JPH032518Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention relates to an article sorting machine,
In particular, the present invention relates to a device for pushing and sorting articles traveling on a conveyor from the side in the direction of travel by a pusher that rotates or moves directly.

[Prior Art] Articles conveyed by a conveyor are sorted by pushing them to a chute provided on the other side outside the conveyor path using a rotating pusher provided on one side outside the conveyor path. As shown in Fig. 1, the device is equipped with a photoelectric sensor PH for detecting the arrival of articles in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor flow direction on the upstream side of the conveyor C from the main body of the sorting machine, and from this sensor PH. The activation of the pusher P was controlled by the output signal of the pusher P.
In such a sorting machine, when the arrival of an article is detected by the photoelectric sensor PH for detecting the arrival of articles, the control device causes the pusher to always start turning at a fixed timing after the sensor detects the arrival of the article. There is.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, one of the problems with such a pusher control system is that the articles being conveyed by the conveyor do not necessarily flow at the optimal position for sorting work in the width direction of the conveyor. It doesn't mean that it will come, but
The conveyor may be transported in a disorderly manner, such as being on the right side, the center, or the left side of the conveyor.

Therefore, when the articles G are pushed out to the chute A on the opposite side by the rotating pusher P installed on the right side of the conveyor C in the flow direction and sorted, for example,
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, there was a difference in sorting accuracy depending on the flow position of the articles on the left side and the right side of the conveyor. That is, when the start timing of the pusher P is set to be appropriate for the article G flowing on the right side of the conveyor as shown in FIG. 2B, the start timing of the pusher is set to be appropriate for the article G flowing on the left side of the conveyor. As a result, the items to be sorted may not come into contact with the pusher P in advance and pass through, or the pusher may hit the items in an inappropriate position and damage the items, or the items may fall from the chute A. (See Figure 2A).

By the way, in the past, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned sorting errors, for example, an inclined roller was installed on the upstream side to artificially feed the articles to one side of the conveyor, and the pusher pushed the articles out at the appropriate timing. Although a sorting device has been proposed that allows articles to be sorted on one side only, this method is not applicable when sorting articles on both sides. In addition, a structure in which the length of the pusher is increased to prevent objects from being hit by the end of the pusher has been proposed, but if a small object flows on the opposite side of the pusher, the above-mentioned method still applies. Sorting errors are likely to occur and drastic improvements are needed.

Here, the present invention recognizes the position of the articles being transported by the conveyor in the width direction of the conveyor, and optimally controls the timing of starting the pusher according to the position to prevent timing delays, thereby improving the timing during sorting. To provide an article sorting machine capable of preventing article damage and erroneous sorting, and which is applicable to both types of finishing on both sides and sorting on one side.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses at least two types of sensors located upstream of the conveyor than the pusher to detect the arrival of articles and send signals to the pusher control device. A photoelectric sensor is used to detect the end of the article by arranging these sensors perpendicularly to the flow direction of the conveyor when viewed in plan;
A photoelectric sensor is arranged upstream or downstream of the conveyor with its optical axis tilted in the flow direction of the conveyor to detect the end of the article, and the outputs from both sensors are connected to the article position. The current position of the transported article in the width direction of the conveyor is detected, and the output of this identification device is input to the start timing setting device of the pusher drive means connected thereto, so that the current position of the transported article in the width direction of the conveyor is detected. It is configured to optimally control the starting timing of the pusher drive means.

The present invention having the above means recognizes the current position of the article on the conveyor in the width direction of the conveyor,
The pusher start timing is set according to the position, and the pusher start timing is earlier for articles traveling further away than for articles traveling close to the pusher, so that the article and the pusher are moved at the appropriate position. The items come into contact with each other, and the items can be sorted without making a sorting mistake.

[Example] Next, the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to the drawings.

3 to 7 show a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyor for conveying articles G, and is constituted by a belt conveyor that operates at a steady speed. Reference numeral 2 denotes a rotating pusher provided on the right side of the conveyor 1 in the flow direction. This pusher 2 is normally stationary at the right end of the side of the conveyor, but when the articles G to be sorted advance to the sorting position, the pusher 2 is rotated about the pivot shaft 3 by a drive means such as a deceleration motor, an air cylinder, or a rotary actuator. The article is rotated to the approach side and pushed out to the chute 4 side opposite to the pusher for sorting. Note that the pusher of the present invention does not necessarily have to be of the rotating type, and may be of the direct-acting type.

PH ₁ is a first photoelectric sensor that is located upstream of the pusher 2 and detects the leading and trailing ends of the article G being conveyed by the conveyor ₁ . It is arranged perpendicular to the direction. PH ₂ is a second photoelectric sensor disposed at a distance L downstream from the photoelectric sensor PH ₁ , and this photoelectric sensor PH ₂ detects the leading and trailing ends of the article. Further, this photoelectric sensor PH ₂ is arranged with its optical axis inclined by a set angle θ in the flow direction of the conveyor.

Reference numeral 5 is connected to the photoelectric sensors PH ₁ and PH ₂ and inputs the detection signals from the photoelectric sensors PH ₁ and PH ₂ to determine the current position (hereinafter abbreviated as "current position") of the article G to be sorted in the conveyor width direction. This is a location identification device that recognizes the Reference numeral 6 denotes a start timing setting device for the pusher drive means 7 connected to the identification device 5. This timing setting device 6 inputs the signal from the identification device 5, sets the optimum start timing according to the "position" of the article G to be sorted, and sets the pusher driving means so that the pusher starts based on the timing. 7 to instruct its start timing.

Although the pusher 2 in this embodiment is provided on the right side in the flow direction of the conveyor, it may also be provided on the left side. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, pushers may be provided on both sides of the conveyor to enable sorting on both sides, and this point will be described later.

P ₁ , P ₂ , P _{3 .} . . P _o is a position detection point of the article G on the conveyor, and is located on the optical axis of the second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ . Further, P ₁ ′, P ₂ ′, P ₃ ′, . . . P _o ′ indicate the optimal sorting operation points of the pusher 2. The optimal sorting operation point here refers to the point at which the moving article G and the pusher 2 come into contact at an appropriate angle when the pusher 2 is turned.
In other words, this is a theoretical point at which the pusher can push out and sort the materials to the chute 4, which is located opposite the pusher, without causing a sorting error. θ′ is the optimum sorting operation point P ₁ ′...
This is the angle between the straight line connecting P _o ′ and the conveyor 1. Note that the deviation angle θ of the optical axis of the second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ is set to an angle corresponding to the angle θ', and is inclined proportionally to the flow direction of the conveyor.

5 and 6 are schematic side views of the electric pusher and explanatory diagrams of the behavior of the driving lever crank mechanism. A deceleration motor 7 is attached to a machine frame 8, and a crank 9 is provided at the end of its output shaft. On the other hand, a lever 10 driven by the pivot shaft 3 of the pusher 2 is provided, and the lever 1
0 and one end of the crank 9 are connected by a connecting rod 11. With this configuration, pusher 2
is the rotation axis 3 per rotation of the output shaft of the deceleration motor 7.
Since the reciprocating angle rotation (oscillation) of, for example, 60 degrees is performed around , the article G flowing on the conveyor 1
When the article G advances to a predetermined position on the conveyor, the pusher 2 is started to push out the article G and distribute it to the chute 4 side.

Next, referring to Fig. 7 A to D, the photoelectric sensor PH ₁
and explain the effects of PH ₂ , etc. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the leading end of the article G being conveyed by the conveyor 1 reaches point Ps, the first photoelectric sensor PH ₁ is shielded from light. When PH ₁ is shielded from light, a built-in timer in the position identification device 5 is set, and the time information (for example, the number of pulses) until the point P ₁ when the tip of the article shields second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ while PH ₁ is shielded from light is stored. The object distance L ₁ between the left end of the conveyor and the article is calculated based on the number of detections D ₁ and the relationship between the “position” and the pulse, which has been previously stored in the device 5, and is temporarily stored in the device 5 (Ps → _P1 ). On the other hand, the rear end of the article G reaches point P _E , and the first photoelectric sensor PH ₁ turns off the light.
Next, from that point on, the second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ blocks light.
Detects the number of pulses up to the point _P2 when it turns OFF,
From the number of detections _D2 , the distance _L2 between the right end of the conveyor and the article is calculated in the same manner as in the case of _L1 , and is stored in the device 5 at once (P _E → _P2 ). In this way, the device 5 recognizes the above-mentioned object spacing L ₁ and/or L ₂ , and at the time of P ₂ , the distance (number of pulses) L to the optimal sorting operation point P ₂ ' of the pusher 2 at the sorting destination. Calculate ₂ ′ and memorize it. in this case,
Actually, the distance from point P ₂ to D ₂ ' is calculated by subtracting the number of pulses corresponding to the object length l. Next, this calculation result is input to the start timing setting device 6 to set the pusher start timing, and the pusher driving means (deceleration motor) 7 is operated based on this. Through this operation, the pusher 2 can come into contact with the article G at the optimum timing, push the article toward the chute 4, and distribute it.

Figures 8A and 8B show the second embodiment of the present invention, which is suitable for sorting both sides by installing pushers on both sides of the conveyor.
An example is shown. This embodiment shows an example in which three pairs of photoelectric sensors are provided, and the first photoelectric sensor PH ₁ and the second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ are both arranged in the same relationship as in the first embodiment. Third photoelectric sensor
Like the second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ , PH ₃ is disposed downstream from the photoelectric sensor PH ₁ at a distance L, and has an optical axis deviation angle θ ₂ in an inverse relationship to that of the second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ . It is set so that The configuration of other parts is similar to that of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, with reference to Figures 9 I to H and Figure 10,
The effects of photoelectric sensors PH ₁ , PH ₂ , PH ₃ etc. will be explained. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the leading edge of the article G conveyed by the conveyor 1 reaches the Ps ₁ point and blocks the first photoelectric sensor PH ₁ , the built-in timer in the position identification device 5 is set and the PH ₁ is blocked. The number of pulses up to the point _P1 when the tip of the article blocks the second photoelectric sensor _PH2 is detected, and the relationship between the detected number D _A1 and the "position" previously stored in the device 5 and the number of pulses is determined. Calculate the distance L ₁ between the left end of the conveyor and the article from
It is temporarily stored in the device 5 (Ps ₁ →P ₁ ).

On the other hand, the number of pulses from the time when _the leading edge of the article blocks light at PH ₁ to the time point P ₂ when the third photoelectric sensor PH ₃ is blocked from light is detected, and from the detected number D _B3 , the right end of the conveyor is and calculate the distance L ₂ between the articles,
It is temporarily stored in the device 5 (Ps ₂ →P ₂ ).

When the first photoelectric sensor PH ₁ is shielded from light, the device 5 stores information as to whether the pusher 2 to be sorted is on the right side or the left side in the conveyor flow direction. Then, when the pusher to be sorted is on the right side of the conveyor flow direction, this device 5 at the time point P _A2 when the second photoelectric sensor PH ₂ turns off the light,
Optimal sorting operation point P _A of the sorting destination pusher
Calculate the distance (number of pulses) L _A2 to ₂ ' and store it. In this case, the number of pulses corresponding to the object length l is actually subtracted from point P _A2 to PA
Calculate the distance to ₂ ′.

On the other hand, when the pusher to be sorted is on the left side of the conveyor flow direction, this device 5 uses a third photoelectric sensor.
The distance (number of pulses) L _Bo from the time P _Bo to P _Bo ′ when PH ₃ turns off is calculated and stored.
At this time as well, the distance from point P _Bo to P _Bo ' is calculated by subtracting the number of pulses corresponding to the actual object length l. Next, the above calculation result is input to the start timing setting device 6 to set the pusher start timing, and the pusher driving means (deceleration motor) 7 is operated based on this. With this operation, the pusher 2 will move the article G at the optimal timing.
It is possible to accurately sort the articles to both sides without making a sorting mistake by making contact with the article and pushing the article toward the chute side of the sorting destination.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the photoelectric sensors PH ₂ and/or PH ₃ , which are arranged with their optical axes inclined with respect to the conveyor 1, are arranged at a certain distance downstream of the photoelectric sensor PH ₁ , which is perpendicular to the conveyor 1. But photoelectric sensor PH ₄
The same effects as in the above embodiment can be achieved even if it is disposed upstream of the above embodiment.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, according to the invention, the position of the article being conveyed by the conveyor in the width direction of the conveyor can be recognized and the pusher start timing can be optimally controlled according to the position, thereby eliminating timing delays. It is possible to prevent incorrect sorting and damage to articles during sorting. Further, the present invention has great practical convenience in that the above effects can be achieved with a simple configuration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a plan view of a conventional article sorting machine;
Figures A and 2B are explanatory diagrams showing the relative behavior relationship between the conveyed items on the conveyor and the pusher, Figure 3 is a plan view showing the first embodiment of the article sorting machine of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a top view of the same. A block diagram showing the control system of the fractionator,
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the electric pusher, Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the behavior of the driving lever crank mechanism, Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the action of the photoelectric sensor, and Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the second embodiment of the present invention. 9 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the photoelectric sensor in the second embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the control system in the second embodiment. 1...Conveyor conveyor, 2...Swivel pusher,
3... Rotation axis, 4... Chute, 5... Position identification device, 6... Start timing setting position, 7... Pusher drive means, 8... Machine frame, 9... Crank,
10...Followed lever, 11...Connection rod, G...
…Articles, PH ₁ , PH ₂ , PH ₃ … Photoelectric sensors, P ₁ ~
P _o ... Position detection point, P ₁ ~ P _o ′... Optimal sorting operation point, θ′... Optical axis deviation angle.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A sorting machine body that pushes articles transported by a conveyor moving at a steady speed to the other side outside the conveyor path by a pusher provided on one side outside the conveyor path. , a sensor is provided upstream of the conveyor from the main body of the sorting machine and detects the arrival of articles transported by the conveyor, and a signal from the sensor is input to a control device of the pusher driving means. In the article sorting machine configured, the sensor includes a photoelectric sensor arranged perpendicularly to the flow direction of the conveyor to detect the edge of the article when viewed in plan, and a photoelectric sensor located upstream or downstream of the conveyor from the photoelectric sensor and located on the conveyor side. It consists of a photoelectric sensor arranged with its optical axis tilted in the flow direction to detect the end of the article, and the outputs from both sensors are input to a position identification device connected to the photoelectric sensor to determine the current position of the transported article in the width direction of the conveyor. is detected, and furthermore, the output of this identification device is introduced into a start timing setting device for a pusher drive means connected thereto to optimally control the start timing of the pusher drive means according to the position of the article. Characteristic article sorting machine. 2. The article sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein the pushers are provided on both sides of the conveyor. 3. The article sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein the pusher is configured to rotate in forward and reverse directions within a certain angle range about a pivot shaft provided upright on one side of the conveyor. 4. The article sorting machine according to claim 3, wherein the pivot shaft of the pusher is connected to the output shaft of the deceleration motor via a lever crank mechanism. 5. A photoelectric sensor arranged with its optical axis tilted in the direction of flow of a conveyor is a utility model registration request consisting of two sets of photoelectric sensors, the second and third, whose optical axes are in an inverse relationship to each other. Article sorting machine according to scope 1. 6. The deviation angle θ of the optical axis corresponds to the angle θ' formed by the straight line connecting the optimal sorting operation points of the rotary pusher and the conveyor. Separator.