JPS6181339A - Device and method for separating stacked trays - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely separate trays one by one for the purpose of realizing feasibility of automation by fixing the central portion of stacked trays by means of a retainer metal, and slowly lifting both edges with sucking pads so as to separate the tray on the top from other ones staying below at the peripheral edge thereof. CONSTITUTION:A slide holder 14 is lowered by driving an operational cylinder 15, sucking pads 10, 10 are pressed rightly on the outer edge of a tray T, negative pressure is applied to pads 10 to adsorb the T and the central portion of the tray is fixed by means of a retainer metal 7 without applying any excessive load thereon. Then, when a pivot point 11 is moved upward while the central portion of the tray being fixed as it is, both links 12, 12 force upward turning movement of both support arms 8, 9 around a turning movement axis 6 serving as a fulcrum. Pads 10 are then, lifted together with a tray T adsorbed thereto while the tray T'' is slowly lifted from its outer edge to be formed in a curve. Thus, the tray T is gradually separated from the one-step lower adjacent tray T at its outer edge and when a considerable amount of separation takes place, the holder 14 is lifted by the cylinder 15 together with simultaneous lift of the retainer metal 7 and pads 10 so that the tray T may be placed on a carrier automatically.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a suction device and a method for separating stacked trays one by one.

[Prior Art] When transporting products, a tray-shaped plastic molded product T (Honkawa Co., Ltd.) with cushioning properties as shown in Fig. In mtq, this is sometimes called a tray). This type of molded product is usually made from a thermoplastic sheet such as a vinyl chloride sheet or a polyethylene sheet by vacuum forming or pressure forming.
The concave portion W into which the product is inserted, the ribs that provide rigidity to the tray, the 7 lunges, etc. are formed all at once. In order to achieve this amount of molding, large-sized pieces are piled up while still being heated during the manufacturing process, and are stored or cut into a certain size, so they are stacked in groups of 10 or so. being handled.

However, stacked molded products are easily deformed because they are thin, and they overlap irregularly, and the grooves or uneven parts caused by molding fit into each other, so a claw metal fitting is used to separate the molded products one by one. It is difficult to insert the
Another drawback was that even when pulled up with a suction pad, two or three pieces remained stuck together and were pulled up at the same time. For this reason, it is difficult to manually separate such molded products one by one, which impairs work efficiency.Therefore, it has been desired to develop a device that can automatically handle this work.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention aims to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a method and a processing device for rationally separating stacked molded products. It is something to do.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the device of the present invention includes a presser foot provided at the bottom of the base, and a pair of left and right support arms that rotate on both sides of a rotation ring formed above the presser foot. At the same time, suction pads are attached to the vicinity of the ends of both support arms so as to be movable via a rond, and the support arms have pivot parts that can be bent upward into a chevron shape. The present invention is characterized in that a link is attached, and this pivot portion is connected to a piston rod of an operating cylinder mounted on a base, and the base is held by an elevating mechanism so as to be movable up and down.

Furthermore, the method of the present invention involves lowering the presser foot toward the trays from above the trays stacked in the stocker, and then pressing the approximately central portion of the tray with the presser foot without applying an excessive load to the tray. After that, suction pads are pressed on both the left and right ends of the tray, and then the suction pads are gradually pulled up while applying suction force, so that the uppermost tray and the lower tray are separated from their outer edges. It is characterized by:

According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the tapered product insertion portions W are stacked and fit together and are difficult to separate.
If the outer edge of the tray T equipped with a vacuum pad is sucked and pulled up with a vacuum pad, it becomes possible to easily separate only one tray. A more desirable method is to stack the trays T upside down as shown in FIG. 1, and while holding down the center of the tray, pull up the outer edge with a pad. In this case, the friction at the product insertion part of the tray is
They are pressed down to a minimum and can be separated more easily than if they were stacked upright.

Further, when the tray is pulled up by the suction pad, it is desirable that the tray be curved into a substantially circular shape. For this purpose, it is necessary for the suction pad to draw a trajectory based on an involute curve.

As a result, when the trays are separated, the trays curve smoothly and are pulled apart uniformly, so that friction caused by forced contact between the trays can be kept to a minimum.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described based on an example shown in the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a machine frame of the present apparatus, 2 a guide groove formed vertically in the front of the machine frame 1, and 3 a base mounted on the guide groove 2 so as to be movable up and down. As shown in FIG. 1, this base 3 is supported by a pair of left and right guide columns 4.4 vertically installed on the machine frame 1, and is connected to a piston [1] of an elevating cylinder 5 fixed to the machine frame 1. It is held so as to be slidable in the vertical direction by a pin 5'.

A rotating shaft 6 supported by a bearing 6' is installed at the bottom of the base 3, and a positioning presser foot 7 is provided protruding below the rotating shaft 6. The rotation shaft 6 has a pair of support arms 8.8, 9 on both sides thereof.
．． 9 is rotated and attached in a hanging manner, and both support arms 8,
There is a suction pad 1 near the tip of 9 under the configuration as described below.
Install 0.10. Further, both support arms 8 and 9 have links 12. which have pivot portions 11 that can be bent upward into a chevron shape.
Install 12. Pivot joint 11 of both links 12.12
is pivotally supported by a slide holder 14 that is loosely inserted into a pilot par 13, 13 that is firmly installed on the base 3. The slide holder 14 is configured to be able to move up and down by a piston rod 15' of an operating cylinder 15 attached to the upper part of the base 3. With the above configuration, the piston [
] As the slide holder 1' expands and contracts, the slide holder 14 moves up and down, and when the holder moves up and down, the support arms 8 and 9 perform swinging movements about the rotation shaft 6 via the links 12 and 12.

Near the tips of both support arms 8 and 9, there are mounting shafts 16 and 16 for suction pads so as to cross the arms and connect the pair of support arms.
has been erected. This mounting shaft 16.16 is installed parallel to the rotation shaft 6, and the mounting rod 18 of the suction pad 10.10 is swingably mounted on a shaft cylinder 17 loosely inserted into both ends of this mounting shaft. There is.

A balance spring 19, 20 is stretched between the tail of the mounting rod 18 and the support arms 8, 9, and this spring applies a certain degree of restraining force to the mounting rod 18, giving it independence. There is. Note that the reference numeral 21 is a coiled pipe connected to a pressure reducing device (enclosure), which applies negative pressure to the suction pad through an air hole formed in the mounting rod 18.

The structure of the adsorption device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is as described above, and its operation will be explained below. Now, place the stacked trays T in an upright position as shown in Figure 4 or in a third position.
As shown in the figure, it is placed in the reversed state on the stocker S and then set below the device.

Next, the base 3 is lifted upward by driving the cylinder 5, and the supporting arms 8, 9 are supported in a horizontal state by the operating cylinder 15. and the mounting rod 18 of the suction pad 10.10.
The trays T are set up almost vertically so as to be positioned on the outer edges of the trays T stacked upside down, for example, as shown in FIG.

Next, the operating cylinder 15 is driven to move the slide boulder 1.
4 to press the suction pad 10.10 directly against the outer edge of the tray T. In this state, a negative pressure is applied to the suction pad 10 to touch the tray T, and at the same time, the presser foot 7 is used to hold down approximately the center of the tray so as not to apply an excessive load to the tray. In this case, since the pipe 21 is attached so as to be expandable, the suction pad 1
0.10 can freely shake its head.

Next, while holding down the center of the tray with the presser foot 7, drive the operating cylinder 15 to move the pivot point 11 upward.
Both links 12, 12 rotate both support arms 8, 9 upwardly about rotation shaft 6 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the suction pad 10.10 lifts upward while sucking the tray T, and the tray gradually rises from its outer edge to curve the tray (2) as shown in the figure. During this process, a force acts on the suction pad 10.10 to try to slide it toward the inside of the support arm 8.9, and the elasticity of the spring 19.20 adjusts it to an arbitrary position while maintaining balance. In this state,
The tray T gradually separates from the edge of the stacked lower trays T, and the upper and lower trays fit into each other (
Since the product insertion portions W) move away one by one (see Figure 3), no excessive force is applied. When the presser foot 7 and the suction pad 10 are approximately separated, the operating cylinder 15 is operated to raise the slide holder 14, thereby raising the presser foot 7 and the suction pad 10 at the same time. Therefore, the tray (2) also rises and becomes ready for transfer. In this state, for example, the whole machine frame 1 is moved laterally, or a suitable conveyance device is inserted under the tray T, the suction force of the suction pad is turned off, and the tray is loaded onto the conveyance device.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view showing an embodiment of the present invention;
The mounting portion of the suction pad is shown in which the ascending locus of the suction pad is configured to draw an involute curve with the preset curved line of the tray as a base circle. In this case, suction pad 1
0 is attached to a sliding member 22 having a guide pin 23 so that the support arms 8, 8) (9) can freely slide in the longitudinal direction, and the guide pin 23 is attached to a groove provided in a guide plate 24. 25 is fitted. Guide plate'2
4 is attached to the machine frame 1, and the groove 25 is formed of an involute curve with the curved line of the tray as the base.

The suction pad 10 moves along this curve while adsorbing the tray T, and therefore the tray T separates while maintaining its circular curvature, so that no unreasonable force is applied to the suction surface and the tray is moved smoothly. You can pull away.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention provides trays that are easily deformed, overlap irregularly, and are difficult to separate because their grooves or uneven portions fit into each other. While suctioning, gradually pull up the suction part,
Since the uppermost tray and the lower tray are separated from their outer edges, the trays can be reliably separated one by one, and the separation process can be automated without manual intervention. be.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of the apparatus implementing the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, FIGS. 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing how stacked trays are separated, and FIG. 5 is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the target tray, and FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view showing another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. ■...Tray (molded product), W...Product insertion part, 1.
...Machine frame, 2...Guide groove, 3...Base, 4...
Guide column, 5... Cylinder, 6... Rotation shaft, 7.
... Presser foot, 8.9... Support arm, 10... Suction pad, 11... Pivot joint, 12... Shaft cylinder, 13... Pilot bar, 14... Slide holder, 15...
・Operating cylinder, 16...Mounting shaft, 17...Ring 18...Mounting rod, 19.20...Spring,
21... Pipe, 22... Sliding member, 23... Pin, 24... Guide plate, 25... groove (issued) April P, 1985

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A presser foot (7) is provided at the bottom of the base (3), and a pair of left and right support arms (8) are provided on both sides of a rotation shaft (6) formed above the presser foot (7).
(9) is attached so as to be rotatable, and suction pads (10) (10
) are movably attached via mounting rods (18) and (18), and the link further has a pivot portion (11) that can be bent upward into a chevron shape on the support arms (8) and (9). (12) (12) is attached and this pivot joint (11) is connected to the piston rod (15)' of the actuating cylinder (15) mounted on the base (3), and is a device for separating stacked trays, which is held by a lifting mechanism so as to be able to move up and down. 2. After lowering the presser foot toward the tray from above the stacked trays, press the presser foot almost at the center of the tray without applying excessive load to the tray, and then press the presser foot on both the left and right ends of the tray. A stacked tray characterized by pressing a suction pad and then gradually pulling it up while applying a suction force to both suction pads, thereby separating the uppermost tray and the lower tray from their outer edges. How to pull it apart.