Tsubakimoto Chain Company

Shinichi Hayashida

Shigekatsu Takino

Shigeo Fukumori

An article diverging sorting apparatus includes a multiplicity of spherical sorting rollers arranged in plural rows both in a conveyance direction aligned with an article conveyance path or line and in a crosswise direction transverse to the conveyance direction over a plurality of consecutive conveyance areas along the article conveyance line. The spherical sorting rollers contained in every conveyance area are simultaneously turned about respective vertical axes to move between a first position aligned with the conveyance direction and a second position aligned with a sorting direction deflected at an acute angle from the first position such that the angle of deflection of the spherical sorting rollers becomes greater in a downstream one of the conveyance areas than in an upstream one of the conveyance areas. An article is gradually turned or deflected toward the sorting direction as it is conveyed by the spherical sorting rollers. The article is delivered from the downstream conveyance area onto a diverging belt conveyor during which time the orientation of this article is corrected by an orientation correcting member until the article assumes a position aligned with a conveyance direction of the diverging belt conveyor. With this construction, the diverging sorting apparatus can orient articles toward the sorting direction even when the articles are fed at relatively small intervals.

Article diverging sorting apparatus

Spherical sorting rollers are arranged in rows transversely of an article conveyance path, and line shafts, which are connected to a drive source and are rotated thereby, are disposed sideways in parallel with the rows of the sorting rollers. The spherical outer peripheral surfaces of the spherical sorting rollers and the line shafts are brought into abutment with each other to drive the sorting rollers simultaneously. The spherical sorting rollers are each supported individually by a roller supporting frame. The roller supporting frame can turn at a predetermined position about a vertical axis which passes through the center of each roller. The roller supporting frames are turned in a sorting direction simultaneously by a swing mechanism, whereby an article which has been conveyed up to a sorting position is sent out sideways from above the article conveyance path. The sorting and discharging device provided is capable of effecting a sorting operation efficiently with little wear of sorting rollers and little power loss.

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Saitama-ken, Japan

Shinichi Hayashida