JP4132257B2 - Article direction changing and aligning apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article direction changing and aligning apparatus that grips a plurality of articles and changes the direction while aligning and reducing the interval between the articles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
With respect to the article direction changing and aligning apparatus, an expansion / contraction operation between articles is performed using a pantograph mechanism, and the article orientation is changed and aligned by a combination mechanism of a groove cam and a guide pin (Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-52088). ), The support blocks are linked to each other by a pinion rack mechanism, and a predetermined movable support block is driven to rotate the support shaft of each article gripping means via the pinion rack mechanism to thereby change the direction of the article. There is known one that performs expansion / contraction while converting the above (JP-A-7-33246).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention further improves the above-described conventional article direction changing / aligning apparatus, and can change the direction of the article independently of the expansion / contraction operation between the articles, and the direction of the article can be changed without changing the attachment. Providing technical means that can set the conversion angle arbitrarily and accurately, and preparing an environment where the rotation speed and acceleration of the article can be set to the optimum state in addition to the conversion angle in accordance with the characteristics and work cycle time of the article. It is the purpose.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a driven side gear which is slidable only in the axial direction with respect to the spline shaft and is engaged with the drive side gear. The drive side gear is slid in the axial direction with respect to the spline shaft by linking the gear to the rotary support shaft side provided with the article gripping means and forming a staggered shaft gear system with these gears. In addition to performing an expansion / contraction operation between articles, the direction of each article is changed and aligned by rotating the spline shaft and rotating the article gripping means via the staggered shaft gear system and the rotation support shaft. Adopted technical means to make it possible. According to the present invention, by rotating the spline shaft, the direction change operation of the article is arbitrarily and accurately performed independently of the expansion / contraction operation via the staggered shaft gear system and the rotation support shaft. be able to.
[0005]
In the invention of claim 2, the staggered shaft gear system comprising the drive side gear and the driven side gear is incorporated in a support block disposed so as to be movable in the axial direction of the spline shaft, and the interval between the support blocks is set. A technical mechanism is provided in which a drive mechanism that expands and contracts is provided, the operation base point thereof is arranged to be adjustable, and a regulation unit that regulates the operation of the drive mechanism is arranged, and the regulation position is arranged to be adjustable. By employing this technical means, it is possible to easily and accurately adjust the operating range of the expansion / contraction operation between the articles.
[0006]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the spline shafts are disposed in parallel, the support blocks are disposed so that the expansion and contraction between the articles and the direction of each article can be changed with respect to each of the spline shafts. The technical means is adopted in which the interval between the front and back support blocks is configured to be expandable / contractable by changing the interval between the spline shafts. By adopting this technical means, it is possible to install two parallel work lines along the spline shaft, thereby improving work efficiency. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive mechanism that moves the shaft support block that supports each of the spline shafts in the front-rear direction, and the operation base point thereof is arranged to be adjustable, and the operation of the drive mechanism is restricted. The technical means of providing the regulating means and arranging the regulating position so as to be adjustable was adopted. By adopting this technical means, it is possible to easily and accurately adjust the operating range of the expansion / contraction operation between the spline shafts.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is suitable for a caser and an anchorer of various articles having a directivity having a cross-sectional shape such as an ellipse or an oblong shape, but the direction from the position of the label or the like even if the cross-sectional shape is circular or square The present invention can also be applied as a direction changing and aligning device for articles having properties. As the staggered shaft gear system, an appropriate gear mechanism such as a helical screw gear pair, a hypoid gear pair, a face gear pair or a worm wheel gear pair can be employed. Various drive means such as a fluid actuator such as an air cylinder and an electromagnetic actuator can be employed as a drive mechanism for expanding and contracting between articles or between spline shafts.
[0008]
【Example】
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the main part of one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, three groups of three support blocks of support blocks 1 to 3 are arranged on the front side of the apparatus, and three groups of support blocks 4 to 6 are similarly arranged on the rear side. These are arranged so as to be parallel to each other, and are configured so that six articles can be united and three sets can be handled simultaneously. That is, a group consisting of the support blocks 1 to 3 and a group consisting of the support blocks 4 to 6 are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction, and the groups in front and back cooperate to form six articles as a unit. It is configured to convert and align. The central support blocks 2 and 5 constituting each of these groups are installed in a fixed state, and the support blocks 1, 3, 4 and 6 disposed on both sides thereof are configured to be movable. As shown in FIG. 2, the support blocks 1 to 6 are respectively provided with rotating support shafts 7 and 8 in the vertical direction, and through appropriate holding means 9 and 10 provided at the lower ends thereof. In this way, an article such as a container can be gripped. The rotary support shafts 7 and 8 can be constructed as sliding key shafts or spline shafts so as to be able to push-up interference and transmit torque. Then, as will be described later, the direction of the article is changed by the rotation of the rotation support shafts 7 and 8, and the support blocks 1, 3, 4 and 6 on both sides are moved symmetrically with respect to the center support block 2. It is comprised so that the expansion / contraction operation | movement between articles | goods may be performed. In the figure, reference numerals 11 to 14 denote bearing portions that support the upper and lower sides of the rotary support shafts 7 and 8.
[0009]
As shown in FIG. 2, guide rods 15 and 16 are passed through the upper portions of the support blocks 1 to 6, and spline shafts 17 and 18 are passed through the lower portion. As shown in FIG. 1, the spline shafts 17 and 18 are installed in parallel in the front and rear of the apparatus, and pass through the front and rear support blocks 1 to 6, respectively. And the tooth profile of the spline shafts 17 and 18 are configured not to engage with each other. The front and rear support blocks 1, 3, 4 and 6 are each penetrated by a guide rod 19, and one of the support blocks, in this embodiment the support blocks 1 and 3 are fixed to the guide rod 19. The other support block, in this embodiment, the support blocks 4 and 6 is configured to be slidable, and is configured to be able to expand and contract the interval between the gripping means 9 and 10 while sliding on the guide rod 19. Has been. The spline shafts 17 and 18 are fitted with drive side gears 20 and 21 so as to be engaged with the tooth shapes and slidable only in the axial direction. The combined driven gears 22 and 23 are fixed to the rotation support shafts 7 and 8 side. That is, the drive side gears 20 and 21 and the driven side gears 22 and 23 constitute a staggered shaft gear system, and the drive side gears 20 and 21 are slid in the axial direction with respect to the spline shafts 17 and 18. Thus, the expansion / contraction operation between the articles is performed, and the spline shafts 17 and 18 are rotated so that the staggered shaft gear system including the drive side gears 20 and 21 and the driven side gears 22 and 23 and the rotary support shaft 7 are rotated. , 8 to change the direction of each article by rotating the article gripping means 9, 10 and further slide the rear support blocks 4, 6 on the guide rod 19 to align them in a predetermined state. become.
[0010]
Next, the expansion / contraction mechanism of the support blocks 1 to 6 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an interlocking belt 24 made of an endless chain or the like is disposed between the free support wheels 25 and 26 in front of the support blocks 1 to 3 on the near side. In this embodiment, the support blocks 1 constituting each set are fixed to the lower part of the interlocking belt 24, and the support block 3 is fixed to the upper part of the interlocking belt 24. Accordingly, the support blocks 1 and 3 are symmetrically moved in opposite directions around the support block 2 fixed by the movement of the interlock belt 24, and the expansion / contraction operation is performed. The expansion / contraction operation is also transmitted to the support blocks 4 and 6 on the rear side via the guide rod 19, and the support blocks 4 and 6 move symmetrically around the support block 5 to perform the expansion / contraction operation. Do. The front side of the guide rod 19 is movably supported, and on the rear side, a pantograph-like link mechanism 27 centering on the support block 5 is disposed as shown in FIGS. Assists the smooth expansion / contraction operation.
[0011]
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a driving mechanism for expanding and contracting the support blocks 1 to 3, and FIG. 6 is a front view thereof. In the figure, 28 is a main cylinder having a large stroke amount. A sub cylinder 30 having a small stroke amount is installed at the tip of the output shaft 29, and the cylinder case side of the sub cylinder 30 is connected to the support block 1. Yes. The main cylinder 28 is configured to be movable through a mounting bracket 34 having a female screw portion 33 screwed to a feed screw 32 driven by a motor 31, and the position of the main cylinder 28 is determined. The operating base point of the main cylinder 28 can be adjusted by moving. Further, a locking pin 36 protrudes from a connecting portion between the output shaft 29 of the main cylinder 28 and the output shaft 35 of the sub cylinder 30, and the locking pin 36 is locked in a long hole 38 formed in the restriction plate 37. Thus, the return end is restricted. Further, the restriction plate 37 is configured to be movable via a mounting bracket 42 having a female screw portion 41 that is screwed into a feed screw 40 driven by a motor 39. The return position of the output shaft 29 can be adjusted by moving the. That is, the operating base point of the main cylinder 28 that constitutes the drive mechanism that expands and contracts the space between the support blocks 1 to 3 is adjustably disposed, and the restriction plate 37 that is a restriction means that restricts the operation of the drive mechanism. By configuring the restriction position so as to be adjustable, the range of expansion / contraction can be adjusted. 7 to 9 are partial state diagrams showing arrangement states around the support blocks 1 to 3. In the figure, reference numeral 43 denotes an attachment support part, and 44 and 45 denote fixing parts of the interlock belt 24.
[0012]
Next, an interlocking mechanism between the support blocks 1 to 3 on the near side and the support blocks 4 to 6 on the rear side will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the spline shaft 17 is configured to be driven by a servo motor 46. The spline shaft 18 is configured to transmit the rotational force of the spline shaft 17 via a rotational force transmission mechanism 47. FIGS. 10 and 11 show the rotational force transmission mechanism 47 in an enlarged manner. As shown in the figure, the spline shafts 17 and 18 are rotatable arms 48 and 49 and a connecting pin 50 that are rotatably mounted. And the rotational force is transmitted through the interlocking belts 51 and 52 including the toothed belts installed along the free arms 48 and 49, the driving side sprocket 53, the intermediate sprocket 54, and the driven side sprocket 55. It is connected to transmit. Thereby, even when the space | interval between the spline shafts 17 and 18 is expanded / contracted, a rotational force can be transmitted correctly.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, shaft support blocks 56 and 57 for supporting both ends of the spline shafts 17 and 18 are disposed on both sides of the apparatus, and both ends of the spline shaft 17 therein. The shaft support block 56 that supports the shaft is fixed, and the shaft support block 57 that supports both ends of the spline shaft 18 is configured to be slidable. As shown in FIG. 12, a support block 59 that supports the expansion / contraction cylinder 58 is disposed between the shaft support blocks 56 and 57. The output shaft 60 of the expansion / contraction cylinder 58 is connected to the shaft support block 57, and the spline shaft 18 is moved by sliding the shaft support block 57 along the guide rod 61 to move the spline shafts 17, 18. It is comprised so that space can be expanded and contracted.
[0014]
Further, the support block 59 is connected to a feed screw 64 on both sides which is connected to a drive shaft connected to the motor 63 shown in FIG. 1 via a connecting gear 62 such as a bevel gear and is driven to rotate. The operating base point of the expansion / contraction cylinder 58 can be adjusted by screwing and moving through the motor 63. Further, a locking pin 65 protrudes from the output shaft 60 of the expansion / contraction cylinder 58, and the expansion side end portion is regulated by being latched to the end portion of the long hole 67 formed in the regulation plate 66. It is configured. The female screw portion 68 of the regulating plate 66 is connected to a drive shaft 71 connected to the motor 70 shown in FIG. 1 via a connecting gear 69 such as a bevel gear, and is configured to be rotationally driven. The expansion screw 58 is screwed into the side feed screw 72 and moved through the motor 70 so that the expansion side end of the expansion / contraction cylinder 58 can be adjusted. That is, an expansion / contraction cylinder 58 that constitutes a drive mechanism that moves the shaft support block 57 that supports each of the spline shafts 18 in the front-rear direction is disposed so that the operating base point can be adjusted, and the operation of the expansion / contraction cylinder 58 is restricted. The restricting plate 66 constituting the restricting means is arranged so that the restricting position can be adjusted, so that the expansion / contraction range between the spline shafts 17 and 18 can be adjusted.
[0015]
Next, the outline of the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the schematic diagrams of FIGS. Here, the description will be given focusing on three containers 73 to 75 having a cross-sectional shape such as an oblong shape. The state shown in FIG. 13 shows a state in which the containers 73 to 75 aligned in the horizontally long state are gripped by the gripping means 9 at the lower end portion of the rotary support shaft 7 installed in the support blocks 1 to 3, respectively. is there. In this case, as described above, the container 73 is connected to the sub cylinder 30 via the support block 1, and the main cylinder 28 is in the expanded state and the sub cylinder 30 is in the contracted state.
[0016]
FIG. 14 shows a state where the directions of the containers 73 to 75 are rotating. In this case, first, the sub cylinder 30 is extended as shown in the figure. As a result, the container 73 moves in a direction away from the central container 74 via the support block 1. At the same time, the container 75 gripped by the gripping means 9 at the lower end portion of the rotary spindle 7 installed on the support block 3 is moved symmetrically to the opposite side via the interlock belt 24 as described above. As a result, the containers 73 and 75 on both sides are symmetrically separated from the central container 74 and each container can be rotated. Thereafter, as described above, by rotating the spline shaft 17 by a predetermined amount by the servo motor 46, the rotational support is achieved by the engagement between the drive side gear 20 and the driven side gear 22 constituting the staggered shaft gear system. The orientations of the containers 73 to 75 are converted as shown in the figure via the shaft 7 and the article gripping means 9.
[0017]
Then, when the conversion of the directions of the containers 73 to 75 is completed, as shown in FIG. 15, the sub cylinder 30 is reduced and the main cylinder 28 is also reduced. As a result, as shown in the figure, the container 73 moves to the central container 74 side via the support block 1, and the container 75 also moves to the central container 74 side via the interlock belt 24. Then, the locking pin 36 is locked to the return side end of the long hole 38 at a preset restriction position, whereby the return end is regulated and the containers 73 to 75 are brought into close contact as shown in the figure. Will be aligned. In addition, while the above operation | movement is simultaneously performed also in the support blocks 4-6 of the back side, expansion / contraction operation | movement between those front and back support blocks 1-3 and the support blocks 4-6 is also performed, and six pieces are carried out. The entire direction changing and aligning operation of the articles is performed.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
According to each of the above inventions, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the invention of claim 1, by rotating the spline shaft, the direction change operation of the article is performed independently of the expansion / contraction operation via the staggered shaft gear system and the rotation support shaft. It can be performed arbitrarily and accurately.
(2) According to the invention of claim 2, the operation range of the expansion / contraction operation between the articles can be adjusted easily and accurately.
(3) According to the invention of claim 3, since two parallel work lines are installed along the spline shaft, work efficiency can be improved.
(4) According to the invention of claim 4, the operation range of the expansion / contraction operation between the spline shafts can be adjusted easily and accurately.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial side view showing the main part of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a partial front view showing the main part of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a partial front view showing a rear part of the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing a drive mechanism for supporting block expansion / contraction.
6 is a partial front view showing the same part as FIG. 5. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a partial state diagram showing an arrangement state around a support block.
FIG. 8 is a partial state diagram showing an arrangement state around a support block.
FIG. 9 is a partial state diagram showing an arrangement state around a support block.
FIG. 10 is a partial plan view showing a rotational force transmission mechanism.
FIG. 11 is a partial side view of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a partial side view showing a driving mechanism for expanding and reducing the support block in the front-rear direction.
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation.
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation.
FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1-6 ... Support block, 7, 8 ... Rotation support shaft, 9, 10 ... Holding means, 11-14 ... Rotation support shaft, 15, 16 ... Guide rod, 17, 18 ... Spline shaft, 19 ... Guide rod, 20 , 21 ... Drive side gear, 22, 23 ... Driven side gear, 24 ... Interlocking belt, 25, 26 ... Free support wheel, 27 ... Link mechanism, 28 ... Main cylinder, 29 ... Output shaft, 30 ... Sub cylinder, 31 ... Motor, 32 ... feed screw, 33 ... female screw portion, 34 ... bracket, 35 ... output shaft, 36 ... locking pin, 37 ... regulator plate, 38 ... long hole, 39 ... motor, 40 ... feed screw, 41 ... female Screw part, 42 ... Bracket, 43 ... Mounting support part, 44, 45 ... Fixing part, 46 ... Servo motor, 47 ... Rotational force transmission mechanism, 48, 49 ... Universal arm, 50 ... Connecting pin, 51, 52 ... Interlocking belt 53 ... Drive side sprocket 54 ... Intermediate sprocket, 55 ... Drive side sprocket, 56, 57 ... Shaft support block, 58 ... Expansion / contraction cylinder, 59 ... Support block, 60 ... Output shaft, 61 ... Guide rod, 62 ... Connecting gear, 63 ... Motor , 64 ... feed screw, 65 ... locking pin, 66 ... restriction plate, 67 ... long hole, 68 ... female screw part, 69 ... coupling gear, 70 ... motor, 71 ... drive shaft, 72 ... feed screw, 73 to 75 ... container

Claims (4)

The drive side gear is fitted so as to be slidable only in the axial direction with respect to the spline shaft, and the driven side gear meshed with the drive side gear is linked to the rotary support shaft side provided with the article gripping means. By constituting a staggered shaft gear system with both gears, the drive side gear is slid in the axial direction with respect to the spline shaft, thereby performing an expansion / contraction operation between articles, and rotating the spline shaft to An article direction changing / aligning apparatus configured to change and align the direction of each article by rotating the article gripping means via a staggered shaft gear system and the rotating support shaft. A staggered shaft gear system composed of the drive side gear and the driven side gear is incorporated into a support block disposed so as to be movable in the axial direction of the spline shaft, and a drive mechanism for expanding and reducing the interval between the support blocks is provided. 2. The direction change alignment of articles according to claim 1, wherein the operation base point is arranged to be adjustable, and a regulating means for regulating the operation of the drive mechanism is provided, and the regulation position is arranged to be adjustable. apparatus. The spline shafts are arranged in parallel, a support block is arranged so that expansion and contraction between articles and a direction of each article can be changed with respect to each of the spline shafts, and an interval between the spline shafts is changed. 3. The article direction changing and aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the front and back support blocks is configured to be enlarged or reduced. A drive mechanism that moves the shaft support block that supports each of the spline shafts in the front-rear direction is provided, and its operation base point is arranged to be adjustable, and a restriction means that restricts the operation of the drive mechanism is provided, and the restriction position is set. 4. The direction changing / aligning apparatus for articles according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus is arranged so as to be adjustable.

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