JP2005035669A - Bottle neck holder of bottle transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the bottle neck holder of a simplified bottle transport device for easily mounting a CIP cap and changing a gripper for bottles having different bore diameters such as 28 mm and 38 mm. <P>SOLUTION: This bottle transport device is provided with a disc-like body 10 rotating about an axis 8 on a center turret transporting a bottle 1. Rotators 13 each having a plurality of grippers 3, 4, 5 are supported to rotate on brackets 11, 11 supported at even intervals from the outer periphery of the body 10. Rotators each having a plurality of grippers and gripper arms horizontally and vertically are supported to rotate on a stand supported at even intervals from the outer periphery of the body. A CIP cap is provided above the gripper arms. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a bottle neck retainer in a bottle transport device that holds and transports a bottle neck, for example, a liquid filling machine that fills a bottle manufactured by plastic blow molding, a capping device that tightens a cap, and the like The present invention relates to a bottle neck retainer in the bottle transport apparatus of the present invention.

  The present applicant has already invented Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-106812, Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-001353, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-078055. However, this changed the mold, especially the gripper, as the gripping bottle diameter changed. For example, when there are two types of diameters of the mouth of the bottle, 28 mm and 38 mm, two types of grippers dedicated to 28 mm and 38 mm are required.

  Further, when cleaning the filling valve or the liquid filling machine, the CIP (cleaning) cap has to be mounted manually or by a dedicated device provided separately. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-091877 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-048393 are conventionally used as such CIP caps.

JP 2001-287790 A JP 2003-200997 A JP 2003-276838 A JP 11-091877 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-048393

However, the work of exchanging the mold, that is, the gripper, for example, exchanging the bottles with different diameters such as 28 mm and 38 mm, is troublesome and takes time. On the other hand, even when the CIP cap is attached manually, it is cumbersome and time consuming, and when a dedicated device is provided, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-091877, the CIP cap is attached to the filling valve. In addition, a dedicated drive mechanism such as an annular base and an annular lever driving body is necessary, which complicates the apparatus and causes an increase in the size of the apparatus. In addition, in Japanese Patent No. 1107086 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-048393), a chemical resistant tube and sanitary piping are used for CIP (cleaning) liquid recovery, which complicates the apparatus and adapts to the current aseptic environment. It's getting harder.
The present invention eliminates such drawbacks, and makes it easy to replace grippers of bottles having different diameters such as 28 mm and 38 mm and to attach a CIP cap.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a disk-shaped machine body (10) that rotates about a shaft (8) is provided on a center turret for feeding a bottle (1), and is equidistant from the outer periphery of the machine body (10). A bottle carrier characterized by supporting a rotating body (13) having a plurality of grippers (3, 4, 5,...) On the supported brackets (11, 11,...) To rotate. It is a retainer of the bottle neck in an apparatus.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the rotating arms (3b, 4b) of the plurality of first and second grippers (3, 4) are pivoted operating levers (16, 16,...) For opening and closing them. 2), a mechanism (9) for switching the first and second grippers (3, 4) is provided. It is a cage.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the mechanism (9) for switching the plurality of first and second grippers (3, 4), the operating portions (20, 21) are arranged horizontally and vertically inside the rotating body (13). The cylinder (22) is vertically provided at the inner turning position of the rotating body (13), and the operation roller (24) is horizontally provided at the upper end of the piston (23). ) Is a bottle neck retainer in the bottle conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the bottle neck is abutted between the operation parts (20, 21) by a spring (25).

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a disk-shaped machine body (10a) that rotates about the shaft (8) is provided on the center turret for feeding the bottle (1), and is equidistant from the outer periphery of the machine body (10a). The supported stand (11a, 11a...) Supports a rotating body (13a) having a plurality of grippers (3, 4) and gripper arms (7) horizontally and vertically, respectively, and this gripper arm. (7) A bottle neck retainer in a bottle conveying device, wherein a CIP cap (40) is provided on the bottle.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the gripper arm (7) provided with the CIP cap (40), the machine body (10a), the stand (11a), the rotating body (13a), and the stand support block (45) are provided with through holes ( 41), and a bottle neck retainer in the bottle transport device as described in the preceding item, wherein the CIP recovery liquid is drawn into the machine body without external piping.

  Any one of the first gripper 3, the second gripper 4, and the CIP cap 40 of the gripper arm 7 is operated by the mechanisms 9, 9a, 9b for switching the first and second grippers 3, 4 or the gripper arm 7. At this time, two kinds of caliber bottles 1 can be processed, or the filling valve or the liquid filling machine is cleaned.

  In claim 1 of the present invention, a disk-shaped machine body 10 that rotates about a shaft 8 is provided on a center turret for feeding the bottle 1, and brackets 11 that are supported at equal intervals from the outer periphery of the machine body 10. The rotary body 13 having the first and second grippers 3 and 4 is supported to rotate, and in the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the first and second grippers 3 and 4 is supported. The arms 3b, 4b are provided with a mechanism 9 for engaging the outer ends of the swinging operating levers 16, 16,... For opening and closing them to switch the first and second grippers 3, 4. Therefore, for example, the grippers of a plurality of types of bottles dedicated to the diameters of 28 mm and 38 mm can be easily replaced.

  Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the mechanism 9 for switching the first and second grippers 3, 4, operation portions 20, 21 are provided horizontally and vertically inside the rotating body 13, A cylinder 22 is provided vertically at the inner turning position, and an operation roller 24 is provided horizontally at the upper end of the piston 23. The operation roller 24 is brought into contact with the operation parts 20, 21 by a spring 25. Therefore, the first and second grippers 3 and 4 can be changed by simply moving the piston 23 of the cylinder 22 up and down.

Claim 4 of the present invention provides a disk-like machine body 10a that rotates about a shaft 8 on a center turret for feeding the bottle 1, and stands 11a, 11a, which are supported at equal intervals from the outer periphery of the machine body 10a. .. Support a rotating body 13a having a plurality of grippers 3, 4 and gripper arms 7 horizontally and vertically, and a CIP cap 40 is provided on the gripper arm 7, so that the rotating body 13a The filling valve or the liquid filling machine can be cleaned simply by rotating.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the gripper arm 7 provided with the CIP cap 40, the machine body 10a, the stand 11a, the rotating body 13a, and the stand support block 45 are provided with through holes 41, 42, 43, 44. CIP (cleaning) liquid can be recovered without using a chemical resistant tube and sanitary piping for CIP (cleaning) liquid recovery, and the apparatus can be simplified.

  The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a gripper portion of a bottle transport device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the gripper portion, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view seen from the outside of the main portion. 4 (a) is a perspective view seen from the outside during the conversion of the principal part, FIG. 4 (b) is a perspective view seen from the inside, and FIG. 5 (a) is from the outside after the principal part is transformed. FIG. 5 (b) is a perspective view seen from the inside, and FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are side views of the gripper portion showing the conversion operation.

  1 and 2, 1 is a bottle, 2 is a neck portion of the bottle 1, 3 and 4 are grippers for holding the neck portion 2 of the bottle 1, and 3 is a first gripper for exclusive use of 28 mm, 4 Is a second gripper dedicated to 38 mm. 3a is a fixed arm of the first gripper 3, 3b is a rotating arm that rotates about its axis 3c, 4a is a fixed arm of the second gripper 4, and 4b is a rotating arm that rotates about its axis 4c. The rotating arms 3b and 4b are repelled in the closing direction by the springs 3d and 4d.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a disc-like machine body 10 that rotates in a horizontal plane around a vertical axis 8 is provided horizontally on a center turret (not shown) that feeds the bottle 1, and is equidistant from the outer periphery of the lower surface of the machine body 10. The lower end of the suspended bracket 11, 11,... Is supported by a hinge 12 extending in the circumferential direction of the machine body 10 so as to rotate in a vertical plane. The second grippers 3 and 4 are provided horizontally and vertically, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rotary arms 3b and 4b of the first and second grippers 3 and 4 have shafts 15 and 15 at the lower ends of rods 14 and 14 suspended from the machine body 10, respectively. .. Engage with the roller 17 at the outer end of the swinging operating lever 16, 16,... Pivoted by the roller 18, 18 at the inner end of these operating lever 16,. .. (Cam follower) engages with the outer periphery of the fixed cam plate 19 at the center.

  In this apparatus, when the airframe 10 rotates, the operating levers 16, 16,... Oscillate and rotate by the engagement of the cam plate 19 and the rollers 18, 18,. The rotating arms 3b or 4b of the grippers 3,..., 4,... Open or close to open or grasp the neck portion 2 of the bottle 1.

  In the present invention, a mechanism 9 for changing the first and second grippers 3 and 4 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the mechanism 9 is provided with operating portions 20 and 21 horizontally and vertically inside the rotating body 13. A cylinder 22 is vertically provided at an inward conversion position of each of the rotary bodies 13,..., And an operation roller 24 is horizontally provided at an upper end of the piston 23. The operation parts 20 and 21 are brought into contact with each other.

  Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present invention will be described. 1, 2, and 3 show a state in which the first gripper 3 is oriented horizontally, which is the operating position, thereby processing a 28 mm bottle 1. When it is desired to process the 38 mm diameter bottle 1, that is, to change the mold, the operating roller 24 is operated upward by the cylinder 22 as shown in FIG. As a result, the operating roller 24 presses the operating portion 20 upward, the rotating body 13 rotates clockwise in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 (a), and the first gripper 3 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. To turn. Thus, when the rotating body 13 is rotated by 90 °, the first gripper 3 faces directly downward as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, and instead the second gripper 4 faces horizontally as the operating position, and the 38 mm bottle 1 is pulled. It can be processed. At this time, the rotating arm 4b of the second gripper 4 is engaged with the roller 17 at the outer end of the swinging operating levers 16, 16,.

When it is desired to process the 28 mm diameter bottle 1 again, the operating roller 24 is operated downward by the cylinder 22. As a result, the operating roller 24 presses the operating portion 21 downward, the rotating body 13 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5 (a), and the first gripper 3 rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. Everything works in the opposite direction and everything returns to its original state as shown in FIGS.
By the mechanism 9 for switching the first and second grippers 3 and 4 as described above, either the first gripper 3 or the second gripper 4 comes to the operating position, and each of the two types of caliber bottles 1. Can be processed.

  The bottle diameters that can be processed by the first gripper 3 and the second gripper 4 are not limited to 28 mm and 38 mm, respectively. According to the means of the present invention, two or more kinds of bottles having different diameters can be transported. It can be adapted.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an outline of the gripper portion of the bottle conveying device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a side view of the gripper portion, and FIG. 11 (b) is a perspective view seen from the opposite side.
In the second embodiment of the present invention, the rotary body 13 is provided with first, second, third and fourth grippers 3, 4, 5, 6 having different diameters. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described.

The rotating body 13 is provided with first, second, third and fourth grippers 3, 4, 5, 6 at an angular interval of 90 °, and the shaft 12 of the rotating body 13 is perpendicular to the bevel gears 30, 31. The rotating body 13 is connected to a conversion mechanism 9a for rotating the rotating body 13 by 90 ° via a shaft 33.
As a result, the rotating body 13 is rotated by 90 °, so that any one of the first gripper 3, the second gripper 4, the third gripper 5 and the fourth gripper 6 comes to the operating position, and each of the four types The bottle 1 can be processed. The grippers 3, 4, 5, and 6 are repelled in the closing direction by the springs 3d, 4d, 5d, and 6d.

  FIG. 12 is a side view showing an outline of a gripper portion and a CIP cap of a bottle conveying device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a side view showing a 90 ° -turned state, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the main part.

  As shown in FIG. 12, on the center turret (not shown) for feeding the bottle 1, a disk-shaped machine body 10a that rotates in a horizontal plane around a vertical axis 8 is provided horizontally, and is equidistant from the outer periphery of the upper surface of the machine body 10a. The upper end of the planted stands 11a, 11a,... Is supported by a shaft of a pinion 12a extending in the circumferential direction of the machine body 10a so as to rotate in a vertical plane. The first and second grippers 3, 4 and the gripper arm 7 are provided horizontally and vertically, respectively, and a CIP cap 40 is provided on the gripper arm 7.

  Similar to the second embodiment, the first and second grippers 3, 4 are repelled in the closing direction by the springs 3b, 4b.

  In the present invention, a mechanism 9b for changing the rotating body 13a when the first and second grippers 3, 4 and the CIP cap 40 are selected is provided. The mechanism 9b is a rack that meshes with the pinion 12a and operates in the direction of the arrow in FIGS.

  Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the first gripper 3 is oriented horizontally, which is the operating position, thereby processing a 28 mm bottle 1. When it is desired to process the 38 mm caliber bottle 1, that is, to change the mold, the rotating body 13a is rotated clockwise in FIG. 12 by the mechanism 9b and the pinion 12a as shown in FIG. When rotated 90 °, the first gripper 3 is directed upward as shown in FIG. 13, and instead the second gripper 4 is directed horizontally outward, which is the operating position, so that the 38 mm bottle 1 can be processed. Become.

  Next, when cleaning the filling valve or the liquid filling machine, the rotary body 13a is further rotated 90 ° by the mechanism 9b and the pinion 12a when the machine body 10a is stopped. In this converted state, as shown in FIG. 14, the first gripper 3 faces inward, the second gripper 4 faces upward, and is in a non-operating position. The CIP cap 40 is directed horizontally outward on the gripper arm 7 and is in a state where the cleaning liquid is circulated and cleaned by the filling valve or the liquid filling machine at the operating position.

  In this apparatus, since the drive mechanism of the CIP cap 40 is also used as the drive mechanism of the grippers 3 and 4, the structure is simplified, the number of parts can be reduced, a space can be provided, a bottle can be received, The delivery mechanism is not affected and the appearance is simplified.

  16 is a perspective view showing an outline of a gripper portion and a CIP cap of a bottle transport device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a plan view of the main part thereof, and FIG. 18 is a line AA in FIG. FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

The fourth embodiment is for simplifying the chemical resistant tube and sanitary piping, and the same parts as those of the third embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.
The gripper arm 7 having the CIP cap 40, the rotating body 13a, the stands 11a, 11a,... And the inside of the machine body 10a are provided with through holes 41, 42, 43, 44 through which the cleaning liquid flows from the CIP cap 40, As shown in FIG. 19, the through hole 44 communicates with a through hole 46 that reaches the inside of the machine body 10a.
According to this apparatus, since the cleaning liquid is recovered from the CIP cap 40 through the through holes 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, the liquid recovery tube and sanitary piping are saved, the apparatus is simplified, and the cost is reduced. Is advantageous.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the gripper part of the bottle conveying apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the gripper part. It is a perspective view of the principal part. (A) is a perspective view in the middle of the change of the principal part, (b) is the perspective view which looked at it from the inner side. (A) is a perspective view after the main part is converted, and (B) is a perspective view as seen from the inside. It is a side view of the rotating body 13 and its operation roller 24 portion showing the conversion operation. It is a side view of the rotary body 13 and its operation roller 24 part which shows the state in the middle of the conversion operation | movement. It is a side view of the rotating body 13 and its operation roller 24 portion showing the state after the conversion. It is a top view which shows the outline of the gripper part of the bottle conveying apparatus of 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the gripper part. (A) is a perspective view of the principal part, (b) is a perspective view seen from the opposite side. It is a side view which shows the outline of the gripper part and CIP cap of the bottle conveying apparatus of 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is the side view of the state which changed 90 degrees. It is the side view of the state which changed 90 degrees. It is a perspective view of the principal part. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the gripper part and CIP cap of the bottle conveying apparatus of 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the principal part. It is the AA sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the BB sectional drawing of the FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bottle 3 1st gripper 4 2nd gripper 5 3rd gripper 6 4th gripper 3a First gripper fixed arm 4a Second gripper fixed arm 3b First gripper rotation arm 4b Second Gripper Rotating Arm 8 Axis 11 Bracket 11a Stand 10, 10a Airframe 13, 13a Rotating Body 40 CIP Cap

Claims (5)

  On the center turret for sending the bottle (1), a disk-shaped machine body (10) that rotates about the shaft (8) is provided, and brackets (11, 11,. ..) Is supported by a rotating body (13) having a plurality of grippers (3, 4, 5,...) So as to rotate. .   The rotating arms (3b, 4b) of the plurality of first and second grippers (3, 4) are engaged with outer ends of swinging operating levers (16, 16,...) For opening and closing them. 2. A bottle neck retainer in a bottle conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism (9) for switching the first and second grippers (3, 4).   In the mechanism (9) for switching the first and second grippers (3, 4), the operating parts (20, 21) are provided horizontally and vertically inside the rotating body (13), and the rotating body (13) A cylinder (22) is provided vertically at the inner turning position, and an operating roller (24) is provided horizontally at the upper end of the piston (23). The operating roller (24) is connected to the operating portion by a spring (25). The bottle neck retainer in the bottle conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the bottle neck is abutted between (20, 21).   On the center turret for sending the bottle (1), a disk-shaped machine body (10a) that rotates about the shaft (8) is provided, and stands (11a, 11a,・ ・ ・) Supports a rotating body (13a) having a plurality of grippers (3, 4) and gripper arms (7) horizontally and vertically, respectively, and a CIP cap on the gripper arms (7). (40) A bottle neck retainer in a bottle transporting device, characterized in that The gripper arm (7) provided with the CIP cap (40), the airframe (10a), the stand (11a), the rotating body (13a), and the stand support block (45) are provided with through holes (41), and the CIP recovery liquid The bottle neck retainer in the bottle conveying device according to claim 4, wherein the bottle is drawn into the machine body without external piping.

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