JPH085549B2 - Container stacking equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) It is necessary to sequentially stack containers that move in a single row or a plurality of rows by a flow operation, transfer them, or shift to the next operation in various manufacturing processes. It is about to be requested.

In such a case, the quickest way is to rely on human power, but this is extremely labor intensive, and if such work is continued for a long time due to simple work, it is Physical damage (labor accident) is likely to occur.

There is also a method of stacking moving containers using a crane, but cranes are not suitable for small work areas, and it is surprisingly troublesome to operate containers one by one to stack containers. , It is often too late in time to stack containers that move one after another.

It is possible to use a robot as another method, but the robot has a high economic cost, and the control of the work of stacking each container unexpectedly by the robot is unexpectedly complicated, and it is simple to stack the containers. Unexpectedly suitable for such tasks.

(Problems of the invention) In view of the situation as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a device that automatically stacks containers that are moved by flow work and that enables the stacking in every two rows. There is.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the configuration of the present invention has a necessary number as shown in the overall configuration diagrams of FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). Switch mechanism 1 to indicate the arrival of the container
An arm 23 elastically supported from above is rotatably projected from both sides of the central support portion 22, and lower portions 232 are extended downward from the inner projecting portion 231 of the arm 23 on both left and right sides and drooped. The contact pieces 233 project from both sides toward the inside at the lower end of the arm 23 or in the vicinity thereof, and one support plate or one support rod 24 is hung from the central support portion to contact the contact pieces on both sides. At the same level as the above, the container is grasped by providing the central contact pieces 241 projecting from the supporting plate or the supporting rod 24 on both sides and fixing the stoppers 222 for the arms on both sides below the central supporting portion 22. The tool 2, a front-rear direction drive source and a drive wheel 32 are provided, and a front-rear drive device for moving the container gripping tool 2 in the front-rear direction and a moving plate or moving rail 4 are provided. Device and transfer plate or transfer tray An elevating mechanism 5 for elevating the container 4 up and down is installed, and a sensor 6 for detecting the stacking condition of the container, the switch mechanism 1 and the information of the sensor 6 are caught, and the front-rear drive device 3 and the elevating mechanism 5 are installed. It comprises a container stacking device by having a microprocessor or a computer 7 interlocking with.

With the above configuration, the movement of the container due to the flow work is detected by the switch 1 → The container is grasped by the container grasping tool 2 → The grasping tool and the container are raised by the elevating mechanism 4 →
The container gripping tool and the gripped container are moved forward by the moving device 3 → The container gripping device and the gripped container are lowered by the elevating mechanism 4 as necessary, and the container gripping tool releases the container to stack the containers. → It is a device for performing the process of returning the container gripping tool 2 to the original position.

When a container is moved by normal flow work,
Roller conveyor or conveyor (note that FIG. 1 (a), first)
(B) shows the case where the roller conveyor 11 is used), but in the present invention, it is naturally required that the arrival of such a container is first caught by the switch.

And as a switch to detect the arrival of containers,
A photoelectric switch, a contact switch, an electronic shower switch, or the like can be used, but in any case, these switches are on or near the roller conveyor or the conveyor where the container moves and arrives (Fig. 1 (a)). , (B) shows the connection switch 1 provided on the roller conveyor.) Next, a container gripping tool, which is an important component of the present invention, will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the central support portion 22 and the projecting portions 231 of the arms 23 on both sides are rotatably joined to each other, and the arm 23 is connected to a spring or a low pressure cylinder from an upper support frame. Instrument 211 with tensile elasticity (the first
(B) In the figure, the case where a spring is used is shown in a state of being elastically suspended, and the lower portion 232 is extended downward from the protruding portion 231 of the arm 23 located on the upper side, At the lower end of the arm 23 or in the vicinity thereof, a contact piece 233 for engaging with a projecting edge on the upper side of the container is projected inward.

Further, a supporting plate or a supporting rod 24 is hung from the central supporting portion 22, and at a lower end of the supporting plate or the supporting rod 24 or in the vicinity thereof, a contact piece 233 protruding from the arm 23 and a height direction. At the same level, the central contact piece 241 is projected to both sides, and by the central contact piece 241 and the contact piece 233,
Holds two rows of containers.

In the present application, a container gripping tool for gripping a single row of containers without providing a single support plate or support rod 24 and central contact surface 241 as shown in FIG. Not not.

In FIG. 1 (b), the protruding portion 231 of the arm 23 is
The lower part 232 and the lower part 232 are substantially orthogonal to each other, but the arm 23 is not limited to such a shape, and the projecting part 231 and the lower part 232 are smoothly joined to each other, and the arm 23 is curved as a whole. There are shapes and the like.

On the other hand, a stopper 222 projects from the central support portion 22 below the upper portion of the arm.

In FIG. 1 (a), one contact piece 233 has several arms 23.
Although a case is shown in which it is projected in a state of being connected to, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a case, and a configuration in which one contact piece is provided for each arm is also conceivable.

In the device of the present application, it is indispensable that the container gripping tool 2 grips two rows of containers and then moves the containers to a stacking position.

For this purpose, the presence of a front-rear drive device for moving the container gripping tool in the front-back direction and a moving plate or moving rail is indispensable.

The front-rear drive device has a front-rear drive source (actually, an electric motor is often used) and drive wheels that interlock with the drive source.

There are various embodiments regarding the relationship with the container gripping tool, the driving device, the moving plate or the moving rail.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 (a), the moving plate 4 is fixed to the upper side of the upper frame 21 of the container gripping tool 2, and the front-rear drive unit 3 moves the moving plate in the front-back direction via the drive wheels 32. This is an embodiment to be carried out (the same structure is shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b)).

In the above-described embodiment, the moving plate 4 and the container holding tool 2 integrated with the moving plate 4 are supported by the drive device 3 via the drive wheels 31.

In the above embodiment, the drive unit 3 is the front-back drive source 3
1. The front and rear drive sources 31 are placed outside the drive wheels 32, and the base 33 is fixed to the belt or chain of the lifting mechanism 5.

In FIG. 3 (b), a drive device including a drive motor 31 and drive wheels 32 is provided above the container gripping tool 2, and the drive wheels 32 move on rails 4 for movement provided on both sides.

Instead of providing the moving rails 4 on both sides of the upper frame 21 of the container holding tool 2 as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the moving rails 4 are provided above the upper frame 21 and the container holding tool 2 is suspended on the moving rail 4. A configuration in which the drive wheels move in this state is also possible.

In FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the moving plate and the moving rail are flat plates, and the drive wheels are normal rotating wheels. An embodiment in which the moving rail is a rack having uneven teeth and the drive wheel is a pinion that meshes with the rack is also possible (the configuration of such an embodiment is self-explanatory, and the drawings relating thereto are omitted). Yes.).

By the way, in the present application, it is required not only to simply move the two rows of grasped containers in the front-rear direction, but also to raise them once and then lower them to stack them in every two rows. Inevitably, it is necessary to raise and lower not only the container gripping tool 2 but also the front-rear drive device 3 and the front-rear moving plate or moving rail 4.

In the present invention, an elevating mechanism for these is provided, which has a power source for ascending and descending and a transmission portion thereof.

The power source may be any type such as an electric motor, a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, etc., but the electric motor is optimal in terms of easiness of control.

As the transmission unit that transmits the rotation of the power source to the lifting movement,
It is usual to use a combination of a belt and a pulley or a combination of a chain and a gear, but it is also possible to use a configuration in which the rotation of a power source is transmitted to a rack on a pole by a pinion (however, a pinion and a rack are used. The structure requires extra space above and below compared to a structure using a pulley and a belt or a gear and a chain).

The front-rear drive unit 3 is fixed to an object that does not move in the front-rear direction, such as the front-rear drive unit 3 or the transfer rail 4, and these transmission units move up and down.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), when the front-rear driving device 3 does not move and the front-rear moving plate 4 moves in the front-rear direction,
The transmission part is fixed to the front-rear driving device 3, and when the front-rear driving device 3 moves integrally with the container gripping tool 2 and the moving rail 4 does not move in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. 3 (b). The transmission part is fixed to the moving rail 4.

In FIG. 4 (a), rotating pulleys 52 are provided at both ends in the vertical direction, and belts 53 that engage with the rotating pulleys 52 are stretched. (The part of the rail that is fixed to an object that does not move in the front-back direction)
The example which raises and lowers is shown.

On the other hand, in FIG. 4 (b), the same principle as that of the elevator is used, a rotating gear is provided at the upper end, and a balancing weight object 55 for balancing with the weight supported by the securing portion 56 of the chain is secured. An example is shown.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 (b), when the container gripping tool or the like holding the container is raised, the torque of the drive source required for lifting is smaller than that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 (a). Although it has the advantage of being completed, it requires extra space for providing the weight object for balancing.

In the above embodiment, the drive source is fixed, but in addition to these, a columnar rack is fixed in the height direction,
The drive source that works with the pinion that engages with this is fixed to any of the front-rear drive unit that does not move in the front-rear direction, the moving plate, and the moving rail, and the lifting drive unit itself moves up and down. However, this is not always practical in that extra torque is required to raise and lower the raising / lowering drive source itself.

By the way, in order to control the elevating mechanism and the front-rear drive device, it is indispensable to know how much the container has been stacked up to the point where the stacking is completed.

For this reason, in the present invention, a sensor for detecting the stacked state of the containers is provided at the portion where the containers are stacked.

As such a sensor, a photoelectric type sensor, a contact switch type sensor, an electronic shower type sensor, etc. can be considered.

FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show an embodiment in which the sensor 6 is installed at each height of the containers when the heights of the containers to be stacked are known in advance.

On the other hand, in FIG. 5, in order to detect the stacked state of containers of various heights, a plurality of sensors 6 are arranged in parallel in the height direction at intervals narrower than the width of a normal container, and An example is shown in which the total height of the containers generated by the stacking of the can be detected as a digital quantity.

FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b) and 5 show an embodiment in which containers are stacked one by one in the front-rear width direction of the container gripping tool 2 and the stacking state by this is caught by a sensor.

On the other hand, by the control of the front and rear drive,
It is possible to design the space for stacking the containers to be twice or more of the container gripping tool by setting the container gripping tool 2 to release the container and set it down at a plurality of positions. In order to detect the stacking status, it is required to provide a sensor for each area where the containers are stacked (in Fig. 7, a plurality of sensors are provided in the height direction of a normal container as shown in Fig. 5). It shows the case of the arrangement of the embodiment in which the heights of the containers stacked in parallel with each other at narrower intervals and stacked in three sections in the front-rear direction can be digitally displayed.

In the present application, the information about the arrival of the container by the switch mechanism 1 and the information on the stacking state of the container by the sensor 6 is detected, and accordingly, the forward and backward movement of the container gripping tool 2 by the drive device 3 and the vertical movement by the vertical movement mechanism 5 are performed. It is indispensable to have a microprocessor or a computer that generates an output signal to control the drive device and the lifting mechanism by the input from the switch mechanism that detects the arrival of the container and the sensor that detects the stacking status of the container. is there.

Further, in the above description, it is assumed that the drive device moves the gripping tool only in the front-back direction, but the container gripping tool, the front-back direction drive device 3, the moving plate or the moving rail 4 as a whole. Further, a left-right direction driving device for moving left and right in each of two widths of the container and a left-right direction moving plate or rail corresponding to the left-right direction driving device are provided. There is also a configuration in which the moving plate or the front-rear direction moving rail, the left-right direction driving device, and the left-right direction moving plate or rail are entirely moved up and down.

As a result, the gripping tool is not limited to the front-back direction,
It is also possible to move the containers in the two rows of widths in the left-right direction to stack the containers at the required location. At the bottom of the area where the containers are stacked (the area surrounded by the sensor 6 in FIG. 1 (a)), the cradle 8 is provided.
In the case where the wheels are installed and the wheels 81 are fixed to the wheels so as to be movable, it is possible to move to the next step with the containers stacked.

(Operation of the Invention) The operation of the stacking device of the present invention is as follows.

(1) As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the container 9 arrives at a position inside the arm 23 of the container gripping tool 2 by a flow operation, and when the switch 1 senses this, the input signal is a microprocessor or It is input to the computer 7.

With such an input signal, the microprocessor or computer 7 issues a command to raise the lifting mechanism 5.

(2) When the lifting mechanism tries to lift the gripping tool upward by the above command, the contact piece 233 of the arm 23 is inevitably generated.
Has a function of pushing the edge 91 of the container upward, but the arm 23 is pushed downward as shown in FIG. 7 (b) by the reaction thereto (in FIG. 7 (b),
The force by which the contact piece 233 attempts to lift the container upward is indicated by a solid arrow, and the reaction force against this is indicated by a dotted arrow. ).

Further, when the container 9 is lifted upward by the container gripping tool 2, the arm 23 is rotatably joined to the support portion 22 via the joint portion 221 by the own weight of the container 9, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 (c). As shown, it will rotate downward about the joint 221 (in this case, the weight of the container causes the elastic device 21 to lift the arm 23).
Greater than the power of one. ), This causes the contact piece 233 to
It is inclined from the outside to the inside of the container so as to face upward, and engages with the protruding edge 91 on the upper side of the container in a sufficiently meshed manner.

The state of the upper portion of the arm due to the rotation is supported by the stopper, so that the above state of the handle of the arm is maintained.

(3) After the engagement state of (2), the container gripping tool is lifted up by the elevating mechanism 5.

In this case, the container gripping tool 2 that grips the container,
The front-rear drive device 3, the moving plate or the moving rail 4 can be lifted to a certain height. In this case, how much the height should be raised is input from a sensor 6 that senses the stacking condition of the containers. Is determined by a command from the microprocessor or the computer 7 to the elevating mechanism 5.

(4) After being lifted to a certain height by the elevating mechanism 5, the container gripping tool 2 is moved forward by the front-rear drive device 3 (in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 (a), the container gripping tool 2 is driven by the drive device). The moving plate 4 located on the upper part of the
(B) In the embodiment shown in the figure, the drive motor 31 and the drive wheel 32, which form the front-rear drive unit installed in the upper frame of the container gripping tool 2, move together with the container gripping tool 2 along the moving rail 4. To do. ).

(5) The part where the container gripping tool 2 stacks the containers (the part sandwiched between the sensors 6 in FIG. 1 (a))
After reaching, the container gripping tool 2 has already been stacked at the lowest position (usually the cradle 8 is installed as shown in FIG. 1 (a)) for stacking the containers that it has gripped and transported. Place it on the container.

As a result, the relationship between the grasping tool and the container is
After returning from the state of FIG. 7 (c) to the state of FIG. 7 (b) and further placing the grasped container on the lowest portion to be stacked or on the already stacked container, the container gripping tool 2 The arm 23 releases the container and returns to a state in which it is elastically supported from above as shown in FIGS. 1 (c) and 2.

(6) After that, the container gripping tool returns to the rear along the front-rear moving frame or rail, and further descends and returns to the site where the container arrives by the elevating mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the containers are stacked at two or more positions where the container gripping tool is stacked, the micro is detected based on the input of the sensor that detects the stacked state. The processor or computer controls the distance that the container gripping tool 2 moves in the front-rear direction, and the container gripping tool 2 releases the containers in each area and stacks the containers.

When not only the front-back direction but also the left-right direction moving device and the left-right direction moving frame or the left-right direction moving rail corresponding thereto are provided, the container gripping tool 2 is Not only in the front-back direction,
The containers as described above are released while moving in the left-right direction as well, whereby the containers are stacked.

(Effects of the Invention) With the container stacking apparatus of the present invention as described above, it is possible to automatically stack containers that sequentially arrive in sequence by two lines in sequence.

Such automatic operation can be continuously performed if the amount of arrival of the container and the speed of raising and lowering and moving the container gripping tool are matched.

As described above, when the containers are automatically stacked in every two rows according to the present invention, it becomes possible to smoothly shift to the subsequent transportation work or the next process.

As described above, the present invention is epoch-making in that the container stacking work, which has hitherto been an obstacle to automation, is completely automatic, and its value is extremely high.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 (a), 1 (b): side view and front view showing the overall configuration of the present invention FIG. 2: front view showing an embodiment of a container holding tool for holding one row of containers 3 Figure (a): Sketch of an embodiment in which the front-rear drive unit does not move, and the moving plate provided on the upper part of the container gripping tool moves in the front-rear direction. Figure 3 (b): Front-rear drive unit does not move, Sketches of an embodiment fixed to the upper frame of the container gripping tool and moving in the front-rear direction along a moving rail. Figs. 4 (a) and 4 (b): side view showing an embodiment of a lifting mechanism 5 Fig. 6, Fig. 6: Side view of an embodiment showing the arrangement state of sensors for detecting the stacking state of containers 7 (a)
Figure, Figure 7 (b), Figure 7 (c): Side view or front view showing the configuration in which the container gripping tool grips the container 1: Switch mechanism for detecting the arrival of the container 11: Conveyor roller 2: Container gripping tool, 21: Upper frame, 211: Elastic device for arm 22: Center support part 221: Joint part of center support and arm 222: Stopper 2221: Adjustment bolt provided on the stopper 23: Arm, 231: Arm Protruding part 232: a part extending below the arm 24: a supporting plate or a supporting rod hanging from the central supporting part 241: a central contact piece 3: a front-rear driving device, 31: a driving motor 32: a driving wheel, 33: Drive motor base 4: Moving frame or moving rail 5: Lifting mechanism, 51: Driving source for lifting mechanism 52: Rotating pulley or rotating gear 53: Belt or chain 54: From driving source to rotating gear or rotating pulley Belts or chains that transmit rotation 55: balancing heavy objects, 56: Fixed part 6: Sensor that detects the stacking status of containers 7: Microprocessor or computer 8: Cradle, 81: Rotating wheel of the cradle 9: Container 91: Upper protruding edge of the container

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A switch mechanism for indicating the arrival of a required number of containers, an arm elastically supported from above is rotatably projected from both sides of a central support portion, and the projecting portions are provided on the left and right sides in front of the arm. At the lower end of the hanging arm or in the vicinity thereof, contact pieces project inwardly from both sides, and one support plate or one support rod is provided from the central support portion. It consists of a central contact piece that hangs down and protrudes from the support plate or support rod to both sides at the same level as the contact pieces on both sides, and stoppers for both arms are fixed below the central support portion. A container gripping tool, a front-rear direction drive source, and a drive wheel are provided, and a front-back drive device that moves the container gripping tool in the front-rear direction and a moving plate or rail for moving the container gripping tool are provided. The con A grasping tool and the front-rear drive device, an elevating mechanism for elevating the moving plate or moving rail in the vertical direction are installed, and a sensor for detecting the stacking state of the container, the switch mechanism, and the information of the sensor are caught, and By providing a front-rear drive device and a microprocessor or computer that works with the lifting mechanism,
Container stacking device that can hold two rows of containers and stack two rows of containers. 2. A moving plate is fixed to the upper part of the container gripping tool, the front-rear driving device does not move in the front-rear direction, but moves the moving plate back and forth, and the front-rear driving device constitutes an elevating mechanism. The container stacking device according to claim 1, which is fixed to a belt, a chain, or a rack. 3. A front-rear drive device is fixed to a container gripping tool, the container gripping tool is moved in the front-rear direction along a moving rail, and the moving rail is fixed to a belt, a chain or a rack constituting an ascending / descending function. The container stacking device according to claim 1, wherein the container stacking device is provided. 4. A drive wheel of the front-rear drive device is a wheel, and a portion of the moving plate or the moving rail that comes into contact with the wheel is
The container stacking device according to claim (1), which is flat. 5. The drive wheel of the front-rear drive device is a pinion, and the moving plate or the moving rail has a rack that meshes with the pinion. The described container stacking device. 6. The container stacking device according to claim 1, wherein pulleys or gears that constitute an elevating function are provided at both upper and lower ends, and belts or chains are stretched over the pulleys or gears, respectively. . 7. A balance weight object is fixed to one side of a belt or a chain that engages with a pulley or a gear that constitutes an elevating mechanism, respectively. 1) The container stacking device described above. 8. The height of a container to be stacked at a portion where the containers are stacked is set in advance, and a sensor is provided in accordance with each stacking height step. The described container stacking device. 9. A plurality of sensors are arranged side by side in the stacking height direction in the stacking height direction at intervals smaller than the width of the normal container height, and the stacked container heights are digitalized. The container stacking device according to claim (1), which is capable of being perceived. 10. The container stacking device according to claim 1, wherein the space for stacking the containers is approximately equivalent to the front-back width of the container gripping tool. 11. The container stacking device according to claim 1, wherein the space for stacking the containers is designed to be at least twice the front-back width of the container gripping tool. 12. A container gripping device, a front-rear drive device, a front-rear drive device, which is provided with a left-right moving device and a left-right moving rail or a moving frame on a front-rear driving device of the container holding tool and a front-rear moving rail or a moving frame. Claims that enable not only the moving plate or moving rail, but also the left-right moving device and the left-right moving plate or moving rail to be raised and lowered, thereby allowing the containers to be stacked in the left-right direction of the gripping tool ( 1) The container stacking device described above. 13. The container stacking device according to claim 1, further comprising: a transfer table for transferring the stacked containers below a portion where the containers are stacked.