JP2011037616A - Carrying apparatus and inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying apparatus suppressing damages to a carrying object during carrying. <P>SOLUTION: This carrying apparatus for carrying a syringe 100 along a predetermined carrying passage includes: an inlet wheel 11 provided with a chuck mechanism 19 having a pair of chuck claws 24, 25 openable and closable and a wheel 17 moving the chuck mechanism 19 along a predetermined carrying passage; and a main rotor provided with a sucking head for sucking the syringe 100 from above and holding the same and a disc for moving the sucking head along a predetermined carrying passage and adapted to receive the syringe 100 from the inlet wheel 11 in a delivery section. The pair of chuck claws 24, 25 are kept by a second cam 52 in such a state to generate a gap between the pair of chuck claws 24, 25 and a drum part 101 extending over the whole periphery in the delivery section and support a flange part 102 from below. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport apparatus that transports a transport target having a flange portion such as a syringe or a preform, and an inspection apparatus including the transport apparatus.

  There is known an inspection apparatus that supplies a preform from an inlet star wheel to a main rotor, photographs the preform conveyed by the main rotor, and inspects the presence or absence of abnormality of the preform (see Patent Document 1). .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-100119

  In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, when a preform is passed from the inlet star wheel to the main rotor, the flange portion of the preform being conveyed is supported by the guide rail to prevent the preform from falling. At this time, since the flange portion slides on the guide rail, the flange portion may be damaged.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the conveying apparatus and inspection apparatus which can suppress that the conveyance target object in conveyance is damaged.

  The transport apparatus of the present invention transports a transport object (100) having a cylindrical body (101) and a flange (102) extending radially outward from the body along a predetermined transport path. A chuck mechanism (19) having a pair of open and close chuck claws (24, 25), a moving means (17) for moving the chuck mechanism along the predetermined transport path, And the body portion is inserted between the pair of chuck claws, and the flange portion is supported by the pair of chuck claws from below to hold the object to be conveyed by the chuck mechanism. Means (11), a suction head (60) for sucking and holding the transport object, and a moving means (63) for moving the suction head along the predetermined transport path. In the delivery section (S1) set in the path, the conveyance object held by the chuck mechanism of the first conveyance means is sucked and held from above by the suction head, and the conveyance object is transferred from the first conveyance means. In the second conveying means (12) for receiving and in the delivery section, the pair of the pair of chuck jaws and the body portion are provided with a gap over the entire circumference and supporting the flange portion from below. The operation means (52) for operating the chuck mechanism so as to maintain the chuck claw is provided, thereby solving the above-described problem.

  According to the conveying device of the present invention, the gap between the pair of chuck claws is formed between the body portion and the pair of chuck claws in the delivery section, and the flange portion is supported from below. The conveyance object can be moved along the upper surfaces of the pair of chuck claws by a gap generated between the body portion and the chuck claws. Therefore, so-called centering can be easily performed in which the centers of the suction head and the transport target are aligned when the transport target held by the chuck mechanism is suction-held by the suction head. Further, by holding the conveyance object in this way, the conveyance object can be pulled upward in the delivery section. Therefore, the conveyance object held by the chuck mechanism can be directly sucked and held by the suction head. In this case, since it is not necessary to provide a guide for preventing the fall between the conveying means, it is possible to suppress the object to be conveyed from being damaged during the conveyance.

  In one form of the transport device of the present invention, the chuck mechanism further includes spring means (34) for biasing the pair of chuck claws toward the closing side, and one of the pair of chuck claws includes the spring means. An operation member (41) for driving the pair of chuck claws to the open side is provided, and the operation means operates the operation member so that the pair of chuck claws open in contact with the operation member. It may be a cam (52). In this case, as long as the operating member is not operated, the conveyance object can be held by the pair of chuck claws. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the chuck object from being accidentally opened during conveyance and the conveyance object from falling. Further, by opening the chuck claw with the cam in this way, the chuck claw can be opened and closed with a simple structure.

  The conveyance device of the present invention is suitable for conveyance of a conveyance object whose quality control is strict. Therefore, for example, the conveyance object may be a syringe (100).

  The inspection apparatus (1) of the present invention includes the above-described transfer device (10) and an image pickup unit (2) that images a transfer object being transferred by the transfer device, and the image pickup unit takes an image. The above-described problem is solved by performing a predetermined inspection based on the image of the conveyance object.

  According to the inspection apparatus of the present invention, since the conveyance object is conveyed by the above-described conveyance apparatus, it is possible to suppress the conveyance object from being damaged during the conveyance.

  In addition, in the above description, in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, the reference sign of the accompanying drawing was attached in parenthesis, but this invention is not limited to the form of illustration by it.

  As described above, according to the transfer device of the present invention, the transfer object held by the chuck mechanism can be directly sucked and held by the suction head. Therefore, it can suppress that a conveyance target object is damaged during conveyance. Since the inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes the transport apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to similarly prevent the transport target from being damaged during transport.

The figure which shows the inspection apparatus with which the conveying apparatus which concerns on one form of this invention was integrated. The figure which shows the syringe conveyed with a conveying apparatus. The figure which shows the cross section of an entrance wheel. The figure which shows a part of upper surface of an entrance wheel. The top view of the chuck mechanism of an entrance wheel. The figure which shows the cross section of the chuck mechanism in the VI-VI line of FIG. The figure which shows the cross section of the inlet wheel in the VII-VII line of FIG. The figure which shows the entrance wheel seen from the arrow VIII direction of FIG. The side view of a main rotor. The figure which shows the axial direction cross section of the adsorption head of a main rotor. The figure which shows the adsorption | suction head of the state which the attraction | suction force is acting on the suction path. The figure which shows the chuck | zipper claw in the middle of being operated by the 2nd cam to the opening side. The figure which shows the modification of the chuck nail | claw provided in the conveying apparatus of this invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an inspection apparatus in which a transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated. This inspection apparatus 1 inspects the syringe 100 as the conveyance object shown as an example in FIG. The syringe 100 is a well-known one used for medical treatment or the like, and includes a cylindrical body 101. One end 101a of the body portion 101 is open, and a flange portion 102 extending outward in the radial direction is provided at the one end 101a. On the other hand, the other end 101b of the body 101 is provided with a nozzle 103 to which an injection needle or the like is attached.

  The inspection apparatus 1 performs various inspections on the syringe 100 being conveyed while conveying the syringe 100 along a predetermined path. As the inspection, for example, an appearance inspection for inspecting the appearance of the syringe 100 for an abnormality is performed. As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 includes a transport apparatus 10 for transporting the syringe 100 along a predetermined transport path, and a plurality of imaging units that image the syringe 100 transported by the transport apparatus 10. The camera 2 and a plurality of illumination devices 3 that illuminate the syringe 100 so as to be easily imaged by the camera 2 are provided. Each camera 2 is provided so as to image different portions of the syringe 100 via the mirror 2a. The inspection performed by the inspection apparatus 1 is a well-known inspection that images the syringe 100 with a plurality of cameras 2 and diagnoses the presence or absence of an abnormality in the appearance of the syringe 100 based on the obtained images. Therefore, description of the details of the mechanism for inspection is omitted. In addition, the syringe 100 that has been inspected is sent to the next step by an unillustrated unloading conveyor provided downstream of the transfer device 10.

  The conveyance device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport apparatus 10 includes an entrance wheel 11 as a first transport unit, a main rotor 12 as a second transport unit, and an exit wheel 13 in order from the upstream side in the transport direction. The inlet wheel 11, the main rotor 12, and the outlet wheel 13 are each installed on the base B of the transport device 10. The outlet wheel 13 is a well-known star wheel that takes the syringe 100 into a plurality of pockets (not shown) provided on the outer periphery of the star wheel 13a rotating around the axis CL3, and grips and conveys the syringe 100 with the chuck device 13b. It is a type conveying device.

  FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the inlet wheel 11, and FIG. 4 shows a part of the upper surface of the inlet wheel 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the entrance wheel 11 includes a gantry 14 that is non-rotatably fixed to the base B of the inspection apparatus 1, and a rotary shaft 16 that is supported by the gantry 14 via a bearing 15 so as to be rotatable about an axis CL <b> 1. And. A disc-shaped wheel 17 is provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 16, and a gear 18 is provided at the lower end to transmit rotational motion from a motor (not shown). The wheel 17 and the gear 18 are provided so as to rotate coaxially and integrally with the rotating shaft 16. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a plurality of chuck mechanisms 19 are provided on the upper surface of the wheel 17. These chuck mechanisms 19 are arranged on the outer periphery of the wheel 17 so as to be arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. Then, as the wheel 17 rotates about the axis CL1, the chuck mechanism 19 moves on the turning path. Therefore, the wheel 17 corresponds to the moving means of the present invention.

  The chuck mechanism 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 shows a plan view of the chuck mechanism 19, and FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the chuck mechanism 19 taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. As shown in these drawings, the chuck mechanism 19 includes a first arm 20 and a second arm 21. The first arm 20 and the second arm 21 are configured as assembly parts in which chuck claws 24 and 25 are fixed to the distal ends of the arm main bodies 22 and 23 with bolts 26a and 27a and nuts 26b and 27b. Semi-arc-shaped concave portions 24a and 25a that can mesh with one side and the other side of the outer periphery of the body 101 of the syringe 100 are provided at the tip portions of the chuck claws 24 and 25, respectively.

  The first arm 20 can rotate about the axis of the first rotating shaft 28, and the second arm 21 can rotate about the axis of the second rotating shaft 29. The chuck claws 24 and 25 are provided adjacent to the alignment direction of the rotary shafts 28 and 29 with respect to the chuck center line CLc passing through an intermediate point between the rotary shafts 28 and 29. Then, the arms 20 and 21 rotate symmetrically with respect to the chuck center line CLc, whereby the chuck claws 24 and 25 are opened and closed to switch the gripping of the body 101 and the release of the body 101. In FIG. 5, the arms 20 and 21 when the chuck claws 24 and 25 are closed are indicated by solid lines, and the arms 20 and 21 when they are open are indicated by imaginary lines. The chuck claws 24, 25 are provided so as to be able to be closed until the gap between their tips is smaller than the diameter of the body 101. Hereinafter, this state is referred to as a fully closed state. Further, the chuck claws 24, 25 are provided so as to be able to be opened to a state where the gap between the tips thereof is slightly larger than the diameter of the body portion 101. Hereinafter, this state is referred to as a fully opened state.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first rotating shaft 28 is rotatably attached to the wheel 17 via a rolling bearing 30. An arm mounting shaft 28 a is provided on the upper portion of the first rotating shaft 28, and the arm mounting shaft 28 a and the arm body 22 of the first arm 20 use a screw shaft 28 b and a nut 31 on the first rotating shaft 28. Are connected so as to be integrally rotatable. A spring holder 32 is fitted on the outer periphery of the first rotating shaft 28 so as to be relatively rotatable, and the spring holder 32 is fixed to the lower surface of the wheel 17 using bolts 33. A torsion coil spring 34 as a spring means is mounted on the outer periphery of the spring holder 32. One end 34 a of the torsion coil spring 34 is latched to a pin 35 fixed to the spring holder 32.

  A screw shaft 28 c is provided at the lower end of the first rotation shaft 28, and a spring receiver 36 is fixed to the screw shaft 28 c using a nut 37. A pin 38 is fixed to the spring receiver 36, and the other end 34 b of the torsion coil spring 34 is hooked on the pin 38. The torsion coil spring 34 is mounted on the outer periphery of the spring holder 32 in a state of being somewhat twisted between the pins 35 and 38. Due to the restoring force against torsional deformation of the torsion coil spring 34, the first arm 20 is driven in the direction in which the chuck claw 24 is closed. 6 shows the attachment structure of the first rotating shaft 28 to the wheel 17, the second rotating shaft 29 is also attached to the wheel 17 with the same structure so as to be rotatable. A torsion coil spring 34 is mounted on the outer periphery in a somewhat twisted state. When the wheel 17 is used as a reference, the chuck claws 24 and 25 of the arms 20 and 21 are arranged at the same height with respect to the axial direction of the rotary shafts 28 and 29.

  Due to the restoring force against torsional deformation of the torsion coil spring 34, the second arm 21 is also driven in the direction in which the chuck pawl 25 is closed. As shown in FIG. 5, a roller-like stopper 39 is provided between the arms 20 and 21. The stopper 39 is attached to the wheel 17 using a bolt 40. When the arms 20 and 21 abut against the stopper 39 by the force of the torsion coil spring 34, the rotation range of the arms 20 and 21 in the direction in which the chuck claws 24 and 25 are closed is limited. The stopper 39 enters the grooves 22a and 23a of the arm bodies 22 and 23, respectively.

  As is apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6, the arm body 22 of the first arm 20 is integrally formed with an operation lever (operation unit) 41 as an operation member that extends rearward beyond the first rotation shaft 28. . The operation lever 41 extends somewhat from the position of the first rotation shaft 28 in the direction of the chuck center line CLc, and further has a shape bent toward the second rotation shaft 29 with respect to the alignment direction of the rotation shafts 28 and 29. Yes. The rear end portion of the operation lever 41 (the right end portion in FIGS. 5 and 6) extends to the region on the second rotating shaft 29 side beyond the chuck center line CLc, and on the lower surface side of the rear end portion, A collar 42 and a cam follower 43 are attached using bolts 44 and nuts 45. The cam follower 43 is a component that functions as an input unit for driving force that rotates the arms 20 and 21 in the direction in which the chuck claws 24 and 25 open, and a roller portion that is rotatable around the axis of the bolt 44 on the outer periphery thereof. 43a is provided. The bolt 44 and the collar 42 are extended to the lower surface side of the wheel 17 through a through hole 17 a provided in the wheel 17. The inner diameter of the through hole 17 a is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the collar 42 so as not to hinder the rotation operation of the operation lever 41 around the first rotation shaft 28.

  A rolling bearing 46 is attached using a bolt 47 and a nut 48 in the middle of the operation lever 41, that is, between the attachment position of the cam follower 43 and the attachment position of the first rotating shaft 28. A transmission roller 49 as a transmission portion is provided on the outer periphery of the rolling bearing 46. The transmission roller 49 is supported on the operation lever 41 via the rolling bearing 46 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the bolt 47. As is apparent from FIG. 5, the rotation center line of the transmission roller 49 (that is, the axis line of the bolt 47) is located on the chuck center line CLc. The transmission roller 49 may be located behind the rotary shafts 28 and 29 and between the rotary shafts 28 and 29 with respect to the arrangement direction of the rotary shafts 28 and 29.

  On the other hand, the second arm 21 is provided with a protrusion 50 as a contact portion that extends from the rear of the second rotation shaft 29 so as to bend toward the chuck center line CLc. A cam surface 50 a is provided on the end surface of the protrusion 50 facing the roller 49. When the second arm 21 is driven in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 5 around the second rotation shaft 29, the cam surface 50a is pressed against the transmission roller 49 by a spring force.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the description of the inlet wheel 11 will be continued. As shown in this figure, a first cam 51 and a second cam 52 are provided below the wheel 17. FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the inlet wheel 11 taken along line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 shows the inlet wheel 11 viewed from the direction of arrow VIII in FIG. These cams 51 and 52 are fixed to the gantry 14 so that they cannot move. The first cam 51 is provided to correspond to a section in which the chuck mechanism 19 grips the syringe 100 in the turning path of the wheel 17. On the other hand, the second cam 52 is provided corresponding to a section where the syringe 100 is passed from the inlet wheel 11 to the main rotor 12 in the turning path of the wheel 17. That is, these cams 51 and 52 are provided corresponding to the section where the chuck claws 24 and 25 are to be opened in the turning path of the wheel 17.

  The first cam 51 includes a cam surface 53, and the second cam 52 includes a cam surface 54. The chuck claws 24 and 25 are opened when the cam follower 43 moves along the cam surfaces 53 and 54. Specifically, when the cam follower 43 comes into contact with these cam surfaces 53 and 54 and is pushed outward in the radial direction of the wheel 17, a driving force is input to the operation lever 41 so that the operation lever 41 is moved from the solid line position in FIG. 5. Driven to the position of the imaginary line. Thereby, the first arm 20 rotates clockwise around the first rotation shaft 28. In conjunction with the operation of the operation lever 41, the transmission roller 49 pushes the protrusion 50 of the second arm 21 from the solid line position in FIG. 5 to the imaginary line position. As a result, the second arm 21 rotates counterclockwise around the second rotation shaft 29. As a result, the chuck claws 24 and 25 are opened. When the cam follower 43 moves away from the cam surfaces 53 and 54, the spring force of the torsion coil spring 34 returns to the position where the first arm 20 and the second arm 21 abut against the stopper 39, and the chuck claws 24 and 25 are closed. At this time, if the body 101 is between the chuck claws 24 and 25, the body 101 is held between the chuck claws 24 and 25 by the spring force of the torsion coil spring 34.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the cam surfaces 53 and 54 gradually bulge outward in the radial direction from both ends 51a and 52a of the cams 51 and 52 toward the centers 51b and 52b. The cam surfaces 53 and 54 are formed so that the chuck claws 24 and 25 are fully opened when the cam follower 43 reaches the centers 51b and 52b. The cam surfaces 53 and 54 are formed such that the chuck claws 24 and 25 are opened from the time when the cam follower 43 contacts the ends 51a and 52a. Of the cam surfaces 53 and 54, the portions from the ends 51a and 52a to the centers 51b and 52b are such that the chuck claws 24 and 25 have a gap across the entire circumference between the recesses 24a and 25a and the body 101. It is formed so as to be maintained in a generated state. The chuck claws 24 and 25 start to open when the cam follower 43 comes into contact with the cam surfaces 53 and 54, and then are gradually driven to the opening side until the cam follower 43 reaches the centers 51b and 52b. When the cam follower 43 reaches the centers 51b and 52b, the cam follower 43 is fully opened. Thereafter, when the cam follower 43 passes through the centers 51b and 52b, the chuck claws 24 and 25 are gradually closed.

  The first cam 51 is fixed to the gantry 14 so that the chuck claws 24 and 25 are fully opened at a supply position P1 (see FIG. 1) where the syringe 100 is supplied to the inlet wheel 11. The second cam 52 is fixed to the gantry 14 so that the chuck claws 24 and 25 are fully opened at the first delivery position P2 (see FIG. 1) for delivering the syringe from the inlet wheel 11 to the main rotor 12. That is, the cams 51 and 52 are respectively fixed so that their centers 51b and 52b are located at the supply position P1 or the first delivery position P2.

  Next, the main rotor 12 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view of the main rotor 12. The main rotor 12 sucks and holds the syringe 100 by the suction head 60 and transports the syringe 100 held by the suction head 60 along a predetermined transport path while rotating. As shown in this figure, the main rotor 12 includes a gantry 61 fixed to the base B, a rotating shaft 62 supported by the gantry 61 so as to be rotatable about the axis CL2, and a rotation shaft 62 provided coaxially with the rotating shaft 62. A disk 63 that rotates integrally with the shaft 62 is provided. A gear 64 is provided at the lower end of the rotation shaft 62 so as to be coaxial with the rotation shaft 62 and rotate integrally therewith. Rotational motion is transmitted to the gear 64 from a motor (not shown) so that the main rotor 12 operates in synchronization with the inlet wheel 11.

  The main rotor 12 includes a switching valve 65 for switching between holding the syringe 100 by the suction head 60 and releasing the holding. The switching valve 65 is provided in the middle of an air suction path between a vacuum pump (not shown) as a suction source and the suction head 60, and suction force is applied to the suction head 60 in a section in which the main rotor 12 should transport the syringe 100. It is a well-known one that switches between connection and disconnection of the vacuum pump and the suction head 60 so that. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

  The disk 63 is provided with a plurality of suction heads 60. Each suction head 60 is supported by the disk 63 so that it can rotate. As shown in FIG. 1, the suction heads 60 are arranged on the outer periphery of the disk 63 so as to be arranged at a predetermined interval.

  The suction head 60 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the suction head 60 in the axial direction. As shown in this figure, the suction head 60 includes a head body 66, a piston portion 67 as a first movable body, a protruding portion 68 as a second movable body, and a plurality of coil springs 69 as spring members. I have. The head main body 66, the piston portion 67, and the protruding portion 68 are arranged coaxially. As is clear from this figure, the lower surface 66 a of the head main body 66 becomes the lower surface 60 a of the suction head 60 facing the one end 101 a of the syringe 100. The head main body 66 includes a rotary shaft 70 supported by the disk 63 so as to be rotatable around an axis line CLh, and a case 71 attached to the lower end of the rotary shaft 70 so as to rotate integrally with the rotary shaft 70. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation shaft 70 is provided with a pulley 60 c that rotates integrally with the rotation shaft 70. The pulley 60c meshes with the belt 4 (see FIG. 1) provided in a part of the rotation path of the disk 63, and is driven to rotate as the belt 4 travels. Therefore, the head main body 66 is rotationally driven by this.

  Returning to FIG. 10, the case 71 includes a base 72, a cylindrical case body 73, a lid portion 74, a guide tube portion 75, a flange portion 76, and a cover portion 77. As shown in this figure, the outer diameters of the base 72, the case main body 73, and the lid 74 are substantially the same. The base 72 is attached to the rotary shaft 70 so as to rotate coaxially and integrally. The base 72 has a cylindrical mounting portion 72a into which the rotating shaft 70 is inserted, a disk-shaped disk portion 72b that protrudes radially outward from the mounting portion 72a, and a cylindrical shape that protrudes below the disk portion 72b. Piston receiving portion 72c. The piston receiving portion 72c is provided with a communication hole 72d that allows communication between the inside and the outside. The case main body 73 is attached to the lower surface of the base 72, and the lid portion 74 is superimposed on the lower surface of the case main body 73. A through hole 74 a into which the piston portion 67 is inserted is provided at the center of the lid portion 74. The lid portion 74 is provided with a fitting portion 74 b that fits inside the case main body 73 so that the lid portion 74 is coaxially attached to the case main body 73. The base 72, the case main body 73, and the lid portion 74 are arranged coaxially with each other and are integrally joined by a bolt 78.

  The guide cylinder portion 75 is provided coaxially on the lower surface of the lid portion 74 and is integrally joined to the lid portion 74 by a bolt 79. On the outer periphery of the guide tube portion 75, a projection portion 75a protruding outward in the radial direction is provided. The flange portion 76 includes a large-diameter portion 76a and a small-diameter portion 76b that projects downward from the large-diameter portion 76a. A center hole 76c is provided at the center of the flange portion 76 so as to penetrate the top and bottom and insert the protruding portion 68 therein. The cover part 77 is provided with a hole 77a at the center of the lower surface thereof. The flange portion 76 is fitted into the cover portion 77 from the inside so that the small diameter portion 76b fits into the hole 77a. The case 71 is provided with a spring hole 71 c that passes through the lid 74 and reaches the case main body 73. A coil spring 95 is inserted into the spring hole 71c while being compressed in the vertical direction. A pressing member 96 having an upper end in contact with the coil spring 95 and a lower end in contact with the flange portion 76 is provided below the coil spring 95. Therefore, the flange portion 76 can be pressed against the cover portion 77 by the restoring force of the coil spring 95. The height of the small diameter portion 76 b is set so that the lower surface of the flange portion 76 and the lower surface of the cover portion 77 are substantially flush with each other when the flange portion 76 is fitted into the cover portion 77. A claw portion 77 b that engages with the protruding portion 75 a of the guide tube portion 75 is provided on the upper portion of the cover portion 77. The cover portion 77 is coaxially and integrally attached to the guide tube portion 75 by accommodating the flange portion 76 therein and engaging the claw portion 77b with the projection portion 75a.

  Inside the case body 73, a first storage chamber 71a in which the piston portion 67 is stored is provided. The upper end of the first storage chamber 71 a is covered with a base 72, and the lower end is covered with a lid part 74. Thus, the base 72 functions as an upper partition, the case body 73 functions as a peripheral wall, and the lid 74 functions as a lower partition. In addition, a second storage chamber 71 b in which the protruding portion 68 is stored is provided inside the guide tube portion 75. The upper end of the second storage chamber 71 b is covered with a lid portion 74, and the lower end is covered with a flange portion 76.

  The piston portion 67 is accommodated in the first accommodation chamber 71a so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The piston part 67 includes a cylindrical shaft part 67a and a disk-shaped partition part 67b extending radially outward from the shaft part 67a. The partition portion 67b is provided coaxially with the shaft portion 67a. The partition portion 67b is provided with a cylindrical sliding portion 67c extending upward from the outer periphery thereof. The piston 67 is movably accommodated in the first accommodating chamber 71a by fitting the sliding portion 67c to the inner surface of the case body 73 so as to be movable up and down. As a result, in the first storage chamber 71a, an air release chamber 80 is formed between the partition portion 67b and the base 72, and a first decompression chamber 81 is formed between the partition portion 67b and the lid portion 74, respectively. A communication hole 72e is provided in the disk portion 72b of the base 72 to communicate the atmosphere opening chamber 80 and the outside of the head main body 66. The case body 73 is provided with a notch 73a so that a part of the lower end of the case body 73 does not contact the base 72 and a gap is formed between them. Therefore, the atmosphere opening chamber 80 and the outside of the head main body 66 can be communicated with each other also by the gap formed by the notch 73a.

  The shaft portion 67a includes a guide shaft 67d provided above the partition portion 67b and an attachment shaft 67e provided below the partition portion 67b. The rotating shaft 70 is provided with a recess 70a that opens on the lower surface thereof. The guide shaft 67d is inserted into the recess 70a. Thereby, the 2nd decompression chamber 82 is formed between the upper end part of the guide shaft 67d, and the ceiling surface 70b of the recessed part 70a. A sleeve 83 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 67d and the inner peripheral surface of the recess 70a. The sleeve 83 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the recess 70a using fitting means such as press fitting. There is a minute gap between the sleeve 83 and the guide shaft 67d so that the guide shaft 67d can slide along the sleeve 83 smoothly. Although air leaks into the second decompression chamber 82 through the gap, the amount of this leak is limited to the extent that the decompression of the second decompression chamber 82 is not hindered. The guide shaft 67d is provided with a buffer ring 84 that is interposed between the partition portion 67b and the piston receiving portion 72c and prevents the piston portion 67 from colliding with the base 72.

  The attachment shaft 67e is inserted into the through hole 74a of the lid portion 74 so that the lower end of the attachment shaft 67e protrudes into the second storage chamber 71b. A sleeve 85 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the mounting shaft 67e and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 74a. The sleeve 85 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 74a by using a fitting means such as press fitting. There is a small gap between the sleeve 85 and the mounting shaft 67e so that the mounting shaft 67e can slide smoothly along the sleeve 85. Although air leaks into the first decompression chamber 81 through the gap, the amount of the leak is limited to the extent that the decompression of the first decompression chamber 81 is not hindered.

  The protruding portion 68 is accommodated in the second accommodating chamber 71b so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The protruding portion 68 is coaxially connected to the mounting shaft 67 e of the piston portion 67. The protrusion 68 includes a cylindrical body 68a and a disc-shaped collar 68b that protrudes radially outward from the body 68a. And the protrusion part 68 is accommodated in the 2nd storage chamber 71b by fitting the collar part 68b to the inner surface of the guide cylinder part 75 so that a vertical movement is possible. The body portion 68 a is inserted into the center hole 76 c of the flange portion 76. The outer diameter of the body portion 68a is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the center hole 76c so that the body portion 68a can move up and down in the center hole 76c. A cone portion 68c that is inserted into the syringe 100 from one end 101a is provided at the lower end of the body portion 68a. The cone portion 68c is formed in a conical shape whose outer diameter gradually decreases toward the tip. The outer surface of the cone portion 68c is painted in a color that reflects light, for example, white.

  The body portion 68a is provided with a recess 68d that opens on the upper surface side. The recess 68d includes a large diameter portion 68e and a small diameter portion 68f. The large diameter portion 68e is provided so that its inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 74c of the lid portion 74 that forms the through hole 74a. The small diameter portion 68f is provided so that its inner diameter is the same value as the outer diameter of the mounting shaft 67e. A mounting shaft 67e of the piston portion 67 is fitted into the small diameter portion 68f. A suction hole 86 that penetrates to the lower surface of the body portion 68a and opens at the center of the cone portion 68c is provided. The suction hole 86 functions as the suction port 60 b of the suction head 60. A groove 87 that is recessed inward in the radial direction is provided in an upper portion of the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 68a from which the flange portion 68b protrudes. An O-ring 88 as a seal member is attached to the groove 87.

  A plurality of coil springs 69 are accommodated in the second accommodation chamber 71b. The upper ends of the coil springs 69 are fitted into spring receiving holes 68g provided in the flanges 68b of the protrusions 68. Each coil spring 69 is held in the second storage chamber 71b in a state of being compressed in the vertical direction by the flange portion 76. Therefore, a force that pushes upward acts on the projecting portion 68 and the piston portion 67 by a restoring force against compression of each coil spring 69. At this time, the piston portion 67 and the projecting portion 68 move upward until the partition portion 67 b of the piston portion 67 hits the piston receiving portion 72 c of the base 72 via the buffer ring 84. The piston portion 67 and the protruding portion 68 are moved to this position, whereby the cone portion 68c of the protruding portion 68 is stored in the head main body 66. Hereinafter, the position where the cone portion 68c of the protruding portion 68 is stored in the head main body 66 may be referred to as a standby position of the protruding portion 68. At the bottom of each spring receiving hole 68g, there is provided a communication hole 68h that penetrates the collar 68b up and down. A communication hole (not shown) that connects the second storage chamber 71 b and the outside of the head main body 66 is formed between the cover portion 77 and the guide tube portion 75.

  A suction path 89 is provided in the suction head 60 to suck air from the suction port 60b. The suction path 89 includes a first passage 90 that penetrates the inside of the rotation shaft 70 along the axis CLh, and a second passage 91 that penetrates the inside of the piston portion 67 along the axis CLh. A second decompression chamber 82 is located between the first passage 90 and the second passage 91. Thereby, the second decompression chamber 82 is also used as a part of the suction path 89. The second passage 91 is connected to the suction hole 86 of the protrusion 68. Therefore, this suction hole 86 is also used as a part of the suction path 89. Accordingly, the suction path 89 extends along the axis line CLh of the mounting shaft 67e so as to reach the suction port 60b from the upper surface side of the head main body 66 via the second decompression chamber 82. The attachment shaft 67e of the piston portion 67 is provided with a plurality of connection paths 92 penetrating in a direction orthogonal to the axis line CLh. The second passage 91 and the first decompression chamber 81 are connected via the connection path 92. Therefore, the suction port 60b, the first decompression chamber 81, and the second decompression chamber 82 are connected to a common suction path 89. As shown in FIG. 9, a joint 93 connected to the upper end of the first passage 90 is attached to the upper end of the suction head 20, and the suction path 89 is connected to the switching valve 65 via a piping tube 94 connected to the joint 93. Connected with. Therefore, by connecting a vacuum pump (not shown) and the suction path 89 via the switching valve 65, air is sucked from each of the suction port 60b, the first decompression chamber 81, and the second decompression chamber 82. Thereby, the internal pressures of the first decompression chamber 81 and the second decompression chamber 82 are reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when air is sucked from the suction passage 89, an upward suction force F <b> 1 acts on the piston portion 67 as the pressure in the second decompression chamber 82 decreases. On the other hand, a downward suction force F <b> 2 acts on the piston portion 67 as the pressure in the first decompression chamber 81 decreases. Since the decompression chambers 81 and 82 are connected to a common suction path 89, the pressures of the decompression chambers 81 and 82 are equal to each other. Therefore, the magnitude relationship of the suction force acting on the piston portion 67 is determined by the magnitude relationship between the area of the cross section perpendicular to the axis CLh of the first decompression chamber 81 and the area of the cross section perpendicular to the axis CLh of the second decompression chamber 82. Determined. Further, the force of the coil spring 69 acts on the piston portion 67 through the protrusion 68. Further, an air release chamber 80 communicating with the outside of the head main body 66 is provided above the partition portion 67 b of the piston portion 67. Therefore, a push-down force F4 due to atmospheric pressure acts on the piston portion 67. Therefore, if the cross-sectional area of the second decompression chamber 82 is limited to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the first decompression chamber 81 so that the resultant force (F2 + F4) of the downward force is larger than the resultant force (F1 + F3) of the upward force, the pressure is reduced. As a result, a downward driving force acts on the piston portion 67. By setting the cross-sectional area in this manner, the piston portion 67 can be lowered with the suction of air from the suction path 89.

  FIG. 11 shows the suction head 60 in a state in which a suction force is applied to the suction path 89 to lower the piston portion 67. As shown in this figure, by moving the piston portion 67 downward, the cone portion 68c of the protruding portion 68 can protrude downward from the lower surface 66a of the head main body 66. Therefore, the cone part 68c can be inserted into the syringe 100, and the air in the syringe 100 can be sucked from the suction port 60b provided at the tip of the cone part 68c via the suction path 89. As a result, the pressure in the syringe 100 can be reduced, and the suction head 60 can hold the syringe 100 by suction. Hereinafter, the position where the protruding portion 68 moves downward and the cone portion 68c protrudes below the lower surface 66a of the head body 66 may be referred to as the protruding position of the protruding portion 68.

  In the main rotor 12, the disk 63 is moved when the lower surface 60 b of the suction head 60 does not contact the one end 101 a of the syringe 100 supported by the chuck mechanism 19 of the inlet wheel 11 and the protruding portion 68 is moved to the protruding position. Each suction head 60 is supported so that the suction head 60 moves at a predetermined height at which the cone portion 68 c is inserted into the syringe 100. Then, when the disk 63 rotates integrally with the rotary shaft 62, the first delivery position P2 (see FIG. 1) for receiving the syringe 100 from the inlet wheel 11 and the second delivery position P3 (see FIG. 1) for sending the syringe 100 to the outlet wheel 13. The suction head 60 is moved along a predetermined transport path including 1). Therefore, the disk 63 corresponds to the moving means of the present invention.

  Next, a method for transporting the syringe 100 by the transport device 10 will be described. The syringe 100 is supplied to the inlet wheel 11 from a supply conveyor (not shown) at the supply position P1. As described above, since the chuck claws 24 and 25 are switched to the fully opened state by the first cam 51 at the supply position P1, the syringe 100 is supplied between the chuck claws 24 and 25. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the syringe 100 is supplied between the chuck claws 24 and 25 so that the flange portion 102 is supported by the chuck claws 24 and 25 from below with the one end 101a facing upward. The In this state, when the wheel 17 rotates and the cam follower 43 moves away from the first cam 51, the chuck claws 24 and 25 are closed and the syringe 100 is held by the chuck mechanism 19.

  Thereafter, when the wheel 17 rotates and the cam follower 43 of the chuck mechanism 19 contacts the second cam 52, the chuck claws 24 and 25 are driven to the opening side. Then, the chuck claws 24 and 25 are all between the recesses 24a and 25a and the body 101 as shown in FIG. 12 until the cam follower 43 reaches the center 52b from the end 52a of the cam surface 54. It is maintained in a state where a gap is generated over the circumference. At this time, the flange portion 102 of the syringe 100 is supported from below by the chuck claws 24 and 25, so that the syringe 100 is held by the chuck mechanism 19. Thus, the 2nd cam 52 functions as an operation means of this invention by maintaining the chuck | zipper claws 24 and 25 in the open state.

  The suction head 60 of the main rotor 12 is located above the syringe 100 held by the chuck mechanism 19 in a predetermined delivery section S1 (see FIG. 4) centered on the first delivery position P2 in the turning path of the chuck mechanism 19. Pass through. In the delivery section S1, a part of the section where the chuck claws 24 and 25 are opened by the second cam 52 is set. The switching valve 65 of the main rotor 12 connects a vacuum pump (not shown) and the suction path 89 when the suction head 60 passes through the delivery section S1. Thereby, the protrusion 68 protrudes from the lower surface 60 a of the suction head 60 and the cone 68 c is inserted into the syringe 100. In the delivery section S <b> 1, the chuck claws 24, 25 are opened so that a gap is formed between the respective recesses 24 a, 25 b and the body portion 101, so that the syringe 100 moves along the upper surfaces of the chuck claws 24, 25. be able to. Therefore, when the cone part 68c is inserted into the syringe 100 in this way, the suction head 60 and the syringe 100 are centered by the cone part 68c. Further, since air is sucked from the suction port 60 b of the suction head 60, the pressure in the syringe 100 is reduced, and the syringe 100 is attracted to the suction head 60. As a result, the syringe 100 is sucked and held on the suction head 60, and the syringe 100 is transferred from the inlet wheel 11 to the main rotor 12.

  Thereafter, the syringe 100 is conveyed by the main rotor 12 from the first delivery position P2 to the second delivery position P3. Imaging of the syringe 100 is performed during this conveyance. At the second delivery position P3, the syringe 100 is delivered from the main rotor 12 to the outlet rotor 13. At the second delivery position P3, the switching valve 65 cuts off the connection between the vacuum pump and the suction path 89. As a result, the action of the suction force on the suction path 89 is stopped, so that the pressure in the syringe 100 approaches the atmospheric pressure, and the suction holding of the syringe 100 by the suction head 60 is released. The outlet rotor 13 receives the syringe 100 released from the suction and holding in a pocket, and grips it with the chuck device 13b. Thereafter, the syringe 100 is transferred from the exit wheel 13 to an unillustrated unloading conveyor at the unloading position P4.

  As described above, according to the inspection apparatus 1, the chuck claws 24 and 25 are opened so that a gap is formed between the respective recesses 24 a and 25 a and the body portion 101 of the syringe 100 in the delivery section S <b> 1. Therefore, the syringe 100 supported by the chuck claws 24 and 25 can be directly sucked and held by the suction head 60 of the main rotor 12. Therefore, the structure of the transfer device 10 can be simplified. Further, since the syringe 100 can be directly sucked and held by the suction head 60 in this way, it is not necessary to provide a guide rail or the like for supporting the flange portion 102 from below between the inlet wheel 11 and the main rotor 12. Accordingly, it is possible to sufficiently suppress the flange portion 102 of the syringe 100 from being damaged during conveyance.

  The present invention may be implemented in various forms without being limited to the form described above. For example, the conveyance object of the conveyance device of the present invention is not limited to a syringe. For example, various articles having a cylindrical body part and a flange extending radially outward from the body part, such as a preform which is a preformed product of a PET bottle, may be transported by the transport apparatus of the present invention.

  Moreover, the conveyance apparatus of this invention may be integrated in apparatuses other than an inspection apparatus. For example, you may incorporate in the apparatus for performing several processes, such as a sterilization process, with respect to a syringe.

  The mechanism for opening and closing the chuck pawl is not limited to the cam mechanism. For example, the chuck pawl may be opened and closed using an air cylinder, an electric actuator, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the chuck claws 24 and 25 provided in the transport device of the present invention have a diameter D1 of a gap formed by the recesses 24a and 25a when the fully closed state is set as shown in FIG. It can be larger. In this case, even when the chuck claws 24, 25 are in the fully closed state, a gap is formed over the entire circumference between the recesses 24 a, 25 a and the body 101 of the syringe 100. Therefore, in the delivery section, the movable range of the syringe 100 can be widened by opening the chuck claws 24 and 25 a little. Thereby, centering with the syringe 100 and the adsorption | suction head 60 can be performed more rapidly. Moreover, since the part which contacts the chuck | zipper claws 24 and 25 among the lower surfaces of the flange part 102 can be reduced, it can further suppress that the syringe 100 is damaged during conveyance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection apparatus 2 Camera (imaging means)
10 Conveying device 11 Entrance wheel (first conveying means)
12 Main rotor (second transfer means)
17 Wheel (moving means)
19 Chuck mechanism 24 Chuck claw 25 Chuck claw 34 Torsion coil spring (spring means)
41 Operation lever (operation member)
52 Second cam (operating means)
60 Suction head 63 Disk (moving means)
100 Syringe (object to be transported)
101 Body 102 Flange S1 Delivery section

Claims (4)

In a transporting device that transports a transport object having a cylindrical body part and a flange part extending radially outward from the body part along a predetermined transport path,
A chuck mechanism having a pair of openable and closable chuck claws, and a moving means for moving the chuck mechanism along the predetermined transport path, wherein the body portion is inserted between the pair of chuck claws, and First conveying means for holding the object to be conveyed by the chuck mechanism by supporting the flange portion from below with the pair of chuck claws;
A suction head for sucking and holding the transport object; and a moving means for moving the suction head along the predetermined transport path, wherein the first transport is performed in a delivery section set in the predetermined transport path. A second conveying means for sucking and holding the conveyance object held by the chuck mechanism of the means from above by the adsorption head and receiving the conveyance object from the first conveyance means;
In the delivery section, a gap is formed over the entire circumference between the pair of chuck claws and the body portion, and the pair of chuck claws are maintained in a state of supporting the flange portion from below. And an operation means for operating the chuck mechanism. The chuck mechanism further includes spring means for biasing the pair of chuck claws toward the closing side,
One of the pair of chuck claws is provided with an operation member for driving the pair of chuck claws to the open side against the spring means,
The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is a cam that operates the operation member so that the pair of chuck claws open in contact with the operation member.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport target is a syringe.   An image of the conveyance object captured by the imaging unit, comprising: the conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and an imaging unit that images a conveyance object conveyed by the conveyance device. An inspection apparatus that performs a predetermined inspection based on the above.

Images