Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Having means to enhance the friction or adherence between...
Patent
1991-09-26
1997-12-09
Valenza, Joseph E.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Having means to enhance the friction or adherence between...
1988035, B65G 1746
Patent
active
056950438
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for conveying objects for inspection, employed in a system for inspecting small objects for flaws such as tablets, while conveying the objects.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As example of an apparatus for conveying and inspecting objects for flaws is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 60-119986 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-74819. According to the disclosures (hereinafter referred to as the first prior art), two drums are arranged one upon another, and each drum has rows of apertures for receiving tablets to be inspected. From a position facing the tablets, a camera unit photographs and inspects the tablets. This first prior art is able to inspect both sides of the tablets by turning over the tablets while transferring them from the upper drum to the lower drum.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-22805 (hereinafter referred to as the second prior art) discloses another example of the conveyor apparatus. This disclosure forms apertures at regular intervals at the center of a timing belt, and conveys objects placed on the apertures while drawing the objects by suction. According to this second prior art, a vertical positional relationship between the objects and the timing belt can be inverted during the conveyance, so that, with two sets of the apparatus of the second prior art, both sides of the objects can be inspected.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-211209 (hereinafter referred to as the third prior art) discloses still another example of the conveyor apparatus. This disclosure forms a slit with a pair of plates, and arranges cords over the slit. The cords each have a circular cross-section and are supported at regular intervals by guide rails. Objects to be inspected are placed over the cords, and a negative pressure is applied to the slit to draw the objects. Similar to the second prior art, the third prior art can easily turn over the objects, and even if the objects are irregularly spaced apart from one another, can handle the objects with no trouble.
The first prior art, however, has problems in that the objects to be inspected are easily disarranged when they are received in the apertures or, particularly when they are transferred from the upper drum to the lower drum, the objects are not always correctly turned over, and the inspected objects are sometimes not delivered and the undelivered objects and the newly fed objects are laid upon one another to break them.
The second prior art has a problem in that, although it can solve the problems of the first prior art, the objects are not correctly conveyed if they are irregularly spaced apart from one another on the timing belt because this causes fluctuation in the suction force.
The third prior art has a problem in that, although it can solve the problems of the first and second prior arts, the circular cords may slip on a driver pulley to vary the conveyance time of the objects from a photographing position to a position for separating the objects according to inspection results, and thus cause erroneous separation.
If a pair of the cords slip at different times, the objects may be horizontally turned and thereby reduce the reliability of the inspection results. The cords are sometimes turned or twisted in a circumferential direction around the circular cross-section, to drop the objects in the slit. In this case, the objects are erroneously determined to be broken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to convey objects to be inspected at optional intervals to an inspection area while drawing the objects with a constant suction force produced by a negative pressure, as well as preventing an approach of strips disposed on each side of a negative pressure producing portion facing the objects.
Another object of the invention is to convey objects to be inspected while stably maintaining the position of the objects without turning or
REFERENCES:
patent: 1278537 (1918-09-01), Wegner
patent: 3168958 (1965-02-01), Grossi
patent: 3225716 (1965-12-01), Kross et al.
patent: 4555013 (1985-11-01), Franklin
patent: 4703566 (1987-11-01), Kwoka
International Search Report.
Maezuru Susumu
Saitoh Kanji
Ikegami Tsushinki Co. Ltd.
Valenza Joseph E.
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