JP2007314234A - Tube label fitting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust the position of a guide cone 32 easily even when the size of a container 4 is different. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of container stands 10 are provided on the outer periphery of a rotator 22 at equal intervals in the circumference direction and a top locator 30 to press the head 4b of a container on the container stand and an air piece 16 to hold a tube label 14 in an opened state are provided respectively above each container stand and further the guide cone 32 having an outer diameter almost equal to the outer diameter of the container is fitted on the outer periphery of the top locator and they can go up and down by an ascent and descent means 48. Moreover the going up and down distance can be adjusted. The top locator is passed through the inside of the opened tube label to hold the container on the container stand and when the container is inserted from below the tube label by raising the top locator and the container stand together, the guide cone is descended by the ascent and descent means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a shrink labeler that is mounted on a body of a container by covering the container with a tubular film label and thermally shrinking it. In particular, the tubular label is mounted on the container body. It relates to the device.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional configuration of a cylindrical label fitting device that expands a flat cylindrical label and covers the outer periphery of the container. The “container tube fitting device for container” according to the invention described in Patent Document 1 includes a container mounting table, container holding bar means for pressing a cap of a bottle supported by the container mounting table, Exterior fitting heads having exterior tube holding means for expanding and sucking and holding the tubes are provided at equal pitches on the main turret.

The exterior tube holding means is composed of a pair of air pieces that suck and hold both walls of the exterior tube that is flat. In addition, the container holding bar means has a hollow tube-shaped posture control section body of a tube posture control member that controls the tube posture, and a container pressing head urged downward by a spring can be moved up and down. It is mated. The container pressing head has a lower tapered surface that serves as a guide surface for fitting the tube posture control member to the outer tube, and a container abutting portion that fits the cap of the bottle is formed on the lower end surface of the container pressing head. Yes. When the container pressing head is pressed by the bottle from below, the spring cushions and retracts into the posture control unit main body, but the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the posture control unit main body is located in the vicinity of the shoulder of the bottle.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-1684 (page 3-6, FIG. 3)

  The container pressing head (corresponding to the top locator of the present application) and the container mounting table hold the container from above and below, move the outer tube (cylindrical shrink label) and the container relative to each other, and In the configuration in which the tube is inserted into the exterior tube and fitted, the opening size of the exterior tube in the open state has a slight margin with respect to the outer diameter of the container, and the exterior tube is adsorbed from both sides by a pair of air pieces. Therefore, the opening is slightly elliptical rather than completely circular, and there is a possibility that the shoulder of the container may be caught when fitted. In particular, when the processing speed is increased, this problem appears remarkably, and it is difficult to improve the processing capability.

  Therefore, in the configuration of the invention described in Patent Document 1, an outer tube (cylindrical label) is widened by a posture control unit body (guide cone) having substantially the same diameter as the container, and the container is guided. However, since the container pressing head (top locator) can be buffered with respect to the posture control unit main body, and the container pressing head is pushed by the container so that the posture control unit main body approaches the container shoulder, the height of the container is increased. Even if the length of the shoulder is different (if the length from the head of the container to the body is different), the elevation of the attitude control unit relative to the container mounting table must be changed. In other words, a major change such as exchanging the cam is required. Also, after fitting the exterior tube to the container, the attitude control unit main body is raised above the container and the container is carried out of the apparatus. However, the container is pushed out and gripped by the gripper biased in the closing direction. In this case, even when the posture control unit main body is raised and the pushing amount of the container pressing head is shallow, the container is firmly held by the container pressing head and the container mounting table so as to withstand the pushing into the gripper. The spring pressure must be set so that it is possible. Therefore, when the attitude control unit main body is lowered further than this, a load larger than necessary is applied from the container pressing head to the container, and the container may be crushed.

  The present invention includes a plurality of container bases provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, a top locator that is disposed above each container base and holds the container together with the lower container base, and each container A label holding means disposed above the table and holding the cylindrical label in an opened state, and holding the container by the top locator and the container table in which the opened cylindrical label is penetrated In the cylindrical label supply device in which the container is inserted from below the cylindrical label and the cylindrical label is fitted into the container by moving the container relative to the cylindrical label. A guide cone that is arranged on the outer periphery so as to be movable up and down and has an external shape that approximates the maximum outer dimension of the container, and a lifting means that can raise and lower the guide cone and adjust the amount of lifting are provided. , When inserting the container held by said top locator and the container base the cylindrical label, and is characterized in that the cover shoulder portion of the container lowers the guide cone for the top locator.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the guide cone provided on the top locator is configured such that the top locator and the container base are raised with respect to the label holding means and the container is inserted from below the cylindrical label. Is characterized in that it is pushed down relative to the top locator by interfering with the pressing member of the lifting means attached to the succeeding top locator.

  In the cylindrical label fitting device of the present invention, the guide cone can be moved up and down on the outer periphery of the top locator that holds the head of the container, and the lifting amount of the guide cone by the lifting means can be adjusted. Even when the size and shape change, it is possible to cope with simple adjustment, and when the guide cone is lowered, an excessive load is not applied to the container from the top locator, and there is no possibility of deforming the container.

  A plurality of container bases provided on the outer periphery of the rotating body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, cylindrical label holding means respectively disposed above the respective container bases, and a top locator capable of moving up and down, The cylindrical label in the open state held by the means is configured to hold the container on the container table together with the container table with the top locator penetrating from above, and on the outer periphery of the top locator, A guide cone that can be moved up and down by an elevating means is provided, and the amount of the lift can be adjusted. When the container held by the top locator and the container base is raised and inserted into the cylindrical label, the guide cone is lowered. Thus, the object of enabling easy adjustment when the shape of the container is changed is achieved by the configuration of approaching the shoulder of the container.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall arrangement of a cylindrical label fitting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a cylindrical label placed on the outer periphery of the container while holding and transporting the container. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure for fitting. The containers 4 conveyed by the container supply conveyor 2 are supplied into the cylindrical label fitting device 8 via the inlet wheel 6, placed on the container table 10, and rotated and conveyed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. . A label supply means 12 is arranged upstream of the container supply position B where the container 4 is supplied from the inlet wheel 6, and the cylindrical label 14 supplied by the label supply means 12 is connected to each container base 10. (The label supply position is indicated by a symbol C). After the cylindrical label 14 held by the air piece 16 is expanded into a cylindrical shape and fitted into the container 4 on the container table 10, these containers 4 are discharged onto the container discharge conveyor 20 via the outlet wheel 18. And sent to the next step (the container discharge position is indicated by a symbol D).

  A plurality of container bases 10 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating body 22 of the cylindrical label fitting device 8. Each of these container bases 10 is attached to the upper end of the lifting rod 24, and one container 4 is supplied from the inlet wheel 6 onto each container base 10. An elevating cam follower 26 (see FIG. 3 described later) is attached to the lower end of the container table elevating rod 24, and the cam follower 26 corresponds to the shape of a circular cam (not shown) as the rotating body 22 rotates. By moving up and down, the container base 10 moves up and down together with the lifting rod 24.

  An air piece 16 is disposed above each container base 10. The air piece 16 is provided with suction plates 28 formed with a plurality of suction ports on both sides, and can be opened and closed by opening / closing means (not shown). In this embodiment, a flattened cylindrical film label is cut into a predetermined length and supplied between the pair of suction plates 28, 28. Each suction plate 28, 28 sucks both side surfaces of the cylindrical label 14, and gradually opens to expand the cylindrical label 14 into a cylindrical shape. When both the suction plates 28, 28 of the air piece 16 are most open, they are separated by a distance slightly larger than the outer diameter of the body 4a of the container 4. Further, the pair of suction plates 28 and 28 are so high that the body portion 4a of the container 4 enters between the suction plates 28 and 28 when the container 4 placed on the container table 10 rises most. (See FIG. 3 described later).

  Above each container base 10, a top locator 30 that holds the container 4 together with the container base 10, and a cylindrical label 14 are held by pressing the head 4 b of the container 4 placed on the container base 10 from above. A guide cone 32 serving as a guide for the cylindrical label 14 when being fitted to the container 4 is disposed. A top locator elevating rod 34 is vertically arranged with the axis line aligned above the container table elevating rod 24. A cam follower 36 is attached to the upper end of the top locator elevating rod 34. As the top locator elevating rod 34 rotates, the cam follower 36 moves up and down according to the shape of a circular cam (not shown). The top locator 30 and the guide cone 32 are moved up and down together with the lifting rod 34. When the top locator elevating rod 34 is raised most, the lower end of the top locator 30 is located above the upper end of the air piece 16, and when it is lowered most, the top locator 30 protrudes below the lower end of the air piece 16. . Further, when the container base lifting rod 24 is lowered most, the head 4b of the container 4 placed on the container base 10 is located at a height that does not interfere with the air piece 16, and when it is raised most, The body 4 a of the container 4 is completely inserted into the air piece 16.

  A small diameter portion 34a is formed at the lower end of the top locator elevating rod 34, and the upper portion of the cylindrical member 38 is fixed to the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 34a. A support pin 40 oriented in the vertical direction is fixed to the internal space on the lower side of the cylindrical member 38, and a substantially cylindrical top locator 30 is fitted to the outer periphery of the support pin 40. The upper portion of the top locator 30 has a slightly smaller diameter, and can be guided up and down by the inner surface of the cylindrical member 38 and the outer surface of the support pin 40. A circular recess 30a is formed on the lower surface of the top locator 30, and the head 4b of the container 4 is held by the recess 30a. A buffering spring 42 is interposed between the upper surface of the top locator 30 and the bottom surface (upper end surface) of the cylindrical member 38, and the top locator 30 causes the head 4 b of the container 4 to be moved by the buffering spring 42. Absorbs the impact of pressing.

  A cylindrical guide tube 44 is fixed from the lower outer peripheral surface of the top locator elevating rod 34 to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 38 fixed below it. The lower end portion 44a of the cylindrical guide tube 44 has a large diameter, and a conical guide surface 44b is formed on the lower outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 44a. A guide cone 32 is slidably fitted on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical guide tube 44. A thick portion 32 a is formed on the inner surface side of the guide cone 32 so as to complement the thickness of the large diameter portion 44 a of the cylindrical guide tube 44. A spring 46 for raising the guide cone is interposed between the lower surface of the thick portion 32 a of the guide cone 32 and the upper surface of the large diameter portion 44 a of the cylindrical guide tube 44. On the other hand, the guide cone 32 is always urged upward. The outer diameter of the guide cone 32 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the body portion 4a of the container 4. Therefore, this outer diameter is between the two when the suction plates 28, 28 of the air piece 16 are opened. It is slightly smaller than the distance.

  Elevating means 48 for elevating and lowering the guide cone 32 relative to the top locator 30 is attached to the top of the top locator elevating rod 34. The guide cone lifting means 48 includes a pressing member (pressing plate) 52 fixed to the top locator lifting rod 34 via a clamp 50. The pressing plate 52 has an L-shape having a vertical portion 52a and a short horizontal portion 52b at the lower end thereof, and an abutting rubber 54 is adhered to the lower surface of the lower end horizontal portion 52b. The horizontal portion 52b of the pressing plate 52 and the abutting rubber 54 are arranged in front of the top locator elevating rod (for example, elevating rod indicated by 34A in FIG. 2) to which the elevating means 48 is attached. It extends to a position where it engages with a guide cone 32 fitted to a top locator elevating rod adjacent to the side (see elevating rod indicated by reference numeral 34B in FIG. 2). In this way, the pressing plate 52 of the lifting / lowering means 48 attached to the succeeding top locator lifting / lowering rod 34 can be engaged from above the guide cone 32 provided on the front top locator lifting / lowering rod 34. It extends to.

  The guide cone lifting / lowering means 48 can be adjusted in height by loosening the clamp 50. In the configuration of this embodiment, the container 4 is raised from above and below by the lower container base 10 and the upper top locator 30, and the container 4 is held by both suction plates 28 and 28 of the air piece 16. When the guide cone 32 is inserted into the cylindrical label 14, the lower end of the guide cone 32 can be lowered to a height approaching the shoulder 4c of the container 4, and the two adjacent containers 4 are positioned at the same height. During mounting, the mounting position is adjusted so that the pressing plate 52 of the elevating means 48 is at a height that does not contact the guide cone 30. An alignment jig 55 is interposed above the guide cone lifting / lowering means 48. When the vertical position of the guide cone lifting / lowering means 48 is adjusted, the positioning jig 55 is used for positioning in the height direction. I do. That is, positioning is performed by fixing the positioning jig 55 between the block to which the cam follower 36 is attached and the main body of the guide cone lifting / lowering means 48. When actual assembly is performed, a necessary height of the guide cone lifting / lowering means 48 is selected in advance, and a plurality of types of alignment jigs 55 having different lengths corresponding thereto are prepared.

  The operation of the cylindrical label fitting device according to the above configuration will be described. The containers 4 transported by the container transport conveyor 2 are supplied into the cylindrical label fitting device 8 via the inlet wheel 6 at the container supply position B, and are sequentially placed on the container base 10. In the container supply position B, the container base elevating rod 24 is at the lowest position due to the shape of the circular cam (not shown), while the top locator elevating rod 34 is at the most elevated position. Since the top locator 30 is located above the air piece 16, the container 4 supplied on the container base 10 does not interfere with the top locator 30, the air piece 16, and the like.

  Note that the cylindrical label 14 is supplied from the label supply means 12 to the air piece 16 corresponding to the container base 10 to which the container 4 is supplied at the label supply position C arranged upstream of the container supply position B. ing. The cylindrical label 14 is cut into a predetermined length in a flat state (length attached to the body 4a of the container 4), and is supplied between the suction plates 28, 28 of the air piece 16 in an approached state. Adsorbed and held. Thereafter, the suction plates 28 and 28 are gradually separated from each other, so that both surfaces of the cylindrical label 14 which are in close contact with each other are expanded and become substantially cylindrical.

  As described above, after the suction plates 28 and 28 of the air piece 16 are opened and the cylindrical label 14 is expanded in a cylindrical shape, and the container 4 is supplied onto the container table 10, it is moved upward by a circular cam (not shown). The top locator lifting rod 34 is lowered. When the top locator lifting / lowering rod 34 is lowered, the top locator 30 provided at the lower end of the top locator 34 is adsorbed from both sides to the suction plates 28 and 28 of the air piece 16 and expanded in a cylindrical shape. Is inserted from above. When the top locator elevating rod 34 is in the lowered state, the guide cone elevating means 48 attached to the succeeding top locator elevating rod 34 does not engage with the guide cone 32 one forward. The guide cone 32 is at the highest position with respect to the top locator 30, and a conical guide surface 44 b formed at the lower end of the guide cylindrical member 44 is exposed below the guide cone 32. Accordingly, the top locator 30 and the guide cone 32 are guided by the conical guide surface 44 </ b> B and are inserted through the cylindrical label 14 without being caught by the cylindrical label 14.

  The top locator 30 inserted from the upper side to the lower side through the cylindrical label 14 which is adsorbed and spread by the suction plates 28, 28 of the air piece 16 is the head of the container 4 placed on the container table 10. The container 4 is elastically brought into contact with 4b, and the container 4 is held from above and below by the top locator 30 and the container base 10 below (state of FIG. 3A). While the top locator 30 is at the lowest position, the pressing plate 52 of the guide cone lifting means 48 attached to the subsequent top locator lifting rod 34 is not in contact with the upper end of the front guide cone 32. The guide cone 32 is at the highest position with respect to the top locator 30. That is, the guide cone 32 of FIG. 3B is not in contact with the pressing plate 52 of the guide cone lifting means 48 of FIG. 3A, and therefore is relative to the top locator 30 protruding downward from the air piece 16. In the uppermost position. At this time, the guide cone 32 is located substantially inside the air piece 16.

  Thereafter, the cam follower 26 of the lifting / lowering rod 24 for the container table and the cam follower 36 of the lifting / lowering rod 34 for the top locator start to rise by the respective cams, and the top locator 30 and the container table 10 hold the container 4 from above and below. It rises integrally as it is (see FIG. 3C). Ascending as shown in FIG. 3 (c), and the container base 10 and the top locator 30 rise to a position higher than a predetermined level than the subsequent container base 10 and the top locator 30 (see FIG. 3 (b)), The pressing plate 52 of the guide cone raising / lowering means 48 attached to the succeeding top locator raising / lowering rod 34 engages with the guide cone 32 on the one front side to lower the guide cone 32 relative to the top locator 30. . In the subsequent process of inserting the container 4 into the cylindrical label 14, the preceding guide cone 32 is always at a higher position than the succeeding one, so that the engaged state continues.

  While the container 4 held by the top locator 30 and the container base 10 is raised, the guide cone 32 is relatively lowered, and the lower end portion thereof gradually approaches the container 4. When the container 4 is further lifted and inserted from below into the cylindrical label 14 that is sucked and expanded by the suction plates 28, 28 of the air piece 16, the guide cone 32 cylinders the cylindrical label 4. Since the lower end of the guide cone 32 is in a position close to the shoulder 4c of the container 4 and substantially covers the shoulder 4c of the container 4, (See FIG. 3D.) The shoulder 4c of the container 4 is smoothly inserted without being caught by the lower end of the cylindrical label 14 (see FIG. 3E). When the container 4 further rises and reaches the highest position, the container 4 is completely inserted into the cylindrical label 14 (see FIG. 3 (f)). The container 4 rotates and moves at the peak position as it is (see FIG. 3G), and the subsequent container 4 also reaches the peak position (see FIG. 3F). The front guide cone 32 is disengaged from the front guide cone 32, and the preceding guide cone 32 is raised with respect to the top locator 30 by the spring 46.

  The container 4 held by the top locator 30 and the container base 10 passes through the peak position (see FIGS. 3F to 3H) and starts to descend (see FIG. 3I). While being at the height of the peak before starting the descent, that is, after the container 4 is completely inserted into the cylindrical label 14, the vacuum acting on the suction plates 28, 28 of the air piece 16 is removed. Cut off. Then, the cylindrical label 14 that has been attracted and expanded by the suction plates 28 and 28 is brought into close contact with the outer surface of the body 4a of the container 4 by its own restoring force to return to the flat state. The upper top locator 30 and the lower container base 10 gradually descend according to the shape of the cam (see FIGS. 3 (j) and 3 (k)), and the container 4 comes out from between the suction plates 28, 28 downward. When the container 4 returns to the lowest lowered position (see FIGS. 3 (l) and 3 (m)) and reaches the container discharge position D, the discharge wheel 18 is in a state where the container 4 is held by the top locator 30 and the container base 10. The container 4 is pushed into a gripper (not shown) urged in the closing direction and is delivered. Since the top locator 30 and the container base 10 always hold the container 4 with a constant holding force, the container 4 can be held firmly and reliably delivered even when the discharge wheel 18 is pushed into the gripper. it can. After the container 4 is discharged, the container base 10 moves at the same height, while the top locator 30 and the guide cone 32 are raised according to the shape of the upper cam, and the top locator 30 is moved to the head of the container 4. It leaves | separates from 4b and further escapes above the air piece 16. FIG. Thereafter, the container 4 on the container table 10 is discharged onto the container transport conveyor 20 via the discharge wheel 18 at the container discharge position D. In the process in which the top locator 30 holding the container 4 and the container base 10 are lowered, the preceding top locator 30 is always at a position lower than the succeeding pressing plate 52 and therefore does not engage.

  The containers 4 discharged onto the container discharge conveyor 20 are sent to the heating position, which is the next process, and heated, the cylindrical label 14 contracts, adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the container body 4a, and the label mounting process is performed. finish.

  On the other hand, the air piece 16 from which the top locator 30 has escaped upward is returned to the cylindrical label supply position C with the pair of suction plates 28 and 28 being opened, closed at this position C, and supplied from the label supply means 12. By holding the next cylindrical label 14 and separating it again, the flat cylindrical label 14 is expanded. The top locator 30 that has been lifted and pulled out above the air piece 16, the container base 10 that is at the lowest position, and the air piece 16 that is located in the middle of these, integrally rotate to reach the container supply position B. Then, the next container 4 is supplied from the inlet wheel 6 onto the container table 10 and the above steps are repeated. Further, when the shape of the container 4 to be processed is changed, for example, when the distance between the head 4b and the shoulder 4c is different from that of the container 10, the clamp 50 of the lifting means 48 of the guide cone 32 is loosened, After adjusting the height of the pressing plate 52 and exchanging the positioning jig 55 for positioning, the clamp 50 is tightened to fix the lifting means 48. When adjusting the raising / lowering means 48, it is lowered when it corresponds to a container having a shoulder 4c longer than the current container 4, and is raised when it is a short container. Further, by adjusting the elevating means 48, at least when the shoulder portion of the container 4 passes the lower end of the cylindrical label 14, the guide cone 32 is brought closest.

It is a top view which simplifies and shows the arrangement | positioning of the whole cylindrical label fitting apparatus. Example 1 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the mechanism which inserts a container in the cylindrical label which consists of a top locator, a container stand, etc. Drawing (a)-(m) is explanatory drawing explaining the operation | movement of a cylindrical label fitting apparatus sequentially.

Explanation of symbols

4 Container 10 Container stand 14 Cylindrical label 16 Label holding means (air piece)
22 Rotating body 30 Top locator 32 Guide cone 48 Guide cone lifting / lowering means

Claims (2)

A plurality of container bases provided on the outer periphery of the rotating body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, a top locator that is disposed above each of these container bases and holds the container together with the lower container base, and above each of the container bases And a label holding means for holding the cylindrical label in an open state. The top locator is made to pass through the opened cylindrical label, and a container is formed by the top locator and the container base. In the cylindrical label supply apparatus in which the container is inserted from the lower side of the cylindrical label and the cylindrical label is fitted to the container by moving the container relative to the cylindrical label.
A guide cone that is arranged on the outer periphery of the top locator so as to be movable up and down and has an external shape that approximates the maximum outer dimension of the container, and a lifting means that can raise and lower the guide cone and adjust the lifting amount,
When inserting the container hold | maintained by the said top locator and a container stand in a cylindrical label, a guide cone is lowered | hung with respect to a top locator, and the cylindrical label fitting apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The top locator and the container stand are raised with respect to the label holding means, and the container is inserted from below the cylindrical label, and the guide cone provided on the top locator is attached to the subsequent top locator. 2. The cylindrical label fitting device according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical label fitting device is pushed down relative to the top locator by interfering with a pressing member of the elevating means.

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