JP7461060B2 - Article separation and feeding equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a separation and supply device that separates and supplies a predetermined number of items conveyed by a transport conveyor.

2. Description of the Related Art A supply device that separates articles conveyed by a conveyor into a predetermined number of article groups and supplies them to a post-processing section has been proposed in Patent Document 1. In the feeding device disclosed in Patent Document 1, an endless chain having a plurality of fingers spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance is movably disposed below a conveyor that conveys articles in a pressed state, and the fingers are connected to the conveyor. By protruding above the conveyance surface and running at a slower speed than the conveyor, a predetermined number of articles are separated from the group of articles conveyed in a pressed state, and the separated group of articles is run at a faster speed than the fingers. The article is separated from the group of articles on the upstream side and conveyed to the downstream side by a conveyor.

Publication No. 7-18653

In the feeding device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the fingers enter from below the conveyor between the articles before and after being conveyed by the conveyor, the fingers push up the bottom of the article and knock it down, making it necessary to stop the operation. Problems that arise are pointed out. There is also the problem that the fingers may scratch the side of the article and cause damage. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that a group of articles whose fingers are submerged from the conveyance surface of the conveyor and are no longer supported by the fingers may fall over depending on the height of the articles because they are accelerated by the conveyor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an article separation and supply device that can separate and stably supply articles conveyed by a conveyor as a group of articles in a predetermined number without overturning or damaging the articles.

The article separation and supply device of the invention according to claim 1 of the present application includes:
An article separation and supply device that separates articles (10) conveyed in multiple rows by a conveyor (11) into a predetermined number of article groups (14) and supplies them onto a sheet-like member (17),
damming means (12) disposed between each row of articles (10) conveyed by the conveyor (11) and damming the articles (10) in each row by moving to a damming position;
It is disposed on the side of the conveyor (11) and downstream of the damming means (12) in the conveyance direction of the article (10), and moves forward and backward with respect to the conveyance path of the article (10), a movement limiting means (13) that reciprocates back and forth in the conveyance direction;
A front support member (32) disposed above the conveyance path and capable of supporting the front side of the article group (14) in the conveyance direction, and a rear support member (32) capable of supporting the rear side of the article group (14) in the conveyance direction. 33) spaced apart in the conveyance direction, and a transfer means (16) capable of moving both support members (32, 33) forward and backward with respect to the conveyance path, as well as reciprocating back and forth in the conveyance direction. ,
When the dam is released by the damming means (12), the first article (10) conveyed by the conveyor (11) advances into the conveyance path and is moved at a speed slower than the article conveyance speed by the conveyor (11). restricting the conveyance of the article (10) by being received by the movement restricting means (13) that moves downstream;
As the movement restricting means (13) moves downstream, the last article (10) separated as a group of articles (14) conveyed by the conveyor (11) passes through the damming means (12). At the position where the movement restriction means (13) is stopped, the damming means (12) is moved to the damming position to dam the subsequent article (10),
The movement of the movement restricting means (13) to the downstream side is restarted, and a conveyance path is created between the article (10) that is dammed by the damming means (12) and the last article (10). The rear support member (33) is advanced into the gap (T), and the movement limiter is moved to the vicinity of the front support member (32) which advances into the conveyance path and waits downstream from the movement restriction means (13). exiting the means (13) from the conveyance path;
sandwiching the article group (14) from the front and back between the front support member (32) and the rear support member (33) extending into the conveyance path, and moving both support members (32, 33) to the downstream side; The present invention is characterized in that the article group (14) is configured to be supplied onto a sheet-like member (17) positioned downstream of the conveyor (11).
According to the invention according to claim 1, the articles are dammed by the damming means located between the rows of articles, and the articles are dammed by the movement restricting means that advances into the conveyance path from the side of the conveyor downstream of the damming means. Since the articles are separated as a group of a predetermined number of articles, it is possible to suitably separate the article group from subsequent articles without knocking over or damaging the articles. In addition, since the front side of the group of articles separated from the following articles is supported by the movement limiting means that moves at a speed slower than the conveyance speed of the conveyor, the group of articles is moved downstream, so that the group of articles can be stably moved downstream. can be moved to. Furthermore, since the movement restricting means moves to the vicinity of the front support member waiting on the downstream side and leaves the conveyance path, the separation distance between the article that is no longer supported by the restriction member and the front support member is short. , it is possible to suppress the disorder of the row of articles due to the reaction when the articles come into contact with the front support member. Furthermore, since the separated group of articles is transferred while being held from the front and back by the support member, it is possible to feed the articles onto the sheet-like member without tipping them over, thereby preventing situations such as stopping the operation from occurring. It can be prevented.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the front support member (32) is provided with an alignment guide (44) extending toward the upstream side in the conveying direction so as to be positioned between each row of articles (10) conveyed by the transport conveyor (11).
According to the invention of claim 2, when transporting a group of articles held between the front and rear support members, the widthwise movement of the articles in each row can be regulated by the alignment guide, thereby preventing the alignment of the articles from being disturbed. Therefore, a group of articles in an aligned state can be supplied onto the sheet-like material, and box-making processes, etc. can be performed smoothly on the sheet-like material.

In the invention according to claim 3, a side guide (18) is provided which extends along the conveying direction and defines a conveying lane (19) for each row of articles (10) in the conveying path,
The side guide (18) is characterized in that it is configured so as to be movable and adjustable integrally with the damming means (12) in the width direction intersecting with the conveying direction.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the articles can be appropriately guided and blocked in accordance with changes in the size of the articles.

In the invention according to claim 4, the damming means (12) is an arc-shaped plate member having a concave surface extending in the vertical direction,
The blocking means (12) is characterized in that it is configured to rotate about an axis in the vertical direction and block the article (10) on the concave side at the blocking position.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the side end portion of the plate member bent in an arc shape can be easily inserted between the front and rear articles, and the articles can be appropriately blocked.

According to the present invention, the articles are dammed by the damming means located between the rows of articles, and the articles are moved while being restricted from being conveyed by the conveyor by the movement restricting means located downstream of the damming means. Since a predetermined number of articles can be collected and separated into a group, a predetermined number of articles can be collected without knocking over or damaging the articles. In addition, since the group of articles is held and transferred from the front and rear by the front and rear support members, the group of articles can be fed onto the sheet-like member in an aligned state without overturning the articles, thereby preventing processing defects in the boxing section. I won't invite you.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a separation and supply device. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a separation and supply device. 4 is a schematic diagram of the separating and supplying device as viewed from the downstream side in the article conveying direction. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a stopper and an article. FIG. 11 is a process diagram for separating a group of articles and supplying them to a packing section.

Next, preferred embodiments of the article separation and supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the article separation and supply apparatus according to the embodiment includes a conveyor 11 that continuously conveys articles 10 in multiple rows, and a damming means for damming the articles 10 conveyed by the conveyor 11. 12, a movement restriction means 13 that moves downstream while restricting the conveyance of the articles 10 by releasing the damming by the damming means 12; A conveying means 16 is provided for sandwiching the group of articles 14 from the front and back and feeding them onto a corrugated cardboard sheet (sheet-like member) 17 positioned downstream of the conveyor 11. A wrap-around caser (not shown) is disposed downstream of the conveyor 11, and the corrugated cardboard sheet 17 taken out from the magazine of the caser is placed in a bottom panel constituting the body in the boxing section 15 adjacent to the downstream of the conveyor 11. Each of the side panels 17b, 17b connected to the side panel 17a is bent upward and placed in a half-upright state with an opening in the direction in which the article 10 is conveyed by the conveyor 11 (article conveyance direction). Note that a top panel 17c is connected to one side panel 17b at an end spaced apart from the bottom panel 17a. Then, the group of articles 14 is fed by the transfer means 16 onto the bottom panel 17a through the side opening. In the embodiment, the article 10 will be described as a PET bottle in which the cap 10b attached to the mouth of the body 10a has a small diameter and the body 10a is cylindrical, but the product 10 may be made of glass or metal. It may be a container or other article.

The conveyor 11 conveys the PET bottles 10 by placing them on the conveying surface of the endless conveyor 11a that runs continuously in one direction on the goods conveying path (conveying path). As shown in FIG. 2, the goods conveying path has a plurality of side guides 18 (five in the embodiment) spaced apart from the conveying surface and extending along the goods conveying direction, and a conveying lane 19 is defined between adjacent side guides 18, 18 along which the PET bottles 10 are conveyed in a single line. In the embodiment, four conveying lanes 19 are defined in parallel on the goods conveying path. The side guides 18 are set to guide the body 10a of the PET bottle 10. Although not shown, a sorting device is disposed upstream of the conveyor 11, and the PET bottles 10 conveyed in a single line from the upstream side of the sorting device are sorted to each conveying lane 19 by the sorting device. In addition, a table 45 is provided between the end of the conveyor 11 and the packing section 15, and the group of items 14 on the conveyor are slid along the table 45 by the transfer means 16 and supplied onto the bottom panel 17a of the packing section 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, fixed frames 20, 20 are arranged on both sides of the article conveying path in the width direction, and a plurality of guide shafts 21 (two in this embodiment) extending in the width direction are installed in parallel between the fixed frames 20, 20 above the article conveying path. A reference support 22 is fixed to the center of the guide shaft 21 in the extension direction (width direction), and two movable supports 23 are supported on the guide shaft 21 to be movable on the left and right sides at a distance from the reference support 22 in the width direction. A damming device 24 is respectively arranged on the four supports 22, 23, i.e., the reference support 22 and the three movable supports 23 excluding the movable support 23 located on the outermost side in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the damming device 24 includes a stopper 12 as the damming means supported rotatably around an axis in the vertical direction relative to the supports 22, 23, and an operating means 25 consisting of an air cylinder or the like that rotates the stopper 12 at a predetermined angle. The stopper 12 is a plate-like member that is long in the vertical direction, and is disposed between the transport lanes 19, 19 (between the rows of PET bottles 10), and extends downward to a position where it can abut against the body 10a of the PET bottle 10 at a predetermined length. The operating means 25 is configured to rotate the stopper 12 to position the stopper 12 at a blocking position (solid line position in FIG. 4) where the stopper 12 protrudes into the corresponding transport lane 19 and can abut against the body 10a of the PET bottle 10, and at a blocking release position (double-dotted chain line position in FIG. 4) where the stopper 12 does not protrude into the transport lane 19 and allows the PET bottle 10 to be transported. The stopper 12 is an arc-shaped plate member with a concave surface that extends in the vertical direction, and is set so that in the blocking release position, an open end (side end) that is separated from the rotation axis faces downstream in the article transport direction, and in the blocking position, the open end faces diagonally to the side. In the embodiment, the stopper 12 is configured so that in the blocking position, the concave side abuts against the body 10a of the plastic bottle 10 to block the plastic bottle 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cylindrical bodies 10a, 10a of the front and rear PET bottles 10, 10 being transported in a pushing manner on the transport lane 19 come into contact with each other, forming a concave space S that opens to the side between the two PET bottles 10, 10. The stopper 12 is configured to move from the blocking release position to the blocking position when the space S between the front and rear PET bottles 10, 10 being transported on the transport conveyor 11 reaches the stopper 12's installation position, thereby blocking the space S by abutting against the body 10a of the rear PET bottle 10.

The side guide 18 is disposed on the reference support 22 at the center of the width of the article conveying path, and each movable support 23 is disposed at a corresponding position so as to move integrally with the movable support 23. An adjustment screw 26 is rotatably supported between the fixed frames 20, and the central portion of the adjustment screw 26 where no thread is provided is rotatably supported on the reference support 22. The adjustment screw 26 has a right-handed thread on a portion extending from the reference support 22 toward one fixed frame 20, and a left-handed thread on a portion extending toward the other fixed frame 20. The two movable supports 23 spaced apart on one side of the width direction relative to the reference support 22 are screwed into the right-handed thread via a female screw member (not shown), and the two movable supports 23 spaced apart on the other side of the width direction relative to the reference support 22 are screwed into the left-handed thread via a female screw member (not shown). The adjustment screw 26 is provided with an adjustment handle (not shown), and by rotating the adjustment screw 26 clockwise or counterclockwise with the adjustment handle, the four movable supports 23 move toward or away from the reference support 22, and the distance between the reference support 22 and the movable supports 23 on both sides of the reference support 22, and the distance between the opposing movable supports 23, 23 can be adjusted to be the same. In other words, by moving each movable support 23 in the width direction relative to the reference support 22, the stopper 12 and side guide 18 can be moved and adjusted in the width direction according to the article size. In this embodiment, the adjustment screw 26 and the supports 22, 23 form an adjustment means for moving and adjusting the stopper 12 and side guide 18.

A restricting device 27 including a restricting member 13 as the movement restricting means capable of restricting the conveyance of the PET bottles 10 conveyed by the conveyor 11 is disposed downstream from the position where the stopper 12 is disposed. ing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the restriction devices 27 are disposed opposite to each other on both sides of the conveyor 11 in the width direction, and both restriction devices 27, 27 move the restriction members 13, 13 synchronously. controlled to do so. Each restricting device 27 includes a restricting member 13, an air cylinder (advancing/retracting means) 28 that moves the restricting member 13 forward and backward with respect to the article conveyance path, and, together with the air cylinder 28, moves the restricting member 13 back and forth in the article conveying direction. A moving mechanism 29 capable of reciprocating movement is provided. The air cylinder 28 is configured to position the restriction member 13 in the width direction at a retracted position where it is retracted outward from the article conveyance path and a restriction position where it can advance into the article conveyance path and come into contact with the plastic bottle 10. Ru. The restriction member 13 is a plate-shaped member, and the height position at the restriction position is set to a position where it can come into contact with the lower side of the body 10a of the PET bottle 10 conveyed from the upstream side. In the embodiment, of the PET bottles 10 conveyed in four rows by the conveyor 11, the conveyance of two bottles at a time is restricted by the left and right restricting members 13, 13, respectively.

2, the moving mechanism 29 of the limiting device 27 is a linear slide mechanism operated by a drive motor 30 such as a servo motor, and the moving mechanism 29 extends along the article conveying direction. The moving mechanism 29 is configured to move the air cylinder 28 back and forth in the article conveying direction. The moving mechanism 29 is configured to stop the limiting member 13 positioned at the limiting position at a limiting start position P1 (a position shown in a position close to the damming device 24 in FIG. 2) located downstream of the PET bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12, a separation position P2 (a position shown in a ... As shown in FIG. 5(b), the separation position P2 is the position where the rearmost PET bottle 10 of the group of items 14 to be separated (in this embodiment, the sixth bottle from the front of the group of items 14) passes through the stopper 12, and the front PET bottle 10 of the next group of items 14 following the rearmost PET bottle 10 is set to a position where it can be blocked by the stopper 12. With the restricting member 13 stopped at the separation position P2, the stopper 12 moves from the blocking release position to the blocking position, blocking the front PET bottle 10 of the next group of items 14 (see FIG. 4). Also, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the end position P3 is set to a position that defines a gap T that allows the rear support member 33 of the transfer means 16 to advance into the item conveying path between the PET bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12 and the rearmost PET bottle 10 of the preceding group of items 14.

When moving the restricting member 13 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the item conveying direction, the moving mechanism 29 is set to move the restricting member 13 downstream at a speed slower than the running speed (conveying speed) of the conveying body in the conveyor 11. When moving the restricting member 13 from the downstream side to the upstream side in the item conveying direction, the moving mechanism 29 is set to move the restricting member 13 at a speed faster than when moving from the upstream side to the downstream side. In addition, the air cylinder 28 is set to advance the restricting member 13 positioned at the retracted position corresponding to the start position P1 to the retracted position to advance it into the item conveying path, and to retract the restricting member 13 positioned at the retracted position at the end position P3 to the retracted position to exit the item conveying path.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the group of articles 14 separated by the restriction devices 27, 27 is placed in the boxing section 15 on a support frame 31 disposed above the conveyor 11 (transport path). The transfer means 16 for transferring (supplying) the corrugated cardboard sheet 17 is disposed on the bottom panel 17a of the corrugated cardboard sheet 17. The transfer means 16 includes a front support member 32 that can support the front side (downstream end side) of the article group 14 in the article conveyance direction, and a rear support member 32 that can support the rear side (upstream end side) of the article group 14 in the article conveyance direction. The support member 33 is spaced apart from each other in the article conveyance direction. The transfer means 16 also includes lifting mechanisms 34 and 35 that move the support members 32 and 33 up and down in the vertical direction so as to move them forward and backward with respect to the article conveyance path, and lift mechanisms 34 and 35 that move the support members 32 and 33 back and forth in the article conveyance direction. It includes reciprocating mechanisms 36 and 37 that reciprocate. The front reciprocating mechanism 36 that reciprocates the front support member 32 and the rear reciprocating mechanism 37 that reciprocates the rear support member 33 have the same configuration, and each reciprocating mechanism 36, 37 is disposed on the support frame 31. A slider 39 is movably supported by a rail member 38 that extends along the article conveyance direction, and is provided with corresponding lifting mechanisms 34 and 35. A cable-like body 41 such as an endless belt running along the cable is connected. By moving the cable body 41 back and forth in the article conveyance direction by the servo motor 40, the corresponding support members 32 and 33 can be independently reciprocated back and forth in the article conveyance direction. The reciprocating mechanisms 36 and 37 feed the group of articles 14 separated on the conveyor 11 to the boxing section 15 with the front and rear support members 32 and 33 sandwiching the group of articles 14 from the front and back. Further, the rear reciprocating mechanism 37 moves the rear support member 33 from the front support member 32 to a position spaced apart from the length of the article group 14 in the transport direction, and from the front and back between the article group 14 and the front support member 32. It is configured so that it can be moved to a position where it can be held.

The front lifting mechanism 34 that raises and lowers the front support member 32 and the rear lifting mechanism 35 that raises and lowers the rear support member 33 have the same configuration and use a linear slide mechanism operated by a drive motor 42 such as a servo motor. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, in each lifting mechanism 34, 35, the corresponding front support member 32 or rear support member 33 is disposed on a moving body 43 that is moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 34, 35. The lifting mechanisms 34, 35 are configured to raise and lower the corresponding support members 32, 33 between an upper retracted position that does not interfere with the plastic bottles 10 moving on the article conveying path and a support position that can support the plastic bottles 10 moving on the article conveying path.

The front reciprocating mechanism 36 moves the front support member 32 positioned at the support position to a standby position M1 (Fig. 2 2) and a supply position M2 (position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) near the rear end of the bottom panel 17a located in the boxing section 15 away from the conveyor 11. Further, the rear reciprocating mechanism 37 moves the rear support member 33 positioned at the support position to the rearmost PET bottle 10 of the preceding article group 14 when the restriction members 13, 13 stop at the separation position P2. and the standby position N1 facing the gap T between the plastic bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12 (dotted chain line position in FIG. 2), and close to the conveyor 11 at the bottom panel 17a located in the boxing section 15. It is configured to be positioned at a supply position N2 (position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) near the front end.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front support member 32 has alignment guides 44 that extend toward the upstream side in the article conveyance direction and are spaced apart in the width direction so as to be located between each row of the article group 14. They are arranged parallel to each other. The alignment guide 44 is set to have a length extending from the first PET bottle 10 to the last PET bottle 10 between each row in the article group 14 . Further, the alignment guide 44 is set to be located at a height corresponding to the vicinity of the lower end portions of the caps 10b, 10b of the adjacent PET bottles 10, 10 at the support position of the front support member 32.

Next, the operation of the article separating and supplying device according to the embodiment will be described.
As shown in Figures 2 and 5(a), the PET bottles 10 transported from the upstream side along each transport lane 19 of the transport conveyor 11 are regulated in their transport by the corresponding stoppers 12 positioned at the blocking position, and the PET bottles 10 transported from the upstream side by the continuously running transport conveyor 11 abut against the leading PET bottle 10 whose transport is regulated by the stopper 12, and their transport is restricted, so that the multiple PET bottles 10 are successively blocked and stored in a pushing and shoving state.

The left and right limiting members 13, 13 located at the outer retracted position corresponding to the starting position P1 are moved forward to the limiting position by the corresponding air cylinders 28, 28, thereby moving the limiting members 13, 13 to the starting position P1. Positioned in When a detection means (not shown) detects that the number of PET bottles 10 to be dammed by the stoppers 12 has reached a predetermined number (24 bottles in the embodiment), the actuating means 25 of all the damming devices 24 cause the stoppers to be stopped. 12 from the damming position to the damming release position. As a result, the PET bottle 10 that has been blocked is transported downstream by the continuously running transport conveyor 11. When the damming by the stopper 12 is released, the limiting devices 27, 27 cause the moving mechanisms 29, 29 to start moving the limiting members 13, 13 downstream. Since the movement speed of the restriction member 13 is slower than the article conveyance speed of the conveyor 11, the first PET bottle 10 conveyed by the conveyor 11 catches up with the restriction member 13 by releasing the damming by the stopper 12, and movement is restricted. As the restriction member 13 moves, a plurality of PET bottles 10 are gathered in a pressed state from the first PET bottle 10 upstream and moved downstream on the conveyor 11.

When the last PET bottle 10 in the preceding article group 14 passes through a position where it can be blocked by the stopper 12 of the damming device 24, the limiting devices 27, 27 close the limiting member as shown in FIG. 5(b). 13, 13 are stopped at the separation position P2. Then, the damming device 24 moves the stopper 12 to the damming position, dams the PET bottle 10 that becomes the head of the next group of articles 14, and separates the preceding group of articles 14 from the next group of articles. Thereafter, the restriction devices 27, 27 restart the movement of the restriction members 13, 13 to the downstream side, and accordingly, the predetermined number of articles 14 are moved downstream with their front ends supported by the restriction members 13, 13. As shown in FIG. 5(c), a gap T is formed between the last plastic bottle 10 and the plastic bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12.

Before the restricting members 13, 13 reach the separation position P2, the transfer means 16 moves the front and rear support members 32, 33, which are positioned in the retreat position by the front and rear reciprocating mechanisms 36, 37, to above the waiting positions M1, N1, and lowers the front support member 32 by the front lifting mechanism 34, and advances the front support member 32 into the article conveying path downstream of the restricting members 13, 13 moving downstream to position it at the support position (see FIG. 5(b)). When the restricting members 13, 13 move to the end position P3, which is near the front support member 32 waiting at the support position, the restricting devices 27, 27 move the restricting members 13, 13 from the limiting position to the retreat position by the air cylinders 28, 28. When the restricting members 13, 13 move to the retreat position, the group of articles 14 is conveyed downstream by the conveyor 11, and the leading PET bottle 10 abuts against the front support member 32 already waiting at the support position, restricting the conveyance. Then, the transfer means 16 lowers the rear support member 33 by the rear lift mechanism 35 and advances it into the gap T to position the rear support member 33 at the support position (see FIG. 5(c)). Then, the transfer means 16 advances the rear support member 33 by the rear reciprocating mechanism 37, and when the rear support member 33 abuts against the rearmost PET bottle 10 of the group of articles 14 from behind, the front support member 32 begins to advance by the front reciprocating mechanism 36, thereby moving the group of articles 14 downstream while clamping it from the front and rear (see FIG. 5(d)). The transfer means 16 moves the front and rear support members 32, 33 that are clamping the group of articles 14 to the supply positions M2, N2, so that the group of articles 14 is supplied onto the bottom panel 17a of the cardboard sheet 17 that is placed in a semi-raised state in the boxing section 15.

The limiting devices 27, 27, which have moved the limiting members 13, 13 to the end position P3 and to the retracted position, use the moving mechanisms 29, 29 to move the limiting members 13, 13 to the retracted position corresponding to the start position P1, and then use the air cylinders 28, 28 to advance the limiting members 13, 13 from the side into the gap T between the last PET bottle 10 of the group of items 14 and the PET bottle 10 blocked by the stopper 12, positioning them at the limiting position (start position P1) and waiting for the separation of the next group of items 14. In addition, the transfer means 16, which has supplied the group of items 14 to the bottom panel 17a, raises the support members 32, 33 to the retracted position using the lifting mechanisms 34, 35, and then positions each support member 32, 33 above the transport conveyor 11 corresponding to the standby positions M1, N1 and waits for the transfer of the next group of items 14.

In the separation and supply device of the embodiment, the stopper 12 located between the rows of PET bottles 10 dams up the PET bottles 10, and the restricting members 13, 13 extending laterally into the article conveyance path downstream of the stopper 12 prevent the PET bottles 10 from being blocked. Since the bottles 10 are separated as an article group 14 in which a predetermined number of bottles 10 are collected, the article group 14 can be suitably separated from subsequent PET bottles 10 without knocking over or damaging the PET bottles 10. That is, unlike the conventional device, the fingers do not protrude from below the conveying surface, so there is no risk of the PET bottle 10 being pushed up and knocked down. Further, the restriction members 13, 13 for collecting a predetermined number of PET bottles 10 block the article conveyance path from the side of the conveyor at a position spaced downstream from the PET bottles 10 blocked by the stopper 12 (restriction start position P1). Since the restricting members 13, 13 advance to the article conveyance path and wait in advance, the plastic bottle 10 is not scratched and damaged when the restricting members 13, 13 advance to the article conveyance path. Moreover, since the front side of the article group 14 separated from the following PET bottles 10 is supported by the limiting members 13, 13 that move at a speed slower than the article conveyance speed of the conveyor 11, the article group 14 is moved downstream. The group of articles 14 can be stably moved downstream. Further, the restriction members 13, 13 move close to the front support member 32 waiting at the standby position M1 and exit from the article conveyance path, so that the article group 14, which is no longer supported by the restriction members 13, 13, The separation distance between the leading PET bottle 10 and the front support member 32 is short, and it is possible to suppress the disorder of the row of the article group 14 due to the reaction when the leading PET bottle 10 contacts the front support member 32. Furthermore, since the separated article group 14 is sandwiched from the front and rear by the front and rear support members 32 and 33 and supplied onto the bottom panel 17a of the corrugated cardboard sheet 17 positioned in the boxing section 15, the PET bottle 10 cannot be tipped over. The corrugated paperboard sheet 17 can be fed onto the corrugated paperboard sheet 17 without any problems, and the corrugated paperboard sheet 17 can be formed into a box well, and it is possible to prevent a situation such as a stoppage of operation from occurring.

In the separation and supply device of the embodiment, the front support member 32 of the transfer means 16 is provided with an alignment guide 44 that extends between each row of the article group 14, so that the articles are held between the front and rear support members 32, 33 from the front and back. When transporting the article group 14, the movement of the PET bottles 10 in the width direction is restricted by the alignment guide 44, thereby preventing the article group 14 from being disordered, such as becoming staggered. That is, it is possible to supply the group of articles 14 in an aligned state onto the bottom panel 17a of the boxing section 15, and to prevent any hindrance to the box-forming process of the corrugated cardboard sheets 17 in the boxing section 15. I can do it. Furthermore, since the stopper 12 is configured to have an arc shape with a concave surface extending in the vertical direction, and rotate around an axis in the vertical direction to dam the PET bottle 10 on the concave surface side at the damming position, the side end of the stopper 12 (the end spaced apart from the rotating shaft) can be easily inserted between the PET bottles 10, 10 in a row in front and behind, and the PET bottles 10 on the rear side can be suitably dammed. Further, since the stopper 12 is moved so that its tip enters the space S from the upstream side to stop the plastic bottle 10, the stopper 12 does not rub the surface of the plastic bottle 10, and the plastic bottle 10 is It won't hurt either. Furthermore, since the stopper 12 and the side guide 18 are configured to be integrally movable and adjustable in the width direction, the PET bottle 10 can be appropriately guided and blocked in accordance with the size change of the PET bottle 10.

The moving mechanism 29 that reciprocates the limiting member 13 in the limiting device 27 in the item conveying direction, and the reciprocating mechanisms 36, 37 that reciprocate the front and rear support members 32, 33 in the transfer means 16 in the item conveying direction are configured to use servo-controllable mechanisms, so that the positions of the limiting member 13 and the support members 32, 33 can be appropriately changed depending on the size of the PET bottles 10 and the number of PET bottles 10 gathered as the item group 14. In addition, the lifting mechanisms 34, 35 that lift and lower the front and rear support members 32, 33 in the transfer means 16 are configured to use servo-controllable mechanisms, so that the height of the support members 32, 33 at the support positions can be set to a position that can be appropriately supported depending on the height dimensions of the PET bottles 10.

(Example of change)
The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the examples, and can be modified as follows, for example. Furthermore, the configurations described in the examples are not limited to the following modifications, and various embodiments can be adopted within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
(1) In the embodiment, the limiting devices 27 are arranged on both sides of the width of the conveyor 11, but if the length of the limiting member 13 is set to a length that enables it to contact all of the articles 10 in the row direction transported in multiple rows by the conveyor 11, a configuration in which only one of the limiting devices 27 is provided can be adopted.
(2) The restricting member 13 is not limited to being plate-shaped, and may be configured by lining up multiple rod-shaped members in the vertical direction so that the article 10 can be supported in contact with the restricting member 13 within a predetermined height range.
(3) In the embodiment, the stopper 12 is arc-shaped, but it may be formed of a non-curved flat plate or rod-shaped member.
(4) In the embodiment, a stopper 12 that rotates around a vertical axis is used as the blocking means. However, the blocking means may also be disposed between each row of articles 10 and move linearly forward and backward from the side of the conveying lane 19.
(5) In the embodiment, the multiple stoppers 12 are configured to be moved by their corresponding actuating means 25, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the multiple stoppers 12 are moved simultaneously by linking the multiple stoppers 12 with a linking mechanism and operating the linking mechanism with a single actuating means.
(6) As mentioned above, the object 10 is not limited to a plastic bottle and may be other objects, but the preferred target objects are those having a cross-sectional shape that is circular, elliptical, or polygonal, and in which the space S is formed between the front and rear objects 10, 10.
(7) The sheet-like material to which the group of articles 14 is supplied is not limited to the semi-folded cardboard sheet 17, but may be in a flat state with each side panel 17b unfolded. The material of the sheet-like material is not limited to cardboard, but may be various other materials such as carton paper.

10 PET bottle (item), 11 conveyor, 12 stopper (damming means)
13 Restriction member (movement restriction means), 14 Group of articles, 16 Transport means, 17 Cardboard sheet (sheet-like member), 18 Side guide, 19 Transport lane, 32 Front support member, 33 Rear support member, 44 Alignment guide, T Gap

Claims (4)

An article separation and supply device that separates articles conveyed in multiple rows by a conveyor into a predetermined number of article groups and supplies them onto a sheet-like member, the article comprising:
damming means disposed between each row of articles conveyed by the conveyor and damming the articles in each row by moving to a damming position;
a movement restricting means that is disposed on the side of the conveyor and downstream of the damming means in the article conveyance direction, and moves forward and backward with respect to the article conveyance path and reciprocates back and forth in the conveyance direction; ,
A front support member that is disposed above the conveyance path and can support the front side of the group of articles in the conveyance direction, and a rear support member that can support the rear side of the group of articles in the conveyance direction are spaced apart in the conveyance direction; A transport means capable of moving both support members forward and backward with respect to the transport path and reciprocating back and forth in the transport direction,
The leading article conveyed on the conveyor by the release of the dam by the damming means is received by the movement restricting means which advances into the conveyance path and moves downstream at a speed slower than the article conveyance speed by the conveyor. restricting the transportation of goods;
At a position where the last article separated as a group of articles conveyed by the conveyor as the movement restricting means moves downstream passes the damming means, the movement restricting means is stopped and the dam is stopped. moving the means to a damming position to dam a subsequent article;
restarting the downstream movement of the movement restricting means and advancing the rear support member into a gap in the conveyance path created between the article dammed by the damming means and the last article; moving the movement restricting means that has moved to the vicinity of the front support member that advances into the conveyance path and waits downstream from the movement restricting means to exit from the conveyance path;
A sheet in which the group of articles is positioned downstream of the conveyor by sandwiching the group of articles from the front and back between the front support member and the rear support member extending into the conveyance path and moving both support members downstream. 1. An apparatus for separating and supplying articles, characterized in that the apparatus is configured to supply articles onto a shaped member. The article separation and supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front support member is provided with an alignment guide extending toward the upstream side in the conveying direction so as to be positioned between each row of articles conveyed by the conveyor. a side guide is provided extending along the conveying direction and defining a conveying lane for each row of articles in the conveying path;
3. The article separating and feeding device according to claim 1, wherein said side guide is configured to be movable and adjustable integrally with said damming means in a width direction intersecting with the conveying direction. The blocking means is an arc-shaped plate member having a concave surface extending in the vertical direction,
4. The article separating and supplying device according to claim 1, wherein the blocking means is configured to rotate about an axis in the vertical direction and block the articles on the concave side at the blocking position.

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