging direction, and the outer row OL is located far from the first alignment line L1. The transport cell 1 arranged in the above has a constant urging direction.

In the alignment operation, the transport cell 1 is operated in the intermittent operation mode. Therefore, in the alignment operation, when the article M is on the own transport cell 1 and the article M is not in the transport cell 1 in front of the traveling direction, the traveling motor of the own transport cell 1 is driven to drive the own transport cell 1. Move the article M above. Further, even when the transport cell 1 in front of the traveling direction is in a situation of transporting the article M, the own transport cell 1 is driven to move the article M on the own transport cell 1.

A group of articles is carried into the article alignment area 36 from the cargo handling area 35 in the previous stage. In the cargo handling area 35 in the previous stage, although the overlap of the articles M is eliminated, the articles M are randomly scattered over the entire cargo handling area 35. Therefore, the article group is carried into the article alignment area 36 in a state of being widely scattered as shown in FIG. 10 (a).

The article M that has entered the article alignment area 36 advances toward the carry-out area 37 side (main traveling direction Y direction) as a whole, but its movement locus is not a linear movement but travels as shown in FIGS. 12 and 15. Change the direction in small steps and move in a zigzag pattern.
More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 15, the article M entering the article alignment area 36 macroscopically advances in an oblique direction toward the first alignment line L1 and is microscopically fine. Change the direction of travel and run in a zigzag manner.

For example, like the article M in FIG. 12A, the article M initially on the a row belonging to the inner row IL and at the first position in the Y direction has an inclination angle of 30 degrees from the transport roller 3 in the a row. Receive urgency in the direction of. As a result, the article M moves diagonally forward at an inclination angle of 30 degrees.
It is assumed that the article M moves to the second position in the Y direction and straddles the transport rollers 3 in the a row and the transport rollers 3 in the b row. The transport rollers 3 in row a urge the article M in a direction of an inclination angle of 30 degrees, while the transport rollers 3 in row b urge the articles M at an inclination angle of 20 degrees or 45 degrees. If it is the timing when the transport roller 3 in row b urges the article M at an angle of 20 degrees, the article M is urged in the combined vector direction of the urging direction of the transport rollers 3 in row a and row b. Therefore, it is urged diagonally at an angle smaller than 30 degrees. Therefore, the article M moves in a direction different from the traveling direction when traveling from the first position in the Y direction to the second position in the Y direction.

It is assumed that the article M has moved to the third position in the Y direction and is placed on the transport roller 3 in row b. The transport rollers 3 in row b urge the article M at an inclination angle of 20 degrees or 45 degrees. If it is the timing when the transport roller 3 in row b urges the article M at an angle of 45 degrees, the article M is urged at an inclination angle of 45 degrees, which is the urging direction of the transport rollers 3 in row b. .. Therefore, the article M moves in a direction different from the traveling direction when traveling from the second position to the third position.

In this way, the article M changes the traveling direction in small steps, advances to the fourth position in the Y direction and the fifth position in the Y direction in a rocking state, and finally rests on the first alignment line L1.
The movement locus of the article M is, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, and travels diagonally toward the first alignment line L1 while finely changing the traveling direction, and finally is placed on the first alignment line L1 and mainly advances as it is. Go in the direction.

In the present embodiment, the urging direction of the transport roller 3 is reversed in the forward and reverse directions with respect to the first alignment line L1 with the first alignment line L1 as a boundary. That is, the urging direction of the transport roller 3 has a different inclination angle with respect to the main traveling direction (Y direction) with the first alignment line L1 or its vicinity as a boundary. That is, in the left area LA, the urging direction of the transport roller 3 is the right tilting direction as shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, and in the right area RA, the urging direction of the transport roller 3 is the left tilting direction. The tilt angle with respect to the main traveling direction is different in line contrast.

Therefore, the article M on the first alignment line L1 is urged from the transfer roller 3 in the left area LA toward the first alignment line L1 from the left side, and at the same time, the article M is first aligned from the right side from the transfer roller 3 in the right area RA. It is urged toward line L1.
As a result, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, the article M is simultaneously urged toward the first alignment line L1 from both sides of the first alignment line L1 and advances without deviating from the first alignment line L1.
The transport cell 1 in the inner row IL on which the article M is placed changes its urging direction, but the timing differs between the left area LA and the right area RA. Therefore, the article M moves forward while swinging.

As described above, a plurality of articles M are carried into the article alignment area 36 in a widely scattered state. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, each article M advances toward the first alignment line L1 and the second alignment line L2 while swinging, respectively.
Since the randomly dispersed articles approach the first alignment line L1 from both the left area LA and the right area RA, they may collide in the vicinity of the first alignment line L1 as shown in FIG. 14A. be.

Here, in the present embodiment, the article M approaches the first alignment line L1 while swinging. Further, the article M moving on the first alignment line L1 is also shaking. Further, the timing at which the article M swings is different for each individual.
Therefore, when the article M collides in the vicinity of the first alignment line L1, one article M advances first as shown in FIGS. 14 (b) and 14 (c) due to the swinging motion of the article M and the deviation of the swing timing. The other follows. Alternatively, the article M interrupts the line.
Further, the articles M may collide with each other even in a place other than the vicinity of the first alignment line L1, but even in this case, due to the shaking motion of the articles M and the deviation of the swing timing, FIGS. 14 (b) and 14 (c) show. As such, one article M advances first and the other follows, so jams are less likely to occur.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 10 (c), all the articles M are lined up on the first alignment line L1.

In the article aligning device 31 of the present embodiment, the bottom surface of the article M is urged by the urging means to move the article M. The urging direction of the urging means is a direction including a vector component (Y direction) in the direction along the alignment lines L1 and L2, and a vector component (X direction) in the direction toward the alignment line constantly or temporarily. The urging direction of the urging means is changed while the article M is being conveyed, and the article M is swung and moved toward a specific traveling direction.
In the article aligning device 31 of the present embodiment, the articles M can be arranged along a predetermined alignment line by the operation of the transport cell 1 embedded in the article placing surface 32. The article aligning device 31 of the present embodiment is safe because there are no obstacles or moving guides on the transport path.
Further, in the article aligning device 31 of the present embodiment, the size and shape of the articles to be aligned are not selected, and even if the sizes and shapes of the articles are not uniform, they can be aligned on a predetermined alignment line.

The article alignment area 36 is a transport device 2 for transporting the article M in a predetermined direction, and has a plurality of urging means (conveyor rollers 3) for urging the bottom surface of the article M to move the article M, and the transport roller 3 is provided. Can change the urging direction of the article M. The urging direction of the transport roller 3 includes a vector component in a direction along the Y direction, which is the transport direction, and also includes a vector component in a direction that constantly or temporarily intersects the transport direction. Then, the article M is moved in a predetermined direction while swinging the article M by changing the urging direction.

[Article separation area]
In the present embodiment, the first half of the article alignment area 36 also functions as the article separation area 38.
In the article alignment area 36, the transport cell 1 is operated in the intermittent operation mode as described above, but in the article separation area of the first half portion, the transport cell 1 on the front side in the traveling direction and the rear in the traveling direction are as shown in FIG. The rotation speed of the transfer roller 3 of the transfer cell 1 on the side is different, and the rotation speed of the transfer roller 3 of the transfer cell 1 on the rear side is slightly slower.
Therefore, when the articles M are in flat contact as shown in FIG. 17 (a), the article M on the leading side advances quickly, and the distance between the articles M gradually increases as shown in FIGS. 17 (b) and 17 (c). It will spread.

As another measure, the drive of the transport cell 1 on the rear side may be delayed slightly as shown in FIG. 16 (b). According to this measure, even if the transport cell 1 on the front side in the traveling direction moves and the article M on the front side moves, the article M on the rear side stays at that position for a while. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16A, the distance between the articles M gradually increases.

In the above-described embodiment, the articles M can be arranged in two rows on the transport device 2, but the number of rows of the articles M is arbitrary, and may be one row or three or more rows.

In the above-described embodiment, the article alignment area 36 is divided into a first area and a second area, and each area includes a group of transport cells in four rows. The transport cells 1 are distributed across the alignment lines L1 and L2, and there are two rows of transport cells on one side of the alignment lines L1 and L2.
However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the article alignment area 36 may be divided into three or more areas. The rows of the transport cells 1 belonging to each area are arbitrary, and may be two rows or five or more rows. The number of columns belonging to the first area and the second area may be different.

In the above embodiment, the inner row IL and the outer row OL each have two rows, but the number of rows included in the inner row IL and the outer row OL is arbitrary.
In the above-described embodiment, the urging direction of the article M changes in the inner row IL, and the urging direction is constant in the outer row OL, but the urging direction may change in all regions. Further, the amount of change in the urging direction may differ depending on the location.

[Delivery area]
In the carry-out area 37, the pre-packing operation is performed as shown in FIG.
The carry-out area 37 is an area on the downstream side of the article alignment area 36, and the articles M are arranged on the alignment lines L1 and L2.
The cutting edge of the carry-out area 37 is also the cutting edge of the transport device 2. The state-of-the-art transport cell 1 at or near it is normally in a stopped state and is operated by a signal of another device or a manual input signal. Further, the transport cell 1 other than the tip portion is operated in the intermittent operation mode. Therefore, in the carry-out area 37, the articles M are densely arranged in series, and when the leading article M is discharged as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 (b), the articles M are subsequently discharged as shown in FIG. 19 (c). The later article M enters.
As a result, the article M is placed in a standby state at the cutting edge of the carry-out area 37 as shown in FIG. 19 (c), and is in a state of waiting for an opportunity to carry out.

〔others〕
In the embodiment described above, a large number of transport cells 1 are arranged in a plane to form an article placing surface 32, and each of the transport cells 1 has a movement function for moving the article M and an urging direction. It has a function to change the urging direction, but not all cells need to have this function, and some cells have only the moving function and some cells have only the urging direction changing function. May be good.

In the embodiment described above, all of the articles M are transported in the Y direction, which is the main traveling direction, but the articles may be distributed in a plurality of directions as in the transport device 60 of FIG.
According to this configuration, the main traveling direction branches in the middle and is divided into two directions.
In the transport device 60, the articles introduced into the article alignment area 36 are converted in the transport direction by 90 degrees to become the X direction, and proceed separately in the vertical direction of the drawing.
Therefore, in the article alignment area 36, the main traveling directions are the positive X direction and the negative X direction.
The urging direction of the transport roller 3 in the upper region of the drawing includes a vector component in the direction along the positive X direction, which is the transport direction, and also includes a vector component in the Y direction that constantly or temporarily intersects the transport direction. I'm out. Then, the article M is moved in the positive X direction while swinging the article M by changing the urging direction.
On the other hand, the urging direction of the transport roller 3 in the lower region of the drawing includes a vector component in the direction along the negative X direction, which is the transport direction, and always or temporarily intersects the transport direction in the Y direction. Contains the vector component of. Then, the article M is moved in the negative X direction while swinging the article M by changing the urging direction.

In the embodiment described above, the transport device 2 has the article mounting surface 32, and the article M can be arbitrarily advanced in the vertical / horizontal direction or the diagonal direction. Therefore, the traveling direction of the article M on the article placing surface 32 is arbitrary, and the article can be advanced in any direction. Therefore, the main traveling direction of the article M can be arbitrarily set according to the intended use.

1 Conveying cell 2, 60 Conveying device 3 Conveying roller 6 Swing table 30 Cargo handling device 31 Article alignment device 32 Article loading surface 35 Cargo handling area 36 Article alignment area 37 Carrying out area 38 Article separation area M Article L1 First alignment line L2 2nd alignment line IL Inner row OL Outer row LA Left area RA Right area

Claims (9)

In a transport device that transports articles in a predetermined direction
It has a plurality of urging means for urging the bottom surface of the article to move the article, and the urging means can change the urging direction of the article.
The urging direction of the urging means includes a vector component in a direction along the transport direction and always or temporarily includes a vector component in a direction intersecting the transport direction.
At least one of the urging means is a transport device characterized in that the article is moved in the predetermined direction while swinging the article by changing the urging direction. In a transport device that arranges articles on the assumed alignment line
It has a plurality of urging means for urging the bottom surface of the article to move the article, and the urging means can change the urging direction of the article.
The urging means is laid across the alignment line, and the urging direction of the urging means includes a vector component in a direction along the alignment line and a vector component in a direction toward the alignment line constantly or temporarily. Including
At least one of the urging means is a transport device characterized in that the urging direction is changed to swing the article and move it in a direction along an alignment line. The claim is characterized in that the urging means arranged in the vicinity of a specific line or a transport line changes the urging direction, and the urging means arranged at a position far from the line has a constant urging direction. The transport device according to 1 or 2. The urging means is a transport cell, and a plurality of the transport cells are arranged in a plane to form an article mounting surface, and the transport cell has a moving function for moving the article and changes the urging direction. The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a device having a urging direction changing function is included. The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the urging means has a different inclination angle with respect to a direction along the line with a specific line or a transport line or a vicinity thereof as a boundary. According to any one of claims 1 to 5, it has a cargo handling means for throwing in overlapping articles and eliminating the overlap of the articles, and it is possible to carry in the articles that have passed through the cargo handling means. The carrier described. It has an article separation area, and in the article separation area, it is possible to transport articles in one direction, change the transport speed of the articles at that time, and separate the articles back and forth in the traveling direction. The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the transport device is characterized by the above. It has an article separation area, and in the article separation area, articles can be transported in one direction, and at that time, the articles can be temporarily stopped or the transport speed can be temporarily stopped to separate the articles back and forth in the traveling direction. The transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the transport device is characterized by the above. In a transport method for transporting articles in a predetermined direction,
The bottom of the article is urged by urging means to move the article,
The urging direction of the urging means is a direction including a vector component in a direction along the transport direction and always or temporarily including a vector component in a direction intersecting the transport direction.
A transport method characterized in that the urging direction of the urging means is changed while the article is being transported, and the article is swung and moved toward a specific traveling direction.

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