JPH04308117A - Distributing/conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To distribute conveyed objects conveyed by a conveyor to multiple conveyors for individual conveyance addresses automatically and properly. CONSTITUTION:Three lines of the second conveyors 3-5 are provided on the downstream of the first conveyor 2. Air blowout ports 9a, 9b of an air feeder 10 are provided toward the center of the conveyor belt 2a of the first conveyor 2 respectively on the right and left sides of the first conveyor 2. When wires 7 dropped onto the conveyor belt 2a from a cutter 6 are detected by detecting sensors 12a, 12b, an air feeder 10 is operated by a control device 11, air is selectively blown out from the air blowout ports 9a, 9b to convey the wires 7 to either one of the second conveyors 3-5 corresponding to a downstream side facility in the operating state, and the wires 7 are moved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a distributing and conveying device.
In particular, for distributing the objects transported by the first transport conveyor while transporting them to a plurality of rows of second transport conveyors for sorting and transporting the objects to a plurality of equipment provided on the downstream side. This invention relates to a dispensing and conveying device.

0002

[Prior Art] For example, in a parts processing process on an assembly line, if the processing capacity of downstream equipment is lower than the processing capacity of upstream equipment, the number of downstream equipment is increased to I'm trying not to slow down. In such a line, a plurality of conveyors are provided on the downstream side of an upstream conveyor, and objects to be conveyed are distributed between the conveyors.

For example, in a processing and supply line for large-diameter straight wires used for motor coils, an operator has conventionally received a bar-shaped wire that has been cut into a predetermined length by a cutting machine that is upstream equipment. The wires were stored in boxes, arranged on conveyors for multiple destinations, and distributed and supplied to the hoppers of multiple swaging machines in downstream equipment. Although such work is simple, it is complicated.

[0004] Furthermore, for example, a sorting plate that tilts from side to side is provided at the entrance of a plurality of downstream conveyor lines.
It is conceivable that the distribution plate be automatically moved by a control device to distribute the wires. However, when the tip of the wire comes into contact with the distribution plate, there is a risk that it will get caught, and in that case, a problem arises in that it takes a lot of time to recover.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In view of the problems of the prior art, the main object of the present invention is to separate objects transported by an upstream transport conveyor into downstream transport destinations. It is an object of the present invention to provide a distributing and conveying device capable of automatically distributing while conveying to a plurality of rows of conveyors.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, the present invention provides a first conveyor for conveying objects to be conveyed, and a first conveyor for conveying the objects to be conveyed to a plurality of destinations. a plurality of rows of second conveyors provided consecutively at the downstream end of the first conveyor; detection means for detecting objects to be conveyed on the conveyance surface of the first conveyor; Selecting any one of the air blowing devices each having a blowing outlet directed from the end side toward the center of the conveyance surface and the plurality of rows of second conveyor conveyors,
In order to move the conveyed object to a position corresponding to the second conveyor of the selected row on the conveyance surface of the first conveyor, the air blowing device is configured to move the object to a position corresponding to the second conveyor of the selected row. This is achieved by providing a distributing and conveying device characterized by having a control means for operating the air outlet and adjusting the amount of air blown from the left and right air outlets. In particular, it is preferable that the conveyance surface of the first conveyor be concave upward.

[0007]

[Function] By doing this, by adjusting the amount of air blown on the left and right sides, it is possible to move the conveyed object on the first conveyor in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction by air pressure. The conveyed objects can be moved to a position facing any one of the plurality of rows of second conveyors, and can be automatically distributed.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the main parts of a distributing and conveying apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied, in which a first conveyor 2 is provided on the upstream side shown in the upper part of the figure, and a first conveyor 2 is provided in the lower part of the figure. On the downstream side shown, there are multiple rows (three rows) of second transport conveyors 3.
- 4 and 5 are provided so as to be continuous with the first conveyor 2.

A cutting machine 6 is installed upstream of the first conveyor 2.
The cutting machine 6 cuts a long conductor into a predetermined length that will be used as a motor coil. Then, a rod-shaped wire 7 of a predetermined length as a conveyed object is placed on the first conveyor 2 from a chute (not shown) of the cutting machine 6, with the longitudinal direction pointing in the conveying direction (arrow A in the figure), as shown by the imaginary line in the figure. ).

[0011] On the left and right ends of the first conveyor 2, there are
As shown in the figure, left and right side walls 8a and 8b are provided that protrude upward from the top surface of the conveyor belt 2a. A conveyor belt 2a is installed on both side walls 8a and 8b.
Air outlets 9a and 9b, which can blow out air from the left and right ends toward the center, are fixedly provided on the upper surface of the device so as to face each other. An air supply device 10 is pipe-connected to these outlets 9a and 9b, and the air supply device 10 selectively blows air from each outlet 9a and 9b, thereby forming an air blowing device. There is. Note that, as shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor belt 2a is configured such that the center portion thereof is slightly recessed (for example, the maximum inclination angle is approximately 5 degrees) than the left and right ends. Therefore, the wire 7 dropped from the cutting machine 6 is conveyed while rolling so as to fit toward the center of the conveyor belt 2a.

A swaging machine (not shown) for swaging the ends of the wires 7 in the axial direction is installed downstream of each of the second conveyors 3 to 5 arranged parallel to each other in three rows. - Arranged every 5. These second conveyors 3 to 5 are controlled and driven by the control device 11 after the control device 11 confirms the operation of the corresponding swage processing machine. The first conveyor 2 described above is also driven in the same manner as described above only when the cutting machine 6 is operating. The belt width of the first conveyor 2 may be 60 mm, and the conveying speed thereof may be about 400 mm/sec, and the conveying speed of each of the second conveyors 3 to 5 may be about 500 mm/sec. good.

[0013] Also, both side walls 8a of the first conveyor 2
For example, light emitting/receiving type detection sensors 12a and 12b are disposed at 8b for detecting that the wire 7 is placed on the conveyor belt 2a and being conveyed. Detection signals from the detection sensors 12a and 12b are input to the control device 11, and the air supply device 10 is selectively operated in accordance with the detection signals.

Next, the operation of the present apparatus will be described below with reference to the flowchart of the main control routine shown in FIG. In step ST1 of FIG. 3, the first conveyor 2 is operated, and in the next step ST2, the cutting machine 6 is operated.
Issues a ready signal to enable operation. and,
In step ST3, it is determined whether or not the second conveyor 3 in the first row is in operation, and if it is in operation, the process proceeds to step ST4, and in step ST4, it is determined whether or not the first flag is off. If it is off, step ST5
Proceed to. In step ST5, the first flag is turned on, and the process proceeds to step ST6, where subroutine S1 is executed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the subroutine S1, in step ST21, detects the detection sensor 12a.
According to the detection result of the wire 7 by 2b, the wire 7 is the first
If the wire 7 is not on the conveyor 2, repeat step ST21, and if the wire 7 is present, proceed to the next step ST22.
Then, the air supply device 10 is operated by the control device 11 in order to blow out air only from one air outlet 9a.

In the next step ST23, the presence or absence of the wire 7 is confirmed in the same manner as described above, and the detection sensors 12a and 12 are
While the wire 7 is within the detection range according to b, step ST
At step ST24, a reset signal is output to a timer (not shown) in the control device 11 to set the timer count to 0, and the process returns to step ST23. In step ST23, when it is confirmed that the wire 7 has been conveyed downstream from the positions of the detection sensors 12a and 12b, the process proceeds to step ST24, and the timer starts counting. And step S
In T24, the process repeats returning to step ST23 until the timer counts up. When the timer counts up, the process proceeds to step ST25 and resets the timer. In the next step ST26, the operation of the air supply device 10 is stopped and the air is blown out. Stop air blowing from the port 9a.

In the above, air is continuously blown out for a predetermined period of time after the wire 7 is conveyed from the position corresponding to the detection sensors 12a and 12b until the timer counts up. This is because in the above case, it is necessary to move the wire 7 toward the right side in FIG. 1 by the air blowing pressure and hold it at a position corresponding to the second conveyor 3 in the first row. Therefore, the wire 7 can be stably conveyed toward the second conveyor 3 in the first row.

After completing the above-described subroutine S1, the process returns to step ST3 of the main routine. Next, for example, if the second conveyor 3 in the first row is stopped, the process advances from step ST3 to step ST7, and the step S
At T7, it is determined whether or not the second conveyor 4 in the second row is in operation, as in step ST3 described above. Incidentally, when it is determined in the step ST4 that the first flag is on, that is, when the process proceeds to the subroutine S1 in which the wire 7 is conveyed by the second conveyor 3 in the first row as described above. In order to avoid distributing the wire 7 to the same second conveyor 3, the process proceeds to step ST7.

[0019] Then, in step ST7, if the second conveyor 4 in the second row is in operation, step S
The process proceeds to T8, and if the second flag is off in step ST8, the process proceeds to step ST9, where the second flag is turned on, and in the next step ST10, the process proceeds to subroutine S2. This subroutine S2 is controlled by steps ST31 to ST37 as shown in FIG. 5, but since it is similar to the subroutine S1 described above, detailed explanation will be omitted. Incidentally, since the wire 7 is to be conveyed toward the second conveyor 4 in the second row, in order to position the wire 7 in the center, in step ST32, both the air outlets 9a and
The air is uniformly blown out from the air outlet 9b, and accordingly, the air blowing from both the air outlet ports 9a and 9b is stopped in step ST36.

[0020] If the second conveyor 4 in the second row is stopped in step ST7, or if the second conveyor 4 in step ST8 is
If the second flag is in the on state, the process advances to step ST11. In this step ST11, both the first and second flags are turned off, and the process proceeds to step ST12. If the third conveyor 5 in the third row is in operation in step ST12, the process advances to subroutine S3 in step ST13. Subroutine S3 is also shown in FIG.
The control in steps ST41 to ST47 is performed as shown in FIG. 2, but since it is the same as the subroutine S1 described above, detailed explanation will be omitted. Note that since the wire 7 is to be conveyed toward the second conveyor 5 in the third row, step S is performed in order to position the wire 7 at the left end in FIG.
At T42, air is blown out only from the air outlet 9b, and accordingly, at step ST46, air is stopped from being blown out from the air outlet 9b.

[0021] If the second conveyor 5 in the third row is stopped in step ST12, step ST1
4, it is determined whether all the second conveyors 3 to 5 are stopped. If all the second transport conveyors 3 to 5 are stopped in step ST14, the process advances to step ST15, and the first transport conveyor 2 is stopped in step ST15 to temporarily stop the transport operation. Then, in the next step ST16, the output of the ready signal to the cutting machine 6 is stopped in order to stop the supply of the wire 7 from the cutting machine 6, and the process proceeds to step ST17. Step S
At T17, it is continued to monitor whether all the second transport conveyors 3 to 5 are stopped, and when any one of the second transport conveyors 3 to 5 starts operating, the process returns to step ST1 and restarts the work.

[0022] In order to hold the wire 7 on the conveyor belt 2a, which has a concave center, by positioning it at either the left or right end or the center, the first conveyor belt 2a is A lid 13 made of, for example, an acrylic plate is installed so as to cover the top of 2. In addition, in this embodiment, the air is distributed to three positions depending on whether or not air is blown out on the left and right sides, but by adjusting the amount of air blown out on the left and right in stages, it is possible to It is also applicable when a In this embodiment, the operating states of the second transport conveyors 3 to 5 are checked as the transport and distribution conditions, but instead of this, the operating states of the corresponding swaging machines may be checked. In addition, although the embodiment shows the distribution and conveyance of the wire 7 of the motor coil, it is not limited to this, and can be applied to a distribution and conveyance device for pipe-shaped items or other shapes as long as they can be moved on a conveyor belt. It is.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, the object to be transported is moved on the first transport conveyor so as to move toward any one of the plurality of rows of second transport conveyors by adjusting the amount of air blown out. This makes it possible to automate the distribution of conveyed objects by destination, and because the conveyed objects are moved in a non-contact state using air pressure, problems such as getting caught due to mechanical contact occur. Never. Further, if the conveying surface is concave, it is easy to maintain an equilibrium between the force due to natural falling and the air pressure, and the air pressure can be controlled relatively easily, which is extremely effective.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of essential parts of a conveying device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a main control routine according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control subroutine S1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control subroutine S2.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control subroutine S3.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Conveyance device 2 First conveyor 2a Conveyor belt 3.4.5 Second conveyor 6 Cutting machine 7 Wire 8a/8b side wall 9a/9b Air outlet 10 Air supply device 11 Control device 12a/12b Detection sensor 13 Lid

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A first conveyor for conveying objects to be conveyed, and a plurality of rows of first conveyors provided successively at the downstream end of the first conveyor to convey the objects to be conveyed to a plurality of destinations. 2 conveyor, a detection means for detecting a conveyed object on the conveyance surface of the first conveyor, and an air outlet directed from the left and right ends of the first conveyor to the center of the conveyance surface, respectively. select one of the plurality of rows of second transport conveyors, and transfer the object to the second transport conveyor of the selected row on the transport surface of the first transport conveyor. and control means for operating the air blowing device in response to a detection signal from the detecting means and adjusting the amount of air blowing from the left and right blowing ports in order to move the air blowing device to a position corresponding to the above. Distribution conveyance device. 2. The distributing and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying surface of the first conveyor is upwardly concave.