JPH11318221A - Pot tray filling equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To accurately take out each tray from a plurality of pot trays on a tray base having a vibrating structure, and to reliably arrange and store them in a pot case. SOLUTION: A tray base (8) having a vibrating structure for supplying a plurality of pot trays for raising seedlings, and a case for transporting the supplied trays (7) aligned in a pot case (3). A conveyor (2) and a tray take-out hand (6) for adsorbing the tray (7) of the tray base (8) to the adsorbent (49) and aligning and storing the tray in the pot case (3); A comb-shaped elastic regulating member (12) for preventing the pot tray (7) from dropping from the take-out portion is provided above the tray take-out portion of 8).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pot tray filling apparatus for loading a pot tray used for growing germinated seedlings to a predetermined size into a pot case.

[0002]

Conventionally, small flowerpot-shaped pot trays made of vinyl chloride or the like are placed in a pot case and arranged vertically and horizontally. Although prevention and simplification of soiling and transplanting operations were attempted, the work of putting the pot tray in the pot case was performed manually, so that the workability was extremely poor. Therefore, the tray base for supplying the pot tray is tilted downward with respect to the take-out direction, and the pot trays on the tray base are sequentially conveyed to the tray take-out section by the vibrating feed action of the vibrating structure of the tray base. There is a means to take out the tray by sucking the adsorbent with vacuum suction force and take it out, and to automatically fill the pot case below this, and above the tray taking out part, the vibration of the tray base will prevent the pot tray from falling from the tray base. There is a drop restricting member to prevent it. However, if the restricting member is fixed as a fixed structure, it will not be able to be separated by suction because it will not be possible to remove the tray. There was a problem that the tray was not taken out every time.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a tray base having a vibrating structure for supplying a plurality of pot trays for raising seedlings, and a case conveyor for aligning and storing the supplied trays in a pot case. A tray take-out hand for adsorbing the tray of the tray base to the adsorbent and taking it out of the tray case in a line, and a comb tooth above the tray take-out part of the tray base to prevent the pot tray from dropping from the take-out part. An elastic regulating member is provided to prevent the tray from dropping due to vibration from the tray take-out part of the tray base. This prevents the tray from dropping due to vibrations. Take out the tray of
The purpose of this tray filling operation is to improve the accuracy.

Further, the comb-shaped distal end of the regulating member is bent in a U-shape, and the regulating member is rotatably supported on the base mounting shaft so as to be able to move forward and backward. Even when a change occurs, it is possible to improve the workability by easily and accurately coping with the adjustment only, without the trouble of replacing the regulating member each time.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall side view, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same. An endless flat belt type case conveyor (2) is laid horizontally on a machine base (1), and the case conveyor (2) is driven by an electric conveyor motor. When driven, a synthetic resin pot case (3) is placed on the case conveyor (2) and moved, and a base frame (4) to be erected on the machine base (1) is erected above the middle of the case conveyor (2). And a tray removal hand (6) for attaching a pot claw (5);
A tray base (8) for mounting a plurality of stacked pot trays (7) in a multi-row form is mounted on the machine base (1), and four take-out hands (6) ... arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. , Out of the pot trays (7) on the tray stand (8), take out the four pot trays (7) in the front row, and insert the four pot trays (3) on the conveyor (2) into the four lateral recesses of the pot case (3). The four loading trays (7) are loaded, and one loading operation is completed. The loading tray (7) is placed in each of the recesses of the pot case (3) in which five recessed portions in the vertical direction are formed into four recessed portions in the horizontal direction. ... are automatically loaded.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, four sets of two tray guides (9) are formed in parallel in the width direction of the tray base (8), and the tray case (3) moves in the direction of movement. A tray guide (9) having a cross-sectional U shape is provided at an angle (α) downward slope, and a pair of tray guides (9) is set in a posture in which the pot tray (7) is opened in the take-out direction by the pot claw (5).
(9) While being supported between them, the tips of the left and right outer walls (9a) and (9a) of each set of tray guides (9) and (9) are bent into a V-shape to form the left and right outer walls (9a) and (9a). ) Is formed in the extraction gate (10) which is narrower than that between the other parts,
The flat wedge-shaped and frictional side wall gate members (11) are fixed to the front ends of the left and right outer walls (9a) and (9a), and the width between the left and right of the gate members (11) and (11) is set to the width of the pot tray (7). It is formed smaller than the left and right width that is the maximum diameter.
Then, the members (11) and (11) are formed so as to be sequentially wider from the narrow portions of the left and right gate members (11) and (11) toward the take-out end of the gate members (11) and (11). Inconveniences such as the removal hand (6) getting caught in the tip of (11) are prevented.

A pair of left and right tray guides (9) and (9) each having a U-shaped cross section are provided on inner wall (9b) facing each other.
The height dimension (H1) of (9b) is changed to the outside wall (9a) (9).
(H1) <(H2), which is smaller than the height dimension (H2) of a), supports the pot tray (7) at the upper end of the inner walls (9b) and (9b), and positions the takeout gate (10). The upper ends of the outer walls (9a) and (9a) of the
b) is formed at a position higher than the center of the maximum radius of the tray (7) supported by the tray (7), and the upper end surface of the inner side walls (9b) and (9b) and the inner side surfaces of the outer side walls (9a) and (9a) form the tray (7). ) Is configured to be guided well.

Further, upper and lower tray regulating members (12) and (13) for preventing the tray (7) from slipping and falling are provided above and below the take-out gate (10). A horizontal shaft (15), which is an attachment shaft supported by the frame (4), is provided with a base end of an upper tray restricting member (12) made of a leaf spring through an adjustment bolt (16) so that the left and right positions can be adjusted. 15), the tip of the regulating member (12) is brought into contact with the upper part of the front surface of the frontmost pot tray (7) from above by its own weight, and is attached to the outer surface of the inner wall (9b). The base end of the lower tray regulating member (13) is fixed via a bolt (17), and the tray (7) is attached to the hook (13a) on the upper end of the regulating member (13) projecting from the front end of the inner wall (9b). ) Stop the bottom surface and stop And the removal of the frontmost tray (7) while preventing the tray (7) from dropping forward due to the resistance of the tray members (11) and (11) and the regulation of the upper and lower tray regulating members (12) and (13). The following tray (7) is configured to wait well.

Further, a tray base frame (18) is fixed to the machine base (1), a fixing frame (19) is fixed to the frame (18), and the front and rear leaf springs (20) and (20) are used. The movable frame (21) is attached to the fixed frame (19), the front and rear frames (22) and (23) are fixed to the movable frame (21), and the long holes (24) and the adjustment are made in the front and rear receiving frames (22) and (23). The tray guide (9) through bolts (25)
, And fixed so that the front and rear position can be adjusted freely, and an electric motor for vibration (26) is fixedly mounted on the machine base (1) side, and a vibrator shaft (28) is fixed to a fixed frame (19) via a bearing (27). ) Is rotatably supported, and the pulley (29)
(2) through the belt (31) and the motor (2).
The vibrator shaft (28) is connected to 6). The movable frame (21) is connected to the eccentric cam (32) of the vibrator shaft (28) by a leaf spring frame (33), and the shaft (2)
The cam (32) is oscillated by the rotation of 8), the tray guide (9) is oscillated in the front-rear direction, and the stacked plurality of pot trays (7).
0) and sequentially separated back and forth, taking out the frontmost pot tray (7), between the left and right side walls (9a) and (9a) of the take-out gate (10) and the upper and lower tray regulating members (1).
2) It is configured to feed between (13).

A pair of left and right tray guides (9) (9)
Corresponds to the height of the pot tray (7), the front and rear position can be adjusted by the adjusting bolt (25), and the size of the outer diameter of the pot tray (7) can be easily changed. By making the right and left positions of the tray (7) freely adjustable by the adjusting bolts (25), these adjustment operations can be further simplified.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a hand rotation shaft (35) is rotatably provided on the base frame (4) via a hand rotation motor (34), and the tray take-out hand (6) is The mounting hand base (36) is connected to and supported by the rotating shaft (35). The moving direction of the tray (7) on the tray base (8) is opposite to the moving direction of the case conveyor (2). The left end of the rotating shaft (35) is connected to the rotating motor (34), and the hand stand (36) of the leftmost take-out hand (6) is connected.
Is fixed to the rotating shaft (35), and the hand rest (36) of the take-out hand (6) other than the leftmost is rotatably supported on the rotating shaft (35) and slidably in the left-right direction. An interlocking shaft (37) for rotation is fixed to the stand (36), and the take-out hand (6) other than the leftmost is slidably engaged with the interlocking shaft (37) in the left-right direction. And FIG.
As shown in the figure, a flexible pantograph link (3
8) is detachably connected to the front side of each hand base (36) via each pin (39), and the leftmost hand base (36) is connected.
A pneumatic or hydraulic hand left / right slide cylinder (40) is interposed between the left and right hand bases (36), and the width between the hands (36) is expanded by the expansion / contraction operation of the cylinder (40). And to reduce.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, the take-out hand (6) is a pneumatic or hydraulic hand forward / reverse cylinder (41) in which the front end side of a cylinder body (41a) is fixed to the hand stand (36). 41), a cylinder base (42) for pot claws fixed to the tip of the piston rod (41b) of the cylinder (41), and a pneumatic or hydraulic pot fixed to the front of the cylinder base (42) Claw opening / closing cylinder (43)
And the piston rod (43) of the opening / closing cylinder (43).
a) Adjusting the width of a gap between a substantially U-shaped base end bent portion (5a) via a mountain-shaped opening / closing cam (44) fixedly mounted at the distal end and adjusting bolts (45) on both left and right sides of the cylinder table (42). A left and right pot claw (5) made of an elastic plate, which is freely fixed, and a cam (44), which is fixed approximately at the center of the inside of the V-shaped outer plate extension (5b) of the left and right pot claw (5). And an elastic suction cup (49), which is an adsorber, fixed to the outer end of the extension (5b) and connected to a suction machine (47) through a suction hose (48). When taking out the tray (7), the two suction cups (49) at the tips of the left and right pot claws (5) are disposed substantially horizontally at opposing positions inside the tray (7) in the front row of the tray guide (9). Then, the cam (44) is brought into contact with a cam bolt (46) to When for the tip (5) is opened,
The suction cup (49) is configured to contact the inner wall surface of the tray (7) so that the tray (7) is sucked to the suction cup (49).

As shown in FIG. 5, each cylinder (41
a) and a blower (50) or a hydraulic pump or the like are connected in series through forward and backward hoses (51) and (52), and are connected to the tray (7) on the tray base (8) in the direction of travel. The cylinder body (41
a) A manual closing valve (53) serving as a drive stop member is interposed in a forward hose (51) connecting between the valves, and the valve (53)
Thus, the operation of the rightmost hand (6) is stopped, and the take-out operation by only the left three hands (6) is enabled. Further, a piston rod (41b) is provided at the front and rear ends of the cylinder body (41a) adjacent to the rightmost left side.
A reed switch type hand forward / reverse end detection sensor (54) (55) for detecting the expansion / contraction end of the extraction hand (6) is provided to detect the end of the forward / backward movement of the extraction hand (6).

As shown in FIG. 15, detection sensors (56) and (57) for detecting the horizontal attitude and the vertical downward attitude of the hand (6) by the rotating motor (34), and the sensors (54) and (55). ) Is input to a controller (58), an electric conveyor motor (59) for driving the case conveyor (2), and a solenoid-operated on-off valve for suction provided on the suction hose (48). 60) and each cylinder (40) (41) (43);
The controller (58) is connected to each of the motors (36) and (34), the suction device (47), and the blower (50) so that the pot tray (6) can be removed from the pot case (3) by the take-out hand (6). It is configured to perform a series of automatic supply operations of 7).

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 14,
The tray regulating member (12) made of a leaf spring is a shaft (15).
A base end is fixedly mounted on a mounting body (61) that is fitted and fixed to the mounting body. The mounting body (61) is fixed to a shaft body (15) via an adjustment bolt (16) so that the mounting body (61) can be freely rotated left and right, and An elongated hole (62) at the base end of the regulating member (12) is engaged and fixed to the mounting body (61) via an adjusting bolt (63) so as to be able to advance and retreat.

The tip end of the tray restricting member (12) is formed as a comb tooth (65) having notches (64) with a constant width at equal intervals. The short teeth (65a) and the comb teeth (6
5) is formed into a long long tooth portion (65b) having a long front and rear length, and a bent tooth tip is formed by bending the tips of the short portion (65a) and the long portion (65b) downward in a U-shape. (65c), the top edge of the tray (7) is pressed by the tip (65c) regardless of the size and type of the tray (7), and the tray is moved from the take-out gate (10) by vibration or the like. (7)
When the tray (7) is sucked and taken out by the suction cup (49) of the take-out hand (6), the first and subsequent trays (7) receive resistance due to the elastic force of the comb teeth (65). And only one tray (7) in the front row is pulled out against the elastic force.

In this way, the vibration of the tray guide (9) in the front-rear direction can always accurately move and supply the tray (7) to the take-out gate (10) regardless of the remaining amount of the tray (7). At the position of the take-out gate (10), the spring member (12) itself and the elastic holding force of the comb teeth (65) are too strong in the circumferential direction of the upper edge of the tray (7) in the front row. It is intended to take out each tray (7) accurately with good regulation without being too weak or too weak. Note that the comb teeth (6) of the regulating member (12)
The front and rear lengths of 5) may be different for all the teeth, or the regulating member (12) may be provided in a curved shape along the circumference of the tray (7).

If the tray guide (9) has a pot tray (7) as shown in FIG. 16, the left and right pot claws (5) (5) of the hand (9) as shown in FIG.
When the front end is closed and the forward end is detected, the left and right pot claws (5) and (5) are opened for a certain period of time as shown in FIG. At the same time, the tray (7) is attracted to the suction cup (49) by turning on the on-off valve (60), and the left and right pot claws (5) and (5) return to a closed state after a certain period of time as shown in FIG. When
The pot pawls (5) and (5) are moved backward while narrowing the width between the tips while only the tray (7) in the front row is sucked by the suction cup (49). When the backward end is detected, the slide cylinder (4) is used.
The hand (9) interval is reduced by the reduction operation of (0),
The interval between the pot claws (5) and (5) is made substantially equal to the interval between the four concave portions formed in the left and right directions of the pot case (3).

As shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 4, the hand (9) is rotated by approximately 90 degrees from a substantially horizontal posture to a substantially vertical downward posture by the rotational motor (34). (2) When the pot case (3) is at the upper supply position, the left and right pot claws (5) and (5) of the hand (9) are advanced. When the tray is turned off, the suction of the tray (7) by the suction cup (49) is released, and the tray (7) is inserted into the recessed portion of the pot case (3).
(5) is retracted from the pot case (3).

Thereafter, when detecting the rearward end of the hand (9), the width between the hands (9) is enlarged by the extension operation of the slide cylinder (40), and the distance between the hands (9) (9) is increased. The respective hands (9) are returned from the downward posture to the original horizontal posture by the rotation motor (34) while being substantially equal to the placement interval of the pot tray (7), and the pot case (2) on the case conveyor (2) is turned on. 3) is conveyed by one pitch, and the next pot case (3) is put on standby at the supply position.

[0021]

As is apparent from the above embodiments, the present invention provides a tray base (8) having a vibrating structure for supplying a plurality of pot trays (7) for raising seedlings, and a tray (7) to be supplied.
Conveyor (2) for aligning and storing in a pot case (3) and transporting the tray (7) of a tray base (8) to an adsorbent (49) to take out and align and store in a pot case (3). A tray take-out hand (6), and a comb-shaped elastic regulating member (12) provided above the tray take-out portion of the tray base (8) to prevent the pot tray (7) from dropping from the take-out portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tray from dropping due to vibration from the tray take-out portion of the tray base (8) by the regulating member (12), and to adsorb the tray (7) to the adsorbent (49). Exactly 1 when removing the tray
The tray (7) for each piece can be reliably taken out to improve the accuracy of the tray filling operation.

Also, the comb-shaped distal end of the regulating member (12) is bent into a U-shape, and the regulating member (12) is rotatably supported on the base mounting shaft (15) so as to rotate and advance and retreat. Therefore, even if the size or type of the pot tray (7) is changed, it is not necessary to replace the regulating member (12) each time, and the operation can be easily and accurately performed only by adjusting the work. It can improve the performance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view.

FIG. 2 is an overall plan view.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a tray guide unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a take-out hand unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an extraction hand unit.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory rear view of the tray guide unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory plan view of a tray guide unit.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a tray take-out unit.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a pantograph link unit.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a take-out hand.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory plan view of a pot claw portion.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an open / closed state of a pot claw.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing an open state of a pot claw.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a regulating plate.

FIG. 15 is a control circuit diagram.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (2) Case conveyor (3) Pot case (6) Removal hand (7) Tray (8) Tray base (9) Tray guide (12) Regulator plate (15) Mounting shaft (49) Suction cup (adsorbent)

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Minoru Yukino 739, Yamate, Oda, Yoshida-cho, Takada-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Inside the Keibunsha Works (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Kado, 739, Yamate, Oda, Yoshida-cho, Takada-gun, Hiroshima 6 Inside Keibunsha Works

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A tray table having a vibration structure for supplying a plurality of pot trays for raising seedlings, a case conveyor for aligning and storing the supplied trays in a pot case, and a tray for the tray table as an adsorbent. A tray take-out hand for sucking and aligning and storing in a take-out pot case, and a comb-shaped elastic regulating member for preventing the pot tray from dropping from the take-out portion is provided above the tray take-out portion of the tray base. A pot tray filling device. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the comb-shaped distal end of the regulating member is bent in a U-shape, and the regulating member is rotatably supported on the base mounting shaft so as to be movable forward and backward. A pot tray-filling device as described.