Distributing and collecting device for products to be conveyed

摘要

A distributing and collecting device for products to be conveyed is provided, which distributes and collects products (a) that are supplied from a carrier conveyor (A) one after another into a predetermined number of rows in sets of a fixed amount. This device comprises at least a wide conveyor (1), a conveying-direction sorting guide (2), a product-distributing means (5), a first gate (6), and a second gate (7). Said wide conveyor (1) has a front end that is connected to the end of the carrier conveyor (A), which carries products (a) in a single row, extends to the product-distributing and collecting area and has a sufficient width to carry a predetermined number of rows of products. Said conveying-direction sorting guide (2) has, near the upper surface of said wide conveyor (1), a front end for receiving products from said carrier conveyor (A) and a rear end for discharging said products, the rear end side thereof is capable of being oscillating. Said product-distributing means (5) has a mutually facing pair of vertical conveyors (3, 3) above the wide conveyor (1). Said front ends of the vertical conveyors (3, 3) are connected to the rear end of said guide (2) and convey the products by sandwiching them in the conveying direction at about the same speed as said wide conveyor (1), in such a manner that when said vertical conveyors (3, 3) discharge a predetermined number of products from the end row position, the discharging part sequentially moves to the row position adjacent to the current row position so as to move reciprocally between the rows at both ends. Said first gate (6) opens or closes perpendicularly to the conveying direction above the wide conveyor (1) at a predetermined distance from said product-distributing means (5). Said second gate (7) is disposed at a predetermined distance from the first gate (6) in such a manner that it can move up and down to block the products on the wide conveyor (1). After the products are temporarily stored in multiple rows in sets of a fixed amount at the first gate (6), the gate (6) opens and the second gate (7) distributes and collects the products in sets of a fixed amount into a predetermined number of rows.