JPH0244726B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a transfer device that increases the transfer speed of objects such as cans transferred by a conveyor while regulating the interval between the objects.

In equipment for producing cans, etc., objects such as cans are conveyed between workstations on a conveyor, and the workstations usually hold and process cans one by one in the pockets of each processing machine. In this case, the objects to be transported are arranged relatively densely on the conveyor,
It is desirable to transfer at a relatively low feed rate and convert the transfer rate at the work station to match the processing speed. In addition to effects such as power saving due to relatively low-speed operation of the conveyor, there is also the effect of being able to flexibly respond to partial changes in the processing line, such as increasing the processing speed of each work station.

Conventionally, as a transfer device to achieve such a purpose, a timing worm is used to increase the speed of the transferred material carried in from a conveyor, and the transferred material is supplied to a feed table that supplies the transferred material to a work station at the same timing. It is known what has been done. However, in this conventional method, the speed of the transported object is forcibly increased by the timing worm, so it is subjected to particularly strong line pressure at the timing worm inlet. There was a problem that it caused dents and scratches on objects. Further, even after the speed is increased, strong line pressure always acts on the transferred items due to the speed difference between the timing worm and the conveyor, making smooth transfer difficult.

Furthermore, the containers are transferred from the low-speed conveyor to the high-speed conveyor, which is arranged laterally offset from the low-speed conveyor to form a transfer section, and a timing worm on the high-speed conveyor supplies the transferred items to the feed table in a timely manner. There are also known ones that do this. However, in this method, the low-speed conveyor and the high-speed conveyor run parallel to each other with a horizontal shift, so in order to transfer the transferred object from the low-speed conveyor to the high-speed conveyor, it must be deflected laterally using a deflection means such as a deflection guide. Must be. Therefore, in the case of a light object to be transferred such as an empty can, there is a drawback that the smooth flow of the transferred object is obstructed, such as overturning. In addition, since the transferred object gradually transfers from the side from the low-speed conveyor to the high-speed conveyor, at the moment a part of the transferred object transfers to the high-speed conveyor, a strong rotational force is applied to the transferred object due to the speed difference between the low-speed conveyor and the high-speed conveyor. However, this caused an impact and caused accidents such as the transferred items falling over.

In this way, conventional equipment is prone to overturning and turbulence of transferred objects, and strong line pressure acts on the transferred objects, so it is not suitable for high-speed lines such as those that manufacture more than 1,400 cans these days. , it was difficult to apply.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and allows objects to be transferred such as cans to be fixed at high speed without causing the objects to fall over or be disturbed, and without applying strong line pressure to the objects to be transferred. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device that can transfer while regulating the intervals.

The present invention has achieved the above object by adding an unequal pitch spiral to a transfer section where a low-speed conveyor and a high-speed conveyor enter and run parallel to each other, and which includes a low-pitch section that matches the transfer speed of the low-speed conveyor and a high-pitch section that synchronizes with the receiving section. This problem was solved by arranging a low pitch portion of the rotation guide with a groove.

A detailed description will be given below with reference to the drawings.

The embodiment of the present invention shown in the figure shows a case where it is used in a processing machine for manufacturing a can body of a special shape.
is fed by a low-speed conveyor 2, and transferred to a high-speed conveyor 3, thereby accelerating to a speed commensurate with the moving speed of the pocket 6 of the feed table 5 to the rotary processing machine 4 and the distance thereof, and at the same time widening the distance.

Details of the structure of the conveyor are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The low-speed conveyor 2 consists of two belts 21 and 22 placed on both sides, and transports empty cans in a relatively dense state. The high-speed conveyor 3 has one central belt 31, one end of which is placed between the two belts 21 and 22 of the low-speed conveyor, and this portion serves as a transfer section between the conveyors. .
Reference numerals 7 and 8 indicate pulleys having different diameters, thereby keeping the speed ratio of the low-speed conveyor and the high-speed conveyor constant. Reference numerals 9 and 10 are guides provided on both sides of the low-speed conveyor, and 11 is a stopper for stopping the empty cans 1 from entering the high-speed conveyor 3, if necessary.

In this invention, a rotating guide 12 having a spiral groove is provided substantially along one side of the high-speed conveyor between the transfer section between the conveyors and the feed table 5, and the rotating guide and the other side are fixed. The position and spacing of the empty cans 1 are regulated by the guide 14. This spiral groove 13 has an unequal pitch, and a low pitch portion 13' matching the transfer speed of the low speed conveyor shifts to a high pitch portion 13'' as the empty can 1 is accelerated.

This rotation guide 12 is driven through a bevel gear device 15, which is interlocked with the drive device of the feed table 5, and the spiral groove 1
3" position and the position of pocket 6 of feed table 5.16 Feed table 5
A fixed guide along the pocket 6 holds the empty can together with the pocket 6.

Empty cans transferred on the low-speed conveyor 2 are accelerated by the high-speed conveyor 3 at the transfer section, and are caught in pockets formed by the low pitch groove 13' of the rotating guide 12 and the fixed guide 14, and then proceed. . Spiral groove 13 of rotation guide 12
As the pitch becomes larger, it is accelerated and reaches the feed table 5, but the pocket 6 of the feed table 5 forms a pocket together with the spiral groove 13.
The spiral grooves 13 are rotated synchronously so as to advance in synchronization, and the bottom end of the spiral groove 13 is disposed at the same distance from the end of the fixed guide 16 and the center of rotation of the feed table 5. Spiral groove 13
The empty can that has reached the end of the feed table 5 is guided by the pocket 6 and the fixed guide 16 and transferred to the feed table 5.

In this invention, empty cans that are transported at a relatively low speed and high density as described above need to be transported at a required interval while increasing the transport speed to match the operation of the work station. At the same time, the empty cans are transferred to a large conveyor, but at the same time, the empty cans are restrained and transferred by the groove of the rotating guide, which has a spiral groove synchronized with the pocket of the feed table for feeding the empty cans to the work station. Since the transfer to the feed table is performed smoothly and the position and movement speed are synchronized with the feed table pocket, empty cans are reliably supplied to the feed table.
This has the effect of not giving unnecessary impact or friction to the empty can.

In particular, in the present invention, since the transfer section is configured by the low-speed conveyor and the high-speed conveyor entering in a straight line, the transferred object is supported by the low-speed conveyor and the high-speed conveyor, and is restrained by the low pitch portion of the rotation guide. Since it is gradually accelerated by a high-speed conveyor, even on a high-speed line where light objects such as empty cans are transferred at high speed, the objects can be reliably transferred from a low-speed conveyor to a high-speed conveyor without tipping over. can. Since it is transferred to the rotation guide entrance at the same speed as the low pitch portion and engaged with the spiral groove of the rotation guide, there is almost no impact or trouble at the rotation guide entrance.
Further, in the transfer section, since the transfer section is accelerated by a high-speed conveyor while restrained by the low pitch portion of the rotation guide, there is no sudden acceleration effect. Therefore, the transported object is not subjected to strong line pressure, and even if the transported object is easily dented, such as an empty can, it can be transported smoothly without causing dents or scratches, which is a remarkable effect. It is something. As a result, the present invention can be applied to high-speed lines that produce more than 1400 cans per minute, which have recently been put into practical use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall arrangement of one embodiment of the transfer device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the conveyor section, and FIG. 3 is a side view. 1: Empty can, 2: Low speed conveyor, 3: High speed conveyor, 4: Rotary processing machine, 5: Feed table, 9, 10, 14, 16: Fixed guide, 11:
Stopper, 12: Rotation guide, 13: Spiral groove.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A transfer device for supplying objects such as cans transferred by a conveyor to a prescribed receiving part such as a pocket of a feed table that moves at high speed, and includes a low-speed conveyor that transfers objects at a low speed. , an upstream end runs in parallel with a downstream end of the low-speed conveyor to form a transfer section from the low-speed conveyor, and a downstream end is connected to the feed table;
a high-speed conveyor that rotates at approximately the same speed as the receiving part of the turntable, which is arranged so that the center line of the conveyance path is located on a straight line with the center line of the conveyance path of the low-speed conveyor; a spiral groove of unequal pitch consisting of a low pitch part and a high pitch part synchronized with the receiving part, and arranged along the high speed conveyor so that the low pitch part is located at a transfer part from the low speed conveyor. The transfer is carried out by a low-speed conveyor to the entrance of the rotating guide, and at the transfer section, the transfer is accelerated by a high-speed conveyor while being restrained by the low pitch part of the rotating guide. A transfer device characterized by transferring by.