JP7634870B2 - Conveying device and cargo handling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying device capable of conveying objects by eliminating overlaps. It also relates to a goods handling device capable of eliminating overlaps in the objects.

At product assembly lines and collection points for home delivery services, items are transported using conveying devices such as belt conveyors and roller conveyors. When transporting items using a conveying device, there are cases where it is necessary to remove the overlap between two items that are stacked one on top of the other before transporting them. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conveying device that has a goods sorting device that removes overlapping items.

The conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a combination of a goods handling device and an article alignment device. This conveying device is formed by arranging conveying cells in a matrix, which urge the bottom surface of the conveyed object to move the conveyed object, and both the goods handling device and the article alignment device are composed of multiple conveying cells arranged in a matrix. When an object is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side, the object is introduced into the downstream article alignment device via the upstream goods handling device. Here, the object introduced into the goods handling device is moved so as to rotate around a point in the goods handling area where the goods handling device is located in a plan view. Then, as the objects rotate or turn, the overlapping of the objects collapses and they are arranged in a flat plane.

JP 2019-119547 A

The conveying device of Patent Document 1 mentioned above has room for improvement in terms of eliminating overlapping of conveyed objects with a simpler structure and in terms of eliminating overlapping of conveyed objects more reliably. In addition, there is also room for improvement in terms of eliminating overlapping of conveyed objects not only in conveying devices configured by combining multiple conveying cells, but also in other conveying devices such as belt conveyors and roller conveyors.

The present invention aims to provide a conveying device that can eliminate overlapping of conveyed objects with a simple structure. It also aims to provide a goods handling device that can be used with various conveying devices.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem includes a conveying section that conveys objects to be conveyed, and a goods handling device, the goods handling device having a contact member located above the conveying section, the contact member having a contact portion that contacts an upper object among a plurality of objects that are stacked vertically, the contact portion automatically moving to contact the object to be conveyed, the contact member having a main body portion extending in a predetermined direction, the contact portion being a portion that is attached to an outer circumferential surface of the main body portion and protruding outward, the main body portion being configured to extend in a direction parallel to the axis extending in the predetermined direction, the main body portion rotates in a direction inclined with respect to both the conveying direction of the conveying section and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed in a plane, the conveying section has a one-side region located on one side of the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying section and a other-side region located on the other side, the one-side region and the other-side region are capable of conveying the conveyed object in the same direction, and the contact portion is arranged above the one-side region.
Furthermore, one aspect of a related invention related to the present invention is a conveying device having a conveying section for conveying objects to be conveyed and a material handling device, the material handling device having a contact member located above the conveying section, the contact member having a contact portion that contacts an upper object among a plurality of objects that are stacked vertically, and the contact portion automatically moves to contact the objects to be conveyed.

This aspect allows the problem of overlapping transported objects to be eliminated with a simple structure. In addition, the contact part moves automatically and comes into contact with the overlapping object above, so the upper object can be firmly pressed down and dropped reliably from above the other objects.

In the above aspect, it is preferable that the contact portion moves from the upper side to the lower side and then to the upper side while moving from the downstream side to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying portion.

This preferred feature allows the upper transported items to fall more reliably.

In the above aspect, the contact member has a main body portion extending in a predetermined direction, the contact portion is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion and protrudes outward, the main body portion rotates around an axis extending in the predetermined direction, and it is preferable that the contact portion moves in conjunction with the rotation of the main body portion.

This preferred aspect is preferable because it allows the contact portion to be moved with a simple structure.

In the preferred aspect described above, it is even more preferable that the main body is a roller incorporating a motor, and the contact part is a brush member having elastically deformable bristles.

According to this further preferred aspect, there is no need to install an external motor or the like for moving the contact portion, which allows space to be saved. In addition, the transported object is less likely to be damaged when the contact portion comes into contact with the transported object.

The above-mentioned preferred aspect is further preferred in that the main body portion extends in a direction inclined with respect to both the conveying direction of the conveying portion and a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in a plan view.

This further preferred aspect allows for the elimination of overlaps between transported items that are overlapping in various ways.

In the above aspect, the conveying section has a one-side region located on one side in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying section, and a second-side region located on the other side, the object can be conveyed between the one-side region and the second-side region, and it is preferable that the contact portion is disposed above the one-side region.

This preferred aspect allows the contact portion to be made smaller than in a structure in which the contact portion is also located above the other side region, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

The above-mentioned preferred aspect has a transport regulating member that contacts the transported object transported in the other side region, and the transport regulating member is arranged upstream of the contact member in the transport direction, and it is further preferred that the transported object contacts the transport regulating member, so that the abutted transported object moves in a direction from the other side region toward the one side region as it moves downstream in the transport direction.

According to this further preferred aspect, it is possible to move the overlapping transported objects toward the contact member, and the contact portion can be reliably brought into contact with the upper transported object. This makes it possible to more reliably eliminate overlapping of the transported objects.

Another aspect of the present invention is a conveying device comprising a conveying section for conveying objects to be conveyed, and a cargo handling device, the cargo handling device having a contact member located above the conveying section, the contact member having a contact portion that contacts the upper object among a plurality of objects to be conveyed that are stacked vertically, the contact portion automatically moving to contact the object to be conveyed, the conveying section having a one-side region located on one side of a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying section, and a other-side region located on the other side, the object to be conveyed can be conveyed in the one-side region and the other-side region, the contact portion is arranged above the one-side region, and has a conveying regulating member that abuts against the object to be conveyed in the other-side region, the conveying regulating member is arranged upstream of the contact member in the conveying direction, and the object to be conveyed abuts against the conveying regulating member, so that the abutted object moves in a direction from the other-side region toward the one-side region as it moves downstream in the conveying direction.
Another aspect of a related invention related to the present invention is a material handling device that is disposed above a conveying device that conveys objects to be conveyed, the material handling device having a contact member that has a contact portion that comes into contact with an upper object among a plurality of objects that are stacked vertically, the contact portion automatically moving from the upper side to the lower side and then to the upper side, while moving from the downstream side to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the objects to be conveyed.

The cargo handling device of this aspect can be used with a variety of transport methods. In addition, the simple structure can eliminate overlapping of transported items, and the upper overlapping items can be dropped reliably from above the lower items.

The present invention provides a conveying device that can eliminate overlapping of conveyed objects with a simple structure. It also provides a cargo handling device that can be used with various conveying devices.

1 is a perspective view showing a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the conveying device of FIG. 1 with a housing member being seen through; 2 is a plan view of the first conveying section and part of the article handling device of FIG. 1 as viewed from the upstream side in the conveying direction, showing how the articles are being conveyed. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the first cargo handling means of Figure 2, (a) is an oblique view, (b) is a plan view with the viewing direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body, and (c) is a plan view with the viewing direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the main body. 3 is a plan view of the conveying device of FIG. 2 as viewed from above, with some of the housing members omitted. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the periphery of the transport regulating member in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view, and FIG. 2B is a plan view of FIG. 2A as viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an object is transported by the first transport unit in FIG. 2, in which a part of a housing member is omitted. FIG. 8A to 8D are explanatory diagrams showing, in a model form, how an object different from that in FIG. 7 is transported in the first transport section in FIG. 1 , in the order of (a) to (d). 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an object different from that shown in FIG. 8 is transported by the first transport section in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a conveying device according to an embodiment different from that shown in FIG. 1 . 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams showing a transport device according to an embodiment different from that shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10, where (a) and (b) show different transport devices.

The conveying device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the conveying device 1 of this embodiment has a conveying section 2 (conveying device), a material handling device 3, and a conveying restriction member 4.

The conveying section 2 has a first conveying section 10 and a second conveying section 11, which are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. Here, the first conveying section 10 and the second conveying section 11 are substantially the same members, and therefore the first conveying section 10 will be described in detail, and a detailed description of the second conveying section 11 will be omitted.
The conveying direction of the first conveying section 10 and the conveying direction of the second conveying section 11 are the same direction, and in the following description, they are also simply referred to as the conveying direction (the conveying direction of the conveying section 2). Also, the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in a plan view is also simply referred to as the width direction (the width direction of the conveying section 2, the width direction of the first conveying section 10 and the second conveying section 11).

The first conveying section 10 is a conveying device capable of conveying an object from the upstream side to the downstream side by itself. In this embodiment, a conveying device called a roller conveyor is used as the conveying device, but the conveying device may be another conveying device such as a belt conveyor.
That is, the first conveying section 10 of this embodiment includes a plurality of conveying rollers 15 (roller members) arranged in parallel with a gap between them, and a frame member 16, and each of the conveying rollers 15 is supported by the frame member 16.
For convenience of drawing, reference numerals are given to only some of the conveying rollers 15, and the reference numerals are omitted for the rest. In addition, when there are similar members, reference numerals are given to only some of the members as necessary, and the reference numerals are omitted for the rest.

Of the multiple conveying rollers 15, one is a drive roller that serves as a power source, and the others are driven rollers that rotate freely. In this embodiment, a motor-integrated roller is used as the drive roller. A motor-integrated roller has a motor, a reducer, a circuit board, etc. built into a cylindrical roller body. Although a detailed explanation is omitted, the roller body is a metal cylinder with both ends in the longitudinal direction open, and both ends are closed by blocking members. A fixed shaft is attached to each of the blocking members in a state that allows it to rotate relative to them.
The driven roller also has a cylindrical roller body and two fixed shafts located at both ends of the roller body, and each of the two fixed shafts is fixed to the roller body via a blocking member. The driven roller differs from the driving roller in that it does not have a device such as a motor built into the roller body.

Adjacent conveyor rollers 15 are wrapped around each other by a transmission belt, and when the drive roller rotates, all of the driven rollers rotate. The upper parts of these conveyor rollers 15 form the conveyor surface of the first conveyor section 10. The "conveyor surface" is the portion on which the transported objects are placed.

The frame member 16 has a pair of side frames, a first frame portion 16a and a second frame portion 16b. As shown in FIG. 3, the first frame portion 16a and the second frame portion 16b are disposed at positions spaced apart in the width direction of the conveying section 2, and each has a side wall forming portion 20, an upper side plate portion 21, and a hanging plate portion 22.

The side wall forming portion 20 is an elongated member extending in the conveying direction and is a vertical plate-like portion having a thickness in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The side wall forming portion 20 is provided with an attachment hole for attaching the fixed shaft of the conveying roller 15.
In other words, one fixed shaft of the conveying roller 15 is attached to the side wall forming portion 20 of the first frame portion 16a, and the other fixed shaft of the conveying roller 15 is attached to the side wall forming portion 20 of the second frame portion 16b, thereby supporting the conveying roller 15 on the frame member 16.

The upper plate portions 21 are flat portions that are continuous with the upper end portions of the side wall forming portions 20. In other words, the upper plate portions 21 are portions that protrude outward from the upper ends of the side wall forming portions 20 (outward in the width direction of the conveying portion 2).
The hanging plate portion 22 is a vertical plate-like portion extending downward from the protruding end (outer end portion) of the upper plate portion 21, and faces the side wall forming portion 20 at a distance in the width direction of the conveying portion 2. In this embodiment, the vertical length of the hanging plate portion 22 is shorter than the vertical length of the side wall forming portion 20.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the material handling device 3 has a housing member 30, a first material handling means 31 (contact member), and a second material handling means 32 (contact member, see Figure 2).

The housing member 30 has a top plate portion 35 and two housing side wall portions 36 .
The top plate 35 is a portion that connects the upper sides of the two housing side wall portions 36 and covers the upper part of the cargo handling means (contact members, the first cargo handling means 31 and the second cargo handling means 32). The top plate 35 extends across the upper part of the conveying section 2 (the first conveying section 10 and the second conveying section 11), with a portion of the top plate 35 being located above the conveying surface of the first conveying section 10 and the other portion being located above the conveying surface of the second conveying section 11.

The two housing side walls 36 are upright wall-like portions that are placed on and fixed to the frame member 16 of the transport unit 2. Specifically, one housing side wall 36 is placed on the first frame portion 16a of the first transport unit 10, and the other housing side wall 36 is placed on the second frame portion 16b of the second transport unit 11.
In this embodiment, as described above, a plurality (two) of conveyor devices each consisting of a first conveyor section 10 and a second conveyor section 11 are arranged in parallel. Then, one of the housing side walls 36 is placed and fixed to a side frame (first frame section 16a) of a conveyor device (first conveyor section 10) located closest to one side in the width direction of the conveyor section 2 among the plurality of conveyor devices. Also, the other housing side wall 36 is placed and fixed to a side frame (second frame section 16b) of a conveyor device (second conveyor section 11) located closest to the other side in the width direction of the conveyor section 2 among the plurality of conveyor devices.
In other words, each housing side wall portion 36 is a member that is placed on and fixed to one of a pair of side frames, and the two housing side wall portions 36 are each placed on and fixed to separate side frames that are arranged at separate positions in the width direction of the conveying section 2.

For this reason, the cargo handling means (first cargo handling means 31, second cargo handling means 32) are disposed between the two housing side walls 36. In this way, the housing side walls 36 are positioned on the outer lateral side of the cargo handling means and are disposed so as to cover the lateral side of the cargo handling means.

The housing member 30 has a load-handling means mounting portion 40 as shown in FIGS.
The cargo handling means mounting portion 40 is a member that supports the cargo handling means (first cargo handling means 31, second cargo handling means 32), and is composed of a pair of first mounting piece portion 40a and second mounting piece portion 40b.
The first mounting piece 40a and the second mounting piece 40b are each fixed to the underside of the top plate 35, and each have a vertical portion extending in the up-down direction. As shown in Fig. 3, the vertical portion of the first mounting piece 40a and the vertical portion of the second mounting piece 40b face each other at a distance in a predetermined direction, and two fixed shafts 52 (described in detail later) of the load handling means are attached to them.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first material handling means 31 has a main body 45 and a brush portion 46 (contact portion, brush member). Note that the first material handling means 31 and the second material handling means 32 are substantially the same members, and therefore the first material handling means 31 will be described in detail, and a detailed description of the second material handling means 32 will be omitted.

In this embodiment, a motor-incorporated roller is used as the main body 45 of the first material handling means 31. That is, the main body 45 has a tubular portion 50 having a substantially cylindrical outer shape, and a motor, a reducer, a circuit board, etc. are incorporated inside the tubular portion 50.
4A, both ends of the cylindrical portion 50 in the longitudinal direction are closed by closing members 51. The main body 45 has fixed shafts 52 at both ends of the cylindrical portion 50 in the longitudinal direction, and these fixed shafts 52 are attached in a state in which they can rotate relative to the closing members 51.
From the above, when the motor inside the tubular portion 50 is operated with the first cargo handling means 31 supported on the first mounting piece portion 40a and the second mounting piece portion 40b (see Figure 3), the tubular portion 50 rotates while the two fixed shafts 52 do not rotate.

The brush portion 46 has a base portion 46a and a plurality of bristle bundles protruding from the base portion 46a.
The base portion 46a is an elongated portion having a generally rectangular cross section.
The multiple bristle bundles are arranged in a row, more specifically, arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the base portion 46a. Each bristle bundle is formed including multiple elastic brush bristles (straight bristles). The brush bristles have sufficient rigidity to maintain a substantially straight extension in their natural state (when no external force is applied).

The brush portion 46 is a member that is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 50 , and in this embodiment, is attached via an attachment member 53 .
The mounting member 53 is a long and narrow metal member having an approximately rectangular parallelepiped overall shape, and is fixed integrally to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 50 by a fixing means such as screws or welding.
Also, the base portion 46a of the brush portion 46 is fixed to the mounting member 53. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 50 and the brush portion 46 are positioned on both sides of the mounting member 53. The brush portion 46 may be attached to the mounting member 53 via a temporary fastening element or the like. The "temporary fastening element" here is a type of fastening element that can be removed in principle without being destroyed. An example is a screw. The base portion 46a may be attached to the mounting member 53 in a removably manner, or may be fixed in a manner that cannot be removed in principle by a fixing means such as an adhesive.
In this embodiment, the mounting member 53 is attached to the cylindrical portion 50 so that the length direction of the mounting member 53 and the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 50 are the same. In addition, the base portion 46a is attached to the mounting member 53 so that the longitudinal direction of the mounting member 53 and the longitudinal direction of the mounting member 53 are the same.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the first material handling means 31 has multiple (three) brush portions 46. The brush portions 46 are attached at intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 50 (fixed shaft 52).

Here, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the main body portion 45 (cylindrical portion 50) is divided into a brush mounting area 55 where the brush portion 46 is mounted, and a non-brush mounting area 56 where the brush portion 46 is not mounted.
The brush attachment region 55 is a region located on one side in the longitudinal direction of the tubular portion 50, and the non-brush attachment region 56 is a region located on the other side in the longitudinal direction.
Specifically, the brush attachment region 55 extends from one end of the tubular portion 50 in the longitudinal direction, through the central portion, to a portion slightly toward the other end, and in this embodiment, the brush portion 46 is attached to a portion of the brush attachment region 55. In particular, the brush portion 46 is attached to a region extending from a position slightly away from one end of the tubular portion 50 toward the central portion, to a portion slightly toward the other end, through the central portion. On the other hand, the region between the other end of the tubular portion 50 in the longitudinal direction and a position distant from the central portion is a region where the brush portion 46 is not attached.
In other words, in the first material handling means 31 of this embodiment, the brush portion 46 is unevenly located at a position closer to one end of the longitudinal direction, and the brush portion 46 is not located in a portion adjacent to the other end of the longitudinal direction.

The first material handling means 31 is attached so as to extend in an oblique direction in plan view as shown in Fig. 5. In other words, in plan view, the longitudinal direction of the first material handling means 31 is inclined with respect to both the conveying direction of the conveying section 2 (the up-down direction in Fig. 5) and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (the left-right direction in Fig. 5).
More specifically, one end of the first load handling means 31 in the longitudinal direction, which is an end on the brush attachment region 55 (see FIG. 4 ), is disposed upstream of the other end in the conveying direction of the conveying section 2. Therefore, each brush section 46 also has a plurality of bristle bundle portions arranged diagonally in a plan view.

In the first cargo handling means 31, the brush section 46 is located on one side in the width direction of the conveying section 2 (left side in FIG. 5), whereas in the second cargo handling means 32, the brush section 46 is located on the other side in the width direction of the conveying section 2 (right side in FIG. 5). That is, in the first cargo handling means 31, the end on one side in the width direction is arranged on the upstream side, whereas in the second cargo handling means 32, the end on the other side in the width direction is arranged on the upstream side.

As shown in FIG. 5, the conveying surface of the conveying section 2 (first conveying section 10, second conveying section 11) is partitioned into an upstream region 60, a midway region 61, and a downstream region 62 in the conveying direction.
The midway region 61 is a region located below the load handling means. Specifically, when the region in which the brush part 46 moves with the rotation of the cylindrical part 50 is defined as a rotation region 65, the upstream end of the midway region 61 in the conveying direction is the same as the upstream end of the rotation region 65 in a plan view. Furthermore, the downstream end of the midway region 61 in the conveying direction is the same as the downstream end of the rotation region 65 in a plan view.
The upstream region 60 is a region located upstream of the midway region 61 in the transport direction, and the downstream region 62 is a region located downstream of the midway region 61 in the transport direction.

Although not shown in the drawings, in this embodiment, a high-friction material is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the roller body of the conveying roller 15 forming the upstream region 60. The high-friction material is an anti-slip member made of a material with a high friction coefficient such as urethane resin or rubber, and is attached so as to cover the outer circumferential surface of the roller body. In other words, the high-friction material is cylindrical, and the roller body is inserted into the part that becomes the inner hole.
In addition, a high friction material may be attached to the transport rollers 15 that form the midway region 61, and no high friction material may be attached to the transport rollers 15 that form the downstream region 62. Furthermore, a high friction material may be attached to the transport rollers 15 that form the upstream region 60 and the transport rollers 15 that form a part (upstream portion) of the midway region 61, and no high friction material may be attached to the other transport rollers 15.

Also, as shown in Figure 5, the conveying surface of the conveying section 2 (first conveying section 10, second conveying section 11) is partitioned in the width direction of the conveying section 2 into a cargo handling area 70 (one side area) and a non-cargo handling area 71 (the other side area).
The cargo handling area 70 is an area that has a portion that overlaps with the rotation area 65 in a plan view between the upstream end and the downstream end of the conveying section 2. In contrast, the non-cargo handling area 71 is an area that does not overlap with the rotation area 65 over the entire area from the upstream end to the downstream end of the conveying section 2.

As described above, in the first conveying section 10 of this embodiment, the first material handling means 31 is disposed so that the brush portion 46 is biased toward one side end in the width direction (the left end in FIG. 5).
For this reason, in the first conveying section 10, the goods handling area 70 is located at one end in the width direction (the left end in FIG. 5), and the non-goods handling area 71 is located at the other end in the width direction (the right end in FIG. 5). In contrast, in the second conveying section 11, the goods handling area 70 is located at the other end in the width direction (the right end in FIG. 5), and the non-goods handling area 71 is located at one end in the width direction (the left end in FIG. 5).
The end of the rotation area 65 in the width direction of the conveying section 2 is located above the boundary between the goods handling area 70 and the non-goods handling area 71 .

3, the first cargo handling means 31 is disposed at a height such that a gap 75 is formed between the conveying surface (the upper end of the conveying roller 15) and the brush portion 46 when the brush portion 46 is positioned at the lower end of the main body portion 45. In other words, the first cargo handling means 31 is disposed such that, when the brush portion 46 is positioned at the lower end of the main body portion 45, the lower end of the brush portion 46 is disposed at a position vertically upwardly away from the conveying surface by a predetermined distance L1.
Here, it is preferable that the predetermined distance L1 is equal to or greater than the height L2 of the transported object in a normal position. Note that the "normal position" here refers to the position of the transported object when it is transported, and is the most natural position that the transported object can assume on the transport surface when it is randomly thrown onto the transport surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport restriction member 4 is attached to the frame members 16 of the first transport section 10 and the second transport section 11. Specifically, it is attached to the second frame portion 16b of the first transport section 10 and the first frame portion 16a of the second transport section 11.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the transport regulating member 4 has an attachment plate portion 80 and a protrusion portion 81 .
The mounting plate portion 80 is a flat plate-like portion disposed on the upper plate portion 21. That is, the mounting plate portion 80 and the upper plate portion 21 are placed one on top of the other, and the mounting plate portion 80 is attached to the upper plate portion 21 via a temporary fastening element such as a screw. This brings the transport restricting member 4 into a state of being attached to the frame member 16.

The protrusion 81 is a portion that protrudes from one of the pair of side frames (the second frame portion 16b) towards the conveying surface and is disposed at a position above and spaced apart from the conveying surface.
5 and other drawings, the protrusions 81 are disposed at positions overlapping with the non-handling regions 71 in plan view. In other words, in the width direction of the first conveying section 10, the protrusions 81 are disposed around the end portion opposite the end portion adjacent to the brush section 46. The protrusions 81 are also disposed at positions upstream in the conveying direction from the handling means (first handling means 31, second handling means 32).

As shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 81 has a protruding top plate portion 81a and an inclined surface portion 81b.
The protruding top plate portion 81a is a flat plate portion integral with the mounting plate portion 80, and has a generally triangular shape in a plan view. In other words, the protruding length toward the conveying surface (the length in the width direction of the conveying section 2) becomes longer toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.
The inclined surface portion 81b is a vertical plate-like portion that hangs down from the protruding end of the protruding top plate portion 81a, and forms an inclined surface that slopes in the direction toward the cargo handling area 70 (see Figure 5, etc.) as it moves downstream in the conveying direction.

Next, the operation of the conveying device 1 of this embodiment when conveying an object will be described. Note that, although not particularly limited, it is assumed that the conveying device 1 conveys a box-shaped object, i.e., an object with an approximately rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The multiple objects to be conveyed may each have a different shape and size, or may be of the same shape and size. In the following explanation, an example is given of an object being conveyed by the first conveying section 10, and a similar explanation will be omitted for an object being conveyed by the second conveying section 11.

7, among the articles conveyed from the upstream side of the conveying section 2, those conveyed from the non-goods handling area 71 side come into contact with the inclined surface portion 81b of the conveying restriction member 4. Since the articles are urged downstream by the conveying rollers 15, they are urged downstream while in contact with the inclined surface portion 81b, and the conveying direction is changed. That is, the articles move toward the goods handling area 70 while moving downstream in the conveying direction. As a result, the articles move toward the first goods handling means 31.
In contrast, the goods transported from the goods handling area 70 side move directly toward the first goods handling means 31.

8(a), there are cases where a plurality of overlapping objects are transported in the transport device 1. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the overlapping objects are transported below the first material handling means 31, so that the brush unit 46 comes into contact with the upper object from the downstream side in the transport direction.
For convenience of drawing, part of the first material handling means 31 (the rear part in FIG. 8) is omitted in FIG.

Here, when the motor of the main body 45 is operated to rotate the cylindrical portion 50, the first cargo handling means 31 moves the brush portion 46 fixed to the cylindrical portion 50 in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 50. That is, the brush portion 46 moves in a circumferential direction of the main body 45 at a position outside the main body 45 (cylindrical portion 50) with the fixed shaft 52 of the main body 45 as the rotation axis.
Although not particularly limited, the rotation speed of the cylindrical portion 50 may be slower than the rotation speed of the transport roller 15 (drive roller).

At this time, the cylindrical portion 50 rotates so that the lower portion faces from the downstream side to the upstream side in the conveying direction, and the upper portion faces from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction.
As a result, the brush part 46 attached to the main body part 45 moves from the upper side to the lower side while moving from the downstream side to the upstream side in the transport direction, and then moves upward while moving to the upstream side in the transport direction, passing under the main body part 45. In other words, the brush part 46 moves from the downstream side to the upstream side in the transport direction while moving from the upper side to the lower side and then upward at a position lower than the center in the up-down direction of the main body part 45. Thereafter, the brush part 46 moves upward while moving from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction, passes over the upper side of the main body part 45, and moves downward while moving to the downstream side in the transport direction.

As a result, of the transported objects that are stacked vertically below the first material handling means 31, the brush section 46 comes into contact with the upper transported object from the downstream side (see FIG. 8(b)). As a result, the upper transported object is pushed (bounced) upstream by the brush section 46. This eliminates the overlap of the transported objects. Then, the transported object from which the overlap has been eliminated is transported downstream through the gap 75 (see FIG. 3).

Here, if the transported item whose overlap has been eliminated is large (its height L2 is longer than the specified distance L1, see Figure 3), when the transported item attempts to pass under the first cargo handling means 31, the transported item will come into contact with the brush portion 46.
As described above, the first cargo handling means 31 is disposed so that its longitudinal direction is inclined (a direction inclined with respect to both the conveying direction and the width direction in a plan view) (see FIG. 5, etc.). For this reason, when the transported object is large, the transported object is repelled by the brush section 46, moves from the cargo handling area 70 side to the non-cargo handling area 71 side, and is transported downstream in the non-cargo handling area 71.

Furthermore, as described above, since the first cargo handling means 31 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is diagonal, it is possible to eliminate overlapping of a greater variety of transported items compared to when the first cargo handling means 31 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is the same as the width direction of the conveying section 2.
For example, as shown in Fig. 9, even if an upper transported object overlaps with the downstream side in the transport direction, the bristle bundles arranged diagonally in parallel come into contact with the object from the diagonal front side in the traveling direction, and the upper transported object can be repelled. In other words, the upper transported object is pressed toward the non-handling area 71 (see Fig. 7, etc.) downstream, and the overlap can be eliminated.

The above-described embodiment of the material handling device 3 has a housing member 30, and an example has been described in which the material handling means mounting portion 40 is suspended from the top plate portion 35 of the housing member 30. However, the material handling device of the present invention is not limited to this.
The goods handling device may have a goods handling means attachment part 140 and goods handling means (first goods handling means 31 in FIG. 10) fixed to a frame member 16, as shown in FIG. 10. The goods handling means attachment part 140 is composed of a pair of a first attachment piece part 140a and a second attachment piece part 140b. The first attachment piece part 140a and the second attachment piece part 140b each have a flat plate-like part placed on the frame member 16 and an upright plate-like part extending upward from the flat plate-like part. Two fixed shafts 52 of the goods handling means are attached to the two upright plate-like parts spaced apart from each other.

In the above-described embodiment of the conveying device 1, two conveying devices (hereinafter also referred to as conveying systems) consisting of a first conveying section 10 and a second conveying section 11 are provided, but the number of conveying systems may be one or three or more.
In the above example, only one cargo handling means is associated with one transport system, but multiple cargo handling means may be associated with one transport system. When multiple cargo handling means are associated with one transport system, the different cargo handling means may be arranged at positions separated in the transport direction. In this case, the one cargo handling means and the other cargo handling means may be arranged so that their longitudinal directions are in the same direction (they may be arranged so that their longitudinal directions are parallel to each other), or they may be arranged so that their longitudinal directions are in different directions. For example, one cargo handling means may be arranged so that one end of the width direction of the transport section 2 is located upstream in the transport direction from the other end, and the other cargo handling means may be arranged so that one end of the width direction of the transport section 2 is located downstream in the transport direction from the other end.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a motor-integrated roller was used as the main body 45 of the cargo handling means (first cargo handling means 31, second cargo handling means 32), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the roller may be one that rotates by receiving power from an external geared motor. In this case, the roller may be a roller with gears. Also, it is not limited to rollers, and it may be a rod-shaped member or a tubular member with a shape different from a cylinder, such as a square tube. It is sufficient that the member is a long member to which the brush part 46 can be attached and has a length in a specified direction. Also, the contact part of the cargo handling means is not limited to the brush part 46, and it is sufficient that it can bounce the transported object without damaging it. For example, instead of the brush part 46, it is possible to use a thin plate-shaped member made of a material having elasticity such as rubber.

In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the goods handling means (main body 45) is supported by the goods handling means mounting portion 40 so that the longitudinal direction of the goods handling means is in an oblique direction. That is, an example has been shown in which the goods handling means (main body 45) is mounted in a position inclined with respect to both the conveying direction and the width direction in a plan view.
Here, when the cargo handling means (main body 45) is attached in such an inclined position, the inclination angle may be made changeable (adjustable). That is, the cargo handling means attachment portion may have an angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the inclination angle of the cargo handling means.
The angle adjustment mechanism may be, for example, a structure in which a mounting member capable of mounting the fixed shaft 52 of the cargo handling means is attached to the vertical plate-like portion of the cargo handling means mounting portion, and the mounting member is movable relative to the vertical plate-like portion. In this case, the mounting member may be temporarily fixed to any location within the movable range by means of bolt fastening or the like. Also, it is conceivable that one of the two mounting pieces constituting the cargo handling means mounting portion is configured to mount the fixed shaft 52 via a universal joint or the like.

In the conveying device 1 of the above-described embodiment, a guide member may be provided on the frame member 16. The guide member is a long (wall-shaped) member extending in the conveying direction, and is a member that prevents the conveyed object that has been repelled by the brush portion 46 from falling. In other words, the guide member is a member that prevents the conveyed object from falling from the conveying surface through the upper side of the frame member 16 to the outside.
For example, when the guide member is attached to the first frame portion 16a of the first transport section 10, it may be attached between the upstream end of the first frame portion 16a and the portion where the first attachment piece portion 40a is located in Fig. 5. When the guide member is attached to the second frame portion 16b of the first transport section 10, it may be provided between a position adjacent to the downstream side of the transport regulating member 4 and the portion where the second attachment piece portion 40b is located in Fig. 5.
Furthermore, when attached to the first frame portion 16a of the second transport portion 11, it may be provided between a position adjacent to the downstream side of the transport regulating member 4 and a portion where the first attachment piece portion 40a is located in Fig. 5. And, when attached to the second frame portion 16b of the second transport portion 11, it may be provided between the upstream end of the second frame portion 16b and a portion where the second attachment piece portion 40b is located in Fig. 5.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the cylindrical portion 50 is rotated such that the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 50 faces from the downstream side to the upstream side in the conveying direction and the upper portion faces from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the cylindrical portion 50 may be rotated in the opposite direction to that of the above embodiment. That is, the cylindrical portion 50 may be rotated so that the lower portion faces the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the upper portion faces the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction. In this case, the cargo handling means (main body portion 45) may be attached so that the longitudinal direction of the cargo handling means is the same as the width direction of the conveying section 2.

In the above embodiment, the goods handling means (main body 45) is attached in an inclined position, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 11(a), the goods handling means (first goods handling means 31 in Fig. 11) may be attached in a position in which the longitudinal direction is the same as the conveying direction.
11(b), the conveying device may be a junction-type conveying device having a first upstream conveyor 150, a second upstream conveyor 151, and a downstream conveyor 152. In other words, this is a conveying device in which the objects conveyed by the first upstream conveyor 150 and the second upstream conveyor 151 are introduced into the downstream conveyor 152 and are conveyed by the downstream conveyor 152.
In this case, the goods handling means (first goods handling means 31 in FIG. 11) may be provided above a junction (junction point) where the multiple upstream conveyors (first upstream conveyor 150, second upstream conveyor 151) and the downstream conveyor 152 join together. The goods handling means may be disposed so that the longitudinal direction of the goods handling means is inclined with respect to the conveying direction and width direction of each upstream conveyor in a plan view, and is the same direction as the width direction of the downstream conveyor 152.
The conveying device is not limited to a junction type conveyor device having multiple upstream conveyors and one downstream conveyor, but may be a branch type conveyor device having one upstream conveyor and multiple downstream conveyors. In this case, too, a material handling means (first material handling means 31 in FIG. 11) may be disposed at the boundary between the upstream conveyor and the multiple downstream conveyors.

1 Conveying device 2 Conveying section (conveying device)
3: Material handling device 4: Transport restriction member 31: First material handling means (contact member)
32 Second handling means (contact member)
45 Main body portion 46 Brush portion (contact portion, brush member)
70 Load handling area (one side area)
71 Non-load handling area (other side area)

Claims (5)

The system has a conveying section that conveys objects and a handling device,
The handling device has a contact member located above the conveying section,
the contact member includes a contact portion that comes into contact with an upper one of the plurality of transported objects that are vertically overlapped,
The contact portion automatically moves and comes into contact with the transported object ,
The contact member has a main body portion extending in a predetermined direction, and the contact portion is a portion attached to an outer circumferential surface of the main body portion and protruding outward,
the main body portion rotates around an axis extending in the predetermined direction, and the contact portion moves in accordance with the rotation of the main body portion;
the main body portion extends in a direction inclined with respect to both a conveying direction of the conveying portion and a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in a plan view,
the conveying section has a one-side region located on one side of a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the conveying section, and an other-side region located on the other side, and the one-side region and the other-side region are capable of conveying the conveyed object in the same direction;
A conveying device , characterized in that the contact portion is arranged above the one side region . The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact portion moves from the upper side to the lower side and then to the upper side while moving from the downstream side to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying portion. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the main body portion is a roller incorporating a motor, and the contact portion is a brush member having elastically deformable bristles. a conveyance regulating member that abuts against the conveyed object conveyed in the other side region,
the transport regulating member is disposed upstream of the contact member in the transport direction,
The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the conveyed object abuts against the conveying regulating member, the abutted conveyed object moves in a direction from the other side area toward the one side area as it moves downstream in the conveying direction. The system has a conveying section that conveys objects and a handling device,
The handling device has a contact member located above the conveying section,
the contact member includes a contact portion that comes into contact with an upper one of the plurality of transported objects that are vertically overlapped,
The contact portion automatically moves and comes into contact with the transported object,
the conveying section has a one-side region located on one side in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the conveying section, and a other-side region located on the other side, and the conveyed object can be conveyed between the one-side region and the other-side region;
The contact portion is disposed above the one side region,
a conveyance regulating member that abuts against the conveyed object conveyed in the other side region,
the transport regulating member is disposed upstream of the contact member in the transport direction,
A conveying device characterized in that the object to be conveyed abuts against the conveying regulating member, and as the abutted object moves downstream in the conveying direction, it moves in a direction from the other side area toward the one side area.

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