JP7396766B2 - alignment supply device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an alignment and feeding device that aligns and supplies objects to be aligned, which are small articles such as tablets, in a single line.

The alignment supply device is connected to, for example, an inspection device, a printing device, a packaging device, etc., and the alignment supply device is connected to, for example, an inspection device, a printing device, a packaging device, etc. After aligning the postures and arranging them in one line, they are configured to be carried out to the next process (outside). Note that examples of objects to be aligned include relatively small articles (small articles) such as tablets, capsules, electronic components such as chip capacitors, sweets such as candy, washers, and buttons.

Conventionally, as such an alignment and supply device, a device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-219844 (Patent Document 1 below) is known. As described in the publication, this aligning and supplying device includes a turntable, a first guide, a second guide, a third guide, a removing means, and the like.

The turntable is provided so as to be horizontally rotatable, and conveys the objects to be aligned that are supplied to the upper surface in the direction of rotation thereof. The first guide is disposed above the turntable and guides the supplied alignment target toward the outer periphery of the turntable. Further, the second guide is a guide formed in an arc shape, and is also disposed above the turntable and closer to the outer circumference of the turntable than the first guide, and is guided by the first guide. The objects to be aligned are guided and aligned along the arcuate inner surface from the guide start end to the guide end.

Further, the third guide includes a first guide member whose one end is connected to the guide end of the second guide and whose other end extends outside the turntable, and the third guide is spaced apart from the first guide member. a second guide member disposed opposite to each other at a distance, and introducing a row of objects to be aligned in sliding contact with an inner surface of the second guide between the first guide member and the second guide member; , to guide the turntable outward. Further, the removing means is provided in front of the introduction part of the third guide, and returns objects to be aligned other than the objects to be aligned that are conveyed in sliding contact with the inner surface of the second guide to the inside of the turntable. It is configured as follows. Further, the second guide and/or the first guide member near where the removing means is arranged have a suction space opened on the inner surface thereof, and further connected to the suction space, the opening A suction means is provided for sucking outside air through.

According to this alignment supply device, objects to be aligned are appropriately supplied onto the horizontally rotating turntable. The supplied objects to be aligned are transported in the direction of rotation of the turntable, guided by the first guide and moved toward the outer periphery of the turntable, and then placed on the inner surface of the second guide. They are arranged in approximately one line along the line.

The objects to be aligned in this manner follow a path that passes through the guide end of the second guide and reaches between the first guide member and the second guide member of the third guide. The objects to be aligned in the outermost row, which are conveyed in sliding contact with the inner surface of the guide, are sucked by the suction means through the openings formed in the inner surface of the second guide and/or the first guide member, and are attracted to the inner surface of the guide. Move while being attracted to. On the other hand, objects to be aligned other than those in the outermost row are returned to the inside (ie, to the center) of the turntable by the removing means.

The objects to be aligned in one line by the second guide are introduced between the first guide member and the second guide member from the introduction part of the third guide, and are directed toward the outside of the turntable. It will be carried out.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-219844

By the way, as mentioned above, examples of the objects to be aligned include tablets, capsules, chip capacitors, etc. In recent years, tablets with new shapes have been put on the market, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown, the tablet has an oval planar shape, an elliptical frontal shape, a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and a band-shaped flat surface on the outer periphery (hereinafter referred to as "unshaped tablet"). is on the market.

In the field of tablets, printing equipment has recently been used to print information such as product numbers on the surface of tablets, and a system in which the alignment and feeding equipment is connected to a printing equipment has been developed as a device for this purpose. Proposed. In the case of this alignment supply device, it is necessary to align the tablets, which are objects to be aligned, with the printing surface printed by the printing device facing upward, for example.

However, in the case of the above-mentioned irregularly shaped tablets, conventional alignment and feeding devices have a problem in that they cannot be aligned uniformly so that the predetermined printed surface is the top surface. In this printing device, there was a problem in that some tablets could not be printed on a predetermined printing surface.

This problem will be explained more specifically using FIGS. 8 and 9. According to the conventional alignment supply device described above, the objects to be aligned K are conveyed along the inner surface of the second guide by the rotation of the turntable 101, so that the objects K are conveyed with their long axes along the conveyance direction. After that, as shown in FIG. It will be transported out.

At this time, if the object K to be aligned is the above-mentioned irregularly shaped tablet K, when the irregularly shaped tablet K comes into sliding contact with the second guide member 104, the irregularly shaped tablet K is moved in the direction of rotation of the turntable 101 due to friction with the turntable 101. As shown in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 9, the belt-like plane rotates by 90 degrees around its long axis and assumes a posture in which the belt-like plane slides against the turntable 101, which is a relatively stable posture. Then, the irregularly shaped tablet K is carried out of the turntable 101 in this position.

In addition, since the irregularly shaped tablets have a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, their resting posture itself is unstable. Therefore, when aligning the irregularly shaped tablets in a line along the second guide, the It is difficult to convey the material along the second guide, and sometimes it is not possible to smoothly introduce the material between the first guide member and the second guide member of the third guide.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an oval planar shape, an elliptical frontal shape, a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and a band-shaped flat surface on the outer periphery. To provide an aligning and feeding device capable of arranging tablets in a line so as to reliably take a predetermined posture and supplying the tablets to the outside even if the resting posture is unstable.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a turntable that is horizontally rotatable and that transports objects to be aligned that are supplied to the upper surface in a rotational direction;
an outer guide that is disposed above the turntable and guides the alignment target objects supplied onto the turntable toward the outer periphery of the turntable;
An outer circumferential guide is also disposed above the turntable and on the outer circumferential side of the turntable than the outer guide, and the alignment target guided by the outer guide is guided by the outer circumferential guide on an arc-shaped inner surface. an outer circumferential guide that guides along a certain guide surface from a guide start end to a guide end;
a first guide member, which is also a discharge guide disposed above the turntable, one end of which is connected to the guide end of the outer circumferential guide, and the other end of which extends outside the turntable; A second guide member is provided to face the first guide member with a gap therebetween, and the first guide member and the second guide member are provided with a second guide member that is arranged to face the first guide member and to be arranged in a row that is in sliding contact with the guide surface of the outer peripheral guide. and a discharge guide introduced between the turntable and the turntable using mutually opposing surfaces of the first guide member and the second guide member as guide surfaces,
The discharge guide further includes a third guide member between the first guide member and the second guide member, and the third guide member has a lower surface sloped upward toward the first guide member. The ejection guide has an inclined surface, and the discharge guide guides the objects to be aligned between the lower surface of the third guide member and the guide surface of the first guide member, and guides them to the outside of the turntable. The present invention relates to an aligning and feeding device configured to.

According to the alignment and supply device of this aspect (first aspect), the turntable is horizontally rotated along the outer circumferential guide in a direction from the guide start end to the guide end, and the alignment target is placed on the turntable rotating in this way. will be provided accordingly. The supplied objects to be aligned are conveyed in the direction of rotation by the rotation of the turntable, and are guided by the outer guide and moved toward the outer periphery of the turntable. ) are arranged in approximately one line. At this time, in the case of tablets that have an oval planar shape, an elliptical frontal shape, and a substantially circular cross-sectional shape (hereinafter referred to as "oddly shaped tablets") as described above, their resting posture is unstable. However, they are aligned with their long axes along the conveyance direction and with both sides with large curvature facing up and down.

The objects to be aligned thus aligned are introduced between the lower surface of the third guide member of the discharge guide and the guide surface of the first guide member through the guide end of the outer circumferential guide, and then, It is carried out toward the outside of the turntable. At this time, since the lower surface of the third guide member is an upward slope toward the first guide member, even if the objects to be aligned are irregularly shaped tablets as described above, the irregularly shaped tablets are 3. By slidingly contacting the lower surface of the guide member, rotation about the long axis is suppressed, and the guide member is carried out of the system with both sides having large curvature facing up and down.

Thus, according to this aligning and feeding device, even the above-mentioned irregularly shaped tablets can be aligned in a single line with both sides with large curvatures facing up and down, and this aligned state can be maintained. Can be supplied outside the system.

In the aligning and supplying device according to the first aspect, the turntable has a stepped shape formed by a thick part on the center side and a thin part on the outer periphery, and the outer periphery of the thick part and the outer periphery. Preferably, the distance between the guide and the guide surface is such that one of the objects to be aligned can fit therein.

According to the alignment supply device of this aspect (second aspect), the alignment target objects that have been guided by the outer guide and moved toward the outer periphery of the turntable are connected to the guide surface of the outer periphery guide and the thick wall portion of the turntable. It fits into the thin wall between the outer circumference guide and is conveyed in this state along the guide surface of the outer circumferential guide to its guide end. Therefore, even if the object to be aligned is the above-mentioned odd-shaped tablet whose static posture is unstable, it can be conveyed to the guide end in a stable posture.

Further, in the alignment and supply device of the second aspect, it is preferable that an arc-shaped chamfer is formed at an outer peripheral corner of the thick portion of the turntable. If the outer periphery corner of the thick part is sharp, there is a possibility that the alignment target will be damaged when it comes into contact with the outer periphery corner. By forming arc-shaped chamfers on the corners, it is possible to prevent such damage from occurring.

Further, the aligning and supplying device of the first to third aspects further includes a nozzle disposed closer to the center of the turntable than the outer circumferential guide and discharging an air flow toward the guide surface of the outer circumferential guide. It is preferable to be there. According to the alignment supply device of this aspect (fourth aspect), the objects to be aligned can be moved toward the guide surface of the outer circumferential guide by the airflow discharged from the nozzle, so the objects to be aligned can be reliably moved. It is possible to convey the material along the guide surface of the outer circumferential guide to the end of the guide.

Further, in the aligning and supplying device according to the first to fourth aspects, the guide surfaces of the outer circumferential guide are two surfaces continuously formed upward and perpendicular to the turntable. Preferably, the turntable includes a vertical surface and an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the center of the turntable. According to the alignment and supply device of this aspect (fifth aspect), the objects to be aligned are guided while being in contact with the vertical surface and the inclined surface of the outer circumference guide, so that the objects to be aligned are conveyed in a stable state. In particular, even when the objects to be aligned are the irregularly shaped tablets, rotation about the long axis is prevented by contacting the inclined surface, and the irregularly shaped tablets are kept in a stable posture with both sides with large curvature facing up and down. transported by

As described above, according to the alignment supply device according to the present invention, the lower surface of the third guide member with which the objects to be aligned come into sliding contact is an upwardly sloped surface toward the first guide member, so that the above-mentioned irregular shapes can be avoided. Even if the tablet is a tablet, rotation about its long axis can be suppressed, and as a result, it can be transported out of the system with both sides having a large curvature facing up and down.

1 is a plan view showing an alignment and supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the arrow AA direction in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the arrow BB direction in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrow CC in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of section F in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of section E in FIG. 3. FIG. It is a figure which showed the irregularly shaped tablet which is an example of an object to be aligned, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. It is an explanatory view for explaining a problem in a conventional alignment supply device. It is an explanatory view for explaining a problem in a conventional alignment supply device.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the aligning and supplying device 1 of this example includes a turntable 2 that is horizontally rotatable, an inner guide 3, an outer guide 7, and an outer guide 3 disposed above the turntable 2. It is composed of a guide 8, two air discharge nozzles 13 and 14, a discharge guide 15, and the like. In this example, the objects to be aligned are irregularly shaped tablets K shown in FIG.

The turntable 2 is horizontally rotatably supported by a rotational drive mechanism (not shown), and is driven by this rotational drive mechanism (not shown) to rotate at a constant speed in the direction of arrow D. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a step is formed on the upper surface of the turntable 2, and has a stepped shape with a thick part 2a at the center and a thin part 2b at the outer periphery. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, an arcuate chamfered portion 2c is formed at the outer peripheral corner of the thick portion 2a. The turntable 2 of this example has a thick part 2a and a thin part 2b integrally formed, and the thin part 2b is formed by machining, and an arcuate chamfered part 2c is formed.

A supply port 20 of a storage device (such as a hopper) for storing a large number of objects K to be aligned is opened above the turntable 2. is supplied and conveyed in the direction of arrow D by the rotation of the turntable 2.

The inner guide 3 is a guide that guides the alignment target objects K supplied from the supply port 20 toward the center of the turntable 2, and is directed toward the rotation direction of the turntable 2 (direction of arrow D). It consists of three guides: a first inner guide 4, a second inner guide 5, and a third inner guide 6, which are arranged in sequence.

The first inner guide 4 is disposed closer to the outer periphery of the turntable 2 than the supply port 20, and one end thereof is located closer to the outer circumference of the turntable 2 than the supply port 20 in the rotational direction of the turntable 2 (direction of arrow D). One end is located on the upstream side, and the other end is located on the downstream side. Further, the second inner guide 5 extends from the other end of the first inner guide 4, and its downstream end is closer to the turntable 2 than the other end of the first inner guide 4. It is located towards the center of the city. Moreover, the upstream end of the third inner guide 6 is located closer to the outer circumference of the turntable 2 than the downstream end of the second inner guide 5, and the downstream end thereof is It is located closer to the center of the turntable 2 than the downstream end of the second inner guide 5.

The first inner guide 4, the second inner guide 5, and the third inner guide 6 are arranged above the thick portion 2a of the turntable 2 at intervals that do not allow the irregularly shaped tablets K to pass through. In each case, the surface on the center side of the turntable 2 serves as a guide surface.

The upstream end of the outer guide 7 is located closer to the center of the turntable 2 than the downstream end of the third inner guide 6, and the downstream end is located closer to the center of the turntable 2 than the downstream end of the third inner guide 6. It is arranged so as to be located at the outer peripheral edge of the portion 2a. Further, this outer guide 7 is also disposed above the thick portion 2a of the turntable 2 at an interval through which the irregularly shaped tablet K cannot pass, and has an arc-shaped convexity toward the outer circumferential side of the turntable 2. It is curved to form a shape, and its outer peripheral surface serves as a guide surface.

The outer periphery guide 8 is a first outer periphery that is sequentially disposed above the thin wall portion 2b of the turntable 2 in the direction of rotation of the turntable 2 (direction of arrow D) at intervals through which the irregularly shaped tablets K cannot pass. It consists of three guides: a guide 9, a second outer circumferential guide 10, and a third outer circumferential guide 11. The first outer circumferential guide 9, the second outer circumferential guide 10, and the third outer circumferential guide 11 have continuous arc-shaped vertical guide surfaces 9a, 10a, and 11a on the center side of the turntable 2, respectively. The guide surfaces 9a, 10a, and 11a have an interval between them and the outer peripheral edge of the thick portion 2a of the turntable 2 so that one alignment target K can fit therein.

Further, among the guide surfaces 9a, 10a, and 11a of the outer guide 8, the position of the guide surface 9a of the first outer guide 9 corresponding to the downstream end of the outer guide 7 becomes the guide starting end 9b, and the third A position 11b on the guide surface 11a of the outer guide 11 to which the discharge guide 15 is connected is the guide end. An arc-shaped inclined guide member 12 is provided at a portion corresponding to a predetermined length from the guide start end of the first outer circumferential guide 9 in the rotation direction (direction of arrow D). As shown in FIG. 4, the lower surface 12a thereof is connected to the vertical guide surface 9a of the first outer circumferential guide 9, and forms an upward slope toward the center of the turntable 2. As shown in FIG.

Further, the two air discharge nozzles 13 and 14 are provided on the center side of the turntable 2 corresponding to the inclined guide member 12, and the air discharge nozzles 13 and 14 are directed toward the inclined guide member 12, respectively. An air stream is discharged.

The discharge guide 15 includes a linear first guide member 16 whose one end is connected to the guide end 11b of the third outer circumferential guide 11 and whose other end extends toward the outside of the turntable 2. A second guide member 17, which is also linear, is disposed parallel to and opposite the first guide member 16 in the same horizontal plane with a predetermined distance therebetween, and is disposed between the first guide member 16 and the second guide member 17. It is composed of a third guide member 18. The third guide member 18 has a lower surface 18a that is inclined upward toward the first guide member 16, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6.

According to the aligning and supplying device 1 of this example configured as described above, first, in a state where the turntable 2 is rotated in the direction of arrow D by the rotational drive mechanism (not shown), the rotating turntable Irregularly shaped tablets K are appropriately supplied onto the tablets 2 from a supply port 20 of a storage device (not shown).

The supplied irregularly shaped tablets K are conveyed in the rotation direction (direction of arrow D) by the rotation of the turntable 2, and are guided by the first inner guide 4, the second inner guide 5, and the third inner guide 6. By slidingly contacting the surface, it is gradually moved toward the center of the turntable 2, and then reaches the guide surface of the outer guide 7.

The irregularly shaped tablet K that has reached the guide surface of the outer guide 7 is guided to the outer circumferential side of the turntable 2 in a state in which it is in sliding contact with the guide surface. The irregularly shaped tablet K is guided between the outer peripheral edge of the thick part 2a, and is then pressed against the guide surface 9a of the first outer peripheral guide 9 by the air flow discharged from the air discharge nozzles 13 and 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide surface 9a of the first outer circumferential guide 9 and the inclined surface 12a of the inclined guide member 12 are in sliding contact.

In this way, the irregularly shaped tablet K is reliably moved in a posture in which its long axis is along the conveying direction (direction of arrow D) and both sides with large curvature are moved up and down by the air flow discharged from the air discharge nozzles 13 and 14. In this state, the irregularly shaped tablets K are fitted between the guide surface 9a of the first outer peripheral guide 9 and the outer peripheral edge of the thick wall portion 2a of the turntable 2, and this action ensures that the irregularly shaped tablets K are aligned in one row. be done.

In addition, since the irregularly shaped tablet K has a property of being easy to rotate around its long axis, when exposed to the air flow, if there is no restriction, it will easily rotate around the long axis. In this example, when the upper surface of the irregularly shaped tablet K is fitted between the guide surface 9a of the first outer peripheral guide 9 and the outer peripheral edge of the thick part 2a of the turntable 2, the upper surface of the irregularly shaped tablet K is inserted into the inclined guide member 12. Since it comes into contact with the inclined surface 12a, the action of the inclined surface 12a prevents the irregularly shaped tablet K from rotating about its long axis. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the alignment target K tries to rotate in the direction of arrow G around its long axis, its rotation radius gradually increases, and such rotation is restricted. .

In addition, in this example, an arcuate chamfered portion 2c is formed at the outer corner corner of the thick portion 2a of the turntable 2, so that the alignment target object K is not damaged when it comes into contact with the outer corner corner. can be prevented.

Next, as the turntable 2 rotates, the irregularly shaped tablets K that have slid into sliding contact with the guide surface 9a of the first outer guide 9 in one row in this manner are further brought into contact with the guide surface 10a of the second outer guide 10 and the third outer circumference. It is conveyed to the guide end 11b in a state in sliding contact with the guide surface 11a of the guide 11, passes through the discharge guide 15 connected to the guide end 11b of the third guide 11, and is discharged to the outside.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the irregularly shaped tablet K enters between the first guide member 16 and the third guide member 18 of the discharge guide 15, and its upper surface slides against the lower surface of the third guide member 18. They are carried out of the turntable 2 in a state where they are in contact with each other. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the lower surface of the third guide member 18 is an upward slope 18a toward the first guide member 16. Rotation of the tablet K about its long axis is prevented.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the irregularly shaped tablet K receives a frictional force between it and the turntable 2 in the rotational direction (direction of arrow D), and comes into contact with the inclined surface 18a of the third guide member 18. As a result, the third guide member attempts to rotate about its long axis in the direction of arrow G. However, when rotating in the direction of arrow G, the radius of rotation gradually increases. 18 inclined surfaces 18a.

Thus, according to the aligning and feeding device 1 of this example, even irregularly shaped tablets having an oval planar shape, an elliptical front shape, and a substantially circular cross-sectional shape and whose resting posture is unstable. , these can be arranged in a line in a fixed posture with both sides with large curvature facing up and down, and then discharged from the system.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific aspects that the present invention can take are not limited thereto.

For example, although the objects to be aligned in the alignment and feeding apparatus 1 in the above example are irregularly shaped tablets K, the objects that can be aligned in the alignment and feeding apparatus 1 are not limited to this. Objects that can be aligned with the alignment and supply device 1 in the above example include general tablets, electronic components such as capsules and chip capacitors, confectionery such as candy, washers, and relatively small items (small items) such as buttons. Goods) can be exemplified.

Further, in the above example, the inner guide 3 is composed of three members: the first inner guide 4, the second inner guide 5, and the third inner guide 6, but the invention is not limited to this. It may be a larger number or a smaller number. Further, if the objects to be aligned supplied from the supply port 20 do not scatter around, it is not necessary to provide the inner guide 3.

In addition, in the above example, the outer circumferential guide 8 is composed of three guides, the first outer circumferential guide 9, the second outer circumferential guide 10, and the third outer circumferential guide 11, but it is not limited to this and is divided into a larger number of guides. It may be divided into a smaller number of parts, or it may be divided into a smaller number of parts.

1 Alignment supply device 2 Turntable 3 Inner guide 4 First inner guide 5 Second inner guide 6 Third inner guide 7 Outer guide 8 Outer guide 9 First outer guide 10 Second outer guide 11 Third outer guide Guide 13, 14 Air discharge nozzle 15 Discharge guide 16 First guide member 17 Second guide member 18 Third guide member 20 Supply port K Irregular-shaped tablet (object to be aligned)

Claims (5)

a turntable that is horizontally rotatable and transports objects to be aligned that are supplied to the upper surface in a rotational direction;
an outer guide that is disposed above the turntable and guides the alignment target objects supplied onto the turntable toward the outer periphery of the turntable;
An outer circumferential guide is also disposed above the turntable and on the outer circumferential side of the turntable than the outer guide, and the alignment target guided by the outer guide is guided by the outer circumferential guide on an arc-shaped inner surface. an outer circumferential guide that guides along a certain guide surface from a guide start end to a guide end;
a first guide member, which is also a discharge guide disposed above the turntable, one end of which is connected to the guide end of the outer circumferential guide, and the other end of which extends outside the turntable; A second guide member is provided to face the first guide member with a gap therebetween, and the first guide member and the second guide member are provided with a second guide member that is arranged to face the first guide member and to be arranged in a row that is in sliding contact with the guide surface of the outer peripheral guide. and a discharge guide introduced between the turntable and the turntable using mutually opposing surfaces of the first guide member and the second guide member as guide surfaces,
The discharge guide further includes a third guide member between the first guide member and the second guide member, and the third guide member has a lower surface sloped upward toward the first guide member. The ejection guide has an inclined surface, and the discharge guide guides the objects to be aligned between the lower surface of the third guide member and the guide surface of the first guide member, and guides them to the outside of the turntable. An aligning and feeding device characterized in that it is configured to. The turntable has a stepped shape formed by a thick walled portion on the center side and a thin walled portion on the outer peripheral side, and the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the thick walled portion and the guide surface of the outer peripheral guide is 2. The alignment supply device according to claim 1, wherein the spacing is such that one of the objects to be aligned can fit therein. 3. The aligning and supplying device according to claim 2, wherein an arcuate chamfered portion is formed at an outer peripheral corner of the thick portion of the turntable. 4. The alignment according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle disposed closer to the center of the turntable than the outer circumferential guide and discharging an air flow toward the guide surface of the outer circumferential guide. Feeding device. The guide surface of the outer circumferential guide has two surfaces continuously formed upward, a vertical surface perpendicular to the turntable, and an upward slope toward the center of the turntable. 5. The alignment supply device according to claim 1, wherein the alignment target object is guided while being in contact with the vertical plane and the inclined plane.

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