CN116507201A

CN116507201A - Egg collecting machine

Info

Publication number: CN116507201A
Application number: CN202080107646.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 森英司
Original assignee: Hytem Co ltd
Current assignee: Hytem Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-02
Filing date: 2020-12-02
Publication date: 2023-07-28
Also published as: WO2022118390A1; JPWO2022118390A1; KR20230110740A

Abstract

The structure of the roll-out mechanism for inclining a part of the track of a pair of endless chains from the vertical direction is provided with: a pair of movable sprockets (25); a guide hole (35) penetrating the pair of side walls (31) in the horizontal direction; an operation lever having a pair of first arms (11A) rotatably attached to the side walls about a first axis (P1) and a connecting arm (11B) connecting the first arms; a pair of second arms (12) each having one end rotatably connected to the first arm about a second axis (P2), and the other end rotatably connected to the rotation shaft via a guide hole, and rotating about a third axis (P3) which is a central axis of the rotation shaft; and a pair of guide sprockets for guiding the track of the endless chain in the vertical direction at least at a position below the movable sprocket.

Description

Egg collecting machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to an egg collecting machine used in chicken raising facilities.

Background

In a facility for raising a large number of chickens and producing eggs, a plurality of cage rows in which cage rows are arranged in succession in the horizontal direction are stacked in a plurality of layers, and an egg collector is arranged adjacent to the plurality of layers of cage structures. The egg collector is a device for receiving and collecting eggs from a plurality of collection conveyors arranged along respective cage rows and collecting eggs, and placing the eggs on a transfer conveyor that conveys the eggs to a downstream processing station where processing such as cleaning and packaging is performed.

The egg collecting machine is provided with a plurality of carrying parts fixed between a pair of annular chains at certain intervals, and each annular chain is wound on a pair of chain wheels which are vertically separated. In the egg collector, the placement unit is conveyed in the vertical direction by a pair of endless chains, and during this process, eggs roll out toward the transfer conveyor.

In a chicken raising facility equipped with such an apparatus, there is a facility equipped with a plurality of downstream processing stations, and there is a demand for switching the transfer destination of eggs to any one of the plurality of downstream processing stations. For example, in the case of feeding different kinds of chickens per cage row, different kinds of eggs are packaged at different downstream processing stations. Alternatively, in order to perform maintenance at one of the plurality of downstream processing stations, it is desirable to transfer eggs to the other downstream processing stations. In this case, it is convenient to provide transfer conveyors toward the downstream processing stations, respectively, and to switch the conveyor from which eggs are rolled out from the egg collector to any one of the transfer conveyors.

Accordingly, the applicant has conventionally proposed an egg collector capable of switching a transfer conveyor from which eggs are rolled to any one of a plurality of transfer conveyors (see patent documents 1 and 2). In these embodiments, the plurality of transfer conveyors are adjacent to the egg collector in a vertically spaced apart relationship. The egg collector moves a pair of rolling-out sprockets engaged with the endless chain in a horizontal direction at positions corresponding to the plurality of transfer conveyors, respectively, so as to approach the transfer conveyor of the rolling-out destination. Accordingly, a part of the track of the pair of endless chains is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and the placement portion is inclined at this part, so that the eggs roll out toward the transfer conveyor.

In the above-described embodiments, a specific mechanism for moving the pair of roll-out sprockets in the horizontal direction is not disclosed. In actual practice, it is required to realize a mechanism capable of easily moving the roll-out sprocket in the horizontal direction with a small force.

Prior art documents

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 3541118

Patent document 2: japanese patent No. 3584150

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In view of the above-described circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an egg collecting device including a mechanism capable of easily moving a pair of sprockets engaged with a pair of endless chains circulating in a vertical direction in a horizontal direction with a small force.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the problems, the egg collecting machine of the invention

"have: a pair of endless chains circulating in a vertical direction; a plurality of placement portions supported between a pair of the endless chains; and a rolling-out mechanism for inclining a part of the track of the endless chain with respect to the vertical direction in order to roll out the eggs placed on the placement portion,

the roll-out mechanism is provided with:

a pair of movable sprockets integrally rotated by being coupled by a rotation shaft portion;

a pair of side walls vertically erected from the installation surface, respectively, with the pair of endless chains being located between the pair of side walls;

a pair of guide holes penetrating one side of the side wall in a horizontal direction;

an operation lever is provided with: a pair of first arm portions rotatably attached to one of the side walls about a first axis; and a connecting arm portion connecting a pair of the first arm portions on an end portion side opposite to the first shaft;

a pair of second arms each having one end rotatably coupled to an intermediate portion of the first arm about a second axis and the other end rotatably coupled to the rotating shaft portion via the guide hole, the pair of second arms being rotatable about a third axis which is a central axis of the rotating shaft portion; and

and a pair of guide sprockets provided at least below the movable sprocket and guiding the track of the endless chain in a vertical direction. "

In the coupling mechanism of the above configuration, when the first arm portion is rotated about the first axis by the operation of the operation lever, the third axis moves along the horizontal guide hole via the second arm coupled to the first arm portion via the second axis. The third shaft is a center shaft of a pair of movable sprockets integrally rotated by connection of the rotation shaft portions. That is, the movable sprocket can be moved in the horizontal direction by the operation of the operation lever. Further, since the movable sprocket engages with the endless chain in the middle of the movement in the horizontal direction, the movable sprocket moves while pushing the endless chain toward the end of the movement. Thus, the track of the endless chain engaged with the lower guide sprocket and the movable sprocket can be inclined from the vertical direction between them.

Such a coupling mechanism can be regarded as a coupling mechanism using a second type of lever that uses a first shaft as a fulcrum, a point at which a force is applied to an operation lever as a point of application, and a second shaft as a point of application. The length of the first arm, the distance between the first axis and the second axis in the first arm, the distance between the connection position of the first arm and the connection arm and the second axis, and the length of the connection arm are highly free to be set, and the point of action is easily brought closer to the fulcrum than the point of application. Therefore, the second arm can be easily rotated about the second axis with a small force, and the movable sprocket can be easily moved in the horizontal direction by the second arm.

The "intermediate portion" of the second shaft is not a central portion of the first arm, but a position between an end portion on the first shaft side and an end portion on the opposite side thereof.

The egg collector of the invention can be formed into

"when the first arm is rotated about the first axis by pressing the operation lever, the guide hole is bent downward at an end portion of the third axis on the side where the third axis moves. "

In this configuration, the guide hole is bent downward at the end portion where the third shaft is moved to the maximum extent in the horizontal direction by pressing the operation lever. Therefore, from this state, the second arm in which the end portion on the third shaft side can be made to fall into the curved portion of the guide hole is rotated about the second shaft. Thus, the third shaft is prevented from returning in the original direction along the horizontal portion of the guide hole by the interference between the bent portion of the guide hole and the second arm, and the position of the movable sprocket can be fixed.

The egg collector of the invention can be formed into

The egg collector further includes a chain stopper which advances and retreats relative to the endless chain, engages with the endless chain in a forward state, and releases the engagement in a retreated state. "

In this structure, the rotation of the endless chain can be prevented by advancing the chain stopper to engage with the endless chain. Therefore, the movable sprocket can be stably and effectively moved in the horizontal direction without unexpected movement of the endless chain.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an egg collecting machine including a mechanism capable of easily moving a pair of sprockets respectively engaged with a pair of endless chains circulating in a vertical direction in a horizontal direction with a small force.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a roll-out mechanism of an egg collector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of the roll-out mechanism of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 (a) to 3 (d) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the roll-out mechanism of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 (a) to 4 (c) are diagrams for explaining switching of the transfer conveyors of the rolling-out destination of eggs, in the case where a plurality of transfer conveyors are provided adjacent to the egg collector.

Fig. 5 (a) to 5 (c) are diagrams illustrating the structure and operation of the chain stopper.

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating rolling out of eggs when the track of the endless chain is inclined from the vertical.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an egg collecting device 1 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The chicken raising facility provided with the egg collector 1 is a facility for raising a plurality of chickens and producing eggs. The chicken raising facility includes a multi-layered cage structure (not shown) formed by stacking a plurality of cage rows in which a plurality of cages are arranged in succession in the horizontal direction. When the direction in which the cage rows extend is the longitudinal direction, the egg collecting machine 1 is disposed adjacent to one end of the multilayer cage structure in the longitudinal direction. In the case where the chicken raising facility includes a plurality of multi-layered cage structures, the egg collector 1 is provided for each multi-layered cage structure.

The egg collecting machine 1 has a plurality of mounting portions 22 fixed between a pair of endless chains 21 at regular intervals. Each endless chain 21 is wound around a pair of sprockets (not shown) spaced vertically, and circulates in the vertical direction. That is, the egg collecting machine 1 includes two pairs of sprockets that are paired in an up-down spaced manner.

The egg collecting device 1 includes a housing rotatably supporting two pairs of sprockets each having a pair of endless chains 21 wound thereon. The housing also supports a drive mechanism (not shown) including a motor that rotationally drives the endless chain 21. Although the detailed illustration of the case is omitted, the case includes a pair of side walls 31 standing in the vertical direction from the installation surface. A pair of endless chains 21 is disposed in the space between these side walls 31. The endless chains 21 circulate along the faces of the side walls 31, respectively.

As shown in fig. 6, the placement unit 22 includes a first rod 22a and a second rod 22b that are respectively provided between the pair of endless chains 21, and places the eggs E in a state in which a part of the eggs E is exposed from the space between the first rod 22a and the second rod 22 b. More specifically, each mounting portion 22 includes a pair of combinations of a bottom bar 22e and two long side bars 22f fixed to both ends of the bottom bar 22e, respectively, and forming an isosceles triangle together with the bottom bar 22 e. By fixing the bottom edge bars 22e to the endless chains 21, respectively, one of the pair of combinations is fixed to one of the endless chains 21, and the other combination is fixed to the other of the endless chains 21. Further, the first bars 22a link the respective one ends of the paired bottom bars 22e to each other. The second bars 22b connect the apexes of the isosceles triangles in each combination to each other.

In the egg collector 1, the placement portion 22 moves in the vertical direction by circulating through the pair of endless chains 21. On the other hand, in the multilayer cage structure, the recovery conveyor is horizontally arranged for each cage row. The transport path of the recovery conveyor extends horizontally along the cage row, and transports eggs produced by chickens to the egg collector 1. The placement unit 22 that moves in response to the circulation of the pair of endless chains 21 receives eggs from one of the recovery conveyors while moving upward, and conveys the eggs in a state where the eggs are placed.

A plurality of transfer conveyors 50 are provided adjacently to the egg collecting device 1. The plurality of transfer conveyors 50 transfer eggs to different downstream processing stations, and are disposed adjacent to the egg collector 1 with the respective transfer surfaces being vertically spaced apart. Here, since the placement unit 22 of the present embodiment places eggs when the endless chain 21 is lifted, the transfer conveyor 50 at the lowest level is disposed above the recovery conveyor at the uppermost level. In addition, in the case where the placement unit is of a type that can place eggs both when the endless chain 21 is raised and when it is lowered, the transfer conveyor can be made adjacent to the egg collector on the opposite side of the collection conveyor from the side adjacent to the collection conveyor.

Hereinafter, in the egg collector 1, the side adjacent to the transfer conveyor 50 is referred to as "a side", and the opposite side is referred to as "B side". In the egg collecting device 1 of the present embodiment, a pair of endless chains 21 circulating in the vertical direction are driven to rise on the a side.

The egg collecting device 1 includes the same number of rolling-out mechanisms 10 at the height positions corresponding to the plurality of transfer conveyors 50. The roll-out mechanism 10 moves the movable sprocket 25 engaged with the endless chain 21 in the horizontal direction so as to approach the transfer conveyor 50, and a part of the track of the endless chain 21 circulating in the vertical direction is inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

The structure of the roll-out mechanism 10 will be described mainly with reference to fig. 1 and 2. The one roll-out mechanism 10 includes, in addition to the pair of movable sprockets 25, one lever 11, a pair of second arms 12, and guide holes 35 provided in the pair of side walls 31, respectively. The lever 11 of the present embodiment is composed of a pair of first arms 11A and one connecting arm 11B. Here, the first arm 11A corresponds to the "first arm" of the present invention, and the connecting arm 11B corresponds to the "connecting arm" of the present invention.

The first arms 11A are each rotatably attached to one of the side walls 31 about the first axis P1. Specifically, a pin (not shown) is inserted through a hole 31A formed in the side wall 31 and a hole 11e formed in one end of the first arm 11A, and is rotated about the first axis P1 as the axis of the pin.

The connecting arm 11B connects the first arms 11A to each other so that the pair of first arms 11A integrally rotate about the first axis P1. The connecting arm 11B is formed by bending both sides of the elongated plate in the same direction at right angles, and the two bending portions 11g are fixed to the ends of the first arm 11A on the opposite side to the first axis P1. Specifically, the connecting arm 11B is fixed to the first arm 11A by tightening nuts to bolts respectively passing through a plurality of holes provided in the bent portion 11g of the connecting arm 11B and a plurality of holes provided in the end portion of the first arm 11A. In addition, the connecting arm 11B and the first arm 11A may be welded for secure fixation. The lever 11 is formed by integrating the connecting arm 11B and the first arm 11A.

The intermediate portion 11h of the connecting arm 11B having the bent portion 11g at both ends is a portion gripped by the operator. In order to avoid interference between the intermediate portion 11h and the pair of side walls 31, the axial direction of the bent portion 11g is inclined with respect to the direction in which the first arm 11A extends in the connecting arm 11B. The direction of the tilt is the direction toward the a side.

In the operation lever 11, the length from the boundary of the bent portion 11g and the intermediate portion 11h to the second axis P2 is set to be much larger than the length from the first axis P1 to the second axis P2. Thus, when considering the operation lever 11 as the second lever, the distance from the point of action to the point of application is set considerably longer than the distance from the fulcrum to the point of action.

The movable sprocket 25 has teeth with a pitch that meshes with the endless chain 21. The center axes of the pair of movable sprockets 25 are coupled by a rotation shaft portion 25P, and integrally rotate about a third axis P3 that is the center axis of the movable sprocket 25 and the rotation shaft portion 25P. The pair of movable sprockets 25 are disposed between the pair of side walls 31. Further, a plurality of flat auxiliary plates 25d protrude radially from the rotation shaft portion 25p. The plurality of auxiliary plates 25d are disposed at equal angular intervals with respect to the third axis P3. Here, the case where the auxiliary plates 25d are two is exemplified.

A pair of guide holes 35 are provided penetrating the side wall 31 at the same height, respectively, and extend the same length in the horizontal direction. The guide hole 35 of the present embodiment is bent downward at one end. The end of the a side is curved.

The pair of second arms 12 are each rotatably connected to the first arm 11A around the second axis P2 at one end side. Specifically, a pin (not shown) is inserted through a hole 12f provided at one end of the second arm 12 and a hole 11f provided in the first arm 11A, whereby the second arm 12 is rotated about the second axis P2 which is the axis of the pin. Here, the position of the hole 11f is between the end on the first axis P1 side and the end on the opposite side to the first axis P1 side on the first arm 11A, and here, is a position that is approximately half the length of the first arm 11A from the first axis P1.

Each second arm 12 is attached to the rotation shaft portion 25P via a guide hole 35 on the opposite end side from the second shaft P2. Specifically, in the second arm 12, a pin (not shown) penetrating through a hole 12P provided at the end opposite to the second shaft P2 is passed through the guide hole 35 and then attached to the end of the rotation shaft 25P. The pin rotates integrally with the rotation shaft portion 25p, but the second arm 12 is rotatable with respect to the pin. That is, the second arm 12 rotates around the third axis P3 on the opposite end side from the second axis P2, and the movable sprocket 25 rotates around the third axis P3.

The respective first axes P1 of the pair of first arms 11A are on the same line, and the respective second axes P2 are on the same line. The first arm 11A and the second arm 12 are provided outside the side wall 31 (on the side opposite to the side facing the other side wall 31).

In addition, when the first arm 11A rotates about the first axis P1, the portion of the first arm 11A away from the first axis P1 and the link arm 11B further away from the first axis P1 rotate over a wide angle range. Since the resistance becomes large when such a large-rotation portion comes into contact with the surface of the side wall 31 and slides, in order to prevent this, the first arm 11A is bent between the first axis P1 and the second axis P2 in such a manner that the opposite side is away from the side wall 31 than the first axis P1 side. In response to this, the second arm 12 is also curved halfway so as to be farther from the side wall 31 than the third axis P3 on the second axis P2 side.

The roll-out mechanism 10 further includes a guide sprocket 26 that engages with the endless chain 21 and guides the rail of the endless chain 21 in the vertical direction. At least one pair of guide sprockets 26 is provided for each roll-out mechanism 10, and is provided below the movable sprocket 25 (see fig. 6).

Next, the operation of the above-described rolling-out mechanism 10, the change in the track of the endless chain 21, and the rolling-out of eggs accompanying this will be described mainly with reference to fig. 3 and 6. Since the respective operations of the plurality of roll-out mechanisms 10 are the same, a single roll-out mechanism 10 will be described herein.

First, in a state where the roll-out mechanism 10 is not operated, the third shaft P3 is positioned at the end portion on the B side in the guide hole 35 (see fig. 3 (a)). In this state, the movable sprocket 25 is isolated from the endless chain 21 having the track in the vertical direction without being engaged with the endless chain.

When the intermediate portion 11h of the connecting arm 11B is gripped and the lever 11 is tilted toward the a side, the first arm 11A integrated with the connecting arm 11B rotates about the first axis P1. Since the second arm 12 is connected to the first arm 11A through the second shaft P2, a force such as rotation about the first shaft P1 also acts on the second arm 12. However, the second arm 12 is coupled to the rotation shaft portion 25P of the movable sprocket 25 via the third shaft P3, and movement of the third shaft P3 is restricted by the guide hole 35. Accordingly, with the rotation of the first arm 11A about the first axis P1, the second arm 12 rotates about the second axis P2 on one end side and rotates about the third axis P3 on the other end side, and the third axis P3 moves horizontally toward the a side along the guide hole 35. Subsequently, the movable sprocket 25 moves to the side of B about the third axis P3 (see fig. 3B).

When the operation lever 11 is further tilted toward the a side, with further rotation of the first arm 11A about the first axis P1, the third axis P3 moves along the guide hole 35 together with the second arm 12 rotating about the second axis P2 and the third axis P3, and reaches the end of the a side (see fig. 3 (c)). In the middle of this movement, the movable sprocket 25 engages with the endless chain 21 whose track is in the vertical direction, and moves while pushing out the endless chain 21 to the a side.

Since the guide hole 35 is bent downward at the end portion on the a side, the third shaft P3 is depressed to fall into the bent portion of the guide hole 35 while the second arm 12 is rotated downward about the second shaft P2 in a state where the third shaft P3 reaches the end portion on the a side. The interference between the bent portion of the guide hole 35 and the second arm 12 is stopped, and the third shaft P3 is prevented from returning to the B side, thereby fixing the position of the movable sprocket 25 (see fig. 3 (d)).

As shown in fig. 6, the track of the endless chain 21 rising on the a side is vertical to the guide sprocket 26 located below the movable sprocket 25. When the track of the endless chain 21 is in the vertical direction, the placement portion 22 stably holds the eggs E as in the placement portion 22 at the lower right in fig. 6. By the operation of the operation lever 11, the track of the endless chain 21 is inclined toward the a side between the guide sprocket 26 and the movable sprocket 25 in a state where the movable sprocket 25 moves toward the a side. By this, the egg E placed by the portion of the placement portion 22 is inclined downward, and rolls out to the transfer conveyor 50. The transfer conveyor 50 includes a guide plate 59 extending toward the egg collector 1, and guides the eggs E rolled out from the placement unit 22 to a conveying surface of the transfer conveyor 50.

Further, an auxiliary plate 25d protrudes from the rotation shaft portion 25p and rotates together with the movable sprocket 25. Therefore, even if there is an egg E which is not rolled out and is not stably placed on the downward inclined placement portion 22, the rolling-out of the egg E can be assisted by the contact of the rotating auxiliary plate 25d with the egg E from above. The number of such auxiliary plates 25d is set to be equal to the number of mounting portions 22 passing between the guide sprocket 26 and the movable sprocket 25 during one rotation of the movable sprocket 25. In fig. 6, the roll-out mechanism 10 is not shown.

Next, an operation of switching the transfer conveyor 50 as a rolling-out destination of eggs from the egg collecting machine 1 in a case where a plurality of transfer conveyors 50 are provided for each egg collecting machine 1 will be described. Here, a case where three transfer conveyors 50 are provided adjacent to one egg collector 1 is illustrated with reference to fig. 4. The three transfer conveyors 50 are disposed separately up and down. The egg collecting device 1 is provided with the same number of roll-out mechanisms 10 corresponding to the transfer conveyors 50. The roll-out mechanism 10 is provided so that the height of the guide hole 35 is slightly higher than the conveying surface of the transfer conveyor 50.

The egg collecting device 1 further includes a chain stopper 40 that advances and retreats relative to the endless chain 21 and engages with the endless chain 21 in a forward state. As shown in fig. 4 and 6, the chain stopper 40 includes a base 41 supported between the pair of side walls 31 and a slider 42 that slides relative to the base 41. Fig. 4 illustrates a case where the chain stopper 40 is disposed below the transfer conveyor 50 at the lowest level, but is not limited to this position.

A groove 41g for guiding the sliding of the slider 42 in the horizontal direction is formed in the base 41. The slider 42 has a plurality of teeth 43 arranged in the vertical direction at one end in the horizontal direction. The teeth 43 are arranged at intervals that mesh with the endless chain 21. The slide body 42 is provided with a plurality of elongated holes 45 extending in the horizontal direction, and the same number of bolts 46 protrude from the base 41 in correspondence with the positions of the elongated holes 45. Thus, the slider 42 slides in the horizontal direction within the length range of the long hole 45 in a state where the respective bolts 46 are inserted into the long hole 45. If the nut 47 is fastened to a portion of the bolt 46 protruding from the surface of the slider 42, the position of the slider 42 with respect to the base 41 is fixed. A backing plate 48 is interposed between the nut 47 and the slider 42. In the egg collector 1, in a state in which the pair of endless chains 21 circulate, as shown in fig. 5 (a), the chain stopper 40 is advanced one after another.

As shown in fig. 4 (a), when the rolling destination of the eggs is switched to another transfer conveyor 50 in a state of rolling out the eggs from the eggs toward the lowermost transfer conveyor 50, first, the driving of the endless chain 21 is stopped. At this time, as described with reference to fig. 3 (d), the lowermost roll-out mechanism 10 is in a state in which the movable sprocket 25 is maximally moved toward the a side and the position thereof is fixed. On the other hand, as described with reference to fig. 3 (a), the other two roll-out mechanisms 10 are in a state in which the movable sprocket 25 is maximally moved toward the B side.

In this state, the nut 47 and the pad 48 are removed from the bolt 46 of the chain stopper 40, and the slider 42 is advanced, as shown in fig. 5 (b), to engage the teeth 43 with the endless chain 21. By fastening the nut 47 to the bolt 46 via the pad 48, as shown in fig. 5 (c), the position of the slider 42 engaged with the endless chain 21 is fixed. Thereby, the rotation of the endless chain 21 is prevented.

Then, the lowermost roll-out mechanism 10 returns to the state of fig. 3 (a) through the states of fig. 3 (c) and 3 (b) by pushing up the operation lever 11.

Next, the roll-out mechanism 10 corresponding to the height of the transfer conveyor 50 which is the new roll-out destination of the egg is operated. For example, when the intermediate layer transfer conveyor 50 is set as the roll-out destination, the roll-out mechanism 10 for the intermediate layer is operated to move the movable sprocket 25 to the a side as shown in fig. 4 (b). Since the rotation of the endless chain 21 is prevented by the chain stopper 40, the operation of meshing with the endless chain 21 and moving the movable sprocket 25 in the horizontal direction can be performed stably and with good workability.

As shown in fig. 3 (d), after fixing the position of the movable sprocket 25, the chain stopper 40 is retracted, and the engagement of the teeth 43 with the endless chain 21 is released. When the endless chain 21 is driven in this state, eggs are rolled out from the egg collector 1 toward the intermediate transfer conveyor 50. Similarly, when the uppermost transfer conveyor 50 is set as the destination of the eggs, the movable sprocket 25 is moved to the side a in the uppermost rolling mechanism 10 as shown in fig. 4 (c).

In this way, when the transfer conveyor 50 of the roll-out destination of the eggs is switched, the following procedure is performed.

(1) The driving of the endless chain 21 is stopped.

(2) The chain stopper 40 is advanced to prevent the rotation of the endless chain 21.

(3) The movable sprocket 25 is moved to the side B by the operation of the roll-out mechanism 10 corresponding to the transfer conveyor 50 which is the roll-out destination of the egg at the present time.

(4) The movable sprocket 25 is moved to the side a by the operation of the roll-out mechanism 10 corresponding to the transfer conveyor 50 which is the new roll-out destination of the eggs.

(5) The chain stopper 40 is retracted to drive the rotation of the endless chain 21.

Fig. 4 (a) to 4 (c) show a case where the guide sprocket 26 is provided below and above the movable sprocket 25 in one roll-out mechanism 10. The lower guide sprocket 26 serves to maintain the track of the ascending endless chain 21 in the vertical direction until approaching the movable sprocket 25 in a state of moving in the horizontal direction. The upper guide sprocket 26 serves to return in the vertical direction the inclined track through the track of the endless chain 21 of the movable sprocket 25. However, in the case where the interval between the vertically spaced transfer conveyors 50 is not large, the upper guide sprocket 26 can be omitted. This is because the lower guide sprocket 26 of the upper roll-out mechanism 10 functions in the same manner as the upper guide sprocket 26 of the lower roll-out mechanism 10. In the case of an egg collector of the type that discharges eggs during the ascent of the endless chain, the eggs are not placed on the placement portion 22 after passing through the movable sprocket 25 at the uppermost layer, and therefore, there is no problem even if the track of the endless chain 21 is inclined to the sprocket above the upper and lower sprockets that circulate the endless chain 21.

The present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the number of the roll-out mechanisms 10 including the movable sprockets 25 is the same as the number of the plurality of transfer conveyors 50, and the roll-out mechanisms are provided in the egg collecting device 1 in correspondence with the height of the transfer conveyors 50 is illustrated. The present invention is not limited to this, and an egg collector may be configured such that a sprocket for inclining the track of the endless chain 21 is fixed to the uppermost transfer conveyor 50 without providing the movable sprocket 25. This is because, in the case of an egg collector of the type that discharges eggs while the endless chain is being lifted, in any one of the rolling-out mechanisms 10 corresponding to the transfer conveyor 50 on the lower layer side, the movable sprocket 25 is not moved in the horizontal direction, and only the eggs are rolled out to the transfer conveyor 50 on the uppermost layer.

In the above description, the case where the operation lever 11 is formed by integrating the two members, i.e., the first arm 11A and the connecting arm 11B, is exemplified. The present invention is not limited to this, and an operation lever having an original integrated structure may be formed by bending a metal plate material cut into a desired shape.

Claims

1. An egg collector, comprising: a pair of endless chains circulating in a vertical direction; a plurality of placement portions supported between a pair of the endless chains; and a rolling-out mechanism for inclining a part of the track of the endless chain with respect to the vertical direction in order to roll out the eggs placed on the placement portion,

the roll-out mechanism is provided with:

and a pair of guide sprockets provided at least below the movable sprocket and guiding the track of the endless chain in a vertical direction.

2. The egg collector of claim 1, wherein the egg collector comprises a plurality of rollers,

when the first arm is rotated about the first axis by pressing the operation lever, the guide hole is bent downward at an end portion of the third axis on the side where the third axis moves.

3. The egg collector of claim 1, wherein the egg collector comprises a plurality of rollers,

the egg collector further comprises a chain stopper which advances and retreats relative to the endless chain, engages with the endless chain in a forward state, and releases the engagement in a retreated state.