JP2002114365A - Inspecting machine for container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspecting machine capable of feeding a container such as a bottle into an inspection section with exact pitch without intermittently stopping the container. SOLUTION: In the inspecting machine 1 for carrying the container B into the prescribed inspection section 4 by a conveyor 5 and inspecting the container B, a pitch adjusting device 10 for adjusting pitch for feeding the container B is provided at an entrance side of the inspection section 4. The pitch adjusting device 10 is provided with a pair of belts 11 and 11 arranged so as to hold the container B and a belt driving mechanism 12 for driving each belt 11 so that the carrier surfaces 11a may be traveled at speed slower than carrier speed of the conveyor 5. The container B discharged from space between the carrier surfaces 11a and 11a of the belt 11 is carried into the inspection section B by the conveyor 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection machine for carrying a container into a predetermined inspection section for inspection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an inspection machine for containers such as bottles for beverages, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-94768 discloses that a bottle conveyed to the entrance of an inspection section by a conveyor is sandwiched between a pair of belts and transported. Inspection machines are known which take an image of the bottom of the bottle and determine the presence or absence of a defect.

In this type of inspection machine, it is sometimes necessary to carry containers at a pitch equal to that of the inspection section due to the convenience of inspection processing in the inspection section. In response to such a request, the conventional inspection machine arranges a screw along a conveyor, rotates it at a speed synchronized with a conveying speed, meshes the screw groove with the bottle, and adjusts the pitch of the bottle with the screw. Is provided.

[0004]

However, since a small gap is inevitably formed between the groove of the screw and the bottle, the bottle vibrates during the feeding while being engaged with the screw, and the stability of the bottle is reduced. In some cases, it was impaired, affecting the pitch. When the transfer conditions such as the shape and size of the container and the transfer pitch are changed, there is also an inconvenience that the screw needs to be replaced in accordance with the change.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an inspection machine capable of stably feeding a container such as a bottle at an accurate pitch into an inspection section, and more preferably to provide an adaptability to a change in transport conditions. It is also an object to provide an enhanced inspection machine.

[0006]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are added in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

[0007] The inspection machine (1) of the present invention comprises a conveyor (5).
The inspection machine which carries in the container (B) to the predetermined inspection section (4) and inspects it, and a pitch adjusting device (10) for adjusting the pitch for feeding the container is provided at the entrance side of the inspection section. And a pair of belts (11, 1) arranged so as to sandwich the container.
1) and the respective belts are transported on their transport surfaces (11a, 11a).
And a belt drive mechanism (12) for driving the belt to run at a speed lower than the conveyor speed, and transporting a container discharged from between the conveyor surfaces of the belt to the inspection section by the conveyor. Thus, the above-mentioned problem is solved.

According to the present invention, the container to be inspected is transported toward the inspection section according to the traveling speed of the belt while being sandwiched between the transport surfaces of the belt. Then, the containers discharged from between the transfer surfaces are transferred to a conveyor and carried into an inspection section. When the container moves from the belt side to the conveyor side, the container is accelerated because the conveyor speed is higher than the conveyor speed of the pitch adjusting device. Accordingly, a certain interval is generated between the containers discharged from between the conveyor surfaces of the belt according to the difference in the conveyor speed between the belt and the conveyor. As a result, the containers can be accurately sent into the inspection section at the same pitch without being temporarily stopped. In addition, since the container is conveyed while sandwiching the container between the pair of belts, there is no possibility that the container vibrates during that time, and the container can be stably fed to the conveyor side.

The traveling speed of a pair of belts driven by the belt driving mechanism may be adjustable. When the belt traveling speed is changed, the difference between the belt conveying speed and the conveyor conveying speed changes, and the container pitch also changes. Thereby, the containers can be fed at an appropriate pitch according to the inspection conditions.

[0010] The running speed of each of the pair of belts driven by the belt driving mechanism may be adjustable independently of each other. By doing so, the speed of each belt can be adjusted so as to eliminate the speed error of each belt, and the accuracy of pitch adjustment can be increased. It is also possible to intentionally set a different speed for each belt to impart rotation to the container. Inspection of the container can be performed using the rotation.

[0011] The belt drive mechanism may include a drive source (20, 20) for each of the pair of belts. This facilitates independent speed adjustment for each belt.

The distance between the conveying surfaces of the pair of belts may be adjustable. In this case, even if the diameter (or width) of the container is changed, it can be dealt with only by adjusting the belt interval. Further, when the height of the belt is adjustable, the container can always be held at an appropriate position even if the height of the container changes.

[0013] A guide member (35) extending in the transport direction of the container may be provided around the belt with its surface (35a) slightly retreated from the transport surface of the belt. In this case, the run-out of the container sandwiched between the belts is suppressed, and the stability of the container is further improved. In addition,
The amount of retreat of the surface of the guide member with respect to the conveying surface can reliably transmit the conveying force of the belt to the container by sandwiching the container between the belts, and the deflection of the container sandwiched between the belts by the guide member. What is necessary is just to set in the range which can be suppressed appropriately. It is desirable that the guide member is provided in a range equivalent to the transport surface of the belt or in a range longer than the transport surface in the transport direction of the container. A chamfer may be provided at the end of the guide member on the entrance side of the pitch adjusting device.

The belt used in the present invention may be formed in an endless shape so long as it can convey a container in between. For example, the belt of the present invention is included in a belt of the present invention as long as it has a function of transporting a container while sandwiching it even in a narrow chain shape. The conveyor in the present invention is intended to include all conveyors for transporting containers, and the specific form is not limited. In the inspection machine of the present invention, the conveyor is
It may be provided in a range connecting the outlet of the pitch adjustment device and the entrance of the inspection section, or may be provided so as to overlap with the belt conveyance section of the pitch adjustment device. A conveyor may be provided to the upstream side beyond the entrance of the pitch adjusting device, and the container may be carried into the pitch adjusting device by the conveyor. The container to be transported according to the present invention preferably includes a cylindrical body having a cylindrical or cross-sectionally polygonal shape like a bottle or a can used as a container for beverages, and a pair of belts. It is desirable to be arranged so as to sandwich the trunk.

[0015]

1 to 6 show an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied as a bottle inspection machine 1 for filling beverages. As is clear from FIG. 1, the inspection machine 1 includes an inspection device 2 and a pitch adjustment device 10 arranged on the entrance side of the inspection device 2. The transport route of bottle B as a container is shown in FIG.
Is representatively indicated by the center line CL.

The inspection device 2 has a pair of belts 3 and 3 arranged so as to sandwich the transport path from both sides.
The belts 3 and 3 are driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) so that their transport surfaces 3 and 3a run at a predetermined speed in the transport direction (indicated by an arrow F in FIG. 1). These belts 3,3
The range sandwiched between the transfer surfaces 3a, 3a corresponds to the inspection section 4. The inspection device 2 is provided with a carry-in conveyor 5 for carrying a bottle into the inspection section 4 and a carry-out conveyor 6 for carrying out a bottle from the test section 4. These conveyors 5 and 6 may be of a belt type or a chain type. Conveyors 5 and 6 can be used as long as they can transport bottles in other formats.

In the inspection section 4, a detection mechanism 7 for detecting a bottle defect or the like is provided. The detection mechanism 7 may include, for example, illumination for illuminating the bottom of the bottle and a camera for capturing an image of the bottom. However, the details of the detection mechanism are not limited to those provided with the camera and the illumination, but may be any as long as various types of equipment can be used to detect information regarding the quality of the bottle, the filling state, the suitability of the sealed state, and the like.

The pitch adjusting device 10 is provided for the loading conveyor 5.
The bottle B that is placed and transported on a pair of belts 11,
11, the bottles B are fed at an equal pitch to the inspection section 4 by driving the belts 11, 11 at a speed lower than the traveling speed of the conveyor 5.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the details of the pitch adjusting device 10. FIG. 2 shows a state viewed from the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows a state viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG. Is shown. As is apparent from these drawings, the pitch adjusting device 10 includes a belt driving mechanism 12 for driving the belts 11 and 11 and a position adjusting mechanism 13 for adjusting the position of the belt 11.

The belt drive mechanism 12 includes electric motors 20, 20 as drive sources individually provided for the respective belts 11, and a belt transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the output shaft 20 a of each motor 20 to the belt 11. 21 and 21 are provided. 4 and 5, each belt transmission mechanism 21 transmits the rotation of the output shaft 20a of the motor 20 from the motor pulley 22 attached to the output shaft 20a to the intermediate pulley 24 via the belt 23. Then, the rotation of the intermediate pulley 24 is transmitted to a drive pulley 26 coaxially connected to the intermediate pulley 24 via a pulley shaft 25 to rotate the drive pulley 26.
The belt 11 wound between the idle pulley 6 and the idle pulley 27 is configured to run.

The idle pulley 27 is rotatably mounted on an idle shaft 28 via bearings 29,29. The upper end 28a of the idle shaft 28 is attached to the slide base 31 using bolts 30, 30 inserted into a pair of long holes 28b, 28b (see FIG. 4). Thereby, the idle pulley 27 is supported by the slide base 31 in a state where the position thereof can be adjusted in the transport direction of the bottle B. On the other hand, the pulley shaft 25 has bearings 32, 32.
And is mounted on the slide base 31 via a bearing housing 33. Upper end 2 of idle shaft 28
A position adjusting bolt 34 is screwed into 8 a, and its head is abutted against the bearing housing 33. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of screwing of the bolt 34, the distance between the pulley shaft 25 and the idle shaft 28 can be changed to apply an appropriate tension to the belt 11. The tension applying mechanism for the belt 11 is not limited to the illustrated one, and various configurations may be adopted. The above-described motors 20 are attached to slide bases 31, and the slide bases 31 are individually provided for the respective motors 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a guide plate 35 is attached to the slide base 31. The guide plate 35 is formed in a frame shape surrounding the periphery of the belt 11 (see the guide plate 35 on the right side of FIG. 2), and its surface 35a is closer to the center line CL of the transport path than the transport surface 11a of the belt 11 is. Looking slightly backward. The amount of retreat of the guide plate 35 may be determined within a range in which the conveying force of the belt 11 can be reliably transmitted to the bottle B, and the run-out of the bottle B can be appropriately suppressed by the surface 35a of the guide plate 35. A chamfered portion 35b for facilitating the introduction and discharge of the bottle B is formed at both ends in the conveying direction of the guide plate 35 (see FIG. 4).

The position adjusting mechanism 13 displaces the above-mentioned slide base 31 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and
And the distance between the transfer surfaces 11a, 11a of the belts 11, 11 are changed. As shown in FIG.
The position adjustment mechanism 13a in the vertical direction includes a lifting base 41 that supports each slide base 31, and a pair of rods 42 that are connected to the lower surface side of each lifting base 41.
And a connecting plate 4 for connecting the lower ends of the rods 42 to each other.
3, a feed screw device 44 mounted substantially at the center of the connecting plate 43, and a handle 45 mounted at a lower end of a screw rod 44a of the feed screw device 44, and the handle 45 is rotated by the screw rod 44a and the nut 44b. Thus, the slide base 31 is moved up and down integrally with the elevating base 41, the rod 42, and the connecting plate 43. The screw rod 44a is connected to the frame 4
The frame 46 is connected to the frame 5a of the carry-in conveyor 5 so as to be rotatable and immovable in the axial direction. The slide base 31 is a lifting base 41
2 so as to be movable in the left-right direction of FIG.

On the other hand, the position adjusting mechanism 13 in the left-right direction
b denotes screw rods 50 and 5 screwed into the slide base 31
0 is rotated at the same speed, and the slide bases 31, 31 are driven in equal directions in opposite directions. One of the screw rods 50 (the right screw rod 50 in FIG. 2) is a handle 5
1 and coaxially. A pulley 52 is attached to each screw rod 50 so as to be integrally rotatable.
Is a pulley 54 and a belt 5 fixed to both ends of the connection shaft 53.
5 (see FIG. 3). The connection shaft 53 is rotatably supported by the lifting base 41, and each pulley 54
Can rotate integrally with the connecting shaft 53. Therefore, when the handle 51 is rotated, the rotation is equally transmitted to the screw rod 50, whereby the slide base 31 is driven in opposite directions in the left and right directions of FIG. The spacing changes. The guide plate 35
Since is mounted on the slide base 31, it is driven in the vertical and horizontal directions in conjunction with the belts 11,11.

In the above-described pitch adjusting device 10, each belt 11 is driven by the belt driving mechanism 12 so that each conveying surface 11a runs in the direction in which the bottle B is conveyed. At this time, the traveling speed of each belt 11 is set to a constant speed that is lower than the transport speed of the bottle B by the carry-in conveyor 5.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the bottle B placed on the carry-in conveyor 5 and conveyed to the entrance of the pitch adjusting device 10 is transported by the conveying surfaces 11 a and 11 of the belt 11.
a and is transported at a speed lower than the transport speed by the conveyor 5. Therefore, the bottle B becomes clogged on the inlet side of the pitch adjusting device 10. However, the belt 11,
Since each bottle B between 11 is conveyed according to the traveling speed of the belt 11, the bottle B does not stop at the inlet side of the pitch adjusting device 10. Then, the bottle B that has reached the outlet side of the pitch adjusting device 10 is discharged again onto the conveyor 5 from between the transport surfaces 11a and 11a, and is carried into the inspection section 4. At this time, since the running speed is different between the belt 11 and the conveyor 5, the bottle B is accelerated, and the difference in the transport speed between the belt 11 and the conveyor 5 is between the bottles B discharged from between the belts 11. A certain interval is generated according to. As a result, the bottle B is accurately sent into the inspection section 4 at the same pitch.

Further, in the above-described pitch adjusting device 10, the interval and height of the conveying surfaces 11a, 11a of the belt 11 can be adjusted, so that when the diameter or height of the bottle B changes, the position of the belt 11 is changed accordingly. Can be adjusted so that the body of the bottle B is always sandwiched between the belts 11 and 11. Thereby, the stability of the bottle B when the bottle B is transported by the belt 11 can be improved.

Further, since the interval between the bottles B changes according to the difference in the traveling speed between the belt 11 and the conveyor 5,
By making the traveling speed of 1 variable, the pitch of the bottle B can be appropriately adjusted according to the inspection conditions. The adjustment of the traveling speed of the belt 11 can be easily realized by using, for example, a motor 20 capable of adjusting the speed. In particular, in the inspection machine 1 described above, the motors 20, 20 as drive sources are individually provided for the belts 11, 11, respectively. By finely adjusting the rotation speed of the belt 20, the belt 11,
11 can easily correct the speed error. It is also possible to intentionally set the running speeds of the belts 11 and 11 to different values, apply a rotational motion to the bottle B in accordance with the speed difference between the belts 11 and 11, and perform inspection using the rotation.
The speed of the motor 20 is kept constant and the belt drive mechanism 1
By providing a speed adjusting mechanism (for example, a continuously variable transmission mechanism) in the motion transmission path in 2, the running speeds of the belts 11 may be adjustable independently of each other. Belt 1
If it is not necessary to adjust the running speeds of the belts 11 and 11 independently of each other, a common drive source may be provided for the belts 11 and 11.

In the above embodiment, for example, a polyurethane sponge can be suitably used as the material of the belt 11. The difference between the traveling speed of the belt 11 and the transport speed of the conveyor 5 may be appropriately set according to the shape of the container to be transported or the like. For example, when a glass beverage bottle is to be inspected, The traveling speed is in the range of 40 to 90% of the conveying speed by the conveyor 5, preferably 50 to 90%.
It is good to set it in the range of 70%.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but may be implemented in various forms. For example, the conveyor 5 may be provided only between the exit side of the pitch adjustment device 10 and the entrance side of the inspection section 4. The transport of the bottle B in the inspection section 4 is not limited to the one using the belts 3 and 3. The container to be inspected is not limited to the bottle B, but may be a can, a packed container, and other various containers. Although the frame-shaped guide plate 35 is provided as the guide member, a guide member having another shape such as a rail shape may be provided.

[0030]

As described above, according to the inspection machine of the present invention, a pair of belts are provided so as to sandwich the container at the entrance side of the inspection section, and the conveyance speed by these belts and the conveyance speed by the conveyor are provided. A constant interval is generated between the containers transferred from the belt to the conveyor using the difference between the container and the container, so that the containers can be transported while being stably held and sent to the inspection section at an accurate pitch. . Since the pitch is adjusted while feeding the container, it is possible to easily cope with high speed.

When the running speed of the belt is adjustable, the pitch of the containers can be adjusted according to the inspection conditions. In particular, when the speed can be adjusted independently for each belt, the speed of each belt can be adjusted. Adjust the speed of each belt to eliminate the speed error to increase the accuracy of pitch adjustment, or conversely, set a different speed for each belt intentionally to rotate the container and use the rotation. Inspection of the container can also be performed. Further, when a driving source is provided for each belt, independent speed adjustment for each belt can be easily performed. Further, when the interval and height of the belt can be adjusted, it is possible to easily respond to changes in the diameter and height of the container. Further, by providing the guide member around the belt, the stability of the container sandwiched between the belts can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of a bottle inspection machine to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a pitch adjusting device provided in the inspection machine of FIG. 1 is viewed from the direction of arrow II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the pitch adjusting device of FIG. 1 is viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration on one belt side of the pitch adjusting device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a manner in which the pitch of the container is adjusted by the pitch adjusting device of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection machine 2 Inspection device 4 Inspection section 5 Carry-in conveyor 7 Detection mechanism 10 Pitch adjustment device 11 Belt 11a Conveying surface 12 Belt drive mechanism 13 Position adjustment mechanism 13a Vertical position adjustment mechanism 13b Left / right position adjustment mechanism 20 Electric motor (Drive source) 21 Belt transmission mechanism 35 Guide plate (guide member) B Bottle (container)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An inspection machine for carrying a container into a predetermined inspection section by a conveyor to inspect the container, a pitch adjusting device for adjusting a pitch for feeding the container is provided at an entrance side of the inspection section, The adjusting device is provided with a pair of belts arranged so as to sandwich the container, and a belt driving mechanism that drives each belt so that their conveying surface runs at a speed lower than the conveying speed of the conveyor. A container discharged from between the conveyor surfaces of the belt is carried into the inspection section by the conveyor. 2. The inspection machine according to claim 1, wherein a traveling speed of the pair of belts driven by the belt driving mechanism is adjustable. 3. The inspection machine according to claim 1, wherein the traveling speeds of the pair of belts driven by the belt driving mechanism can be adjusted independently of each other. 4. The inspection machine according to claim 3, wherein the belt driving mechanism has a driving source individually for each of the pair of belts. 5. The inspection machine according to claim 1, wherein an interval between the conveying surfaces of the pair of belts is adjustable. 6. The inspection machine according to claim 1, wherein the height of the pair of belts is adjustable. 7. A guide member extending in the transport direction of the container is provided around the belt with its surface slightly retreated from the transport surface of the belt. 6. The inspection machine according to any one of 6.