JP2000344209A - Carrying device, and stretch-packaging machine provided therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an article from being deviated from its position and posture again after corrected carriage in a carrying device having the function to correct the position and the posture of the article in the breadthwise direction during the carriage. SOLUTION: An article X is centered by a centering mechanism 80 in the direction F orthogonal to the carrying direction A. After the centering, the article X is further carried in the carrying direction A by belt conveyors 41...41, 51, 51. When the article X is light in weight or slippery, it slips sideways or obliquely again when transferred from a flat belt 21 to string belts 41...41. Movable guides 101, 101 extended along a downstream side carrying passage are provided. When the article X is advanced into the downstream side carrying passage, the guides 101, 101 are moved in the breadthwise direction, and advanced onto the carrying passage. The guides 101, 101 approach the article X from the side, and guide the article X so as not to slip.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus, and more particularly to a conveying apparatus having a function of correcting the position and orientation of an article in the conveying width direction during the conveying, and belongs to the field of article conveying technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Most foodstuffs sold in supermarkets and convenience stores are housed in plastic containers such as trays, and are entirely packaged with stretchable packaging materials such as PVC films and polyolefin films. As a stretch packaging machine used for such packaging, for example, JP-A-9-3050
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-309505 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-309505, the article is pushed up from below toward the center of the horizontally held packaging material to extend the side edges of the packaging material, and this elongated 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a lift type in which a packaging material side edge is folded into the bottom surface of an article for packaging.

[0003] In this case, the stretch wrapping machine is generally provided with a transport device for carrying articles to be wrapped into the machine from outside the machine. The transfer device is provided so as to extend from, for example, an external article supply unit to which articles are supplied by a worker's hand, to lifting means such as an in-machine lift device for pushing up articles toward the packaging material. Articles carried into the machine by this transport device are delivered to the lift device,
It is pushed up toward the packaging material by the lift device. Therefore, since this transport device basically has to transport the articles supplied outside the machine to the lift device inside the machine, the simplest configuration is a set extending over the inside and outside of the packaging machine. A conveyor means such as a belt conveyor composed of a flat belt or a roller conveyor composed of a plurality of rotating rollers may be provided.

[0004] However, if only such a transport means is provided, there is a possibility that an article is delivered to a lift device, pushed up by the lift device, and wrapped in a packaging material, thereby causing defective packaging. There is. That is, one of the most preferable aspects of the packaging is that the side edges of the packaging material are folded in parallel with the respective sides of the article, and the margins of opposing side edges are the same. For that, for example,
The packaging material is held horizontally just above the lifting device, and the lifting device rises straight toward the center of the packaging material,
The article is supported in the center of the lift device such that each side is parallel to each side edge of the packaging material.

[0005] However, if the articles are supplied at random in the supply section, and as a result, the articles are conveyed at the same position and posture in the conveying width direction and delivered to the lift device. As a result, for example, when the posture of the article is oblique,
When the side edge of the packaging material is not folded in parallel with the side of the article and a portion not covered with the packaging material occurs in the article, or, for example, when the position of the article is deviated to the left or right side, one of the packaging materials Insufficient margins at the side edges may cause insufficient packaging, such as the packaging material not sticking to the article. Needless to say, it is only necessary to first supply the article to a proper position and in a proper posture. However, in this case, the burden on the supplying side increases, and the workability decreases.

Therefore, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-49320, it is known to provide a centering mechanism for correcting the position and orientation of an article in the middle of a transport path. This centering mechanism has a pair of left and right pressing members which approach and separate from each other by the same distance with respect to the conveying path, and press the articles from the respective directions by advancing the pressing members from both left and right sides onto the conveying path. And position it at the center in the transport width direction. In addition, by providing the pressing member in parallel to the transport direction, the position of the article can be straightened simultaneously with the above-described positioning. By arranging such means for correcting the position and posture on the transport path, even if the articles are supplied at random at first, the posture is oblique, or the position in the left-right width direction is deviated. Also, since the article is transferred to the lift device after its posture and position are corrected during the conveyance, the subsequent packaging by the packaging material can be performed without any trouble.

[0007]

However, even if the position and posture of the article are adjusted by the above-mentioned correcting means, the article slides or loses its posture while being continuously transported toward the lift device. In such a case, the product is not transferred to the lift device at an appropriate position and posture, and a packaging defect also occurs.

Particularly, in recent years, foodstuffs such as prepared foods are often sold in small units, and accordingly, light-weight and small-sized articles are increasing. In addition, plastic containers for storing these foodstuffs are often molded from recycled resin, are modified to be flammable, and have microwave cooking resistance. The property is high and the hygroscopicity is low. For this reason, the conveyed articles themselves tend to be slippery even with slight stress, and it is important to maintain the position and orientation of the articles during conveyance from centering to delivery to the lift device. Has become.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-49320, a shutter mechanism is provided immediately downstream of the centering mechanism as a blocking means for temporarily blocking the advance of an article. Is configured to synchronize the discharge operation of the article with the lifting operation of the lift device, the shutter mechanism is opened and the previously stopped article is restarted, so that the centering is carried out. The article corrected by the mechanism inevitably causes a position shift or a loss of posture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problem in a transport device having a correcting means for correcting the position and attitude of an article to be transported in the middle of a transport path. It is an object of the present invention to effectively prevent the article from being displaced or distorted even during transport until the paper is discharged from the transport end portion. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail including other problems.

[0011]

That is, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a transport apparatus according to the present invention, a transport means for transporting an article in a predetermined transport direction, and an article transported by the transport means Correction means for correcting the position and orientation in the conveyance width direction, and a guide member is extended along a conveyance path downstream of the correction means, and the guide member is connected to the downstream conveyance path. Proximity means are provided for approaching the article above.

According to this, the article whose position and orientation have been corrected by the correcting means is guided by the guide member located close to the article while being conveyed along the downstream conveying path. The position and orientation in the conveyance width direction corrected by the means are prevented from being caused again to be laterally displaced or collapsed, and the corrected position and orientation are continuously maintained during the conveyance on the downstream conveyance path. Therefore, even if the article is initially supplied at random and the posture is oblique or the position in the conveyance width direction is deviated, after the posture or position of the article is corrected during the conveyance, Further, the paper is discharged to the transport end while the corrected posture and position are continuously maintained.

The transport device according to the present invention can be used, for example, as a device for carrying an article from outside to inside a stretch wrapping machine for wrapping the article with an extensible packaging material. In this case, the article carried into the packaging machine by this transport device is transferred to an elevating means such as a lift device at an appropriate position and posture, and is pushed up toward the packaging material by the elevating means. In such a case, defective packaging is avoided.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the proximity unit moves the guide member in the width direction of the conveyance, thereby bringing the guide member close to the article on the conveyance path. In this case, the proximity position of the guide member to the article is set based on the size of the article in the width direction. Then, the proximity means moves the guide member to the set proximity position.

Thus, the guide member can always be brought close to an appropriate position for each article according to the size of the article in the width direction, and the maintenance of the position and posture of the article can be effectively achieved. Will be. As a specific example, the guide member is brought close to the article to a distance of 0.5 cm.

The size in the width direction of the article can be registered in advance as a product master in a memory of a control unit mounted on the packaging machine, for example. The product master includes, in addition to the size, various information on the product such as a product code, a product name, a unit price, a expiration date, a container tare, and barcode information. According to this, the size of the article in the width direction is known from the article master when the article is specified at the time of starting the conveyance, so that the proximity position of the guide member can be set earlier.

On the other hand, the size of the article in the width direction may be actually measured individually. In this case, the correcting means can also be used as the detecting means. That is,
The correcting means is configured to be able to correct the position and orientation of the article by pressing the article from the conveying width direction, and to detect the size of the article in the width direction at that time. It is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated means for detecting the size of the article in the width direction, thereby suppressing an increase in the number of parts.

In another preferred aspect of the present invention, in addition to the proximity position of the guide member, a provisional proximity position located between the proximity position and the side of the conveyance path is set. And
By the proximity means, by the time the article enters the downstream transport path,
The guide member is moved to the temporary proximity position in advance, and when the article enters the downstream transport path, the guide member is finally moved to the proximity position.

Thus, the guide member can be brought closer to the article with a margin as compared with the case where the guide member starts to be moved for the first time when the article has entered the downstream transport path. Especially when the moving distance of the guide member is large,
The problem of the response delay of the movement of the guide member when the correction means disposed immediately before the downstream transport path is also used as the article size detection means is solved.

Here, if only the responsiveness is taken into consideration, the guide member may be moved to the final proximity position at a stretch before the article enters the downstream transport path. When the post-correction article is slightly displaced or the like, the article may collide with the guide member and may not be able to enter the downstream transport path along the guide member. Therefore, until the article actually starts to enter the downstream transport path, the guide member is located at a tentative proximity position that is slightly wider in the width direction, and after the article actually starts to enter the downstream transport path. In addition, the above-mentioned problem is solved at the same time by using a two-stage motion in which the guide member is positioned at a final proximity position with a narrow interval in the width direction.

As a specific example, assuming that the guide member is finally brought closer to the article by a distance of 0.5 cm, the guide member is temporarily brought closer to the article by a distance of 1 cm.

In still another preferred aspect of the present invention, a blocking means for temporarily blocking the progress of the article being transported by the transporting means is provided downstream of the correcting means and upstream of the guide member. The proximity means moves the guide member to a temporary proximity position in advance during a period in which the movement of the article is blocked by the blocking means as a period until the article enters the downstream transport path. The guide member is finally moved to the close position when the blockage of the article by the blocking unit is released, assuming that the blockage enters the downstream side transport path.

Thus, it is determined from the opening / closing operation of the blocking means whether the article has not yet entered the downstream transport path or has already entered, and a rational operation well synchronized with the operation of the blocking means is determined. The operation of the guide member is realized.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail through embodiments of the present invention.

[0025]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a stretch packaging machine 1 according to the present embodiment. The packaging machine 1 has a main body 10 on the front of the main body 10 as indicated by an arrow A.
And a discharge device 3 for discharging a packaged article X from the inside of the main body 10 to the outside as shown by an arrow B on the back of the main body 10.
It is a back discharge type provided with. The article X to be packaged is located at an article supply position (a) at the start end of the transport device 2 and at a position in the transport width direction at the intermediate portion of the transport device 2 where the advance is temporarily blocked by a shutter mechanism and the centering mechanism is stopped. And the shutter position or centering position (b) where the posture is corrected, the article discharge position (c) delivered to the walking beam at the end of the transport device 2, and the article delivery position delivered from the walking beam to the lift device ( d), a packaging position (e) where the packaging with the stretch film is performed, and a heat sealing position (f) where the heat sealing is performed by the heat sealing device 4 integrated with the discharge device 3.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the transfer device 2, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged rear view, and FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged plan view of a downstream transfer path. However, FIG. 2 shows only a portion located below the transport surface, and does not show the centering mechanism 80 and the movable guide mechanism 90 located above the transport surface.

At the center of the packaging machine body 10 in the width direction,
The opening 10a is formed continuously from the upper surface to the front surface or the lower surface. The conveying device 2 has a pair of left and right side frames 11, 11, and rear half portions of the side frames 11, 11 protrude into the packaging machine main body 10 through the opening 10 a. In addition, both sides 10b, 10b of the main body 10 sandwiching the opening 10a serve as roll accommodation portions for the stretch film.

A flat belt 21 extending from the article supply position (a) toward the main body 10 is provided on the starting end side of the conveying device 2.
Are wound around a pair of front and rear drive rollers 22 and a driven roller 23. The flat belt 21 includes a driving roller 22
The transport surface travels in the transport direction A by the drive motor 24 (see FIG. 7) that rotates.

Immediately downstream of the flat belt 21, two rotating rollers 31, 31 are provided. These rotating rollers 31, 31 are connected to a driven pulley 43 of a first belt 41 described below by a timing belt (not shown), and synchronized with the driven pulley 43 or the first belt 41, The transport surface rotates so as to move in the transport direction A.

On the downstream side of the rotating rollers 31, there are a total of five first belts 4 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval from each other.
41 are wound around a pair of front and rear drive pulleys 42 and driven pulleys 43, respectively. These belts 41
41 are driven in the transport direction A by a drive motor 45 (see FIG. 7) that rotates a common drive shaft 44 of the drive pulleys 42.

Further, two second belts 51, 51 each having a claw member 51a, 51a are provided with a pair of front and rear driving pulleys 52, driven pulleys 53, respectively, at a slightly downstream side overlapping the first belts 41,. Is wrapped around. These belts 51, 51 are driven by pulleys 52, 5
A drive motor 55 (see FIG. 7) for rotating the second common drive shaft 54
51a) so that the claw members 51a... 51a move in the transport direction A on the transport surface.

These belts and pulleys are preferably timing belts and timing pulleys.
Further, instead of the combination of the belt and the pulley, a combination of a chain and a sprocket may be used.

The first and second belts 41... 4
A total of four support plates 61... 61 of a walking beam 60 are erected from a slide block 62 on the end side of the transport device 2 overlapping with 1, 51, 51. The slide block 62 includes a pair of front and rear stoppers 6.
A pair of drive pulleys 65, which are slidably fitted to two guide bars 64, 64 provided between
It is connected to two belts 67, 67 wound around 65 and driven pulleys 66, 66. The walking beam 60 has a common drive shaft 68 of the drive pulleys 65, 65.
Are moved in the transport direction A or the reverse transport direction C by the drive motor 69 (see FIG. 7) for rotating the.

On the other hand, a shutter member 71 of a shutter mechanism 70 is disposed between the rotating rollers 31 and the first belts 41. The shutter member 71 is connected to the other end of a parallel link 73 having one end connected to a bracket 72 provided between the side frames 11 and 11. A drive motor 75 (see FIG. 7) having a disk 74 mounted on an output shaft is mounted on the bracket 72. The disk 74 has one end connected to the other end of a link member 76 connected to the parallel link 73. Are eccentrically connected. The shutter member 71 moves upward D or downward E via the link member 76 and the parallel link 73 by the rotation of the drive motor 75.

On the upstream side of the shutter member 71, the flat belt 21
A pair of left and right pressing members 81, 81 of the centering mechanism 80 are opposed to each other with the transport path interposed therebetween. Each of the pressing members 81 is linked to a slide block 83 slidably fitted on a guide bar 82, 82 erected between left and right side walls 12 a, 12 a of the housing 12 erected from the side frames 11, 11. 84. Above the slide blocks 83, 83, a timing belt 87 extending in the conveyance width direction is wound around a pair of left and right drive timing pulleys 85 and a driven timing pulley 86, and each slide block 83 is run on each running surface of the timing belt 87. Are connected via a bracket 88, respectively. Slide block 83,
83 and the pressing members 81, 81 are driven by a drive motor 89 for rotating a drive pulley 85 by the same distance from the side of the transport path toward the transport path central axis F or from the transport path central axis to the transport path lateral side. In the evacuation direction G.

Incidentally, instead of the combination of the timing belt 87 and the timing pulleys 85 and 86, a combination of a chain and a sprocket may be used.

Each pressing member 81 is always moved in the forward direction F with respect to the slide block 83 by a spring (not shown).
Has been energized. Then, these pressing members 81, 8
1 sandwiches the article X therebetween, and the pressing members 81, 81 are moved in the retreating direction G with respect to the slide block 83 by the reaction force.
A centering sensor 90 (see FIG. 7) that is turned on when it is moved to is mounted on each pressing member 81.

Pressing members 81, 81 to shutter member 7
1st, 2nd belt 41 ... 41,51,51 downstream of 1
And a support plate 61 for the walking beam 60 ... 61
A pair of left and right movable guides 101, 101 of the movable guide mechanism 100 are opposed to each other with the transport path interposed therebetween. Each of the movable guides 101 moves from the starting end of the first belt 41 to the walking beam 60 along the transport path downstream of the pressing members 81, 81 or the shutter member 71.
Are extended in a range reaching the support plates 61.

Each movable guide 101 is mounted on the housing 1
The slide bar 103 is slidably fitted to guide bars 102, 102 erected between the two left and right side walls 12 a, and is connected via a bracket 104 to the slide block 103.
Above the slide blocks 103, racks 105, 105 extending in the transport width direction are provided with pinion gears 106.
, And each slide block 103 is connected to each of the racks 105, 105 via a bracket 107. The slide blocks 103, 103 and the movable guides 101, 101 are driven by a drive motor 108 for rotating a pinion gear 106 so as to move from the side of the transport path to the transport path central axis by the same distance, or from the transport path central axis to the transport path. It moves in the retreating direction G to the side.

The racks 105, 105 and the pinion 1
Instead of the combination with No. 06, a combination of a belt and a pulley or a chain and a sprocket may be used.

Bracket 10 of one movable guide 101
In FIG. 4, three detection plates 110... 110 in which light-transmitting concave portions and light-shielding convex portions are repeatedly formed at a constant pitch are provided upright. A photosensor 111 having a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit is provided for each detection plate 110, and these three sensors 11
The positions of the movable guides 101 are detected from the ON / OFF combination patterns of 1 ... 111.

An article sensor 120 for detecting the passage of the article X is disposed on the side wall 12a of the housing 12 immediately downstream of the shutter member 71.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the inside of the packaging machine main body 10. A lift device 5 is provided at the back of the transport device 2. The lift device 5 includes a plurality of lift posts 1
31 ... 131, which are moved up and down by a drive motor (not shown). In the lowered position, the head 1 of each lift post 131
32 is the supporting plate 6 of the walking beam 60.
The height is substantially the same as the upper surface of 1 ... 61. When the walking beam 60 moves in the transport direction A, the support plate 61
.. 61 enter between the lift posts 131 and 131 to overlap and deliver the article X.

Above the lift device 5, a film holding device 6 is provided. The film holding device 6 includes a pair of endless belts 141 extending in the left-right direction,
.. 141, and the front and rear side edges of the stretch film Y previously cut into a square shape in accordance with the size of the article X are sandwiched between the belts 141 and 141, and the film Y is horizontally positioned directly above the lift device 5. Expand and hold. The article X delivered to the lift device 5 enters the central portion of the film Y from below by the lift of the lift device 5,
The film Y is adhered to the upper surface, and each side edge of the film Y is extended.

Above the film holding device 6, a film folding device 7 is provided. This film folding device 7
Has left and right fold plates 151 and 151 and a rear fold plate 152 for respectively folding the left and right side edges and the rear side edge of the stretched stretch film Y to the bottom side of the article X, and these fold plates 151 and 151 , 152, the left and right edges and the rear edge of the stretch film Y are folded in this order toward the bottom surface of the article X, and then the article X is discharged onto the discharge device 3 by the discharge pusher 153, so that the remaining film Y is discharged. Finally, the front edge of is folded into the bottom side of the article X.

The packaged article X discharged onto the discharge device 3 is rotated by the discharge rollers 161.
While being discharged from the inside to the outside direction B on the rear side, the side edges of the film Y folded to the bottom side by the heat sealing device 4 shown in FIG. 1 are welded, and the packaging operation is completed.

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram for controlling the transport device 2 provided in the packaging machine 1 for carrying in articles. The control unit 171 controls the motors 24, 45, 55, 69, 7 based on the input signals from the sensors 90, 90, 111,.
5, 89, 108 are controlled.

Next, an example of a specific operation of the transport device 2 will be described with reference to a time chart of FIG. First, the basic transport operation of the article X will be described. The article X placed at the article supply position (a) is
Is transported in the transport direction A by the travel of the rotary roller 3 through the shutter position or the centering position (b).
The first belt 41 is conveyed in the direction A by the rotation of the first belt 41 and the traveling of the first belt 41 to the article discharge position (c). The walking beam 60 moves in the direction A, and the article X is transferred to the lift device 5. At the start of the movement of the walking beam 60 in the direction A, the claw members 51a, 5a of the second belts 51, 51
1a moves so as to push the article X. Thereby, the displacement of the article X due to the shock at the start of the movement of the walking beam 60 is avoided.

Usually, in this type of packaging machine 1, a plurality of articles XX are continuously supplied. In this case, the transport speed of the rotating rollers 31 and the transport speed of the first belts 41... 41 are made higher than the transport speed of the flat belt 21.
The rotating rollers 31, 31 and the first belts 41... 41 are set at the same transport speed by a common drive motor 45.

When the shutter member 71 moves upward (closes),
.. X on the upstream side are prevented from proceeding, and stay on the upstream transport path. When the shutter member 71 moves down (opens), the inhibition of the movement is released, and the articles X... X resume the movement toward the downstream transport path. At this time, the front end of the leading article X is on the rotating rollers 31, 31 before the shutter member 71 is opened, and after the shutter member 71 is opened, all of the leading articles X and the first belt 4 are rotated.
It proceeds on 1 ... 41. Therefore, this leading article X
X is conveyed faster than the other following articles X... X, and by the end of passing over the shutter member 71, a considerable amount of space is generated between the next article X. Shutter member 7
1 is closed when the passing of the preceding article X is detected by the article sensor 120. As a result, only one preceding article X is introduced into the transport path downstream of the shutter member 71, and the remaining succeeding articles X that have been prevented from proceeding again by the shutter member 71.
... clearly separated from X.

The shutter member 71 opens in synchronization with the operation of the walking beam 60. Preferably, the shutter member 71 moves one article X to the downstream side at a timing such that the article X reaches the discharge position (c) and is transferred to the walking beam 60 when the walking beam 60 returns to the transport device 2 side. Introduce it to the transport route.

The walking beam 60 moves back and forth in synchronization with the operation of the lift device 5. Preferably, the walking beam 60 moves in the lift device direction A when the lift device 5 is moving down to transfer the article X to the lift device 5 and moves in the transport device direction when the lift device 5 is moving up. C and moves the next article X to the first belt 41.
Receive from 41.

The centering mechanism 80 operates when the article X approaches the centering position (b). That is, as shown in FIG. 4 in particular, the pressing members 81, 81 advance from both sides of the transport path to sandwich the article X therebetween, and the sandwiching reaction force becomes a predetermined value or more, and the centering sensor 90 is turned on. Stop when it becomes. This allows
The article X is centered at the center in the transport width direction, and its posture is straightened. Also, based on the amount of movement of the timing belt 87 or the amount of rotation of the motor 89 during the centering operation, the size (W) of the article X in the width direction is obtained.
Is detected.

When the size (W) of the article X in the width direction is detected, the movable guide mechanism 100 obtains a provisional proximity position (Pt) and a final proximity position (Pf) based on the detected value. In other words, the provisional proximity position (Pt) is set such that the two movable guides 101, 101 are separated from each other by a distance (W + α) that is larger by a predetermined value (α) than the size (W) in the width direction, and move along the downstream side transport path. The predetermined value (α) is, for example, 2 cm. On the other hand, the final proximity position (Pf) is similarly determined by the two movable guides 101, 101.
At a distance of a value (W + β) larger by another predetermined value (β) than the size (W) in the width direction, the positions are also opposed to each other across the downstream transport path or the article X on the path. The predetermined value (β) for calculating the final proximity position is set to a value smaller than the predetermined value (α) for calculating the provisional proximity position, and is, for example, 1 cm.

The width (W) of the article X is detected, and the article X is detected.
While the shutter is still held in the upstream transport path by the shutter mechanism 70, the movable guide motor 108 is operated, and while receiving the input signal from the movable guide position sensors 111. It is moved to the provisional proximity position (Pt). Accordingly, if the article X is conveyed on the downstream conveyance path, the movable guides 101 respectively move the left and right sides of the article X by 1c.
This means that the vehicle is approaching a distance of m.

Then, when the shutter mechanism 70 is opened and the progress inhibition of the article X is released and the article X enters the downstream transport path, the movable guide motor 108
Moves the two movable guides 101 to a final approach position (Pf) while receiving input signals from the movable guide position sensors 111... Thereby, each movable guide 101 is placed on each of the left and right sides of the article X conveyed on the downstream side conveyance path by 0.5 cm.
Closer to the distance.

Thus, the position and orientation in the conveying width direction of the article X corrected by the centering mechanism 80 at the shutter position or the centering position (b) immediately before being introduced into the downstream conveying path are changed to the downstream conveying path. During the transportation, for example, it is possible to avoid side slipping again to shift the position or to obliquely collapse the posture. And article X
Maintain the correct position and posture after the correction,
It is delivered to the support plates 61... 61 of the walking beam 60 and further delivered to the lift device 5. When the lift device 5 is lifted, the article X placed on the lift posts 131... 131 of the lift device 5 at an appropriate position and posture is placed at the center of the stretch film Y and each side of the film Y It rushes from below in a state parallel to the side edges, and is beautifully packed without any packaging failure.

The article X whose position and orientation has been corrected by the correcting means 80 is then moved closely along the movable guide 101, while being conveyed along the downstream conveying path.
Since it is guided by 101, the position and orientation in the conveyance width direction once corrected by the correction means 80 are prevented from reversing or collapsing, and the corrected position and posture are being conveyed on the downstream conveyance path. It will be maintained continuously. Therefore, even if the article X is initially supplied at random at the article supply position (a) and the posture is oblique or the position in the conveying width direction is deviated left or right, the article X is After the posture or position is corrected at the shutter position or the centering position (b) during the conveyance, the conveyance device reaches the article discharge position (c) while the corrected posture or position is continuously maintained. 2 will be discharged.

In this case, the movable guides 101, 101 move in the transport width direction and approach the article X on the transport path, and the proximity position (Pt, Pf) of the movable guides 101, 101 is determined in the width direction of the article X. Is set based on the size (W) of the object X, and the movable guides 101, 101 are always brought close to an appropriate position for each article X conveyed according to the size (W) of the article X. And thus the article X
Is maintained and secured effectively.

Since the centering mechanism 80 is also used as a means for detecting the size (W) of the article X in the width direction,
It is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated means for detecting the size (W), and an increase in the number of parts of the transport device 2 or the entire packaging machine 1 is suppressed.

During the period before the article X enters the downstream transport path, the movable guides 101 are first moved to the provisional proximity position (Pt) before the article X enters the downstream transport path. The movable guides 101, 101 are moved to the final proximity position (Pf) when they move, so that the movable guides 101, 101 are moved to the transport path side only when the article X enters the downstream transport path. The movable guides 101, 101 can be brought closer to the article X with a margin compared to the case where the movable guides 101 are moved in the advance direction F from the side. In particular, when the moving distance of the movable guides 101, 101 is large, or when the size (W) of the article X is detected by the centering mechanism 80 disposed immediately before the downstream-side transport path as in the above embodiment. The problem of the response delay of the movement of the movable guides 101, 101 is eliminated.

Further, since the movable guides 101, 101 are gradually moved in two stages to the provisional proximity position (Pt) and the final proximity position (Pf), the downstream conveyance path is corrected after the position and posture are corrected. Even if the article X that has entered the vehicle slightly shifts in position or the like, it does not collide with the movable guides 101 located at the provisional proximity position (Pt) having a sufficient width, and smoothly moves between the movable guides 101. Will be introduced. Then, at the introduction timing, the width of the other movable guides 101, 101 is adjusted to the final proximity position (P
Since the position of the article X is narrowed down to f), the position deviation and the posture of the article X are corrected again by shifting the width, and thereafter, the article X is conveyed to the discharge position (c) in this state.

Further, by the opening / closing operation of the shutter mechanism 70, it is possible to determine whether the article X has not yet entered the downstream conveying path or has already entered the same. A rational operation of the movable guide mechanism 100 is realized.

In the above-described embodiment, the width (W) of the article X in the width direction is detected by the centering mechanism 80 immediately before the downstream conveying path. The product master may be registered in the memory of the control unit of the machine 1 together with various information on the product such as the product code, the product name, the unit price, the expiration date, the container tare, and the barcode information. According to this, at the time of specifying the product when placing the product X at the supply position (a) outside the machine, the product master is called, and the size (W) of the product X in the width direction is determined from this. The proximity positions (Pt, Pf) of the movable guides 101, 101 can be calculated relatively early.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Even if the articles are randomly supplied to the transport apparatus, the articles are maintained and maintained at proper proper positions and postures when they are ejected from the transport apparatus. Therefore, no trouble occurs in the processing operation of the discharged articles performed thereafter. In addition, it is not necessary to perform positioning or the like at the time of supplying the articles to the transport device, so that the work load is reduced. The present invention relates to a transfer device in general,
In particular, the present invention is widely and preferably applicable to general transport apparatuses having a function of centering an article once during transport.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a stretch packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a portion below a transport surface of a transport device provided on a front side of the stretch packaging machine.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the transport device taken along the line of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic rear view of the transfer device.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic plan view showing a downstream transport path of the transport apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the inside of the main body of the stretch packaging machine.

FIG. 7 is a system configuration diagram of the transfer device.

FIG. 8 is a time chart of the operation of the main components of the transport device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stretch wrapping machine 2 Transport device 21, 31, 41, 51 Transport means 70 Shutter mechanism (blocking means) 80 Centering mechanism (correction means) 100 Movable guide mechanism (proximity means) 101 Movable guide (guide member) 171 Control unit (storage) Means, setting means) X article Y stretch film (extensible packaging material)

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 3E051 AA08 BA12 CA08 CB05 DA10 EA05 EB10 FB02 FC02 HA02 HA08 HC03 HE01 JA02 KA03 KA07 KB01 LA03 LA04 LA07 LB05 3F081 AA43 BC05 BC07 BD08 BD15 BF13 CB01 CC08 CC15 CC21 CE10 CE10 DA02

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A transport device comprising: transport means for transporting an article in a predetermined transport direction; and correcting means for correcting the position and orientation of the article transported by the transport means in the transport width direction. A transport device, comprising: a guide member extending along a transport path downstream of the means; and proximity means for bringing the guide member close to an article on the downstream transport path. 2. A transport apparatus comprising: a transport unit that transports an article in a predetermined transport direction; and a transport unit that has a correction unit that corrects a position and an attitude of the article transported by the transport unit in a transport width direction. A stretch wrapping machine for wrapping an article carried in with an extensible packaging material, wherein a guide member is provided on the transport device along a transport path downstream of the correcting means, and the guide member is A stretch packaging machine, comprising: a proximity unit for approaching an article on the downstream transport path. 3. A storage means for storing the size of the article in the width direction, and setting means for setting the proximity position of the guide member based on the size of the article in the width direction stored in the storage means. And the proximity means moves the guide member to the proximity position set by the setting means.
Stretch wrapping machine according to the above. 4. The correction means is configured to correct the position and orientation of the article in the transport width direction by pressing the article in the transport width direction and to detect the size of the article in the width direction at that time. And setting means for setting the proximity position of the guide member based on the widthwise size of the article detected by the correction means, and the proximity means moves the guide member to the proximity position set by the setting means. The stretch wrapping machine according to claim 2, wherein the stretch wrapping machine is moved. 5. The setting means sets a provisional proximity position between the proximity position and the side of the transport path, and the proximity means moves the guide member to the temporary proximity position before the article enters the downstream transport path. The stretch wrapping machine according to claim 3, wherein the guide member is moved to a close position when the article enters the downstream transport path. 6. A stopping means for temporarily stopping the movement of the article being conveyed by the conveying means is provided downstream of the correcting means and upstream of the guide member, and the proximity means is prevented from moving by the stopping means. The stretch wrap according to claim 5, wherein the guide member is moved to the provisional proximity position during a period of time, and the guide member is moved to the proximity position when the blocking of the article advance by the blocking means is released. Machine.