JP2007062895A - Pneumatic conveyance device for container and its method, and container posture adjustment device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pneumatic conveyance device for a container capable of desiredly adjusting the inclination angle of the axis line of the container to be conveyed when the container is conveyed by jetting air while hanging the neck part of the container. <P>SOLUTION: The pneumatic conveyance device 10 for the container B has a container support means for supporting a neck part N of the container B to be supported, and a container moving means for moving the container B by jetting the air to the neck part N of the container B supported by the neck part N. The pneumatic conveyance device has a container posture adjustment means for desiredly adjusting the angle relative to the conveying direction of the axis line of the container which is conveyed by the container moving means making the neck part N supported by the container support means a fulcrum by jetting the air to the bottom L of the container B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a container air conveyance device, a conveyance method, and a container posture adjustment device, and more specifically, when a container is conveyed by blowing air while supporting the neck portion of the container, the container posture is desired. The present invention relates to a container air conveyance device and a conveyance method that can be adjusted, and a container attitude adjustment device.

Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-309619, with the lid of a resin container such as a PET bottle removed, supporting the root of the screw portion provided on the neck, The container is transported by blowing air in the transport direction to the container while suspending the container.
Such an air conveyance device for a container includes a guide rail at a neck portion extending in the conveyance direction, an air chamber extending in the conveyance direction, and a pressurized air supply device that supplies pressurized air into the air chamber. With such a configuration, the container is conveyed by the pushing force of air while guiding the neck of the container along the guide rail.

However, the following technical problems exist in such a conventional container air conveyance device.
First, it lacks the stability of container transportation. More specifically, the container is transported in an inclined state while the container is moved forward with the neck portion by the blowing force of air. If this inclination angle is too large, the shoulder on the delay side of the container hits the guide rail, and the frictional resistance accompanying the conveyance increases. If the conveyance is continued in this state, the container is damaged. In particular, as a method for aseptic filling of contents has been recently developed and heat sterilization treatment is no longer necessary, thinning of containers has been further promoted, and thus there is a high need for protection of containers during transportation. .
Secondly, there is a restriction on the selection of the container transport route. More specifically, for example, when there is an obstacle in the middle of the planned transport route, if the transport route is slanted to avoid the obstacle, the shoulder on the delay side of the container is more slanted upward than the horizontal route. The portion easily hits the guide rail, and the first problem becomes remarkable. On the other hand, if the obstacle is bypassed with the horizontal route, the transport route becomes an extra-long route, which causes an increase in cost.
Thirdly, the guide rail must be replaced due to the progress of wear of the guide rail, and therefore the conveyance efficiency is lowered. More specifically, since the guide rail and the container are conveyed in a contact form, the guide rail itself is originally a consumable, but from the viewpoint of protecting the container, the container itself will be worn if it is not softer than the container. For this reason, it is difficult to suppress wear of the guide rail. For this reason, it is desired to reduce the frictional resistance between the container and the guide rail.
Fourth, development of an attitude adjustment device for a container that can solve the above technical problems without any modification to the existing air conveyance device having the above technical problems. Is the point that is desired. In particular, even if it is an existing air transfer device, its form varies greatly depending on the transfer route and length, and from this point as well, the container in a form that can be simply incorporated separately into the existing air transfer device It is desired to solve the problems of stable transport of containers, free setting of transport routes, damage to containers or wear of guide rails by providing a desired posture adjustment device and adjusting the posture of the containers being transported as desired. .

JP-A-9-309619

An object of the present invention is to provide a container air conveyance device capable of adjusting an inclination angle of an axis of a container to be conveyed in a desired manner when conveying the container by blowing air to the container while supporting the neck of the container. There is to do.
An object of the present invention is to provide a container air conveyance device that can stably convey a container without damaging the container when the container is conveyed by blowing air to the container while supporting the neck of the container. There is.
An object of the present invention is to provide an air transport device for a container capable of reducing wear of a portion that supports the neck of the container in a contact manner when transporting by blowing air to the container while supporting the neck of the container. It is to provide.
The object of the present invention is to adjust the posture of the container being transported when transporting by blowing air to the container while supporting the neck of the container, and to modify the existing air transport device It is an object of the present invention to provide a container attitude adjusting device that can be efficiently and easily incorporated into an existing air conveyance device.

In order to solve the above problems, an air conveyance device according to the present invention includes:
In a container air conveying apparatus having container supporting means for supporting the neck of a container to be transported and container moving means for moving the container by blowing air to the neck of the container supported by the neck,
Further, a container for adjusting the angle of the axis of the container conveyed by the container moving means with respect to the conveying direction as desired with the neck supported by the container supporting means as a fulcrum by blowing air to the bottom of the container The configuration further includes posture adjusting means.
According to the above configuration, when the container is moved by blowing air to the neck with respect to the container supported by the neck, the container is in a form in which the shoulder on the delay side in the transport direction approaches the support of the container, The axis is inclined with respect to the transport direction. At this time, by blowing air to the bottom of the container, it is possible to adjust the angle with respect to the transport direction of the container axis, with the neck as a fulcrum, so that stable transport of the container and freedom of the transport roll can be achieved. It is possible to prevent damage to the container.

In addition, a container suspension support means for supporting the neck of the container to be transported by hanging, a container moving means for moving the container by blowing air to the neck of the container supported by suspension from the neck, In an air conveyance device for a container having container guiding means for guiding the container along the conveyance path,
Further, air is blown to the bottom of the container according to the attitude of the container moving by the container moving means while being guided by the container guiding means, and the neck supported by the container supporting means is used as a fulcrum. The container posture adjusting means for adjusting the angle of the axis of the container to the conveying direction as desired may be used.
Furthermore, the container posture adjusting means has an air chamber extending in the transport direction, a pressurized air supply means for supplying air into the air chamber, and an upper plate for sealing the air chamber,
The upper plate has a plurality of air outlets arranged directly below the container to be transported and arranged at intervals in the extending direction of the upper plate,
Each of the plurality of air outlets may be provided so as to face obliquely upward in the transport direction.
In addition, the container moving means has an air chamber extending in the transport direction, and pressurized air supply means for supplying air into the air chamber in the extending direction of the air chamber,
Furthermore, the air chamber has a pair of guide rails extending in the transport direction at a predetermined interval so that the neck of the container can be suspended,
The opposed inner edges of the pair of guide rails may form the container suspension means and the container guide means.
Further, the air chamber is formed by a U-shaped air duct having a first opening extending in the transport direction facing downward.
A second opening that is partitioned from the air chamber and accommodates the neck of the container and extends downward in a conveying direction so as to cover the first opening;
The neck movement space is formed by a pair of side surfaces and an upper surface extending in the transport direction,
The pair of guide rails are provided so as to cover the first elongated opening from each of the opposed inner edges that form the first opening,
Each of the pair of side surface portions preferably has a plurality of air outlets provided at predetermined intervals in the transport direction.
In addition, the upper surface portion may further include a plurality of air outlets provided at predetermined intervals in the transport direction.
Still further, the guide rail may be reinforced with polymer polyethylene.

In order to solve the above problems, an air conveyance method according to the present invention includes:
In the container air conveying method, comprising the steps of hanging and supporting the neck of the container to hang, and conveying the container by blowing air against the container,
The transporting step includes a step of blowing air in the transport direction to the bottom of the container while blowing air to the neck of the container.
Furthermore, it is preferable to have a step of adjusting the amount of air blown to the neck of the container and the amount of air blown to the bottom of the container according to the angle of the axis of the container being conveyed.
Furthermore, it is preferable to have a step of adjusting the angle of the axis of the container to be transported as desired according to the transport path of the container.

In order to solve the above problems, a container posture adjusting device according to the present invention is
A pressurized air supply means, an air chamber that communicates with the pressurized air supply means, the form of which is determined according to the conveyance path of the container, and an air deck that seals the top of the air chamber;
The air deck has a plurality of air outlets aligned with each other, and is arranged below the container so as to extend along the transport path of the container to be transported,
Each air outlet is supported by being suspended from the neck, and by blowing air toward the bottom of the container to be transported by blowing air to the neck, a predetermined diameter that enables the posture of the container being transported to be adjusted as desired. , A predetermined inclination angle, and a predetermined pitch.
According to the container posture adjusting apparatus having the above configuration, by blowing air to the bottom of the container, it becomes possible to adjust the angle with respect to the transport direction of the container axis with the neck as a fulcrum, and thus the container Stable transport, free setting of transport rolls, damage to containers can be prevented, and existing air transport devices, that is, devices that transport containers by blowing air against the neck of the container On the other hand, it is possible to separately and separately incorporate the necessary parts into an existing air conveyance device having various conveyance paths without the need for modification or the like.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an air conveyance device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example the case of conveying a PET resin bottle.
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an air transfer device 10 for a container B according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of the container bottom air blowing device 14 of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the posture of the container B during conveyance.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conveyance device 10 includes a container top air spray device 12 and a container bottom air spray device 14.
The container upper air blowing device 12 is provided in the first air chamber 16, a first air chamber 16 that extends in the conveying direction of the container B, a first blower 17 that supplies pressurized air into the first air chamber 16, and the first air chamber 16. And a pair of guide rails 18.
As shown in FIG. 2, the first air chamber 16 is formed by a first air duct 20 having a U-shaped cross section, and the first opening 19 of the first air duct 20 extends in the transport direction and faces downward. The cross-sectional area of the first air duct 20 may be determined as appropriate based on the capacity of the first blower 17 and the conveyance speed of the container B. In the first air chamber 16, a neck portion moving space 31 of the container B that houses the neck portion N of the container B is provided. The neck portion moving space 31 of the container B is formed in a U-shaped cross section by a pair of side surfaces 23 and an upper surface 25 that extend in the transport direction, and is partitioned from the first air chamber 16. The neck part moving space 31 of the container B faces downward so that the second opening 26 extending in the transport direction covers the first opening 19. Each of the pair of side surfaces 23 has a plurality of air outlets 30S provided at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction, and the plurality of air outlets 30S similarly provided at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction. 30U is provided. Each of the air outlets 30 is subjected to a C-shaped cutting process on each of the pair of side surfaces 23 and the upper surface 25 so that the C-shaped opening is directed toward the advancing side, and is bent so that the cutting part protrudes from the surface. Is formed. The size and degree of protrusion of the C-shaped piece C of each air outlet 30 and the interval in the transport direction between the air outlets 30 may be determined so that the C-shaped piece performs the function of guiding pressurized air. . As a result, the pressurized air generated by the first blower 17 flows through the first air chamber 16 and is installed in the neck movement space 31 via each air outlet 30 as shown by the arrows in FIG. Pressurized air is blown against the neck N of the container B. In addition, you may abbreviate | omit the air blower outlet 30U provided in the upper surface 25 depending on the case.

The pair of guide rails 18 extend in the transport direction within the neck movement space 31 with a predetermined gap therebetween. The pair of guide rails 18 are provided so as to cover the first opening 19 from each of the opposed inner edge portions 28 that form the first opening 19. The size of the gap may be determined according to the size of the neck N so that the neck N of the container B can be suspended. Each of the pair of guide rails 18 is formed of an elongated plate, and the opposed inner edge portions 29 support the neck portion N of the container B, and the compressed air is blown onto the neck portion N to guide the neck portion N. ing. In this case, it is preferable to support the neck N using the lowest part of the thread of the neck N. The inner edge 29 may be reinforced with high molecular weight polyethylene from the viewpoint of suppressing the progress of wear due to contact with the container B.
On the other hand, the container bottom air spraying device 14 is substantially the same as the configuration of the container top air spraying device 12 except that it is completely non-contact with the container B. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the container bottom air blowing device 14 includes a second air chamber 42 extending in the transport direction formed by a second air duct 41 having a U-shaped cross section, and a second air chamber. 42 has a second blower 40 for supplying pressurized air and an upper plate 44 for sealing the second air chamber 42. The upper plate 44 is disposed directly under the container B to be transported. There are a plurality of air outlets 33 arranged at intervals in the extending direction of 44. Each of the plurality of air outlets 33 is provided to face obliquely upward in the transport direction. The hole diameter φ, pitch, and inclination angle β of each air outlet 33 are determined according to the conveyance speed of the container B, the capacity of the second blower 40, the distance between the upper plate 44 and the container B, and the like. In particular, regarding the pitch, it is preferable that the transported container B is always covered by one of the air outlets 33. Further, a lid whose opening area can be adjusted may be provided at the air outlet 33. With such a container bottom air blowing device 14, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the pressurized air from the second blower 40 flows through the second air chamber 42 and passes through the air outlets 33 in the conveying direction. It flows obliquely upward and is sprayed onto the bottom L of the container B.

The operation of the air conveyance device 10 of the present invention having the above configuration will be described in detail below.
A plurality of containers B to be conveyed are carried into the neck movement space 31 from one end opening of the first air duct 20 of the container upper air blowing device 12 and are sandwiched by the inner edges 29 of each of the pair of guide rails 18. Suspended from N and supported. Next, air from the first blower 17 flows in the first air chamber 16, and air is blown to the neck N through the air outlet 30. Thereby, each of the plurality of containers B is transported to the end of the transport path by moving along the guide rail 18. During the conveyance, the axis Z of the container B and the conveyance direction are inclined so that the container B approaches the delay side of the neck N and the guide rail 18. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the axis Z of the container B forms an angle α with the vertical line with the supported point of the neck N as a fulcrum. The container bottom air blowing device 14 which is a container posture adjusting device is driven according to the posture of the container B being conveyed. That is, when the neck N is in contact with the guide rail 18 and is conveyed in a sliding contact state, the attitude of the container B is adjusted by blowing air toward the bottom L of the container B.

  Specifically, the adjustment of the posture of the container B during conveyance is performed by first adjusting the air flow rate by the second blower 40. At that time, as the flow rate of air blown to the bottom L of the container B through the air outlet 33 is increased, the inclination angle α of the container B becomes smaller and the inclination angle α is zero degrees, that is, the axis Z of the container B is in the transport direction. When orthogonal, the friction between the neck N of the container B and the guide rail 18 is minimized, the transport speed of the container B is increased, while the container B is transported stably and the guide rail 18 is worn or the container B is worn. Damage can be prevented. In this case, since the container B is supported near the neck N, the distance between the support position of the container B and the bottom L of the container B (the arm length of the moment acting on the attitude of the container B) is relatively long. The sensitivity of the air flow rate blown toward L with respect to the posture of the container B is much better than that when blowing toward the neck N.

Thereby, it is possible to adjust the attitude of the container B being transported as desired, and the container B can be stably transported, and the container B is brought into contact with the guide rail 18 due to the contact between the container B and the guide rail 18. It is possible to prevent the guide rail 18 itself from being damaged or being worn out at an early stage.
The conveyed container B is taken out from the other end opening of the first air duct 20 of the container upper air blowing device 12 and subjected to subsequent processes such as a container B cleaning process, a content filling process, and the like.

FIG. 5 is an overall schematic view of the air transfer device 10 for the container B according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, characteristic points different from those in the first embodiment will be described in detail. The feature of this embodiment is that the conveyance path of the container B has an inclined portion. That is, the container upper air blowing device 12 includes a first horizontal part a, an inclined part b that is inclined upward in the transport direction, and a second horizontal part c from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. Accordingly, the first air duct 20 extends horizontally in the conveyance direction at the first horizontal portion a, extends upward at a predetermined inclination angle at the inclined portion b, and further conveys at the second horizontal portion c. Extends horizontally in the direction. On the other hand, the container bottom air blowing device 14 is provided only in the inclined portion b. That is, the second air duct 41 extends in parallel with the first air duct 20 at a position below the container B.
With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, the container B is suspended from the neck N by the pressurized air being blown to the neck N by the container upper air blowing device 12, so that the first horizontal portion a , Through the inclined part b and the second horizontal part c. In this case, in the first horizontal part a and the second horizontal part b, the container B to be transported is slightly inclined toward the transport direction delay side. In the inclined portion b, air is blown from the container bottom air blowing device 14 to the bottom L of the container B, and in this case, the strength of the air blowing to the bottom L of the container B compared to the case of the horizontal conveyance path. By enlarging, it is possible to maintain the posture of the container B in a posture orthogonal to the transport direction, for example. Accordingly, when there is an obstacle in front of the inclined portion in the conveying path, for example, a diagonally conveying path is provided without setting a longer horizontal conveying path that bypasses the obstacle. By preventing an increase in frictional resistance with the neck N, the container B can be stably transported while being protected. The inclination angle may be vertical. In this case, the axis Z of the container B is held horizontally by adjusting the air blowing amount from the second blower 40 of the container bottom air blowing device 14. In this state, it can be transported.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, a various change and correction are possible within the range of this invention described in the claim. For example, in this embodiment, although the case where the container B was conveyed by spraying air with respect to both the neck N and the bottom part L of the container B was demonstrated, it is not limited to it, but the container B in conveyance Depending on the posture, the case where air blowing to the bottom L is unnecessary, or the case where the container B is transported only by air blowing to the bottom L, is included in the scope of the present invention.
Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated as the air conveyance apparatus 10 which comprises a container attitude | position adjustment apparatus, it blows air with respect to the existing air conveyance apparatus 10, ie, the neck N of the container B, without being limited to this. Thus, the container posture adjusting device can be assembled to the device that transports the container B. In this case, the container posture adjusting device is installed on the bottom L side of the container B while the existing air transfer device 10 is installed on the neck N side of the container B, and the two devices are separately separated. Therefore, it can be incorporated efficiently and easily.
Furthermore, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where a PET resin bottle is conveyed, as long as it is the container B of the form which can be supported by the neck N, it is applicable, for example to a glass bottle.

1 is an overall schematic diagram of a container air transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing seen from the line II-II of FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the container bottom part air spraying apparatus of FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a posture during conveyance of the container B. It is the whole schematic diagram of the air conveyance apparatus of the container concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

B Container N Neck S Shoulder L Bottom Z Axis 10 Air conveying device 12 Container upper air spraying device 14 Container bottom air spraying device 16 First air chamber 17 First blower 18 Guide rail 20 First air duct 23 Side surface 25 Upper surface 30 Air blowing Outlet 31 Neck moving space 33 Air outlet 40 Second blower 41 Second air duct 42 Second air chamber

Claims (11)

In a container air conveying apparatus having container supporting means for supporting the neck of a container to be transported and container moving means for moving the container by blowing air to the neck of the container supported by the neck,
Further, a container for adjusting the angle of the axis of the container conveyed by the container moving means with respect to the conveying direction as desired with the neck supported by the container supporting means as a fulcrum by blowing air to the bottom of the container It further has posture adjustment means,
An air transfer device for a container. A container hanging support means for hanging and supporting the neck of the container to be transported, a container moving means for moving the container by blowing air to the neck of the container supported by hanging from the neck, and a container In a container air conveying device having container guiding means for guiding along a conveying path,
Further, air is blown to the bottom of the container according to the attitude of the container moving by the container moving means while being guided by the container guiding means, and the neck supported by the container supporting means is used as a fulcrum. A container posture adjusting means for adjusting the angle of the axis of the container to the conveying direction as desired.
An air transfer device for a container. The container posture adjusting means has an air chamber extending in the transport direction, a pressurized air supply means for supplying air into the air chamber, and an upper plate for sealing the air chamber,
The upper plate has a plurality of air outlets arranged directly below the container to be transported and arranged at intervals in the extending direction of the upper plate,
The container air conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of air outlets is provided so as to face obliquely upward in a conveyance direction. The container moving means has an air chamber extending in the transport direction, and pressurized air supply means for supplying air in the air chamber in the extending direction of the air chamber,
Furthermore, the air chamber has a pair of guide rails extending in the transport direction at a predetermined interval so that the neck of the container can be suspended,
The container air conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the opposing inner edge portions of the pair of guide rails form the container suspension means and the container guide means. The air chamber is formed by a U-shaped air duct having a first opening extending in the conveying direction facing downward.
A second opening that is partitioned from the air chamber and accommodates the neck of the container and extends downward in a conveying direction so as to cover the first opening;
The neck movement space is formed by a pair of side surfaces and an upper surface extending in the transport direction,
The pair of guide rails are provided so as to cover the first elongated opening from each of the opposed inner edges that form the first opening,
The device according to claim 4, wherein each of the pair of side surface portions has a plurality of air outlets provided at predetermined intervals in the transport direction.   The said upper surface part is an apparatus of Claim 5 which has several air blower outlet further provided in the conveyance direction at predetermined intervals.   The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the guide rail is reinforced with polymeric polyethylene. In the container air conveying method, comprising the steps of hanging and supporting the neck of the container to hang, and conveying the container by blowing air against the container,
The conveying step has a step of blowing air in the conveying direction against the bottom of the container while blowing air against the neck of the container.
A method for conveying a container by air.   Furthermore, the conveyance of the container of Claim 8 which has a step which adjusts the amount of blowing of the air with respect to the neck of a container, and the amount of blowing of the air with respect to the bottom of a container according to the angle of the axis line of the conveyed container. Method.   The container transport method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of adjusting an angle of an axis of a container to be transported as desired according to a transport path of the container. A pressurized air supply means, an air chamber communicating with the pressurized air supply means, the form of which is determined according to the transport path of the container, and an air deck that seals the top of the air chamber;
The air deck has a plurality of air outlets aligned with each other, and is arranged below the container so as to extend along the transport path of the container to be transported,
Each air outlet is supported by being suspended from the neck, and by blowing air toward the bottom of the container to be transported by blowing air to the neck, a predetermined diameter that enables the posture of the container being transported to be adjusted as desired. Having a predetermined tilt angle and a predetermined pitch,
A container posture adjusting device.

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