Article transport apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501222-B2
Application number	US-201715648902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2017
Priority date	Jul 14, 2016
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A transport apparatus including a rotary transport mechanism (5), which rotationally transports multiple equidistantly installed article holding members (gripper pairs (4)) in one direction along an annular trackway having a pair of parallel portions, and a reciprocating drive mechanism (6), which causes the entire rotary transport mechanism (5) to reciprocate a predetermined distance along the parallel portions. The article holding members are moved at a velocity of travel that is a combination of velocity of the reciprocating motion and velocity of the rotary transport. The velocity of the rotary transport and the velocity of the reciprocating motion are controlled by a control unit (9). The article holding members travel along the parallel portions on both sides (Lanes A and B) in an intermittent manner, each time covering a distance that is an integral multiple of the installation spacing p of the article holding members.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article transport apparatus comprising:
a rotary transport mechanism that rotationally transports multiple equidistantly installed article holding members in one direction along an annular trackway having a pair of parallel portions; and
a reciprocating drive mechanism that causes the entire rotary transport mechanism to reciprocate a predetermined distance along the parallel portions,
the rotary transport mechanism and the reciprocating drive mechanism having independent drive sources,
wherein a first drive source of the independent drive sources drives the rotary transport mechanism such that the article holding members rotate in one direction along the annular trackway,
wherein a second drive source of the independent drive sources drives the reciprocating drive mechanism to cause reciprocal movement of the rotary transport mechanism,
wherein each one of said drive sources includes a servo motor,
wherein the article holding members have a velocity of travel that is a combination of a velocity of reciprocating motion and a velocity of rotary transport, and
wherein the article transport apparatus is further comprised of:
a control unit that controls rotations of both servo motors,
a velocity of rotary transport and a velocity of reciprocating motion are controlled by the control unit, and
the article holding members travel along the parallel portions on both sides of the annular trackway in an intermittent manner, each time covering a distance that is an integral multiple of an installation spacing of the article holding members.

2. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that first intermittent travel distances of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are different from second intermittent travel distances of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

3. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that first intermittent travel distances of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are the same as second intermittent travel distances of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

4. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that, during intermittent travel of the article holding members, first stop durations of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are the same as second stop durations of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

5. The article transport apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that, during intermittent travel of the article holding members, first stop durations of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are the same as second stop durations of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

6. The article transport apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that, during intermittent travel of the article holding members, first stop durations of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are the same as second stop durations of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

7. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that, during intermittent travel of the article holding members, first stop durations of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are different from second stop durations of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

8. The article transport apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that, during intermittent travel of the article holding members, first stop durations of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are different from second stop durations of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

9. The article transport apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that, during intermittent travel of the article holding members, first stop durations of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are different from second stop durations of the article holding members along a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions.

10. The article transport apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the intermittent travel distances correspond to a distance traveled by the article holding members on one side and between two stop durations where the article holding members have the velocity of travel of zero.

11. The article transport apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a stop duration corresponds to a period of time where the article holding members have the velocity of travel of zero caused by the velocity of reciprocating motion and the velocity of rotary transport being of equal magnitude and opposite sign.

12. A packaging machine comprising:
the article transport apparatus according to claim 1 ;
an article supplying device configured to supply the article to the article holding members and positioned adjacent to a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions on a first side of the annular trackway; and
a filling device that is for dispensing materials to be packaged into the articles held by the article holding members is positioned adjacent to a second parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions on a second side of the annular trackway, and
wherein, with m and n being positive integers,
an intermittent travel distance of the article holding members is m times the installation spacing of the article holding members along the first parallel portion on the first side and n times the installation spacing of the article holding members along the second parallel portion on the second side,
the article supplying device supplies the articles simultaneously to m article holding members that come to a stop in the first parallel portion on the first side, and
the filling device simultaneously dispenses materials to be packaged into the article held by n article holding members that come to a stop in the second parallel portion on the second side.

13. The packaging machine according to claim 12 , wherein:
the packaging machine comprises a bag-filling packaging machine;
the articles are bags; and
the article holding members are bag holding members that hold the bags.

14. The packaging machine according to claim 12 , wherein:
the packaging machine comprises a cup-filling packaging machine;
the articles are cups; and
the article holding members are cup holding members that hold the cups.

15. The packaging machine according to claim 12 , wherein the rotation of both servo motors is controlled such that first intermittent travel distances of the article holding members along a first parallel portion of the pair of parallel portions are different from second intermittent travel distances of

Assignees

• Toyo Jidoki Kk

Inventors

• Nakamoto Kakue

Classifications

• B65G47/842

  the article-engaging elements being grippers · CPC title

• B65G23/30

  Variable-speed gearing · CPC title

• B65B51/32

  Cooling, or cooling and pressing, package closures after heat-sealing · CPC title

• B65B51/10

  Applying or generating heat or pressure or combinations thereof {(welding of plastics per se B29C65/02; closing plastic tube ends in general B29C57/10)} · CPC title

• B65B7/16

  Closing semi-rigid or rigid containers or receptacles not deformed by, or not taking-up shape of, contents, e.g. boxes or cartons · CPC title