JP2005162306A - Container lid member supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply a lid member to a container during the running of a conveyor and to eliminate the need to provide a retainer with a pin for positioning the lid. <P>SOLUTION: The container lid member supply device comprises a lifting body 2 that lifts the containers P, supported by the retainer 1 from below during the running of a conveyor, a holder 3 that holds the containers so that the containers are freely released, a lid member transfer device 7 that delivers a lid member C to the opening of each of the containers P from above, and a temporarily sealing device 6 that temporarily seals the opening of each container with the lid member. The holder 3 includes restricting members 5A and 5B that restrict the position of each lid member C along the peripheral edge of the lid member. After the opening of the container is temporarily sealed with the lid member C, the lifting body 2 descends to return the container P to the retainer 1. When lifting the container, the lifting body 2 moves at the same speed as the conveyor in the same direction as the direction in which the conveyor runs. This takes place in the same manner when the holder 3 holds the containers P, when the lid member transfer device 7 transfers the lid members C to the containers P, and when the sealing device 6 forms temporary seals. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a container lid member supply device that supplies a lid member to a container supported by a flange portion by a support hole formed in a retainer attached to a plurality of conveyor traveling bodies.

  As this type of device, the device shown in FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings is known (patent literature and non-patent literature cannot be found).

  FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a part of the conveyor device, and shows a plurality of plate-like retainers 50 attached to a conveyor chain (not shown) in the running direction A. FIG. FIG. 7B shows a cross section of the retainer 50 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG.

  Each retainer 50 is plate-shaped, and a plurality of support holes 51 are formed in its width direction (perpendicular to the traveling direction A in FIG. 7A). The support hole 51 forms a support edge that supports the flange P1 of the container P indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7B from below.

  The conveyor device intermittently travels in the travel direction A, and the lid member is supplied from above in FIG. 7B to the container P supported by the retainer at a predetermined position when the conveyor device is stopped. Sealed against the opening edge of the container P. When the lid member is supplied to the container, the retainer 50 has a retainer 50 so that the lid member is in a predetermined position and the lid member P is not moved until the next process is sealed. A plurality (four in the illustrated example) of pins 52 are provided around each support hole 51. Since the head of the pin 52 has a tapered shape, the lid member is easily brought into a predetermined position by the plurality of pins 52 and is kept in a predetermined position with respect to the container until sealing in the next process. .

The pin 53 provided at the end of the retainer 50 is an engaging pin for aligning the seal head of the sealing device with the retainer at the time of sealing in the next step, and each retainer has the above width. Two are provided on both sides in the direction.
Not applicable

  However, in the known apparatus of FIG. 7, there is a problem caused by the fact that each retainer 50 must be provided with a pin 52 for positioning the lid member.

  The conveyor device has a number of retainers. Providing a pin for each retainer is extremely time consuming and expensive. For example, when one retainer 50 has six support holes 51 in the width direction, the one retainer 50 is provided with 24 pins 52. Since the 24 pins are provided in a large number of retainers in the entire conveyor, the number is large.

  Next, although the surrounding dust adheres to the upper surface of the retainer when used for a long period of time, since there is a projection called a pin, the surrounding cleaning becomes troublesome and incomplete. In particular, when the contents stored in the container are liquid or viscous, they may adhere to the pins, and incomplete cleaning is not preferable for hygiene. In addition, even if it is attempted to clean, since the number of pins is large as described above, the effort is extremely troublesome.

  Furthermore, when the lid member is supplied to the container, since the conveyor is intermittently run so that the conveyor stops, the work efficiency is not improved.

  The present invention eliminates a lid positioning pin from the retainer, reduces hygiene problems at low cost, can reliably maintain the lid member in a predetermined position until sealing, and continuously runs without stopping the conveyor. It aims at providing the cover member supply apparatus for containers which can supply a cover member efficiently in it.

  The container lid member supply device according to the present invention is arranged in the traveling direction to a conveyor traveling body that travels a plurality of retainers in which support holes for supporting the flanged container with the opening facing upward are formed by the flange. Then, the lid member is supplied to the opening of the container supported by the retainer.

  In such a container lid member supply apparatus, in the present invention, the conveyor traveling body continuously travels at a constant speed, and the container supported by the retainer at the predetermined position is lifted from below while the conveyor traveling body is traveling. A push-up body, a holding body that releasably holds the pushed-up container, a lid member delivery device that distributes a lid member from above the held container to the opening of the container, and the lid member that opens the container The holding member is provided with a regulating member for regulating the position of the lid member supplied to the opening of the container by the peripheral edge of the lid member, and the regulating member After temporarily sealing the lid member whose position is determined in step 1, the push-up body descends and returns the container to the retainer and supports it with its support hole. Is at least At the time of holding, the lid member delivery device moves at the same speed component in the same direction as the running direction of the conveyor at least at the time of delivery of the lid member to the container and at least during temporary sealing, and then returns to the original position. It is characterized by being set as follows.

  In such an apparatus of the present invention, the container supported by the retainer traveling at a constant speed is lifted upward from below by the push-up body that does not move relative to the traveling direction, and once leaves the retainer. The lifted container is temporarily held by the holding body without relative movement in the traveling direction, and the lid member is supplied to the opening of the container. The holding body is provided with a regulating member, and the lid member is brought into a normal position with respect to the opening of the container. During that time, the lid member is lightly sealed temporarily at the opening of the container by the temporary sealing device that does not move relative to the holding body in the traveling direction, so that there is no longer any positional displacement with respect to the opening. Thereafter, the holding force of the holding body is released, the push-up body is lowered, and the container in which the lid member is temporarily sealed is returned to the original retainer. As the conveyor traveling body travels, the push-up body, the holding body, the lid member delivery device, and the temporary sealing device return to the original position and stop again until the next retainer reaches the predetermined position. Supply the lid member. Thus, the containers are sequentially sealed while receiving the supply of the lid member. The temporarily sealed lid member is finally sealed in the next step.

  As described above, in the present invention, the retainer that is used in many cases does not require a restricting member for positioning the lid member, and it is only necessary to provide the restricting member only on the one holding body. The regulating member of the holding body can position the lid member not only in the radial direction but also in the circumferential direction depending on the arrangement position. In addition, in the present invention, the cover member is supplied to the container while continuously running at a constant speed without intermittently stopping the conveyor running body.

  In the present invention, if the push-up body has an adsorbing member that sucks the bottom surface of the container at the upper end of the push-up body, the position and posture of the container are stable even when the container is lowered.

  In the present invention, the holding body may have two members that move oppositely toward and away from each other in the horizontal direction, and both members may have holding edges that hold and hold the container when close to each other.

  Further, in the present invention, the temporary sealing device can be configured to locally seal a part of the lid member in the circumferential direction. The circumferential length of the local seal may be extremely short, but is preferably a plurality of locations.

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to eliminate the cover member positioning pins from the large number of retainers of the conveyor device, so that not only can the cost of the retainer be reduced, but also the periphery of the pins that become projections. Therefore, the retainer can be easily and satisfactorily cleaned and is hygienic. Since the positioning of the lid member can be performed with only one holding body and a temporary sealing device provided with a regulating member, the cost of the lid member is less than that provided with a regulating member such as a plurality of pins in each of a large number of retainers. Does not rise as much.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the supply of the lid member to the container is performed during constant speed continuous running without intermittently stopping the conveyor running body, so that the work efficiency is greatly improved, and conventionally, when intermittently stopped In addition, the impact of the contents of the container in the container may be disturbed by the impact, or the liquid may spill before the lid is sealed, especially when the contents are liquid. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 (A), (B) show a schematic configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment, and FIGS. 3 (A), (B), (C) through 6 (A), (B) The steps of supplying the lid member in the apparatus of the present embodiment are shown in order. Further, in FIG. 1, the movable direction of each member is indicated by a broken line arrow, and in FIG. 3 and subsequent figures, the operation direction of each member in each process is indicated by a solid line arrow.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration showing a main part of the apparatus of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 (A) is a plan view showing a part of the apparatus of FIG. 1, (B) is a plan view of a retainer, and (C). FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a magazine 10 for storing a large number of sheet-like lid members C in a stacked manner is disposed at an upper position. The magazine 10 is provided at a fixed position. An opening 10A is formed below the magazine 10 so that the lowermost lid member C can be pulled out from the opening 10A. Here, the position of the magazine 10 relative to the traveling direction A of the conveyor is defined as X in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a plate-like retainer attached to a conveyor chain (not shown) that runs in the A direction, and a plurality of the retainers 1 are attached to the conveyor chain at regular intervals in the A direction. . The conveyor chain runs continuously at a constant speed. Each retainer 1 is in the width direction of the conveyor (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1 and in the lateral direction in FIG. 2A) as seen in FIG. A plurality of support holes 1A are formed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the lower surface of the flange portion P1 formed at the periphery of the opening of the cup-shaped container P is supported by the periphery of the support hole 1A. The container P is suspended. When the container P does not have the flange portion P1 at the opening, the inner diameter surface of the support hole 1A may be in contact with the side surface near the uppermost outer diameter portion of the container to support the suspension.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a push-up body 2 is provided below the retainer 1 at one location in the A direction. In the width direction of the retainer 1, a plurality of the push-up bodies 2 are provided corresponding to the respective center positions of the support holes 1A (see FIG. 2A), and the push-up bodies 2 are synchronized with each other. An adsorption member 2B is provided at the tip of a vertically moving rod 2A. The adsorbing member 2B is acted upon by its adsorbing force at least when it is raised. The lifting body 2 pushes the container P out of the support hole 1A of the retainer 1 and brings it to the upper position while holding the bottom surface of the container P with the suction member 2B when rising. The lifting body 2 is moved at the same speed as the conveyor, that is, the retainer 1 in the direction A while being lifted at least when the container P is pushed up by a driving means (not shown). When descending, it moves in the direction opposite to direction A while descending and returns to its original position.

  A holding body 3 is provided above the retainer 1 as shown in FIG. In the case of this embodiment, the holding body 3 has a plate shape, and is composed of two holding plates 4 and 5 which face each other in the A direction and move toward and away from each other. The two holding bodies 4 and 5 are supported by the movable member 3A, and the movable member 3A moves at the same speed in the A direction as the retainer 1 at least when the both holding bodies 4 and 5 are closest to each other. , Driven by a driving means (not shown). The closest time is almost the same as the time when the push-up body 2 is raised most, and the center position of the holding bodies 4 and 5 coincides with the position of the push-up body 2 in the A direction at this time. The movable member 3A moves in the direction opposite to the A direction when the holding bodies 4 and 5 are moved away from each other, and returns to the original position. The outer shapes of the two holding plates 4 and 5 are made symmetrical with each other in the front-rear direction, and holding edges 4A and 5A having substantially semicircular concave shapes are formed on opposite edges of each other. The holding edges 4A and 5A are formed in a number corresponding to the support holes 1A of the retainer 1. The opposing holding edges 4A, 5A are brought into an upper position by the push-up body 2 in a circular shape that coincides with the center of the support hole 1A of the corresponding retainer 1 when the holding plates 4, 5 are closest to each other. Holding the container P from the side. Since the cross-sectional shape of the container is not necessarily circular, in the case of another shape, the shape of the holding edge naturally matches the cross-sectional shape of the container.

  A plurality of regulating pins 4B and 5B as a regulating member having a tapered tip are implanted in the vicinity of the holding edges 4A and 5A on the upper surfaces of the holding bodies 4 and 5, respectively. When the lid member C is disposed at the opening of the container P held by the holding edges 4A and 5A, the regulating pins 4B and 5B come into contact with the peripheral edge of the lid member C and The position is determined (see FIG. 2B). The positioning of the lid member C can be performed not only in the radial direction of the lid member C but also in the circumferential direction of the lid member. In the illustrated example, the lid member C is formed so that the opening knob PC1 protrudes in the radial direction, and therefore, the front holding plate 4 is located at a position where the restriction pin contacts the edge of the knob C1. By providing, it is possible to position the knob C1 in the circumferential direction.

A temporary sealing device 6 is provided above the one holding body 4. Temporary sealing device 6
Has a sealing body 6A that performs heat sealing, for example, and moves up and down, and when it descends, the peripheral portion of the lid member C disposed on the container P held by the holding body 3 is heated by the sealing body 6A. Thus, local sealing is performed on the peripheral edge of the container P. The temporary sealing device 6 is driven by a driving means (not shown) so that the sealing body 6A moves in the A direction at the same speed as the holding body 3 at least during temporary sealing, and in the reverse direction to the A direction when it rises after temporary sealing. Move back to the original position. In the case of this embodiment, the seal body 6A has two finger-like protruding portions that perform seal heating, and locally seals the peripheral portion of the lid member C at two locations in the circumferential direction.

  Further, a lid member delivery device 7 is provided above the holder 3. The lid member delivery device 7 takes out the lid members C one by one from the take-out opening 10A of the magazine 10 in which the lid member C is built in and the take-out opening 10A is formed at the bottom, and is arranged on the container P. Each of the delivery devices 7 is arranged corresponding to the number of containers supported by one retainer. The delivery device 7 is provided with a suction member 7B at the tip of a rod 7A. Although the magazine 10 is in a fixed position, the delivery device 7 can be moved in the A direction and the opposite direction, can be moved up and down, and can be rotated. When the suction member 7B is in the raised position and is upward, The member C is sucked and taken out from the take-out opening 10A of the magazine 10 and turned downward in the lowered position to release the suction force, so that the holding body 3 is opened in the A direction to the opening of the container P held by the holding body 3. The lid member C is dropped and supplied while moving at the same speed as 3. After the supply, it rotates while moving in the opposite direction and upward with respect to the A direction and returns to the original position.

  In the apparatus of this embodiment having such a configuration, the lid member is supplied to the container in the following manner.

  (1) Among the plurality of retainers 1 that continuously run at a constant speed while supporting the container P in which the contents are filled and the opening is opened, as shown in FIG. The push-up body 2 starts to move at the same speed as the retainer 1 in the A direction at a position below the retainer 1. At this time, the lid member C of the lid member delivery device 7 is taken out from the magazine 10.

  (2) Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), the push-up body 2 moving in the A direction at the same speed as the retainer 1 is lifted, and the container P is held from the retainer 1 while adsorbing and holding the bottom surface of the container P. The flange portion P1 of the container P is raised above the level of the holding plates 4 and 5 in the open state of the holding body 3 moving at the same speed as the retainer 1 in the direction A (see FIG. 3 (C)).

  (3) Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4 (A), the holding bodies 4 and 5 of the holding body 3 moving in the A direction at the same speed as the retainer 1 move close to each other, and the container P in the upper position is Support by hanging by supporting the flange. Immediately thereafter, the delivery device 7 moving in the direction A at the same speed as the holding body 3 descends while rotating downward to release the adsorption force, and the lid member C is placed on the container P (see FIG. 4 (B)). As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the lid member C is easily placed in the normal position in the front-rear direction, the width direction, and the circumferential direction of the lid member by the regulation pins 4B and 5B as the regulation members of the holding plates 4 and 5. (See FIG. 4B). At this point, the delivery device 7 moves upward (see FIG. 4C) and moves in the direction opposite to the A direction and rotates to return to the original position.

  (4) Next, as seen in FIG. 5 (A), the temporary sealing device 6 moving at the same speed as the retainer 1 in the A direction is lowered, and the lid member C is moved to the container P by the sealing body 6A. Seal locally against. Thus, the normal position of the lid member C relative to the container P is maintained.

  (5) After temporary sealing, as shown in FIG. 5B, the temporary sealing device 6 moves upward in the direction opposite to the direction A while returning to the original position. At the same time, the holding plates 4 and 5 of the holding body 3 are separated to release the holding force (see FIG. 5C) and then move in the direction opposite to the A direction and return to the original position.

  (6) When the push-up body 2 moving in the direction A at the same speed as the retainer 1 is lowered from the state of FIG. 5C, the container P is returned to the original retainer 1 (see FIG. 6A). ). Thereafter, the push-up body 2 moves away from the container P in the direction opposite to the direction A and returns to the original position (see FIG. 6B).

  (7) When one cycle is completed in this way, the push-up body 2, the holding body 3, the lid member delivery device 7 and the temporary sealing device 6 that have returned to their original positions are transferred to the subsequent container by the conveyor. The above steps (1) to (6) are repeated during traveling.

  The present invention is not limited to the illustrated example, and various modifications can be made. For example, each device of the push-up body, the holding body, the lid member supply device, and the temporary sealing device is moved at the same speed as the retainer in the A direction during each predetermined operation by the respective driving means. It is also possible to move the devices all at once by a common means only with respect to the direction velocity component, and perform only the individual movements other than the direction A in a superimposed manner.

  Further, for example, even if the push-up body is not provided with an adsorbing member, in the case of a container having a sufficiently wide bottom surface, a mere push-up plate member is sufficient, and a member for holding the container may be used. Further, the holding body may be a cylindrical body or a ring body that is not a holding plate, and may be opened and closed by rotating with respect to each container, that is, a butterfly opening and closing. The temporary sealing device performs local sealing at two locations in the circumferential direction, but it may be performed at more locations, or it may be performed at one location if the seal length in the circumferential direction is slightly increased. . Further, the shape of the restriction member is not limited as long as it is not a restriction pin as shown in the figure, but can be any shape as long as it is in contact with the periphery of the lid member to restrict its position.

It is a front view which shows the schematic block diagram of one Embodiment apparatus of this invention. (A) is a plan view of the retainer etc. of the apparatus of FIG. 1 and shows a state when the holding plates are separated from each other, and (B) is a state when the holding plates of FIG. 2 (A) are close to each other. (C) is a CC line arrow view in (B). 1 shows the operation of the apparatus step by step, FIG. 3 (A) is a state before the container is lifted by the push-up body, (B) is a state at the start of lifting the container, (C) Indicates the state when the container is lifted to the top. FIG. 4 (A) shows the operation that comes after FIG. 3 (C), FIG. 4 (A) shows the state where the container is held by the holding body, (B) shows the state where the lid member is supplied, and (C) shows just before the temporary seal. Each state is shown. FIG. 5C shows the operation that comes after FIG. 4C. FIG. 5A shows the temporary sealing, FIG. 5B shows the state immediately after the temporary sealing, and FIG. 5C shows the container from the holding body to the lifting body after the temporary sealing. Each moved state is shown. FIG. 6 (A) shows a state where the container is returned to the retainer, and FIG. 6 (B) shows a state where the push-up body is separated from the container. The retainer about a conventional apparatus is shown, FIG. 7 (A) is a top view, (B) is the BB sectional drawing in (A).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Retainer 1A Support hole 2 Push-up body 2B Adsorption member 3 Holding body 4,5 Member (holding plate)
4A, 5A Holding edge 4B, 5B Restriction member (regulation pin)
6 Temporary sealing device 7 Lid member delivery device P Container C Lid member

Claims (4)

  A container that is supported by the retainer arranged in the traveling direction and mounted on a conveyor traveling body that travels a plurality of retainers formed with support holes for supporting the flanged container with the opening facing upward. In the container lid member supply apparatus for supplying the lid member to the opening of the conveyor, the conveyor traveling body continuously travels at a constant speed, and the container supported by the retainer at the predetermined position is traveled while the conveyor traveling body is traveling. A push-up body that lifts from below, a holding body that releasably holds the pushed-up container, a lid member delivery device that distributes a lid member from above the held container to the opening of the container, and the lid A temporary sealing device that temporarily seals the member with respect to the container opening, and the holding body is provided with a regulating member that regulates the position of the lid member supplied to the opening of the container at the periphery of the lid member The After temporarily sealing the lid member whose position is determined by the control member, the push-up body descends and the container is returned to the retainer and supported by the support hole, and the push-up body is at least when the container is pushed up. At least when holding the container, when the lid member delivery device is delivered at least when the lid member is delivered to the container, and when the temporary seal device is at least temporarily sealed, the temporary moving device moves with the same speed component in the same direction as the running direction of the conveyor. A container lid member supply device which is set to return to the original position later.   2. The container lid member supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the push-up body has an adsorption member that adsorbs the bottom surface of the container at an upper end of the push-up body.   The container lid member according to claim 1, wherein the holding body includes two members that move opposite to each other in the horizontal direction, and has a holding edge that holds and holds the container when both members are close to each other. Feeding device.   The container lid member supply device according to claim 1, wherein the temporary sealing device is configured to locally seal a part of the lid member in the circumferential direction.

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