JP2779043B2 - Equipment for supplying goods to containers - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying an article to a container without giving an impact to the article.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, devices that provide articles to containers include, for example,
The one disclosed in JP-A-60-31681 is known.

That is, the apparatus includes a container conveyor for transporting the container held by the frame body by supporting the container on a holder fixed to the conveyor side, and a product conveyor for transporting the product while holding the product in a concave portion formed on the transport surface. In the rotating section of the sprocket around which the article conveyor is wound, the conveyors are opposed to each other to form a conveyance section for covering the article with the container.

And a hole is opened in the bottom of the concave part of the goods conveyor,
An extruding mechanism having an extruded body for extruding an article through the hole toward the container is configured as a rotating section of the article conveyor. Immediately after this rotating part, a reversing sprocket for circulating the container conveyor is arranged to form a reversing part, and in this reversing part, the frame holding the container is used as a holder of the container conveyor. A mechanism for relatively rotating the container is formed, and the container itself does not turn upside down even if the container conveyor is inverted.

Therefore, the articles flowing through the article conveyor are covered with the containers flowing through the container conveyor in the transport section, and the containers are turned down with the rotation of the container conveyor, and the articles are received by the container conveyor. Will be passed. Further, in the reversing portion of the container conveyor, the frame holding the container rotates relatively to the holder of the conveyor, so that the container does not turn upside down, and the container holds the article inside. In this state, it is transported to the next step.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in such a conventional apparatus, the container and the goods rotate along the rotating part of the goods conveyor, and further rotate at the reversing part of the container-side conveyor. It will change and the goods inside will be shocked. In the case where the article is fragile, for example, dried noodles, there is a possibility that the article may be damaged, for example, the corner may be broken by the impact.

Further, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the operation of supplying the goods to the container is performed via a frame that circulates along the container conveyor, and the rotating section of the goods conveyor moves the container conveyor in parallel with the container. In order to prevent the falling off, two conveyors are required, and there is a problem that the structure is complicated and durability and maintainability are poor.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of supplying an article to a container without significantly moving the attitude of the article and the container, and An object of the present invention is to provide a device having a simple structure and excellent in durability and maintainability.

[Means for solving the problem]

The present invention constitutes a transport conveyor that transports articles arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction, and on the outward path of the transport conveyor, a container supply mechanism that covers a container on the article is disposed above the transport conveyor. A holding mechanism for holding the container is formed on the outer surface of the container, and a locking mechanism for stopping the container on the holding mechanism is provided on the outward path of the transport conveyor, and the container is removed from the holding mechanism on the return path of the transport conveyor. An extrusion mechanism for arranging an unlocking mechanism, opening a hole in the conveyor belt at a position where the article is arranged, and pushing the article in the direction of the container by an extruding body that passes through the hole and moves forward and backward. The above problem is solved by configuring a device for supplying articles to a container arranged in a rotating section formed between the forward path and the return path of the transport conveyor.

[Action]

The container supply mechanism covers the articles placed and conveyed on the transport conveyor on the outward path of the transport conveyor, and the locking mechanism operates to lock the container to the holding mechanism on the transport conveyor transport surface. . Then, when the container and the article hit the rotating part of the transport conveyor, they rotate together. At this time, the extruded body of the extruding mechanism advances through the hole of the conveyor, and the article is pushed up to the container side, so that the article does not move freely in the container, and the article moves when rotating and generates an impact. I will not receive it.

Then, when the container reaches the return path of the transport conveyor, the bottom located on the upper side in the outward path becomes lower, and the article is supported and transported by its own weight in the container held on the transport conveyor side. In this state, when the unlocking mechanism removes the container,
The container falls by its own weight and is transferred to the next step.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. The present embodiment is an apparatus for supplying dry noodles N conveyed after finishing a dry noodle manufacturing process to a cup C in a so-called cup noodle manufacturing process, and then sending the same to the next process. That is, in the present embodiment, the dried noodle N becomes an item, and the cup C becomes a container.

The cup C is a cylindrical container having an opening on the upper surface and a tapered shape having a smaller diameter from the opening to the bottom. An outer flange is formed around the periphery of the opening, and this portion is formed. It becomes the collar C _F.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of the same device, showing a simplified structure. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus includes a transport conveyor 1 that transports the dried noodles 1 at equal intervals in the transport direction,
A cup supply mechanism 3 for supplying a cup C from above the dried noodles N, and a locking mechanism 4 for locking the cup C to the transport conveyor 1
And an unlocking mechanism 6 for removing the cup C from the conveyor 1.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the conveyor, and FIG.
FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. As shown in these figures, the conveyor 1 has a chain 12 running in parallel to the left and right.
(Only the left chain is shown)
13, the center of the end of the plate 13 is pivotally supported by a pin 14, and the plurality of plates 13 are connected to each other.

In the upper surface 13a of the plate 13, a plurality of (six in the present embodiment) recesses are provided in a direction transverse to the transport conveyor 1.
Forming 15. That is, the concave portion 15 is a concave portion for positioning when the dried noodles N are placed. On the transport surface of the transport conveyor 1, a plurality of dry noodles N arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction are also arranged in the longitudinal direction. Is transported.

A hole 16 is formed in the center of the recess 15 so as to penetrate the back surface 13b of the plate 13, and an extruded body 17 is inserted therethrough. The pressing body 17 has a rod-shaped main body 17a and a disc-shaped table formed on the upper end thereof and on which the dried noodles N are placed.
17b and a flange 17c formed at the lower end of the main body 17a. A spring 17d is press-fitted between the back surface 13b of the plate 13 and the flange 17c. That is, although the main body 17a of the pressing body 17 is urged inward of the transport conveyor 1, the table 17b is prevented from coming off and locked on the plate 13 side.

On both sides of the concave portion 15, a holding mechanism 2 for locking the cup C placed on the concave portion 15 is formed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holding mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the same mechanism. The holding mechanism 2 includes a guide hole 21 extending from the center in the width direction of the plate 13 in the traveling direction of the transport conveyor 1, a slider 22 fitted and slidable in the guide hole 21, and a slider 22 And a spring 23 for urging the conveying conveyor 1 rearward in the traveling direction.

That is, the slider 22 includes a central portion 22a disposed in the guide hole 21, a plate-like holder 22b at an upper end thereof, and an operation protrusion 22c protruding at a lower end, and the holder 22b and the operation protrusion 22c are formed. The slider 22 is fitted in the guide hole 21 as a stopper to prevent the slider 22 from sliding along the guide hole 21. Also, the central portion 22a of the slide 22
A rod 21a disposed parallel to the inside of the guide hole 21 is fitted into the hole 22d formed in the guide hole 21. The spring 23 is externally fitted to the rod 21a to move the slider 22 rearward in the traveling direction of the transport conveyor 1. It is energizing.

Further, an inclined surface 22e facing upward is formed at each of the left end and the right end of the holder 22a. Further, a step 22f continuous from the inclined surface 22e is formed below the inclined surface 22e, and when the cup C is placed in the concave portion 15, the flange portion _CF is formed at the step 22f. Penetrating into the holding gap S,
While this cup C is held on both sides, in order to move the slider 22 to the traveling direction of the conveyor 1 the holder 22a is moved from above the flange portion C _F, a structure in which the holding of the cup C is released ing.

Note that, of the plurality of sliders 22 on the plate 13, two sliders 22 disposed at both ends of the plate 13 are adjacent to only one concave portion 15, so that the two
2e is formed only on one side thereof.

The transport conveyor 1 having the structure described above is mounted on a transport sprocket 7 which is supported by a machine frame (not shown). The upper side is a forward path 1A, the lower side is a return path 1C, and a folded portion wound around the transport sprocket 7. Is the rotating part 1B.

The cup supply mechanism 3 is arranged above the outward path 1A of the transport conveyor 1. This cup supply mechanism 3 has a bottom facing upward,
It holds a number of stacked cups C with the opening part on the lower side, and puts the cups C on the dried noodles N by dropping the cups C in order from the bottom in synchronization with the movement of the dried noodles N. This device has a structure that is already widely used, for example, as described in JP-B-54-26948.

The locking mechanism 4 for the cup C is disposed near the cup supply mechanism 3. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5,
The mechanism 4 has a rod body 41 extending in a direction crossing the conveyor 1 and both ends of which are engaged with guide frames 11 (only the left guide frame is shown) on both sides of the conveyor 1. A cylinder fixed to the machine frame (not shown) in the center of the body 41
It is fixed to 42. And from this rod body 41 to the plate 13
Arm 43 is extended toward both sides of the concave portion 15 of
At the tip of the push plate 44, which opens downward in a C-shape
Is fixed. And the tip of this pushing plate 44
It is positioned so as to abut against the flange portion C _F of the cup C disposed on the recess 15. That is, the locking mechanism 4
Lowering the push plate 44 by actuation of the cylinder 42, at the same time the cup C is dropped from the cup supply mechanism 3, the tip presses the flange portion C _F of the cup C downwards, the slider
The structure is such that it is forced into the holding gap S of the 22.

The locking mechanism 4 is controlled by a control device (not shown) so as to synchronize with the advance of the transport conveyor 1 and the cup supply mechanism 3.

Inside the conveyor 1, an extrusion conveyor 18 is arranged. The extrusion conveyor 18 is stretched over an extrusion sprocket 19A fixed coaxially with the conveying sprocket 7 and an auxiliary sprocket 19B having a smaller diameter than the extrusion sprocket 19A. When the length of the portion of the extruded body 17 protruding inside the conveyor 1 is defined as length X, the interval between the extruder 18 and the conveyor 1 is smaller than the length X at the position of the auxiliary sprocket 19B. At the position of the extrusion sprocket 19A, it is set to be narrower than the length X, and the interval between the two is narrower as it approaches the transport sprocket 7, that is, the rotating portion 1B of the transport conveyor 1. A guide plate 20 is arranged in parallel below the outward path of the extrusion conveyor 18 to support the extrusion conveyor 18 so that the extrusion conveyor 18 does not bend when the extrusion body 17 comes into contact with the guide plate 20.

The extrusion conveyor 18 and the extrusion sprocket 19
A, the auxiliary sprocket 19B, the guide plate 20, the hole 16 and the extruded body 17 constitute an extruding mechanism for extruding the dried noodles N toward the cup C side.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the unlocking mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the unlocking mechanism.

The lock release mechanism 6 is a cam wheel fixed coaxially with the transport sprocket 7 as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7.
61, a link mechanism 62 connected thereto, and an operating claw 63 locked at the tip of the link mechanism.

The cam wheel 61 is formed on its periphery with the same number of protrusions 61a (9 in the apparatus of the present embodiment) as the number of cups C fed out each time the transport sprocket 7 makes one rotation.

Further, the link mechanism 62 includes an upper end of the first link 64 which is disposed on the cam wheel 61 side and a lower end of which is supported on a machine frame (not shown), and an upper end of a third link 66 which also supports a halfway portion with the machine frame. ,
They are connected by a second link 65. First link
Numeral 64 has a shape bent in a U-shape so as to protrude toward the cam wheel 61, and a cam follower 67 of a small wheel is pivotally supported at the bent portion. Then, a return spring 68 is bridged between the machine frame and the first link 62A, and this is biased toward the cam wheel 61, so that the cam follower 67 always contacts the peripheral side surface of the cam wheel 61. Has become.

The third link 66 has one upper arm 66a having an upper end connected to the second link 65, and a horizontal arm fixed to the lower end of the upper arm 66a and having both ends pivotally supported by the machine frame across the transport conveyor 1. A rod 66b and a plurality of (seven in the present embodiment) lower arms 66c fixed to the horizontal bar 66b at positions corresponding to the sliders 22 are provided with small wheels at the lower ends of the respective lower arms 66c. The operating claw 63 is pivotally supported. The operation claw 63 is positioned so as to be able to contact the operation protrusion 22c of the slider 22, and when the link mechanism 62 moves in synchronization with the rotation of the cam wheel 61, the operation claw 63 passes through the position. The projection 22c is configured to sequentially contact and move the projection 22c.

Note that a receiving conveyor 9 is arranged below the return path 1C of the transport conveyor 1 so as to run in parallel therewith.

 Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the dried noodles N placed on the plate 13 of the conveyor 1 move on the outward path 1A as the conveyor 1 advances. When the dried noodles N reach just below the cup supply mechanism 3, the cup supply mechanism 3
Puts the cup C on the dried noodle N and at the same time
The cup locking mechanism 4 operates to stop the cup C on the holding mechanism of the plate 13.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the pushing plate 44 of the cup locking mechanism 4, by allowing abutment of the distal collar portion C _F of the cup C, and pressing it downwards. At this time,
This flange portion _CF comes into contact with the holder 22a of the slider 22,
By further pushes plate 44 to press the flange portion C _F is lowered slides on the inclined surface 22e of the holder 22a, and finally the holder
It also penetrates into the lower holding gap S of 22a. Then, the cup C is would be fixed to both sides in the plate 13 at its flange portion C _F, cup C is held on the conveying surface of the conveyor 1.

When the dried noodle N and the cup C further advance, the lower end of the extruded body 17 protruding from the lower surface of the conveyor 1 is pushed by the extrusion belt 18.
Abut. The extruding belt 18 moves the extruded body 17 sequentially in the direction of the rotating unit 1B.
The extruded body 7 has a spring 17
It moves upward against the urging of d and presses the dried noodles N toward the cup C side.

Therefore, in the rotating portion 1B of the transport conveyor 1, the dried noodles N rotate while the dried noodles N are pressed toward the cup C, and the dried noodles N do not move freely in the cup C. Then, the cup C that has been transported with the bottom on the forward path 1A is turned upside down on the return path 1C, and the dried noodle N is supported in the cup C by its own weight. Become. At this time, the cup C is in a state that does not fall by the both sides of the flange portion C _F holder 22a is supported.

As the extruded body 17 moves away from the rotating part 1B,
The pressing by the extrusion belt 18 is lost again and the spring 17d
To return to the original position.

On the other hand, in the return path 1B, the lock release mechanism 6
Release the lock. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the link mechanism 62 that moves in synchronization with the transport sprocket 7
The operating claw 63 at the distal end of the third arm 66 is moved forward and backward in the traveling direction of the transport conveyor 1, and the operating claw 63 abuts on the operating protrusion 22 c of the transport conveyor 1 and presses it to move the slider 22. Then, the holder 22a that supported the flange portion C _F of the cup C is to move, the cup C falls down losing support. Then, the cup C is placed on the conveyor 1
Is transferred to the receiving conveyor 9 running parallel to the lower side of the return path 1C, and is conveyed to the next step, for example, a step of covering the cup C with a lid.

When the pressing of the operating claw 63 is lost, the slider 22 returns to the original position by the bias of the spring 23, and enters a standby state in which a new cup C can be locked.

As described above, in this apparatus, in the process of moving the dried noodles N from the outgoing path 1A of the conveyor 1 to the return path 1C via the rotating section 1B, the dried noodles N are provided to the cup C. Go. At this time, since the cup C is held on the transport conveyor 1, the dry noodles N do not move and move in the transport path in a complicated manner, and the impact applied during the transport can be reduced.

In addition, in this apparatus for holding the cup C on the conveyor 1 side, the rotating section 1B and the return path 1C do not require another conveyor or other mechanism for holding the cup C on the conveyor 1 side. In addition, the structure of the device becomes simple, and the device can be excellent in durability and maintainability.

Further, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the transport conveyor 1
Is provided with an extruding body 17 of an extruding mechanism,
The extruding mechanism has a simple structure as compared with the case where the 1B transport sprocket 7 has an extruded body, and the structure is less likely to break down.

In addition, in the apparatus of the present embodiment, since the holding mechanism of the cup C is constituted by the slider 22, a holding mechanism having a simple structure and capable of securely attaching and detaching the cup C can be constituted. In particular, since the operation of the unlocking mechanism 6 of the cup C is performed by using the cam wheel 62 which rotates integrally with the transport sprocket 7, the advance of the transport conveyor 1 and the operation claws 22 thereof are performed.
Of the cup C can be easily set, and the unlocking of the cup C does not occur.

In this embodiment, the extruded body 17 is a spring 17
d, the table 17a of the extruded body 17 is also configured to return to the conveyor 1 side in the return path 1C. However, the spring 17d is not necessarily required. The table 17a returns to its original position by its own weight by circulating again on the outward route 1A.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, in order to lock the cup on the conveyor side and convey the articles integrally, in the process of supplying the articles to the container, the postures of the article and the container do not greatly move. Therefore, the impact applied to the product can be reduced to a small value.

Also, depending on the equipment, the rotating part of the conveyor does not require another conveyor or mechanism for bringing the container into close contact with the conveyor, so the structure of the apparatus is simplified, and the durability and maintainability are excellent. Device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an embodiment of an apparatus for supplying articles to a container, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a conveyor, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the structure of the holding mechanism, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the holding mechanism and the pushing plate, FIG. 6 is a side view of the unlocking mechanism, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the lock release mechanism. 1 ... Conveyor, 1A ... Outbound, 1B ... Rotating unit, 1C ...
····················································································································· Cup / supply mechanism (container supply mechanism) 4: Locking mechanism 6: Lock release mechanism C: Cup (container), C _F: Flange, N: Dry noodle (article)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transport conveyor for transporting articles arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction, and a container supply mechanism for covering the articles on the upstream side of the transport conveyor. A holding mechanism for holding the container is formed on the conveying surface of the conveyor, a locking mechanism for stopping the container on the holding mechanism is arranged on the outward path of the conveying conveyor, and the container is fixed on the returning path of the conveying conveyor. An unlocking mechanism for removing from the holding mechanism is arranged, and a hole is opened at a position where the article is placed on the conveyor, and the article is moved in the direction of the container by an extruding body that advances and retreats through the hole. An apparatus for supplying articles to a container, characterized in that an extruding mechanism for extruding the product is arranged in a rotating section formed between the forward path and the return path of the conveyor.