JP-7856892-B2 - Article orientation alignment device

Inventors

• 青塚 久和
• 國長 陽平

Assignees

• 澁谷工業株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20220531

Claims (2)

1. Multiple slits with open ends that are open to the outside are provided on the outer circumference, and an annular outer rotating body rotates about a rotation axis along the vertical direction, An inner rotating body is positioned inside the outer rotating body and is supplied with an article, and rotates around a rotation axis inclined with respect to the vertical direction, The outer rotating body is provided at the end of its transport path and includes a discharge means for discharging articles transported by the outer rotating body, In an article direction alignment device, articles supplied by the inner rotating body are transferred to the upstream part of the conveying path of the outer rotating body, articles transferred onto the slit are conveyed downstream by the outer rotating body, and articles are discharged from the outer rotating body to the discharge means through the open end of the slit, The article has a protruding portion that extends along a plane intersecting the axis of the article, and a projection that extends from the protruding portion along the axis and has a smaller diameter than the protruding portion. The width of the slit is set to allow the passage of the protruding portion and restrict the passage of the overhanging portion, and the longitudinal direction of the slit is arranged to align with the radial direction of the outer rotating body. The transport path for the outer rotating body includes: Below the outer rotating body, a first section is provided adjacent to the slit, and a fixing plate is provided in the first section. A second section is provided downstream of the first section of the transport path, and below the outer rotating body, adjacent to the slit, in which no fixing plate is provided. A third section is provided downstream of the second section of the transport path, and a fixing plate is provided below the outer rotating body adjacent to the slit, An article orientation alignment device characterized by having a fourth section provided downstream of the third section of the transport path, and below the outer rotating body, where no fixing plate is provided adjacent to the slit.
2. The fixed plate positioned in the first section has a width that is capable of closing the slit over the entire length of the slit, The fixing plate positioned in the third section has a narrower width than the fixing plate positioned in the first section, and is configured to open up and down a predetermined region located at the radially outer end of the outer rotating body within the slit. The article orientation alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second section is provided with a gas injection means for injecting gas into an article supported in the slit in an upright state with its axis extended vertically while the protruding portion is positioned in the slit, causing the article to move radially outward from the outer rotating body within the slit.

Description

This invention relates to an article orientation alignment device for aligning the orientation of short articles having protruding portions. For example, a device for aligning the orientation of long tubular articles with protruding parts such as flanges is known, in which an inner rotating body is positioned at an angle inside an outer rotating body (Patent Document 1). The outer rotating body has numerous radial slits, and is provided with a first section with a fixed plate below it and a second section without a fixed plate. Long tubular articles with flanges that are fed into the inner rotating body are lifted by a lifting bar and moved to the outer rotating body by centrifugal force. In the first section, the long tubular articles with flanges are conveyed while sliding on the fixed plate in a horizontal position, and in the second section, the flanges engage with the slits, and the articles are conveyed in an upright position suspended from the slits, thereby aligning their orientation. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-147120 This is a plan view of an article orientation alignment device, which is a first embodiment of the present invention.This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the alignment of articles in Figure 1.This is a side view illustrating four types of articles handled by the article orientation alignment device of this embodiment.This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the annular portion showing how the upright articles slide against the fixing plate in the first and third sections.This is an enlarged cross-sectional view near the annular portion showing the state of an article in the first and third sections where the shaft is lying on its side along the slit.This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the annular portion showing the state of an article lying on its side with its axis intersecting the slit in the first and third sections.This is an enlarged cross-sectional view near the annular portion showing the appearance of an article supported in the slit in an upright position in the second and fourth sections.This is a plan view of the second embodiment, an article orientation alignment device.This is an enlarged cross-sectional view near the annular portion showing how an article supported in the slit in an upright position is moved towards the outer guide side by the outward-applying air in the second and fourth sections of the second embodiment.This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the annular portion in the third section of the second embodiment, showing the state of an article lying on its side with its axis intersecting the slit.This is an enlarged cross-sectional view near the annular portion showing the state of an article in the third section of the second embodiment, where the shaft is lying on its side along the slit. The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view of an article orientation alignment device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. The article orientation alignment device 10 of the first embodiment is used for aligning a short article M having an overhanging portion that extends along a plane intersecting the axis, and a projection that extends from the overhanging portion along the axis and has a smaller diameter than the overhanging portion. The article M is, for example, a lid that also serves as a measuring cup for a container filled with liquid detergent. The article orientation alignment device 10 comprises an inner rotating body 12 whose rotation axis L1 is tilted at a predetermined angle from the vertical direction, and an annular outer rotating body 14 that is horizontally arranged around the inner rotating body 12 and rotates around a vertical axis L2. The inner rotating body 12 is tilted in a direction substantially along the line A-A in Figure 1, and as shown in Figure 2, the outer rotating body 14 is positioned at the same height as the highest position P (upstream part) of the inner rotating body 12. Above the inner rotating body 12, a hopper 16 is positioned for randomly feeding items M into the central part of the inner rotating body 12, and a remaining amount detection sensor is positioned to detect any items M remaining on the inner rotating body 12. The lower surface of the inner rotating body 12 is supported by a shaft 12A, and the inner rotating body 12 is rotated at a predetermined speed around the rotation axis L1 by an inner rotating body drive motor 12B. The outer rotating body 14 comprises an annular portion 14A, a bowl-shaped support portion 14B extending downward from the inner periphery of the annular portion 14A, and a cylindrical support portion 14C extending downward from the bottom of the bowl-shaped support portion 14B. The lower part of the cylindrical support portion 14C is pivotal