JP2012188152A - Cap supply apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a suction hold means 16 for sucking and holding a cap 8 in a cap supply position A at the leading end of a cap shoot 6 to hold each cap with a relatively weak force, and to supply the cap 8 to the container 4 regardless of its direction even in the case of a cap 8 with a tab.SOLUTION: This apparatus is provided with an aligning means 12a for aligning each cap 8 to the cap supply position at the leading end of an inclined cap shoot 6, and a suction hold means 18 for holding the cap 8 by sucking the top face 8a of the cap 8 from above. Further, air jetting means 22 is provided for jetting air upward is provided below the cap supply position. The cap 8 conveyed from above through the shoot 6 can be lifted by the air and securely held by the suction hold means 18.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cap supply device, and more particularly to a cap supply device in which a head cap among caps sent in a row by a cap chute is hooked and taken out by an article such as a moving container.

  Place the chute containing the caps in a single row above the transport path of the container, hold the part of the cap protruding from the tip (lower end), and move the lower transport path to the mouth of the container There is already known a cap supply device in which a cap is hooked and taken out and automatically put on a container (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, containers are transferred at regular intervals on a path for transferring containers such as a belt conveyor in a single row, a capping chute is disposed above the container transfer path, and the lower end portion is The lower end surface of the capping chute is formed horizontally so as to be parallel to the container transfer path, and further, between the side walls on both ends of the capping chute. The interval is set to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cap, and the state-of-the-art cap falling in the chute is held in a state in which a part protrudes from the opening on the lower surface.

  In order to reliably supply the container by hooking and removing the cap held at the tip of the chute by the mouth part of the container that moves as described above, the cap is accurately positioned on the movement line of the mouth part of the container. And always maintain the correct posture. Therefore, in the invention of Patent Document 1, a cap suction member is provided on the upper wall of the lower end of the chute, and the negative pressure chamber formed inside the cap suction member is connected to a vacuum source via an air hose, and the negative pressure chamber A plurality of air suction holes are provided in the lower wall, that is, the upper wall of the chute so as to suck and hold the cap falling in the chute.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-25467

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, in order to securely hold the cap that has been sent to the tip of the chute, a number of suction holes are provided on the bottom surface of the negative pressure chamber connected to the vacuum source. In such a configuration, when the cap is caught at the mouth of the container and taken out, the suction force of the cap due to negative pressure is strong, and the time for holding the cap also increases, so the side wall of the cap is deformed during the takeout. As a result, there was a possibility that it could not be taken out well. In addition, in the case of a cap with a tab, the position held by the suction hole may be shifted depending on the orientation of the tab, and when the tab is hooked and taken out, the tab may come into contact with the lower wall and deform. It was.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a cap supply device that takes out a moving article by hooking a moving article on the inner surface of the cap held at an end portion of the cap chute with respect to a horizontal plane. And a cap holding means for sucking and holding the top surface of the cap at the cap removal position at the tip of the cap chute, and air injection for injecting air downward from above to the cap removal position. Means is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, an alignment means for aligning a cap sucked and held by the cap holding means is provided at the cap removal position.

  Furthermore, a third invention is characterized in that, in the first invention or the second invention, the cap is conveyed to the take-out position by air injection by the air injection means.

  In the cap supply device of the present invention, in addition to the cap holding means for sucking and holding the top surface of the cap at the cap supply position of the chute, air injection means for injecting air from below to above is provided. There are advantages that the chute tip is accurately positioned and held, and can be easily pulled away from the chute when an object such as a container is hooked and the cap is taken out. In addition, even a cap with a tab has an advantage that the cap can be supplied to the container without causing a positional shift or deformation of the tab.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the cap supply device. Example 1 FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the main part of the cap chute.

  The cap chute is arranged in an inclined state with respect to the horizontal plane, and the cap chute is sent in an inclined state, and the lower end of the cap chute is positioned to temporarily stop the cap by aligning the cap. Matching means are provided. In addition to the suction holding means for sucking and holding the top surface of the cap from above, an air injection means for raising the cap by injecting air upward from below is provided at the cap supply position where the cap stops. Therefore, even if the suction force of the cap suction holding means is weakened, the cap can be reliably adsorbed, and when the tip of the cap is hooked and taken out by an article, a large force is not required and the deformation of the cap is prevented. Achieve the purpose of being able to.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. The cap supply device according to this embodiment is a device for supplying a cap 8 sent from above by a cap chute 6 to a container 4 being transported by a container transport conveyor 2. A cap 8 (refer to a cap denoted by reference numeral 8A in FIGS. 1 and 2) held at the tip is hooked on the mouth 4a of the container 4 being transported under the chute 6 by the transport conveyor 2 from the chute 6. The cap 8 is supplied to the container 4 by taking out.

  The transport conveyor 2 that transports the containers 4 is horizontally disposed and continuously transports the containers 4 at regular intervals. In this embodiment, the container 4 to which the cap 8 is supplied has a large opening 4a at the upper end of the large-diameter body 4b. The cap 8 that covers the mouth portion 4a of the container 4 is an aluminum cap formed from an aluminum sheet by a molding machine, and is sent to the cap chute 6 by air conveyance after being formed. The cap 8 has a top surface 8a having a slightly larger diameter than the mouth portion 4a of the container 4 and a cylindrical portion 8b having a short length provided below the top surface 8a. The short cylindrical portion 8b has a shape in which the diameter gradually increases downward.

  The cap chute 6 is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the cap 8 is sent while being inclined in the cap chute 6. The cap 8 is transported in the cap chute 6 by the weight of the cap 8 in addition to the upper air transport. Note that the conveyance of the cap 8 need not be air conveyance, but may be belt conveyance or the like.

  The cap chute 6 includes a bottom support plate 10 disposed on the lower side and side guide members 12 disposed on both sides. In this embodiment, the side guide member 12 does not cover the entire sides so that even if the cap has a tab (not shown) at the lower end of the cylindrical portion 8b, it can be conveyed regardless of the direction of the tab. Since only the upper part is guided and the lower side 14 is open, the tab of the cap 8 and the side guide member 12 do not contact and deform. However, it goes without saying that the height of the open portion 14 is lower than the height of the cylindrical portion 8 b of the cap 8. An upper guide 16 is provided at least on the downstream end of the cap chute 6.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an alignment portion 12 a that protrudes inward is provided at the distal ends of the side guide members 12. The distance between the two alignment portions 12a is slightly smaller than the diameter of the top surface portion 8a of the cap 8, and the cap 8 sent through the chute 6 engages with the alignment portion 12a. The front portion 8c stops in a state where the front portion 8c protrudes forward from the front end surface 12b of both side guide members 12. This position A is the cap supply position described in claims 1 and 3. The cap 4 can be forcibly removed from the positioning portions 12a by hooking the mouth portion 4a of the container 4 on the inner surface side of the cylindrical portion 8b of the cap 8 stopped at the cap supply position A and moving the container 4 forward. It has become. Furthermore, the inner surface 12c (surface that guides the cap 8) near the alignment portions 12a of the side guide members 12 is formed in an arc shape so that the cap 8 can move smoothly. The alignment portion 12a provided at the tip of the chute 6 is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure, and may be provided separately from the side guide member 12 or taken out even if it has a different shape. What is necessary is just to be able to align the cap 8.

  The bottom support plate 10 is cut out below the position where the top cap 8 is stopped by the positioning portion 12a at the tip of the chute 6 (cap supply position A and a part slightly upstream thereof). Is open. A suction holding means 18 for sucking and holding the cap 8 is provided above the position where the top cap 8 stops. In this embodiment, two suction holes 16 a penetrating the upper guide 16 are formed. These suction holes 16 a communicate with a suction recess 16 b formed on the upper surface of the upper guide 16, and the suction recess 16 b is connected to a vacuum source (not shown) via the suction passage 20. The top cap 8 (8A) that has dropped the chute 6 is sucked and held by these two suction holes 16a. These suction holes 16a suck two portions of the front cap 8 (8A) in the chute 6 that are closer to the front (see FIG. 2).

  Below both side guide members 12, air injection means 22 for blowing air from below to the top cap 8 that has been sent through the chute 6 is provided. Each air ejecting means 22 is disposed below each side guide member 12 and includes an air passage 24 through which compressed air is sent. The air passage 24 has a rear end portion (right end in FIG. 2) connected to an air supply source (not shown), and a plurality of air outlets 24a are provided at the front end portion. Air is jetted. In this embodiment, each air passage 24 is located outside the cap transfer passage in the chute 6 (between the side guide members 12 on both sides). Therefore, the air outlet 24a is directed obliquely upward toward the cap transfer passage side, and air can be blown to the lower surface side of the cap 8 to lift the cap 8 upward. Further, the air outlet 24a injects air slightly toward the front side so that the cap 8 sent from the upstream of the chute 6 is sent to the cap supply position A at the tip of the chute 6 without stopping. It is like that.

  The cap 8 (8A) sent through the chute 6 and reaching the downstream end is aligned by the alignment portion 12a as described above, sucked by the upper suction hole 16a, and held at the cap supply position A. . At this time, a portion 8c (see FIG. 2) on the front side of the cap 8 (8A) protrudes forward from the front end surfaces 12b of the both side guide members 12. In addition, the upper end surface of the mouth portion 4a of the container 4 being transported below passes through a part 8c on the front side of the cap 8 (8A) held in an inclined state at the tip of the chute 6. It protrudes below the horizontal plane (see FIG. 1). Accordingly, the opening 4a of the container 4 that is transported downward relative to the cap 8 held at the cap supply position A by the cap suction holding means 18 is engaged with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 4b. Yes.

  The operation of the cap supply device according to the above configuration will be described. An aluminum cap 8 (the material of the cap is not limited to aluminum) formed by an upper cap forming machine (not shown) is carried to the upper end of the chute 6 by air conveyance and is put into the chute 6. The In the chute 6, the chute 6 falls to the downstream side by the conveyance force by the air conveyance and the weight of the cap 8. The cap 8 that falls on the bottom support plate 10 is such that the side guide members 12 on both sides guide only the upper part of the cap 8, and the lower part is a space. Even with a cap or the like with a mark, there is no risk of being damaged by contact with the side guide member 12 regardless of the direction of the tab.

  When the cap 8 comes to a portion where the bottom support plate 10 on the distal end side of the chute 6 is not present, the cap 8 is lifted by the air jetted from the air jet port 24a of the air jet means 22, and the cap 8 Is advanced by this jet air directed forward. When the cap 8 reaches the alignment portions 12a at the tips of the side guide members 12 on both sides, the front surface side is aligned with the alignment portions 12a and the chute is sucked from the suction holes 16a of the upper suction holding means 18. 8 and is held at the cap supply position A.

  Below the chute 6, the containers 4 are conveyed in a row at predetermined intervals by the conveyor 2. The front end 8c of the cap 8 (8A) stopped at the cap supply position A at the tip of the chute 6 protrudes downward from the upper surface of the mouth 4a of the container 4 being conveyed. When the container 4 reaches the position of the cap 8, the mouth portion 4a of the container 4 engages with the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 8b of the cap 8, and the cap 8 is taken out from the alignment portion 12a of the chute 6 as the container 4 advances. Then, it is put on the mouth 4a as it is. In this embodiment, since the number of suction holes 16a of the cap suction holding means 18 is small, the suction force is weak, and the distance from the point of action of the engaged container 4 is short, so even if the external force applied by the container 4 is small. The cap 8 can be easily detached from the suction hole 16a. Further, even if the cap 8 to be transported is a cap with a tab, since there is no bottom support plate 10 below the cap supply position A, when the cap 8 is hooked by the container 4, The bottom support plate 10 does not contact and deform. In the above-described embodiment, the cap 8 is directly hooked and taken out by the container 4 being transported by the transport conveyor 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the picker or the like can remove the cap 8 from the chute 6. After removing the cap 8, it may be supplied to the container.

A Cap supply position 4 Goods (container)
6 Cap chute 8 Cap 8a Top surface of cap 18 Cap holding means 22 Air injection means

Claims (3)

In the cap supply device for picking up the moving article by hooking the moving article on the inner surface of the cap held in a state inclined with respect to the horizontal plane at the tip of the cap chute,
Cap holding means for sucking and holding the top surface of the cap is provided at the cap supply position at the tip of the cap chute, and air injection means for injecting air from below to above below the cap supply position. A cap supply device provided.   The cap supply device according to claim 1, wherein an alignment unit that aligns a cap sucked and held by the cap holding unit is provided at the cap supply position.   The cap supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap is transported to a cap supply position by air injection by the air injection means.

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