Orientation switching apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12017874-B2
Application number	US-201917291677-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Nov 19, 2018
Publication date	Jun 25, 2024
Grant date	Jun 25, 2024

Abstract

An orientation switching apparatus capable of placing a pallet which is in a vertical orientation and holding a group of tires in a stacked state into a horizontal orientation, and placing a pallet which is in a horizontal orientation and holding a group of tires in a horizontally arranged state into the vertical orientation, includes: a base that holds the pallet; a switching drive device which switches the orientation of the pallet held, by rotating the base; a standing device which pushes a leaning tire located at one end of the group of tires toward the other end to cause the leaning tire to stand; and a restricting device which restricts movement of the tires.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An orientation switching apparatus capable of placing a pallet that is in a horizontal orientation and holds a group of tires into a vertical orientation together with the group of tires, the group of tires being in a horizontally arranged state in which vertically oriented tires are lined up, the orientation switching apparatus comprising:
a base configured to hold the pallet;
a switching drive device configured to switch an orientation of the pallet that is held, by rotating the base;
a standing device configured to push a leaning tire, which is a tire of the group of tires located at one end of the group of tires held in the pallet, toward another end of the group of tires to cause the leaning tire to stand; and
a restricting device configured to restrict movement of the group of tires by abutting at least a portion of circumferential surfaces of the group of tires, wherein
the standing device includes:
a pushing component configured to apply, on the leaning tire, a pushing force toward the another end of the group of tires;
an advancing device configured to advance and retract the pushing component between the leaning tire and the pallet; and
a moving device configured to generate, for the pushing component that is in an advanced state, the pushing force toward the other end that is to be applied on the leaning tire.

2. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pushing component includes a roller configured to contact the leaning tire and roll.

3. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the standing device is attached to the base and configured to move in conjunction with the switching of the orientation of the pallet.

4. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the restricting device is attached to the base and configured to move in conjunction with the switching of the orientation of the pallet.

5. An orientation switching apparatus capable of placing a pallet that is in a horizontal orientation and holds a group of tires into a vertical orientation together with the group of tires, the group of tires being in a horizontally arranged state in which vertically oriented tires are lined up, the orientation switching apparatus comprising:
a base configured to hold the pallet;
a switching drive device configured to switch an orientation of the pallet that is held, by rotating the base;
a standing device configured to push a leaning tire, which is a tire of the group of tires located at one end of the group of tires held in the pallet, toward another end of the group of tires to cause the leaning tire to stand; and
a restricting device configured to restrict movement of the group of tires by abutting at least a portion of circumferential surfaces of the group of tires, wherein
the standing device includes:
an insertion component configured to be inserted through a hole of at least the leaning tire;
a pushing component configured to abut an end surface on a one end-side of a tire that had been the leaning tire;
an inserting device configured to insert the insertion component through the leaning tire, and remove the insertion component from the leaning tire;
a pushing device configured to push the tire located at the one end of the group of tires toward the another end, using the pushing component; and
a lifting device configured to lift and lower the insertion component, the pushing component, the inserting device, and the pushing device.

6. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a control device, wherein the control device is configured to perform control to:
insert the insertion component through the hole of at least the leaning tire, by controlling the inserting device;
lift the insertion component and the inserting device until the at least the leaning tire through which the insertion component is inserted is lifted up, by controlling the lifting device;
push the at least the leaning tire that has been lifted up using the insertion component toward the other end using the pushing component, by controlling the pushing device; and
lower the insertion component and the inserting device until the at least the leaning tire that has been lifted up is placed on the pallet, by controlling the lifting device.

7. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a transporting device configured to transport the pallet in an arrangement direction of the group of tires in the horizontally arranged state up to an orientation switching position, wherein
the control device is configured to cause the lifting device to lift the insertion component, the pushing component, the pushing device, and the inserting device above a passage area through which the transporting device transports the pallet.

8. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the pushing component includes a roller configured to contact the leaning tire and roll.

9. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the standing device is attached to the base and configured to move in conjunction with the switching of the orientation of the pallet.

10. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the restricting device is attached to the base and configured to move in conjunction with the switching of the orientation of the pallet.

11. An orientation switching apparatus capable of placing a pallet that is in a horizontal orientation and holds a group of tires into a vertical orientation together with the group of tires, the group of tires being in a horizontally arranged state in which vertically oriented tires are lined up, the orientation switching apparatus comprising:
a base configured to hold the pallet;
a switching drive device configured to switch an orientation of the pallet that is held, by rotating the base;
a standing device configured to push a leaning tire, which is a tire of the group of tires located at one end of the group of tires held in the pallet, toward another end of the group of tires to cause the leaning tire to stand; and
a restricting device configured to restrict movement of the group of tires by abutting at least a portion of circumferential surfaces of the group of tires, wherein
the standing device includes:
a pushing component configured to apply, on the leaning tire, a pushing force toward the another end of the group of tires, the leaning tire being disposed on the pallet which is placed in a tilted orientation between the horizontal orientation and the vertical orientation by the orientation switching apparatus; and
a pushing device configured to push the tire located at the one end of the group of tires toward the another end, using the pushing component.

12. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a transporting device configured to transport the pallet in an arrangement direction of the group of tires in the horizontally arranged state up to an orientation switching position, wherein
the pushing component and the pushing device are disposed in a fixed manner above a passage area through which the transporting device transports the pallet.

13. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the pushing component includes a roller configured to contact the leaning tire and roll.

14. The orientation switching apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the standing device is attached to the base and configured to move in conjunction with the switching of the orientation of the pallet.

15. The orie

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Ukai Yasuhiro

Classifications

• B65G2201/0273

  Tires · CPC title

• B65G57/28 Primary

  by assembling the articles and tilting the assembled articles to a stacked position · CPC title

• B65G2814/0304

  Stacking devices · CPC title

• B65G7/08 Primary

  for tilting the loads · CPC title

• B65G57/20

  three-dimensional [3D], e.g. cubiform or cylindrical · CPC title