JP2004250042A - Cap of excellent detection characteristic for cap seaming position - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cap capable of clearly grasping a cap seaming position checking mark formed on the cap with one camera disposed above as an image, and inspecting the cap seaming position seamed on a bottle with excellent precision. <P>SOLUTION: In the cap having a top plate and a skirt-like side wall suspended from a circumferential edge of the top plate in which a helical bar to be engaged with an outer surface of a container neck part is provided on an inner surface of the skirt-like side wall, and a cap seaming angle checking mark is provided on the circumferential edge part of the top plate, the cap seaming angle checking mark is characterised by being constituted of a recessed part and a projecting part formed on the bottom part of the recessed part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cap capable of reliably performing an inspection of a tightened state of a cap by confirming a cap tightening position of a bottle-cap assembly in which a cap is screwed (tightened) to a neck portion of the bottle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a bottle-cap assembly composed of a glass or synthetic resin bottle-shaped container and a cap having a tamper-evident function that indicates that the bottle has been opened once, the cap is completely attached to the bottle after filling the contents. Conventionally, such inspections are performed by extracting several samples from the product, opening the actual sample, opening the opening torque, tightening angle, etc. Was measured.
However, such a sampling inspection is performed only on a part of the product, and it is difficult to always obtain a reliable inspection result. Will increase.
In addition, when the winding machine is initially set, the torque is determined according to the tightening angle for achieving the basic performance. Therefore, it is desired that the winding angle can be easily measured.
[0003]
In order to solve such problems, a cap tightening position confirmation mark (cap mark) is provided on the periphery of the top plate of the cap, and a bottle position for checking the cap tightening position is provided on the upper surface of the support ring of the bottle. A confirmation mark (bottle mark) is provided, and one camera is placed above the bottle-cap assembly in which the cap is wound around such a bottle, and the cap mark and the bottle mark are simultaneously photographed by this camera, and the image is taken. There is disclosed a method of inspecting a tightened state of a cap by image-processing data and detecting a position of a cap mark with respect to a bottle mark. In such an inspection method, the bottle mark and the cap mark on the upper surface of the support ring of the bottle are formed as recesses or cutouts (see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2003-2310
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the above conventional technology, it is possible to confirm the fastening state of the bottle / cap assembly by image processing based on an image by one camera without using the inspection method of extracting the sample and actually opening the bottle. Become.
[0006]
However, in the above inspection method, it is necessary that the bottle mark and the cap mark are clearly imaged. Since the bottle mark is located at the outline of the image of the bottle-cap assembly captured by the camera, for example, by changing the lighting conditions at the time of imaging depending on whether the support ring is transparent or opaque, it is sharp as an image. However, since the cap mark is located inside the image of the bottle / cap assembly, there has been a problem that it is difficult to clearly capture the image as an image.
[0007]
That is, in order to clearly capture the cap mark as an image, the cap mark only needs to be clearly projected as a shadow. Due to the change of lighting conditions and the effect of water droplets attached to the bottle or cap during the production process, the difference in brightness from other parts where no mark is formed becomes small, and the image becomes unclear. It will be lost.
[0008]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable a single camera disposed above to clearly capture the image of the cap tightening position mark formed on the cap, and to provide a clear image of the cap wound around the bottle. An object of the present invention is to provide a cap capable of accurately inspecting a winding position.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, it has a top plate and a skirt-like side wall descended from the periphery of the top plate, and an inner surface of the skirt-like side wall has a thread engaging with an outer surface of a container neck portion. A cap provided with a cap tightening angle confirmation mark, wherein the cap tightening angle confirmation mark comprises a concave portion and a convex portion formed at the bottom of the concave portion. Provided.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on specific examples shown in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a typical structure of the cap of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a top view of the cap of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a cap tightening position confirmation mark formed on the cap of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a camera image of a cap tightening position confirmation mark formed on the cap of FIG. 1 in comparison with a camera image of a cap tightening position confirmation mark formed on a conventional cap. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the position of a bottle position confirmation mark formed on the bottle to which the cap of FIG. 1 is attached;
FIG. 6 is a top view of the bottle cap assembly with the cap of FIG. 1 mounted on the bottle;
FIG. 7 is a layout view of an apparatus for performing an inspection of a closed state of a bottle-cap assembly in which the cap of FIG. 1 is mounted on a bottle;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the inspection performed by the apparatus of FIG.
[0011]
1 and 2 showing an example of the cap of the present invention, the cap generally denoted by 1 is composed of a top plate 2 and a skirt-like side wall 4 hanging down through a corner portion 3 located on the periphery of the top plate 2. A tamper-evident (TE) band 5 is provided at the lower end of the skirt-shaped side wall 4 via a weakened portion 6.
[0012]
A liner material 7 is formed on the inner surface of the cap top plate 2, and is provided so that the outer peripheral convex portion of the liner material comes into contact with the outer surface of the bottle mouth to enhance the sealing property of the container. A knurled groove 8 is provided on the outer surface of the skirt-shaped side wall 4 so as to be easily gripped, and a screw portion 9 screwed with a screw portion 21 (see FIG. 5) provided on the outer surface of the bottle neck portion described later is provided on the inner surface. Is formed.
[0013]
Further, on the inner surface of the TE band 5, a flap piece 10 for fixing the TE band 5 by engaging with a step portion 22 (see FIG. 5) of the bottle described later is provided.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 2, a cap tightening position confirmation mark (cap mark) 11 is provided on the periphery of the top plate 2 of the cap, but in the present invention, an image is captured by a camera arranged above. Thus, the cap mark 11 is designed to have such a shape that it can be captured as a clear image.
[0015]
That is, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the cap mark 11 of the cap of the present invention includes a concave portion 11a and a convex portion 11b formed at the bottom of the concave portion 11a. As shown in FIG. 3A, the shape of the convex portion 11b may be a flat surface with a flat upper end, or may be a shape with a sharp upper end. By forming the cap 11 in such a form, the amount of light incident on the concave portion 11a around the convex portion 11b is significantly restricted, and when this is imaged by a camera from above, the image is captured as a clear image. Becomes possible.
[0016]
For example, FIG. 4B shows a camera image of the cap mark 11 in which the cap mark 11 is formed only of a concave portion, and the entire mark 11 is projected as a thin shadow. Therefore, if the illumination conditions are changed or water droplets are attached during imaging, the image of the cap mark 11 becomes unclear.
[0017]
On the other hand, according to the present invention, when the cap mark 11 is formed by providing the convex portion 11b at the bottom of the concave portion 11a, the camera image from above, as shown in FIG. The part is bright and its periphery is sharply projected as a ring with a dark shadow. Therefore, even when the illumination conditions are changed or when water droplets or the like adhere, the influence is extremely small, and the cap mark 11 can be always captured as a clear image.
[0018]
In the present invention, the size of the concave portion 11a is not particularly limited, but if it is too large, the appearance of the cap is impaired, and if it is too small, it becomes difficult to form the convex portion 11b. Preferably, the outer diameter is about 0.5 to 2.0 mm. Further, the depth of the concave portion 11a may be such that it does not penetrate the top plate 2, but it is usually preferable that the depth is at least 0.3 mm or more. This is because if the recess 11a is shallow, the shadow may be thin.
[0019]
The distance between the protrusion 11b and the outer periphery of the recess 11a (indicated by d in FIG. 3A) is preferably about 0.2 to 0.5 mm. That is, if the interval d is too large, the shadow becomes thin, while if the interval d is too small, the shadow becomes thin, which may make recognition difficult. The height of the protrusion 11b may be a certain height, but it is preferable that the protrusion 11b does not protrude from the recess 11a so that the appearance is not impaired.
[0020]
Further, in FIG. 4, the shapes of the concave portions 11 a and the convex portions 11 b as viewed from above are both shown as circles. However, as long as the shadow is clearly projected, there is no limitation on the shapes, and both shapes are viewed from above. However, it may be, for example, a square.
[0021]
Inspection of the cap-tightened state of the bottle-cap assembly in which the cap having the cap mark 11 described above is mounted on the bottle is performed based on the same principle as described in Patent Document 1 described above. That is, the bottle cap assembly is photographed from above by one camera, and the bottle position confirmation mark (bottle mark) formed on the support ring of the bottle and the cap mark 11 are simultaneously captured as images. The cap tightening angle is detected from the relative positional relationship.
[0022]
For example, in FIG. 5 showing the neck portion of the bottle, a screw portion 21 for screwing with the cap to seal the bottle is formed on the outer surface of the neck portion. A step portion 22 that engages with the flap piece 10 of the TE band 5 is formed. Further, a support ring 23 for holding the bottle at the time of filling or sealing is formed below the step portion 22.
The support ring 23 has an outer diameter approximately equal to or greater than the largest outer diameter portion of the lower end of the cap or TE band.
Although not shown in FIG. 5, the mouth of the bottle is integrally connected to the shoulder, the body, and the bottom similarly to a normal bottle.
[0023]
In the above-mentioned bottle, a bottle position confirmation mark (bottle mark) 24 formed from a concave portion or a convex portion is provided on the surface of the support ring 23. That is, the bottle-cap assembly is imaged by a camera arranged above, and the captured state of the cap is detected based on the relative positional relationship between the cap mark 11 and the bottle mark 24 from the captured image. The shape and the like of the bottle mark 24 are not particularly limited, but usually the width of the convex portion or the concave portion forming the bottle mark 24 is preferably about 1.0 to 4.5 mm, and the mark shape is a parallel width. , A triangular concave or convex part, or a trapezoidal concave part.
[0024]
The circumferential positions of the cap mark 11 and the bottle mark 24 described above can be set at various positions so that the winding angle can be easily detected. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottle mark 24 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the support ring 23 corresponding to the start end position of the screw portion 21 provided at the bottle neck, that is, the screwing start position 25 with the cap. Can be provided. Further, the cap mark 11 may be provided on the peripheral edge of the cap top plate 2 corresponding to the start end position of the screw portion provided on the inner surface of the skirt portion 4, that is, the screwing start position 12 (see FIG. 1) with the bottle. it can.
[0025]
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a bottle-cap assembly in which the above-mentioned cap of the present invention is mounted on a bottle. For example, the cap 1 is tightened by rotating in the direction of arrow X in the figure. It is supposed to be.
As shown in FIG. 6, an auxiliary mark 13 can be provided at the center of the cap top plate 2 to easily measure the tightening angle formed by the marks 11 and 24. As with the cap mark 11, the auxiliary mark 13 is preferably formed by forming a convex portion at the bottom of the concave portion. Thus, the tightening angle of the bottle / cap assembly can be easily measured by the cap mark 11, the auxiliary mark 13, and the bottle mark 24.
[0026]
In the present invention described above, as the cap, other than a cap obtained by compression molding, injection molding, or the like of an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or a synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride resin, screws or lugs are formed before capping. Metal caps may be used. Further, it is preferable that a TE band is provided integrally with a TE band at the lower end of the cap via a weakened portion. However, in a case where the TE band is covered with a shrink film after tightening, it is also applicable to a cap without a TE band. It is possible to do.
[0027]
Further, as a bottle to be combined with the cap, a stretch blow bottle made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, a bottle made by injection molding or the like can be suitably used. it can.
[0028]
In FIG. 7 showing an arrangement of an example of an inspection apparatus for performing an inspection using the above-described bottle / cap assembly, an optical lens 40 and the confirmation mark are provided above a vertical axis of the bottle / cap assembly 30. A camera 50 provided with a CCD image pickup device for picking up the images 11 and 24 is arranged so that the vertical axis of the assembly 30 coincides with the optical axis of the optical system.
The camera 50 is housed in a cylindrical hood 51 having a lower end opening. The lens 40, the cap mark 11, and the bottle mark 24 are illuminated in the center of the opening of the hood 51. A lighting device 60 is disposed, and an optical path between the lens 40 and the camera 50 is covered with a cylindrical hood 51.
[0029]
Further, an image processing device (image processing computer) 70 for processing image data sent from the camera 50 via the cable 52 and a monitor 75 for displaying image data and inspection results are arranged.
[0030]
In the specific example shown in the figure, the lens 40 is a plano-convex lens having a diameter larger than the diameter of the cap, and has a diameter of about three times the diameter of the cap, and the flat surface of the plano-convex lens is Facing the side of the cap assembly. The diameter of the plano-convex lens is suitably about 2 to 4 times the diameter of the cap. By using a meniscus convex lens instead of a plano-convex lens, the light condensing power from the bottle mark 24 can be further increased.
[0031]
Further, as the lighting device 60, it is preferable to use an LED or the like so that the optical path can be easily adjusted. For example, when the support ring 23 of the bottle is transparent, light is directly applied to the skirt side wall 8 of the cap 1 in order to prevent halation due to reflection from the liquid contained in the bottle. It is preferable to set to. When the support ring 23 is opaque, it is preferable to set an optical path so that the support ring 23 is directly irradiated with light.
[0032]
The cap mark 11 and the bottle mark 24 described above are imaged by the lens 40 on the CCD element of the camera 50.
[0033]
The inspection of the tightening angle of the bottle-cap assembly based on the images of the cap mark 11 and the bottle mark 24 captured as a video as described above is performed between the image processing device (image processing computer) 70 and the camera 50. This is performed based on the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, the operation signal of the inspection device is detected, and after detecting the operation signal, the detection signal of the bottle / cap assembly from the camera 50 is waited. As soon as this detection signal is received, the image data from the camera 50 is taken into the image processing device (image processing computer) 70. The center of the bottle / cap assembly is detected based on the image data. The detection of the center may be performed by an auxiliary mark 13 (FIG. 6) provided at the center of the cap top plate 2, or when there is no auxiliary mark, the centering is performed from the circumference of the cap top plate 2. You may.
After the center is detected, the image data on the two-dimensional coordinates is developed into polar coordinates, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, and the cap mark 11 and the bottle mark are detected.
From the positions of the cap mark 11 and the bottle mark 24 detected on the polar coordinates, the angle or distance between the cap mark 11 and the bottle mark 24 is immediately calculated. The tightening angle detected by the measurement is compared with the set tightening angle, and the quality of the tightened state is determined. Is detected. That is, if the angle is out of the predetermined range, a defect is displayed, and if it is within the range, the process returns to the next measurement.
[0034]
In the above embodiment, the case where the cap tightening angle confirmation mark is provided on the periphery of the top plate of the cap has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained when the mark is provided on the skirt-shaped side wall of the cap. Can be obtained.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fastening position confirmation mark of the cap formed in the cap can be caught as a clear image by one camera arrange | positioned above, and the fastening of the cap wound around the bottle can be performed. The position can be inspected with high accuracy.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a typical structure of a cap according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the cap of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a cap tightening position confirmation mark formed on the cap of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a view for comparing a camera image of a cap tightening position confirmation mark formed on the cap of FIG. 1 with a camera image of a cap tightening position confirmation mark formed on a conventional cap. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the position of a bottle position confirmation mark formed on the bottle to which the cap of FIG. 1 is attached.
FIG. 6 is a top view of the bottle-cap assembly in which the cap of FIG. 1 is mounted on the bottle.
7 is a layout view of an example of an apparatus for performing an inspection of a tightened state of a bottle-cap assembly in which the cap of FIG. 1 is mounted on a bottle.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an inspection performed by the apparatus of FIG. 7;
[Explanation of symbols]
1: Cap 2: Top plate 11: Cap mark 23: Support ring 24: Bottle mark

Claims (1)

It has a top plate and a skirt-like side wall descended from the periphery of the top plate, and an inner surface of the skirt-like side wall is provided with a thread engaging with an outer surface of the container neck portion. Is a cap provided with a cap tightening angle confirmation mark, wherein the cap tightening angle confirmation mark comprises a concave portion and a convex portion formed at the bottom of the concave portion.

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